Page 113 of A Scottish Island Summer

Was that why she’d mentioned the light and a heart? Come to think of it, the date of Victoria’s letter was clamouring for my attention now too.

My breath quickened.

My imagination might be playing tricks on me, but what if it wasn’t? We didn’t have anything to lose, so surely it was worth checking out?

Trying to stem the hot lava of excitement chasing through me, I barrelled over to Campbell, who was fighting with one of the maps. ‘The cross,’ I hissed. ‘I don’t know, but…’

Campbell tutted at the map and tried to right it. ‘Sorry?’

My hands were flapping around like I was one of the crazy gulls in Portree. ‘Look, this might not mean anything, but the lighthouse…’

‘Yes?’

I swallowed. ‘Victoria was going on about light and the sea in her letter, wasn’t she? And she mentioned a heart?’

Campbell finally folded up the map and stuffed it back into the rack. ‘Where are you going with this?’

A hopeful smile flooded my face. ‘I could be wrong, I mean I probably am, but there’s something about that line she wrote…’

Campbell narrowed his eyes at me. ‘Follow your gut instinct, Darcie. That’s what I always say.’

‘Alright.’ I took a breath. ‘The night you first came to see me at the B&B, Logan and I were up at Neist Point having a picnic and I spotted this rock… It was shaped like a heart.’

While a couple of guests vanished out into the street from reception, I lowered my voice. ‘I remarked about the shape of it to Logan at the time and he agreed, saying he hadn’t noticed it before.’

Campbell looked bemused now.

‘Sorry, I’m rambling.’ I tried to slow myself down, but my excitement was mounting. I just hoped I wasn’t wasting Campbell’s time with my theory. ‘What with that heart-shaped rock up there, don’t you think that the mention of light could potentially be referring to the lighthouse? With the date of her letter being the lighting of Neist Point, well…’

Campbell’s mouth formed a series of pensive shapes. ‘So, you think…?’

I threw out one arm. ‘Look, it might be a load of rubbish, but it might also be worth taking a look.’

Campbell’s dark eyes began to shine and he strode away from me, towards the guest house entrance. ‘Campbell? Hey! Where are you going?’

He beckoned me to follow him. ‘You mean, where are we going. We’re going to drive up to Neist Point and check out this heart-shaped stone theory of yours!’

I loitered, a sudden, leaden nervousness gripping me. What if I was wrong?

Campbell drew up to check I was following him. ‘Well?’ He gave the glass door of The Gorse a tug and opened it. ‘Are you coming or not?’