— Hello, Keira, Alistair says at last, breaking the silence.
— Hello, I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.
— I’m sorry for showing up unannounced.
— It’s fine.
Another silence stretches between us.
— How are you? he asks.
— Fine.
That makes three lies today.
— And you?
— I’ve been better, he says with disarming honesty. I haven’t slept in days, I’ve been surviving on coffee and whisky, and I’ve probably terrified half my staff with my foul mood.
His bluntness catches me off guard.
— Why are you here, Alistair?
He steps closer, slowly, as if afraid I might bolt if he moves too fast.
— I need to know the truth, Keira. Did my father speak to you during dinner? When I was on the phone?
The question chills me.
— I don’t know what you’re talking about, I say, looking away.
— Please don’t lie to me. Not you.
There’s so much pain in his voice I can’t keep up the act.
— How did you find out? I whisper.
— I put two and two together. I tried to speak to my father, but very conveniently, he had an important meeting in Edinburgh today…
I close my eyes, defeated.
— What exactly did he say? Alistair asks, sitting across from me.
— He knows about our arrangement. About the fake engagement.
— I figured.
— He said he’d already signed an agreement with William Fraser for the shop. That my project didn’t stand a chance. And that if I… if I truly cared about you, I should end things before you were disinherited because of me.
I finally look up at him, bracing myself for anger—maybe even contempt. But all I find is a tenderness so overwhelming it steals my breath.
— And you believed him, he says softly. You thought you were protecting me.
It’s not a question, but I nod anyway.
— I didn’t want to be the reason you lost everything, I whisper. Your family, your inheritance, the distillery…
Alistair shakes his head, a sad smile tugging at his lips.
