Page 89 of A Scottish Country Escape

She cast a wary look down at her pink desert boots. ‘I got a bus.’

I tried not to smile at how serious she looked. ‘Nadia, there are no buses from where you live.’

‘Well, I got one. It was purple and had flowers on it.’

I noted her petulant lip. ‘People will be worried about you. Very worried.’

She kicked a stone on the cobbles. ‘No they won’t. Mummy and Uncle Dexter have been arguing again.’

Uncle Dexter? Why was she calling him that? The little one couldn’t know he was her father. Perhaps they were waiting until she was a little older before telling her. My heart zinged in sympathy for her. Arguing? No. Don’t go there. It’s none of my business.

‘I’m sure they weren’t arguing,’ I answered softly. ‘But even if they were, that’s what adults do sometimes. But it has nothing to do with you.’

Nadia glanced at the people wandering past us, clutching banners, crafts they had bought, or savouring roasted chestnuts. ‘Mummy said we had to come up to Scotland because she needed more money from Uncle Dexter.’

‘Nadia! What have I told you?!’

I sprang upwards. Elsa was hurrying towards us, her voice a concoction of relief and annoyance. She wasn’t her usual jovial self. She managed a harassed greeting. ‘Hi, Elle. How are you? Nadia, not again! Now, come with me. Sorry!’ She took hold of the little girl’s hand to lead her away.

Needed more money? What did that mean? Was Dexter worried about news getting out that he had a young child? Did that mean he was paying Nadia’s mother money to keep her quiet?

Thoughts cross-crossed through my head. Or was the woman just capitalising on the fact that she had a child with him?

Elsa adjusted the collar of Nadia’s pink corded jacket. ‘Thank you for taking care of her, Elle.’ She didn’t meet my gaze. ‘Again.’

The little girl gave me a cheery wave as Elsa began to guide her away with a promise of taking her to see a tower of Nutella brownies.

Goodness only knows what was happening up at Hawk West Hall right now.

Chapter Fifty-Five

I spent the next hour assisting Gran at our Paper Roses stall before we decided we would take turns to serve so that the other could have a casual wander around the fair and soak up the atmosphere.

The footfall was amazing. ‘Perhaps we should stage these events more often,’ joked my grandmother.

‘Let me think about that… no!’

I had just offered to relieve Cate from her jewellery stall so that she could go and fetch some lunch for her and Lucy when Elsa meandered past, clutching Nadia’s hand.

The little girl was chomping on a princess cupcake and had a cuddly robin tucked under one arm, which she must have purloined from the exhibition stall featuring wild birds that could be seen at the reserve.

Nadia waggled the bird at me with sticky fingers. ‘I’m going to call her Rhiannon.’

‘That’s a lovely name.’

Lucy, who finished serving two teenage girls and wrapping the earrings they had bought, followed me out from behind the canvas to say hello to Nadia, but Elsa encouraged her to move on. ‘Come on, young lady. You haven’t seen the magician yet.’

Lucy folded her arms, puzzled. ‘What was all that about? She couldn’t get the little one away quickly enough.’

We watched her and Nadia get swallowed up by the crowd.

‘I’ve no idea,’ I confessed. ‘Elsa might be concerned Nadia might say something she shouldn’t.’

Lucy pulled a face. ‘These bloody celebrities!’

Lucy began adjusting Cate’s display of wood and shell-encrusted necklaces, which were draped over some driftwood. ‘The wee one has probably already heard or seen something she shouldn’t. Kids don’t tend to miss much.’

As a few more potential customers appeared, Lucy’s face took on a flash of panic.