Page 54 of A Highland Family Affair

Kerr stood too. ‘You’ll do no such thing, Olivia. This is your home. It’s she that will be leaving.’ He pointed at Charlotte with aggression.

By now, Charlotte was sobbing. ‘Haven’t you realised how much he looks like you? He has your hair colour, your nose, your eyes.’

Kerr shook his head. ‘Why tell me now? Like this? Why today? And why in front of other people? Isn’t this something we should have talked about privately?’

Charlotte wiped at her face and fought to compose herself. ‘It wasn’t my intention to tell you tonight. The wine… I just… I’m sorry it’s happened this way.’

Now that Olivia thought about it, she could definitely see the resemblance. She placed her hand over her mouth and her own eyes clouded with tears. Kerr had missed out on so much and through no fault of his own. Perhaps if he had known about his son, he wouldn’t have gone off the rails. Maybe being a father would have had a bearing on the decisions he made.

Kerr fell silent, deep in thought, but his chest heaved as if he had run a marathon. Olivia wondered if he too was now seeing the similarities.

Charlotte reached out and gripped his arm. ‘Kerr, I wouldn’t lie to you about this.’

Kerr’s jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. Pain was evident in his eyes and Olivia’s heart ached for him. He closed his eyes for a moment and then in a strained voice said, ‘No, but you’d wait fourteen years before telling me I’m a father. What is that if not a lie by omission? How cruel can you be?’ His voice broke. ‘I can’t handle this right now. I… I have to get out of here.’ And with that, he stormed from the kitchen. Olivia could hear his footsteps pounding down the stone corridor and then seconds later the main oak doors to the castle slammed and he was gone.

Olivia glared at Charlotte as realisation hit home. ‘You used me and this job to get to my brother, didn’t you? And I trusted you. I thought your interest in Drumblair was genuine.’

‘It was genuine… It is genuine. I do love this place,’ Charlotte pleaded. ‘Working here is wonderful. Yes, it gave me a chance to get to know and check out Kerr, I needed to make sure he was a suitable person to be in my son’s life.’

‘Not only that but on my hen weekend you lied about Will’s father. You said you couldn’t remember who he was. And now this? How can I trust you now? How can any of us trust you?’

‘You can trust me. I couldn’t say anything back then. But I still want to work here.’

Olivia’s jaw tightened and she slowly shook her head. ‘After what you’ve done? I think you had better leave.’

‘I’ll… I’ll call a taxi,’ Brodie interjected, ever the gentleman.

Olivia didn’t speak, instead she ran from the castle to find her heartbroken brother.

Olivia had no idea how long had passed but she had checked the wooden cabin at the nursery, the walled garden and had walked around the castle grounds. It was dark now and she was using the torch from her phone to illuminate her way. There was no sign of Kerr, and she was worried. This was the kind of situation that could trigger a relapse in his drinking. If anything was going to make him want to turn to alcohol, it would be the shock of finding he was father to a fourteen-year-old he’d had no clue existed until now – and to top it off he had also discovered that the woman he was falling for had been lying to him. Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest and the cold was seeping into her bones. She hadn’t made time to grab a jacket, needing to just get out there to find Kerr.

A colony of bats were doing acrobatics overhead and every so often a couple would inquisitively venture closer to investigate the human walking in their night-time space. She heard owls conversing in their unique way across a distance; a toowit followed quickly by a corresponding toowoo. The wind picked up a little and the trees surrounding the castle rustled and swayed and Olivia wrapped her arms around her body and rubbed her elbows, trying to fend off the cold.

Eventually she made her way down to the chapel by the loch and noticed the windows glowing with amber light from inside. The door creaked as she opened it, stepped over the threshold and closed it again behind herself. Kerr was sitting on one of the pews staring up at the stained-glass window above the altar that was illuminated by the moonlight behind it. He had never been a particularly religious person and his presence here surprised her. Although it was a peaceful spot and a place that held so many family memories, perhaps he gained comfort from it as she did.

She walked down the aisle and slipped into the pew beside him. ‘There you are. I was worried. Are you okay?’ As soon as the question had fallen from her lips, she knew it was stupid. ‘I mean obviously you’re not okay.’

Kerr sniffed. He wasn’t one to cry so she knew his pain must have been great and deep. ‘It’s ironic, all this,’ he said with a humourless laugh. ‘I mean, look how I’ve treated people in the past and now look at me. Talk about getting my just deserts. It’s as if I’m being royally punished. Some would say I deserve this.’

‘Kerr, don’t think like that. This isn’t your fault.’

‘Really? That’s what you’re going with?’ He shook his head. ‘You of all people should be laughing right now.’

Olivia flared her nostrils. ‘Well, I’m not. And you can get thoughts like that out of your head. I don’t condone her for any of this. No one deserves this, Kerr. No one.’

He fell silent again, allowing tears to fall from the end of his chin and soak through his jeans. ‘Fourteen years, Olivia. She has known for fourteen years, and she chose to keep me out of his life.’ He sighed and wiped his face on his sleeve. ‘I’ve missed out on my own son growing up. His first steps, his first word, his first day at school, his first Christmas. All gone. Stolen from me because of her selfishness and given to some heartless man who didn’t even care.’

She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. ‘I know but she’s his mother. She was doing what she thought was best for him.’

He peered at her through bloodshot eyes. ‘So you are taking her side.’ There was that humourless laugh again.

Olivia shook her head vehemently. ‘Absolutely not. I’m just trying to understand it all. It’s such a shock, for all of us.’

He pointed towards the exit as if that’s where William was standing. ‘That laddie has been brought up by a man who didn’t give a shit about him. Can’t even call it an upbringing from what he’s told me about his stepfather. He hardly even spoke to him. Will felt so alone and isolated. They even talked about sending him to boarding school because it would be easier all round according to that arsehole of a man. Thankfully Charlotte, or whatever the hell her name is, fought him on that.’

‘Poor Will. He must have felt so unwanted. Although Charlotte – erm… Eliza? – clearly adores him.’

‘Oh, yeah, she adores him so much she’s kept his real father from him for his entire life to date.’