Page 61 of The Secret Castle in the Highlands

I was about to speak, but he shook his head. ‘No, tell you what, Poppy. Don’t answer that.’ He snatched a shiny red apple out of the cool box and before taking a bite, muttered, ‘I think I know no real guy can match up to him in your eyes.’

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ileaned back on my artist’s stool to examine my progress.

I was relishing the prospect of a quieter day today. The cottages were all occupied and everything was in full swing, so I decided to make use of some cherished free time. My portrait of the Scarlet Highwayman was – finally – developing well. I swished my Kolinsky sable brush around in the jar of water beside me.

As I got to work with a daub of the palest cream paint, I stippled further details on the embroidery of his shirt. The shape of his jaw and chin was slowly getting to a point where I was satisfied or at least would be. The trill of my mobile phone made me turn down the volume of my digital radio. Katie’s face appeared on my screen.

‘I’m stressed!’ she burst out.

‘Why? What’s up?’

‘I’ve been sitting here, trying to compose a new teapot which would be suitable for loose-leaf tea.’

‘Okay…’

‘I think I’m going to go down the earthenware route as its high iron content tends to make the pot hold its heat for a lot longer.’

‘Right. So why so stressed, K?’

‘I need to make sure when making the infuser that it fits well into the teapot’s gallery and that the gallery on the infuser is deep enough for the teapot lid.’

‘Katie?’

‘Yes?’

‘I’ve got no bloody idea what you’re on about.’

There was a pause. ‘I can see why. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m on about.’

‘Do you want to forget about infusers for a minute and interrogate me about Mason, instead?’

‘Yes, please.’

‘I thought you’d be on before now, asking me about him. You’re slipping.’

‘No, I’m not. This was a one-off and won’t happen again. So come on, then. Cheer up my Sunday evening by telling me what happened at your sexy picnic today?’

My mind reeled back to Mason and how he’d been playful one minute and frosty the next over the Scarlet Highwayman. I swirled my brush back in the water and then told Katie what had happened. She let out a bark of laughter when I’d finished.

‘Can’t you see what’s up with him?’

‘What do you mean?’

Katie’s voice was laced with frustration. ‘Oh, come on, Popps. It’s obvious. Mason’s jealous.’

‘Jealous of what?’

‘Not of what. Whom.’

I sighed and rubbed one paint-crusted hand down my faded jeans. ‘Do I get the star prize if I can guess what on earth you’re talking about?’

Katie’s irritation was evident. ‘Oh, for pity’s sake! I mean he’s jealous of the Scarlet Highwayman. Or should I say, how you feel about him.’

My eyes sprang back to my portrait. ‘Are you kidding me? The Scarlet Highwayman’s been dead for a couple of hundred years.’

‘I know that, but it hasn’t stopped you crushing on him, has it?’