Page 18 of The Secret Castle in the Highlands

I tucked some loose hair back behind my ears and straightened my jumper. ‘Good evening,’ Mason said with a smile when I opened the door. ‘Sorry I’m a bit early.’

‘No. Not at all,’ I insisted, feeling gawky and weird.

He strode in, attired in a dark-green shirt, navy trousers and a thick black jacket. His hair had been freshly washed and was falling in crisp raven waves to the nape of his neck.

You can cut that out right now, Summers, warned a dark voice in my head. Remember what happened the last time you fell for a good-looking man.

Pictures of Nick flashed in front of my eyes. I could hear my heart warning me not to even go there. ‘Can I get you a drink? There’s some wine in the fridge. Oh, sorry. You’ve brought your car.’

‘I have. Don’t worry, but thank you, anyway.’ Mason looked around. ‘I like what you’ve done with the place.’

I found myself going into protective mode; on the defensive, like a cornered animal trying to protect itself. ‘Are you being sarcastic?’

He grinned, displaying even white teeth. ‘Not at all. All the little touches, they’ve made it much more homely.’

I couldn’t help it. Much to my annoyance, I found myself giving him a bashful smile back. ‘Thanks. Well, seeing as it’s going to be my home for the foreseeable future, I thought I should put my own stamp on it.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Oh yes. I need to be here to oversee all the changes and make sure everything is on track.’

He sat down in the pale-blue armchair. ‘I admire your determination and enthusiasm. It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m sure you’re more than capable of making it a success.’

‘Thank you. I do hope so.’

Silence descended, until Mason spoke again. ‘So, spill. I want to hear about what happened this morning.’

I sank onto my sofa opposite him and regaled him again with what Alex Lapley had said and that he knew Mason was investigating the Scarlet Highwayman story.

Mason’s full mouth tightened. ‘So, the Port Starr Broadcasting Corporation has been in full swing, I see.’

I tucked my feet up underneath me on the sofa. ‘I suppose it’s only natural. Not much gets past the gossips round here.’

One of his dark brows twitched. ‘I had noticed. A very pleasant elderly lady accosted me yesterday in the main street. I thought she was going to ask me the time. Instead, she proceeded to interrogate me about my love-life.’

I tried to stifle a laugh. ‘That’s the norm round these parts. I must warn you, what they don’t know or can’t find out, they make up.’

A kernel of curiosity grew inside me about whether Mason was involved with anyone, until his eyes flickered and his voice dragged me back. ‘I think she was rather taken aback when I told her I wasn’t in a relationship and have no desire whatsoever to be in one.’

I processed the forceful way he spoke. ‘I bet that put her straight.’

That was good. I didn’t want to be involved with anyone else either, I reminded myself with determination. Not after my sham of a marriage to Nick. Pictures of us getting married on Port Starr beach danced in front of my eyes again.

Mason tugged his mobile out of his jacket pocket. He offered no information about where he was going for dinner or who with. Not that it was any of my business anyway and I wasn’t at all interested, I assured myself.

‘Are you sure you’re safe up here?’ he asked, glancing around the place.

‘Yes. It’ll take more than some weaselly creep to frighten me.’ I hoped I sounded far more confident than I felt. ‘So, what was the research you’ve dug up?’

Mason frowned down at his mobile. ‘I’ve made some notes on here.’ He looked up. ‘I didn’t realise that the Scarlet Highwayman was accused of so many crimes. I was reading up more about that fire at the Port Starr orphanage that he caused… It was lucky there were no casualties.’

‘You mean allegedly caused,’ I answered, trying to conceal my annoyance. ‘From what I can recall, nothing was ever proved.’

Mason’s eyebrow arched. ‘From what I’ve read in the newspaper archives, there were witnesses who said he was seen fleeing the scene on horseback.’

My defence of the Scarlet Highwayman kicked in further. ‘Well, I don’t understand why a highwayman would set fire to anywhere, when his sole aim is to rob people.’ I narrowed my eyes. ‘You aren’t changing your opinion of him already, are you?’

He shook his head. ‘Not at all. I’m just repeating what I’ve read.’ He eyed me. ‘What you’ve got to understand, Poppy, is that in Scotland at that time, the wealthier classes had learned how to manipulate Scottish affairs, created by the expanding British empire.’ He added that the landed gentry were therefore able to exert considerable control over their less wealthy compatriots.