Page 21 of A Highland Family Affair

‘Thanks, Mirren, show her in.’

A tall woman of, Olivia guessed, around thirty-five walked into the room. She had caramel-brown hair that sat in waves to her shoulders, and she was dressed in a very smart wool suit in pale pink and brown tweed. She carried a rather nice brown leather handbag and a matching leather folder. She definitely looks the part, Olivia thought. Although I’d better not get my hopes up. The woman smiled as she walked over to the leather chesterfield sofas where the interviews were being conducted, and held out her hand.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady MacBain. I’m Charlotte Szabo.’

Olivia shook her hand. ‘Good to meet you, Charlotte. Please, call me Olivia. And this is my partner, Brodie.’ She shook Brodie’s hand too and smiled brightly. Olivia gestured to the sofa. ‘Please have a seat.’ They all sat, and Olivia continued, ‘Szabo is an unusual name. Definitely not Scottish.’

Charlotte’s cheeks flushed. ‘Ah, yes. My ex-husband was… well, still is Hungarian.’

‘Ah, I see,’ Olivia said with a nod and a smile. Trust me to make that my first observation.

The interview went well. Charlotte was confident without being arrogant and pleasant without being mousy. She was currently helping out at the florist’s in Drumblair village but it was only part-time and she needed more hours. Olivia got a very positive feeling about her.

‘So, you’ve told us about your qualifications and experience, now tell us a little about yourself, Charlotte.’

Charlotte took a deep breath. ‘Hmm, where to start… I love horses. I like to ride in any spare time I get. In fact, I met my ex-husband at a riding stable that he owned. But perhaps that’s a story for another time. I love historical fiction and romance novels but never seem to have the time to read. And… I suppose the most important thing, I have a fourteen-year-old son called William, Will for short, who is my pride and joy. We relocated here from Hampshire after my divorce. I’m originally from Dornoch but moved away for university. Dornoch is lovely, of course, but I wanted to be closer to a city for Will, so we chose to rent in Drumblair village to get the best of both worlds. Oh, and we have a cat called Spock.’ She giggled. ‘Just to clarify, I didn’t name him.’

Brodie laughed. ‘Well, that’s a new one to add to the list of pet names. We do love a weird name around here.’

‘Thanks to my ex, my son is obsessed with Star Trek,’ Charlotte said by way of explanation and with a shake of her head. ‘When Will was ten, we went to the Cat’s Protection to find him a pet and as soon as he saw the little black and white kitten he insisted on the name. Can you imagine what it’s like calling the cat in from the garden?’ She laughed.

‘We have a dog called Wilf and my brother has a dog named Sir Lancelot, so…’

Charlotte pulled her lips between her teeth and nodded. ‘Enough said.’

‘Right. Well, thank you so much for coming, Charlotte. It was lovely to meet you. We’ll be in touch very soon,’ Olivia said as she stood and held out her hand.

Charlotte followed suit. ‘Thank you so much.’ She turned to leave but paused and faced Olivia again. ‘Can I just say… this place is truly stunning. Ever since I moved back to Scotland from Hampshire, I’ve wanted to work here. I came on the castle tour when you first opened to the public and think it’s wonderful, and so brave, that you’ve allowed people into your home. It can’t have been easy. If things don’t go my way and you employ someone else, I want you to know that I wish you all the very best with what you’re doing here. May it go from strength to strength.’

Olivia smiled, warmed by her words. ‘That’s very kind, Charlotte. Thank you.’

Once Charlotte had left the office and closed the door, Olivia and Brodie turned to each other and simultaneously said, ‘She’s the one!’

Later that evening, after discussing the matter further, Olivia made the call to Charlotte.

The call was picked up after a couple of rings. ‘Hello?’

‘Oh, hello, I’m guessing you’re Will? Could I speak to Charlotte, please?’

‘Erm… yeah, hang on… Mum! There’s some woman on the phone for you!’ Olivia held the handset away from her ear and winced.

‘Hello? Charlotte Szabo speaking.’

‘Hi, Charlotte, it’s Olivia MacBain from Drumblair Castle.’

‘Oh, my word, I’m so sorry about Will shouting like that! He has no phone etiquette, I’m so embarrassed. But then again, kids these days only ever send texts and WhatsApp messages. I hope your hearing is intact.’

Olivia laughed. ‘All good. But he has quite a pair of lungs on him. Anyway, I’ve phoned to offer you the job as my PA if you’re still interested.’ There was a long pause and Olivia’s stomach dropped. ‘Have… have you changed your mind?’

‘Oh, my goodness, no! I have definitely not changed my mind. I’m just surprised. I honestly thought I had totally fluffed the interview. I have a tendency to babble when I’m nervous.’

Relief flooded Olivia. ‘Well, if it’s any consolation, both Brodie and I thought you came across really well this afternoon. We agreed as soon as you left that you were the person for the job.’

‘I’m absolutely delighted. Thank you so much.’

Olivia could hear genuine excitement in her voice and was happy that they had made the right choice. ‘The question is, how soon can you start?’

‘Is Friday too soon?’