Page 36

‘Have you forgotten about my lunch?’ she said. ‘I was getting used to those sandwiches and bridies. Don’t tell me I’m going to have to make my own food now?’

Duncan threw back his head and laughed. He had one of those laughs that could lift the entire mood of a room. She had always been envious of people like that. People who could effortlessly put others at ease. Her friend Claire had the same skill. She was full of warm words and genuine empathy. As she looked at Duncan, all she could feel was the smile taking a deeper and deeper hold of her.

‘I really am sorry about the other night,’ Duncan said, his expression far more serious. ‘At the pub, with Katty. You didn’t see my best side at all.’

‘No,’ she agreed.

‘But hopefully you’re seeing that’s not what I’m like. Not normally.’

It was true. Of all the times she had spoken to Duncan, it was only that once he had shown himself as a red flag. But people could mask what they were feeling, and it would be easy for him to believe he was over Katty, because he was focusing his attention on Bex. But if he was needing to focus his attention on someone else to believe he was over his ex, then he really wasn’t over her at all.

‘I’ve had a good day, Duncan,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

She turned around and began walking up the gravel path towards the house. ‘See you soon?’ Duncan’s voice called from behind her.

‘Maybe.’ She laughed, waving her hand without so much as a backwards glance.

As she strolled the last part of the path up to the house, she couldn’t help but feel a slight lightness to her step. And while at no point in her life had Bex ever envisioned herself as a whistling person, there was something about her mood – or maybe it was the scenery, or just the fresh air – that made a tune buzz through her head. Yes, regardless of Duncan or the state of the job, she was going to make sure she took time out of every day to head outside. Just for half an hour or so. It would be good for her mental health. And if she happened to bump into the groundskeeper on those strolls, then so be it.

She pushed open the front door of the castle, ready to head upstairs and perhaps soak in the tub, when her name was called from inside the drawing room.

‘Rebecca.’

Fergus’s gruff tone seemed to lean all the attention on the last two syllables of her name, missing the first one entirely. ‘You got a wee minute?’

Bex’s good mood evaporated and was replaced by an uneasy chill. Remaining where she was, she glanced down at Ruby, contemplating what she should do. Technically speaking, it was Saturday, and there was no reason at all that she should be expected to work. Any requests Fergus had could wait until Monday morning, and she was tempted to say as much – but this was his home, and she was going to be here for a long time. Given how they’d already got off to a fairly rocky start, she decided it was probably best to at least see what he wanted, even if she wasn’t going to do anything about it until after the weekend.

With a deep breath in, she pushed open the door to the drawing room.

‘Hi, Fergus, is there anything I can help you with?’

She was using her professional voice – the one she reserved for entitled clients who always thought they knew best, though if they did, there would have been no need to hire her in the first place.

Fergus was sitting in the same armchair, and even though it was only ten past four, he had a large tumbler of whisky at his side.

As he looked at her, his eyes narrowed.

‘Aye,’ he said. ‘I wondered if you an’ I could have a word.’

He picked up the empty glass beside him and tipped it towards the chair in front of him.

‘Sit,’ he said.

34

Bex didn’t have to sit. She knew that. She reminded herself of what she’d thought only a moment before. This was her weekend, and she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. But there was something about the way Fergus had spoken that had her intrigued. His face was off in a daze, and she couldn’t help but wonder when he had last had someone to sit and talk to in here.

She hesitated for a moment longer, then finally, taking her time, strode slowly across the room and sat down.

Silence swirled around them. From her seat on the floor, Ruby’s gaze moved between Fergus and Bex and back again as if she wasn’t sure what was going on.You’re not the only one, Bex thought, although rather than saying as much, she cleared her throat and forced that professional smile back onto her lips.

‘Is everything all right?’ she asked. ‘If you’ve been in the study, you’ll have seen I’ve made a lot of progress in there. The personal things are all set aside, though. I can show you where they are if you need them.’

He grunted in a way that could have been a yes or a no. Bex clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t going to say any more. He was the one who had asked to speak to her. So he could bloody well speak.

Out in the hallway, the grandfather clock struck to announce a quarter past the hour. She had been in here for nearly five minutes and he had said absolutely nothing. Finally, the old man coughed.

‘So, you went out with the boy today,’ he said.