Ross held her gently by the shoulders, “Calm down, love. You aren’t making a lot of sense. What has Amelia got to do with all of this?”
Evie was babbling in panic. “You don’t understand. She’s dangerous.”
Ross said sternly. “Evie Muir. You are talking nonsense. Now what the hell is really going on and why are you acting so weird?”
Evie looked at him, distraught. “Your precious Amelia, that’s what. And I’m not the one that’s weird. She is off her head. I’m scared she will really hurt someone. She threatened me and she said she had visited my mother in the care home without telling me and she doesn’t live in the States. She came up here from London and she’s the one who must have spiked my drink, and she’s been telling terrible lies about me to Liv. She wants to destroy me …”
Evie couldn’t go on. She was shaking and sobbing. Ross sat beside her, held her firmly and said, “Take a deep breath and take your time. Tell me everything.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ross’s House
When Ross had heard Evie’s story, he cursed himself for being such a fool and falling for Amelia’s lies. There was only one thing to be done. He had to take her to Freya’s and they would confront Amelia.
He told Evie firmly, “I’m taking you home so you can get showered and changed. I have some calls to make and then we are going to get all this sorted out.”
Evie shook her head. “I don’t think I can face her and Freya won’t believe me anyway. Amelia has fooled her, just like she fooled all of us.”
He looked at her beautiful green eyes, brimming with tears, and once again berated himself for being such an idiot. Why didn’t he have the courage to ask Evie out properly when he had the chance?
“I’m so, so sorry, Evie. I’ve let you down badly. Well, we all have. I can’t believe I was seduced by that manipulative piece of work. What must you think of me.”
“Oh Ross. She’s cunning. She seemed so interested in learning about her family in Orkney and it was all a lot of rubbish.”
She wiped tears from her eyes. He would have kissed her then, but she sensed his intention and pulled away, saying, “I must look terrible. I need to charge up my phone. It’scompletely dead. Take me home to get cleaned up and have a strong coffee and a couple of paracetamols and I will be ready to face the enemy.”
She managed a wobbly smile. “I will also have that Irn Bru and roll and square sausage if it’s still going, as long as you put on tons of HP sauce.”
“Evie Muir. You know it has to be tomato sauce on a square sausage. Anything else is just barbaric.”
He gave her a hug and said, “We will get through this, you know. It’s going to be alright.”
She looked up at him and said simply “As long as you are with me then I know I will be fine.”
This time he did kiss her, deeply. They were both shaking as they clung to each other.
“Tell me you felt that?” he said. She simply nodded and smiled up at him. He told her gently. “It’s always been you for me, Evie. Ever since you came home. You can never think of leaving me again.”
Evie was near to tears. That kiss had stirred up so many emotions. She felt wobbly and confused, but much safer and far less scared. She said, “We have wasted so much time, Ross.”
He stood up, took her hand and said, “Let’s deal with Amelia first, and then we can get on with the rest of our lives.”
He took Evie back to her house. It didn’t take long for her to get ready. Once she was out of the shower, she checked her phone, now charged enough to have received a clutch of missed calls and messages from Liv.
I’m at yours – where are you?
Evie – where are you? I need to speak to you.
Text me – I’m worried.
This was so unlike Liv. Evie messaged her back.
I’m sorry. My phone was dead. I’m back at the house now but I have to go to Freya’s.
On the short drive to Freya’s, Evie asked Ross: “What will we say? Do you think Freya will believe us?”
Ross squeezed her hand. “Freya is the wisest woman we know. She will be able to suss out who is telling the truth.”
