Page 112 of A Scottish Island Summer

Campbell’s question made me raise my head up from the fascination of the tablecloth.

‘I know I’m not Logan, but if there’s anything about Skye you want to ask me or any other research you want to undertake, I’ll do my best to help.’

‘Thank you. That’s very kind of you.’

I indicated Victoria’s letter again. ‘But what about this? You were so fired up about it before.’

Campbell flapped one agitated hand. ‘Och, maybe I’ve been letting my imagination get in the way of my common sense.’

‘What do you mean?’

Sad realisation began to creep over his distinguished features. ‘Maybe my career’s been built on a fairytale after all. Perhaps the critics were right and I’ve been deluding myself all these years.’

I sat up straighter. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘This.’

Campbell pointed one finger at Victoria’s letter, now sandwiched between the salt and pepper pots. ‘I suppose I let optimism get the better of me. And I was hoping Victoria might’ve given us more to go on than a little poetry.’

Campbell’s ringing phone disturbed us.

It was Ava.

They exchanged greetings and pleasantries and then I noticed Campbell’s face twist into one of concern. ‘Are you sure? When was this?’

Campbell listened and murmured. ‘OK. Thanks for letting me know, Ava. I appreciate it. You take care now.’ Campbell ended the call.

‘Is everything alright?’

He eyed me. ‘Ava was up at the local library studying yesterday when Leyton McPhail came in and she could hear him and Gabriel talking about the cross. McPhail was going on about possibly finding it with some initial dig.’

‘Where?’

‘Ava didn’t manage to pick up all of the conversation, but she did hear him say something about looking to dig the area around the Coral Beach.’

‘Why there?’

‘I think he’s grasping at straws. Leyton will have read everything possible about the cross and where it was rumoured to have been thrown.’ He touched the letter. ‘I’m certain it won’t be there, though. I did have an initial look in that part of the island myself, but I concluded that it’s too obvious.’

I pressed my lips together. ‘I still think that line Victoria wrote about the light and heart might have something to do with where the Skye Lovers’ Cross could be.’ I sighed and fiddled with my hair. ‘Maybe this is me grasping at straws, though.’

‘No, you could be right. Just a pity there isn’t more to go on right now.’ Campbell got to his feet. ‘Right. Let’s go. We’re going to drive ourselves crazy otherwise.’

I rose from my chair and began to follow Campbell out of the dining room wondering why that line about the light, the sea and a heart insisted on niggling me. It was weird.

While Campbell chatted to a couple of tourists perusing the maps on the wire rack in reception, I spotted a picture of Neist Point on one of the glossy map covers. It brought up memories of my picnic up at Neist Point with Logan again. The way the waves had waltzed below us, as though engaged in some sort of poetic dance, and the rocks had appeared to be on fire in the light of the sunset.

If I were being truthful with myself, that was when my feelings for Logan had made me begin to change. That and the uncompromising beauty of Skye.

That evening I’d begun to see Logan for who he was, not who I thought he was at first: some overly confident guy with a swagger and looks to match. No, there was so much more to him than that. My heart had begun to soften towards him and I’d tried to stop it but it’d been no good…

My heart.

Neist Point.

My brain threw itself into an emergency stop.

Could I be right? Was that what Victoria had been trying to tell Edward?