Page 53 of A Highland Family Affair

The meal went on and conversation flowed well, as did the wine for some of the group. Kerr, of course, was drinking sparkling water and had insisted before the dinner that he was fine with everyone else drinking wine. Olivia, however, had refrained simply to show a little solidarity with her sober brother.

As the evening wore on, Charlotte began to loosen up as she had on the hen weekend, and her sense of humour came out. The four friends were laughing and sharing anecdotes with Charlotte about working at the castle.

It was Brodie’s turn to share. ‘The funniest thing for me was when I had to rescue a grown man from the zip wire in the kids’ play area,’ he said in between laughs. ‘He was terrified. It had stopped midway and even though the drop to the ground wasn’t massive – I mean it’s made for kids – he just froze and was clinging on for dear life! His kids were pointing and laughing, and his wife was having a right go at him. He was virtually cerise and so embarrassed. Me and Dad had to take a stepladder out to help him down. He was really apologetic at first but when he was down, he threatened to sue because apparently it was unsafe. I reckon he was trying to save face.’

‘It’s a good thing I was a bit more diplomatic with him,’ Olivia added. ‘He calmed down when I pointed out that the signs around the zip wire clearly stated a maximum height and weight and that perhaps his weight as a grown man on a ride designed for children wasn’t the best thing for keeping up momentum.’

‘Oh, my word! That’s hilarious!’ Charlotte said as she giggled. ‘Will was always terrified of zip wires and things like that. But I suppose he never really had a dad to show him the ropes, so to speak. Tabor wasn’t interested in playing.’ The mood took a downturn and the friends fell silent. Charlotte turned to Kerr. ‘That’s why I wish he’d known you from being young. It’s clear it would have made such a difference to him.’ Her chin trembled.

Kerr took her hand. ‘Hey, don’t get upset about that. It can’t be helped.’

It was evident to Olivia the wine was talking and Charlotte was becoming emotional again, just as she had at the hen weekend.

Charlotte sniffed. ‘But it can, Kerr. That’s the thing. I could’ve told you about him. But I made assumptions about you that I now know were wrong.’

Kerr’s face crumpled in evident confusion. ‘You didn’t know me back when William was born, so how could you have told me?’

Charlotte’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. ‘I did know of you. I knew who you were.’

Kerr gave a strange, befuddled laugh. ‘What would you have done, come up to me and said, “Hello, Mr Random Stranger, who I don’t know from Adam, my baby son would really benefit from knowing you”?’

Charlotte turned to fully face him. Tears were streaming down her face now. ‘I should have told you that I was pregnant, Kerr. I should have given you a chance to know him.’

Olivia watched with wide eyes, and she shared a brief, bewildered glance with Brodie. What the hell was unfolding here? Brodie reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it.

The colour disappeared from Kerr’s face. ‘I’m sorry, Charlotte, but you’re making no sense. I didn’t know you when William was born. And quite frankly you’re sounding a bit stalkerish.’ He laughed nervously, trying to make light of what had become a very bizarre situation.

She wiped at her face with her hands. ‘Do you honestly not recognise me at all?’

Kerr’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. ‘Of course I do. You’re Charlotte, Olivia’s PA.’ His look of surprise crumpled again. ‘What’s…’ He shook his head. ‘What’s going on with you?’ He turned to Olivia and Brodie and gestured at Charlotte. ‘This is why I no longer drink. People make no sense when they drink.’ A look of panic had taken over his expression and he glanced at the door, evidently looking to make an escape.

Apparently oblivious to his bewilderment, Charlotte continued, ‘Do you remember when you came down to London with your friends before your graduation? You met a girl who was studying business and finance at University of London but was working behind the bar in one of the pubs you visited. She was blonde and quite shy. She had a bird tattoo on her wrist. You shared a night with her at her digs and left the next day without saying goodbye.’

Kerr scrunched his brow and rubbed his hands over his face. ‘No, Charlotte, I was drinking heavily back then. I vaguely remember a one-night stand with a girl but that wasn’t you. She was called Lizzie or Liza or something like that. And she looked nothing like you. And you don’t have a tattoo.’

