Page 58 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)
She opened the door, and her moral support trooped in.
When she closed the door and turned around, she found Marnie sitting in her usual seat, in the home office in her garden, ready for the session, but looking slightly perplexed.
She looked around the room. ‘Now, I realise I always recommend a chaperone for moral support, but just how much moral support do you need?’
Sean said, ‘Do you have some extra chairs?’
She smiled at Sean, thankful that he’d agreed to her wishes and let everyone follow in their cars to Marnie’s house.
She hadn’t forewarned her. She didn’t want Marnie to refuse to let them all attend.
But it was what she wanted. She hadn’t deceived her friends on purpose, but she still felt she owed it to them to be honest. And how much more honest could she be, other than to let her best friends in the world sit in on her hypnotherapy session and finally hear the truth?
She had to have them there. It was non-negotiable.
Marnie said, ‘There are my dining room chairs, and some folding garden chairs inside the garden shed.’
Sean nodded. ‘We’ll all go and fetch a seat.’
She looked at her friends, trooping out to fetch a chair each, and said to Marnie, ‘I know this is quite unusual … ’
‘It’s not just quite unusual, it’s a first.’
She looked at the paperwork in Marnie’s hands. She’d been given the police report of the car accident. Marnie said, ‘I appreciate your circumstances are unusual too, though.’
She nodded in agreement. ‘I want my friends here. I need them here. They are the loveliest people, who let me, a perfect stranger, into their lives. They’ve got a right to know everything. And if, by chance, I remember today, I want them to hear it firsthand.’
Marnie smiled. ‘It’s fine.’
Once everyone had returned, and sat down, Marnie said, ‘Shall we begin?’
Robyn took a seat on the sofa opposite Marnie, just as she had done before in their sessions.
She was feeling anxious; both anxious that it might not work, but also bizarrely anxious that it would.
It had only just occurred to her that she might not like her real self.
She cast a glance at her friends. They might not like her either.
Marnie caught her attention. ‘Don’t look at your friends. Just focus on me, okay?’
She nodded, putting her hands in her lap, trying to relax.
‘Good.’
‘Now, I want you to repeat these words.’
‘Wait.’ David’s voice cut in.
Marnie rolled her eyes. ‘I’m afraid you will have to leave if you are going to interrupt the session.’
‘Sorry. It’s just …’
Marnie said, ‘What is it?’
David hesitated. ‘This is probably a stupid question, but there’s no risk involved with this, is there? ’
‘Well, hypnotherapy is relatively safe, but it doesn’t work for everyone. And there are instances where it does work, perhaps a little too well, and triggers suppressed memories.’
‘But that would be a good thing,’ said David, ‘in the case of Ro … I mean my fiancée.’
‘Perhaps. But some of those memories might be suppressed for a reason. They may be traumatic memories that she’s protecting herself from.’ Marnie paused. ‘Does that answer your question?’
David nodded. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he asked Robyn.
She nodded. ‘Yes, I told you I do.’
Marnie looked around the room. ‘Anybody else have a question before I proceed?’
Gayle raised her hand. ‘Hi, I’m Gayle. How long will this take?’
Marnie replied, ‘I can’t answer that.’
‘No matter,’ said Gayle. ‘My neighbour said she could look after my mum for as long as needs be. And by the way, this is Marty, and Nick …’
‘Hi,’ they both said in unison.
‘They’re staying with me at Lark Lodge at the moment. Have you heard of it?’
‘The new guesthouse in Aviemore, backs on to the Rosses’ holiday home, so I heard.’
‘That’s right.’
David spoke again. ‘I forgot to tell you that I’m David, her fiancé, and this is Joe, my brother, and Annie his wife.’
‘I’m Duncan – their dad,’ Duncan added.
Marnie stared at them all. ‘Well … er, thank you for introducing yourselves. Has anyone got anything else to add before I begin?’ There was a hint of weariness in her voice.
When nobody answered, she said, ‘Good. Let’s begin.’ She turned to her patient again, but as she began to speak, her voice was drowned out by a ruckus coming from outside the office.
‘What on earth …?’
Everyone turned towards the door as it opened. It was Sean. ‘Sorry, but there’s a guy out here, Jake Campbell-Ross. He said he was going to meet all you guys at the police station, but then got a text to come here.’
David said, ‘Oh, he texted me. Sorry, I should have asked you before I told him about the therapy sessions. He says he needs to be here, that he thinks you might know something about Eleanor, and what happened the day of her accident on Christmas Day.’
She looked at David. ‘Why would he think that?’
‘I don’t know.’
She looked around the room at her friends. Mr Campbell-Ross obviously had something unresolved he needed to find out.
‘It’s your call,’ said Sean.
‘I think if there’s any possibility I met her, then he needs to be here.’ She looked at Marnie and winced. ‘Can I have one more?’
She threw her hands in the air, clearly getting exasperated. ‘Come in, come in. It’s already like a zoo in here.’
Jake walked in and thanked Marnie’s patient for letting him join her therapy session. Sean provided another folding garden chair. Jake walked up to Marnie, shaking her hand, and introducing himself.
She looked at him sideways. ‘Please,’ she said, securing the return of her hand, ‘just sit down. Now I’m going to try this one more time, and if I get one more interruption it may be best for you all to leave. Do … you … understand? ’
Every head nodded. There was not so much as a whisper.
Satisfied, Marnie turned to her patient and started the hypnotherapy, getting her to relax to the point of a hypnosis-induced state. She said softly, ‘We are going to go on a journey, a journey into your past,’ she paused. ‘Will you take me there?’
‘I will,’ she said in a dreamy voice.
‘But before we go, we must get better acquainted, you and me. Can you tell me your name?’
There was a pause. ‘Yes, I can tell you my name … it’s Bonnie.’