Page 100 of A Scottish Highland Surprise

I snatched it up and started to close the door behind me, when a sudden whirl of wind travelled in through the shop. I managed to clamp my free hand down on sheets of tissue paper piled high on a nearby Formica table. They would have caused a right mess if they had gone spinning everywhere.

But as I moved to leave, something glittery lying on the floor drew my eye.

I crouched down and picked it up. What was it? It looked like it must have got blown out from under one of the shelving units.

I set my phone down by my feet. It looked like an old Christmas gift tag in the shape of a snowflake. It had shed most of its silver glitter, but there were still a couple of little clumps hanging determinedly on. I turned it over and let out a stunned gasp. I recognised my grandmother’s handwriting straightaway, all gracious loops.

It said:

To Chris,

Hope you don’t lose this one!

Love always, Helena XX

I stared down at the gift tag in my hands, drinking in my gran’s writing. Who was Chris? I couldn’t recall her speaking about someone with that name before.

And what had she meant by “Hope you don’t lose this one”?

I ran one finger over the writing, as though connecting with her again. My heart jolted in my chest.

“Sophie?” called Xander from the doorway. “Have you found your phone yet? Please say you have. I’m losing all feeling in my legs!”

My face broke into a smile as I slid my phone and the gift tag into my bag for safekeeping. “On my way now,” and I clicked the store room door closed behind me.

Epilogue

Six months later

A lot changed after Xander’s surprise acquisition of the tea set.

As we had hoped, it found its way into a specially designated display at the Glasgow Museum, alongside a flashy electronic information board, detailing its rollercoaster journey from being presented to Leonora Gray as a birthday gift in the early 1900s, through to its exciting appearance at the auction.

There were images on the information board of Castle Marrian and Briar Glen as they used to be, with cobbled roads and oil streetlamps dotted everywhere.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any surviving photographs of Briar Forsyth, but the local artist who made the Briar Glen tea set used his imagination and produced some lovely pencil drawings of what he thought she would have looked like.

Xander commented that he thought she carried a passing resemblance to me and I was secretly delighted. Being compared in even a small way to such a strong, brave and determined young woman was a compliment in itself.

As you might imagine, the tale of the peacock tea set triggered an increase in visitors to Briar Glen.

Not long after Xander’s purchase of it, we learnt through the gossip columns that Cameron Lomax had dumped Jake. What with the US papers getting hold of the fact that he was the former disgraced artist James Deighton, things were getting too uncomfortable for Jake to handle over there.

We also were told by a couple of Xander’s art contacts that Jake had returned to Scotland, after Cameron tired of him sponging on her and insisting that he could be the next John Paul Getty, if only she would just support his plans for a world-dominating chain of Caldwell Museums.

The last Xander heard, Jake had returned to Edinburgh and was eking out a meagre living as a nude model for still life evening classes.

The Cup That Cheers continued to flourish and on what would have been Briar Forsyth’s birthday, 31st May, I dressed the shop window with artificial blue roses, one of the illustrations of her and two of the Briar Glen tea sets, which were very popular.

And as for Xander and me… I glanced down at my ring finger. My engagement ring, fashioned from vanilla gold and blueberry sapphires, glowed against my skin. Xander had made sure the stones were crafted into the shape of the mystical blue briar rose.

If it hadn’t been for Ophelia depositing the tea set and fleeing like she did last year, I would never have got to know Xander, or the truth about a resilient young woman who, despite everything, made sure she carved out a decent life for her and her little boy.

The shop bell gave its familiar merry waltz, bringing with it a couple more customers, their faces lighting up with admiration at the selection of ceramic and porcelain teapots and tea sets, waiting to be admired and taken to a new home.

Thank you, Grandma, for believing in me.

I hope I’ve done your dream justice.