“I know,” said Amelia. “And lo and behold the accident happened. I just toppled over and the next thing I knew, Kate and Edwyn were taking care of me.”
“Thank goodness they were there,” said Freya, smiling at Edwyn.
“I know,” said Amelia, she gave what she hoped was a brave smile and said “I’m all fine now. So don’t worry about me.”
Freya sighed, “Well, I’m going to look after you.”
Edwyn looked at Freya with concern, “And who will look after you? Have you actually had any sleep at all?”
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” said Freya. She added, “I’ve been up for hours. I didn’t want to waste the day and I’ve had plenty of sleep and you know I never get hangovers.”
Edwyn looked at her fondly. She really was a force of nature and appeared so much younger than her years, but the fact had to be faced that she was now eighty years old. Edwyn thought to himself that this wasn’t the time to tell her to slow down. It took a lot to get Freya cross but telling her to take care because of her age was the one thing that would guarantee the rough end of her tongue. Anyway, they had bigger problems to deal with right now.
Edwyn asked Freya, “You haven’t heard from Evie, I suppose?”
Freya replied, “No, I haven’t. I had hoped she went home with you. I thought you all left at the same time but, of course, you and Kate were looking after Amelia when she fell.”
She looked confused, “So where was Evie then?”
Amelia said quickly, “We didn’t see her, but she didn’t look very happy at the party.”
Freya sighed. “You know, it’s all very odd. Evie has been behaving so strangely. I feel as though I hardly know her. I keep telling myself that she has been through such a lot, but I thought we had all managed to make her feel safe and secure.”
Perhaps it was because of the lack of sleep or worry over Amelia’s accident but Freya was on the verge of tears and Freya never ever cried. She went on, “I thought Evie was so happy with her painting and with the gallery. I know it’s not been easy but she did seem as though she felt at home here again.”
Freya looked stricken, “I must have missed something. I should have noticed she wasn’t herself, maybe I pushed her too hard into staying here on Orkney with me. I’ve been selfish.”
Edwyn raised his hand: “Freya, stop right there. You have got nothing to blame yourself for. You have been so good to Evie. Don’t forget she left this island for twenty years without telling us why. I know she kept in touch with you when it suited her but the rest of us had no idea what had happened to her.”
Freya said quietly, “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you where she was, but she made me solemnly promise. I was worried that you would try to find her, and she’d disappear again and I would lose her completely.”
“Oh Freya,” said Edwyn. “You don’t need to apologise to me. Evie put you in an impossible situation. You shouldn’t feel in the least bit guilty. You’ve lavished love and affection on that girl and she has thrown it back in your face.”
He went on determinedly, “Amelia, I think we need to tell Freya the truth about what happened last night. I know you are trying to protect Evie but I think she needs to know …”
Chapter Forty-Six
Ross’s House
Evie woke up with no idea where she was, and with her head pounding and the room spinning. She was terrified and let out a stifled scream. She heard a groan from the floor and was relieved to see it was only Ross, black hair standing on end, eyes half-shut, clothes crumpled and still looking impossibly handsome.
“What happened? What am I doing in your house?” she yelped.
“Don’t you remember? I found you by the side of the road last night, well early this morning to be exact. I carried you back here, but I couldn’t make it up the stairs, so I put you on the couch. I was worried you’d throw up and choke to death, so I sat up with you.”
“I don’t remember a thing,” Evie said, rubbing her eyes. Ross went and fetched her a glass of water. She gulped it down.
“Some hangover,” said Ross. “Do we need to call out the big guns and get you an Irn Bru and a roll and sausage?”
He suddenly looked serious. “I was really worried about you, Evie. I thought about calling an ambulance and maybe I should have. You were totally out of it.”
Evie shook her head. “I know I was drinking, but this doesn’t feel like a hangover. I can usually remember what went on, but this feels different. It feels like I have been drugged.”
Ross frowned, “Do you think someone spiked your drink? Who would be shitty enough to do that? Last night was a party for Freya and it was with all of our friends. Both of us knew every single person who was there.”
Evie looked at him uncertainly. “You’re right, that doesn’t makes sense. I had a couple of big glasses of wine, that is until …”
She stopped, sat bolt upright and winced in pain. “Oh my God. We need to warn everyone about Amelia.”
