Page 98 of A Scottish Highland Surprise

Before I could articulate anything, he scooped me into his arms and snatched my mouth with his in a fiery kiss.

I didn’t complain, but I was still confused. “Will you please tell me what the hell is going on here?”

Ophelia looked dazed, while Mum, Dad, Cass and the rest of our party looked like they had just woken up from hibernation.

Xander slid an arm around my waist. “That woman,” he began to explain, as chairs scraped along the wooden floorboards and the auction attendees filed in the direction of the function room for brunch. “Her name is Cameron Lomax. She’s American.”

“Okay,” I answered, wondering where this was going. “Did you recognise her after all?”

“Not at first. Then it started to bug me that she seemed vaguely familiar.” Xander trained his attention on everyone. “You’ve probably guessed by the way she has been clamped to her mobile phone for all that time that she’s here at the auction representing someone who wanted to buy the tea set.”

“A Russian oligarch?” piped up Dad. “Or an Italian mob boss?”

Mum dug her elbow into Dad and he winced. “Kenny, for goodness’ sake! Let the young man speak.”

Xander’s mouth twitched with amusement. “Almost as exciting, but not quite.” His warm aquamarine eyes travelled across the sea of rapt faces, including mine beside him. “I disappeared, so I could ask around and see if anyone knew anything about her. A friend of mine who heads up the security team working here today owed me a favour.”

“Go on,” I urged, my head rattling with questions.

“Tony told me this Cameron Lomax is hoping to make a name for herself as a controversial art critic in the States. She was married to some wealthy industrialist, but they divorced last year.”

Cass was enthralled. “This sounds like a Jackie Collins plot.”

Xander pointed to where Cameron Lomax had been sitting only moments before. Her chair was empty, as were most of the others now. “Tony was reluctant at first to tell me who she was, but he said if I happened to read his computer screen at an opportune moment, there wouldn’t be much he could do about it.”

He gave a wry smile. “Tony and his team were tasked with undertaking security checks for all the attendees at this morning’s auction, because it was such a high-profile event. During their investigations, they found out that Ms Lomax has a new, younger man squiring her about town. He was the one so very keen to acquire the tea set.”

“Lucky her!” joked Mum. Ophelia chuckled, whereas my dad and Hal frowned with disapproval.

“So do you know who this guy is?” I asked. “And why he was so keen to have it?” Why would some young Lothario be so adamant about buying a vintage tea set?

Xander turned to me. “The reason he wanted it will become all too apparent when I tell you who Ms Lomax’s new boyfriend is.”

He let out an almost disbelieving laugh.

From the direction of the function room, we could hear barks of laughter and clinking teacups.

“She’s in a relationship with Jake Caldwell. He’s the one who was at the end of the phone, talking to her.”

Chapter Fifty-One

“You are kidding?” said Dad. “Not that jumped-up little shit who our Sophie had that disastrous dinner date with?”

“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered, reddening.

Xander’s hand held my waist a little more firmly. “The very one.”

Cass folded her arms across the front of her beige woollen dress. “But I thought Jake Caldwell lost a lot of his sales and credibility, after you revealed he had been ripping off deceased artists’ work?”

“He did,” agreed Xander. “I strongly suspect that all that money he was bidding with wasn’t his. It was hers.”

“And he wouldn’t come along here in person, because he knew we would be here,” I realised with a mixture of resentment and relief.

“But why would he be so hell bent on getting hold of that tea set?” asked Dad, shooting inquiring looks at Xander and me.

“Because he’s a petty, nasty piece of work?” suggested Cass.

Xander agreed. He reached inside his silk suit and tugged out his mobile. He jabbed a few keys and pulled up some images on his screen. “After Tony gave me that information, I googled Cameron Lomax. Here.”