Charlotte reached into her handbag and pulled out a photo. She handed it to Kerr. ‘Eliza. That’s my given name. When I found out I was pregnant, I contacted my parents in Dornoch, but they were so angry. They pretty much disowned me so I couldn’t go home to them. I was ashamed I had let it happen, so I decided I needed to start over where nobody knew me. I literally put a finger on the map and wherever my finger landed, that was where I decided to go. I moved to Hampshire and started going by my middle name. My parents eventually came around, and I could’ve moved north but I had already met Tabor at the stables I was working at in the New Forest by then.’

Kerr shook his head. ‘You see, that doesn’t ring true. How can a pregnant woman work at a riding stables? Isn’t that dangerous?’ He threw the photo on the table. Olivia stared at it. It showed him as a roughly twenty-one-year-old with a blonde woman on his lap who distinctly looked like Charlotte. Her arm was raised in a wave at the photographer, so her wrist was facing the camera and, just as she had mentioned, there was a little hummingbird tattooed there. They were sitting in a pub, so Olivia surmised it must have been the night they met. But that didn’t explain the lack of a tattoo on Charlotte’s wrist.

Charlotte shrugged. ‘I was on light duties at the stables. I didn’t really go near the horses until after Will was born. I was polishing saddles and tack and such. Tabor owned the place, and at first, he took pity on me and gave me the job but then he took a shine to me. I was grateful for his attention, and he made me feel safe. Oh, and look.’ She took a cloth napkin and rubbed at her wrist to reveal a tiny hummingbird tattoo underneath what Olivia could now see was concealer. ‘I never stopped thinking about you, though, Kerr. That’s partly why my marriage didn’t work. You were my one that got away.’ She smiled but it seemed sinister now, somehow. ‘And now we’ve reconnected, look how good we are together. We could be a family now.’

Kerr pushed his chair away from the table and held up his hands. ‘Whoa, sorry but this is all a bit far-fetched. It’s like something out of a bloody magazine. Have you sold your story or something? Making me out to be the bad guy in a situation that has nothing to do with me.’ His voice became louder. ‘You’ve homed in on me because of this place, haven’t you? Drumblair Castle. Well, I’m sorry to say you’ve wasted your time. I’m not the heir.’ He jabbed a finger in his sister’s direction. ‘Olivia is. So, you can take your money-grabbing ideas and your ridiculous, twisted fantasy and you can leave. William isn’t my son. That’s absolutely preposterous. And totally fabricated.’

Charlotte rummaged in her bag again and pulled out a wallet. She flipped it open and showed a photo of her holding Will as a newborn. ‘This is the day Will was born. This was nine months after our… encounter. I can assure you I wasn’t sleeping around, Kerr. I wasn’t like that. I really liked you. I hoped I would see you again. But when you left, I was angry. Upset. But I knew who you were. And I knew where you were.’

‘A photo doesn’t prove anything,’ Kerr barked. ‘It’s just you and a baby. It’s not DNA, is it?’

‘We can do a paternity test if you like. I’ll prove it to you.’

Kerr ran his hands through his hair and gripped at the strands. ‘So let me get this straight. You’re telling me you were pregnant with my child, and you knew where I was but chose not to contact me to tell me I was going to be a father? How do you expect me to believe that?’

Charlotte was shaking now but she kept her gaze fixed on Kerr. ‘It was clear to me that back then you weren’t ready. You were still immature. I wanted someone to take responsibility and that’s why when I met Tabor, and he proposed, I jumped at the chance. He was older than me and financially stable, so he had the means to look after us. Even if there wasn’t any love there to speak of.’

Kerr’s expression contorted as if a bad smell had taken up root under his nose. ‘Who the hell are you to judge my level of maturity in a situation like that?’

Charlotte banged her hand on the table. ‘I’m his mother!’ she shouted. ‘I have every right to judge who is in Will’s life.’

Olivia stood. ‘I think we should leave and let you⁠—’