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‘You know what, I think I’m going to head back too,’ she said. ‘I thought I might go for a walk by the loch tomorrow.’

‘Really? Do you want some company?’ Duncan asked.

She smiled but shook her head, surprised at how blatant he had been in front of the others. There was no chance that wouldn’t get back to Lorna.

‘Thank you, but I’m not sure what time I’ll be going. If it’s raining, I’ll go later, and I don’t want to mess you around.’ She could feel the tension simmering between them. ‘It’s fine, really. But I should get home now.’

‘Right, of course.’

‘So do you guys want a lift?’ Niall offered.

Bex readied herself to accept the offer, but before she spoke, Duncan cut in.

‘Actually, I was going to walk,’ he said. ‘As it’s a nice evening. Bex, do you want to join me?’

She did – she desperately did – but it was the wrong thing to do. She knew it was the wrong thing to do.

But she had already declined his offer to join her at the loch tomorrow and they had all heard. Walking home with him now was harmless, surely? Particularly since they practically lived in the same place. A bubble of apprehension threatened to rise and make her see sense, but before she could contemplate all the reasons that Duncan walking her home was a bad idea, she quashed it.

‘Why not?’ she said, flashing him a smile. ‘Although just so you know, I’m in heels, so it’s going to be a very slow walk back.’

‘Oh, I’m sure I’ll cope,’ he said, grinning back at her.

37

Given how easily they normally spoke, the silence between them as they walked back to the castle felt notably tense. In Bex’s case, it had everything to do with their hands. Several times, she almost reached out to hold Duncan’s only to snap her hand back to her side. She was sure he did the same. So they opted to walk a couple of feet apart, which was ridiculous, really.

‘That was a nice night, wasn’t it?’ Bex said, aware of how oddly formal she sounded.

‘Aye, they’re grand, those two. Good mates, too.’

‘Lorna thinks there’s something going on between them. Or at least there should be. And I’m inclined to agree, don’t you think?’

‘Maybe there could be,’ Duncan said, ‘but maybe they’re wiser than that. I mean, if they’re just friends, maybe they don’t want to ruin it.’

‘But would it be ruining the friendship? It could be something so much more?—’

‘Or it could end up an absolute disaster.’

She saw a flicker of pain cross his face, and the guilt rolled through her. So many times now she had ended up putting her foot in her mouth, or feeling like she was about to, but maybe what she actually needed to do was talk to Duncan about what he’d been through. And not the fact that he had been cheated on, but how he had lost the people closest to him.

‘Do you not talk to Archie at all?’ she asked before she could stop herself. ‘He was your best friend. Surely you miss him, too?’

It was intrusive, possibly rude, but she wanted to know. Duncan was such a people person, the type everyone gravitated towards. It was hard to imagine him cutting someone out of his life entirely.

‘He’s tried calling a couple of times,’ Duncan admitted, his gaze drifting down to his feet. ‘But what would I say to him? I need to move on with my life, and he needs to move on with his. I suppose I should be the bigger person and forgive him or something, but?—’

‘No, I think you’re being the bigger person as it is,’ Bex said. ‘The fact that you haven’t wrung his neck or beaten him to a pulp shows real restraint,’ she added, then paused. ‘You didn’t, did you?’

Duncan laughed. ‘No, I didn’t. That’s not to say I didn’t think about it, but I decided that wouldn’t be a good idea.’

‘What about Katty? Have you spoken to her?’

He shook his head. ‘She still messages, but it’s the same – I don’t have anything to say to her. The truth is, I think it was inevitable, her and me drifting apart. If I’m honest with myself, I think part of me knew that, even when I proposed. Maybe that waswhyI proposed.’

‘What?’ Bex stopped. Partly because her feet were killing her, but also because she didn’t think this was the type of thing you shared just strolling along. She wanted to look at Duncan as he told her this. To show him she was listening. With a slight nod of his head, he paused and looked around at her.

‘Katty has always been too big for a village like this – same as Archie has. You saw her, right? She never really fit in.’