Page 29 of A Scottish Country Escape

In the end, I decided that calling him first might be better. Steeling myself, I jabbed in Adam Fraser’s telephone number. After a few rings, an educated, older Scottish male voice wafted back.

I took care to explain who I was and then mentioned my grandmother.

I pulled myself bolt upright on my bed when Adam Fraser reacted with a bark. ‘Your grandmother and I knew each other a long, long time ago. I don’t see the good of dragging up the past now.’

‘Mrs Carlucci,’ I countered, trying to salvage what I could from the phone call. ‘Gran seems to think you knew about her, or certainly knew of her.’

‘Well, I don’t! Please leave me alone. It’s all fanciful nonsense!’

‘What is?’ I squirmed on the bed. ‘What’s all fanciful nonsense?’

But the line went dead. I flopped back deflated against my pillow.

* * *

Gran’s eyes widened the next morning at breakfast as we discussed Adam Fraser’s reaction again. ‘I can’t believe he did that. Putting the phone down on you!’

I poured milk onto my cereal and watched it wash over my Bran Flakes. ‘He made it clear he has no intention of talking about it. He said it was all a lot of rubbish.’

Grandma’s speckled hand fluttered to her throat. ‘That’s charming. And did he make any comment about Linda Carlucci or her family?’

‘Nothing. All he said was something about fanciful nonsense.’

She pressed her coral-slicked lips together.

‘Maybe if you came with us tonight, Gran? If he saw you he might change his mind?’

‘No!’

I blinked at her forcefulness.

Grandma collected herself together in our quiet kitchen. ‘Just leave it, Elle. Forget I suggested it. I should never have urged you to speak to him in the first place. I should have expected as much from the likes of him.’

I was prepared to argue the point, but Gran was having none of it. ‘Promise me, darling, that you won’t speak to Adam anymore. Best to leave the past alone. I’m sorry I suggested it. Cranky old bugger!’

I dropped my gaze and played with my cereal spoon. I felt like the things I thought I knew were rapidly falling away from me. Secrets were bubbling under the surface and I was within touching distance of them. I couldn’t just leave things like that. Especially not now.

‘Gran, you need to tell me. Please. What is this all about?’

But she was already leaving the kitchen.

I thought again about Adam Fraser.

Frustration rose inside me. Well, if my grandmother wasn’t prepared to tell me, I would have to try and persuade him to talk to me after all.

Chapter Nineteen

The day began slowly, but by mid-morning, a steady stream of locals and the odd serious hiker put paid to the quiet, which was punctuated only by Cate’s musical choice of Florence & the Machine drifting ethereally from my iPod.

Gran had insisted she would come in again to assist me behind the counter, but I refused. Her distracted, pale appearance at breakfast had been a bit of a shock, so I had urged her to relax and reminded her that Cate was coming in to help me out. ‘If things get too hectic, I’ll give you a shout,’ I had assured her.

I was sure she had tired herself out after the opening day and the Adam Fraser issue most likely hadn’t helped. I’d tried again before leaving for Paper Roses to speak to her about Adam Fraser, but she had ordered me out of the house and vanished back inside, a blur of pink-checked shirt and navy trousers.

I planned to ring her a couple of times during the day, to see how she was.

I readjusted the band securing the end of my plait.

Cate handed a young couple their change, together with the Charles Rennie Mackintosh pen and pencil set they explained they were buying for his dad’s sixtieth birthday.