Page 10 of The Scottish Island Wedding

I knew something was off, but I didn’t want to believe it, she admitted to herself. I wanted to believe in fairy tales. I wanted the dream.

Look where that got me.

‘Baby… I didn’t lie about the charity. But I couldn’t tell you that I fund it without having to explain where the money came from.’ He plucked at the cuffs of his shirt. ‘Listen, I know I’ve been acting weird for the past couple of weeks. But it’s because of them. They stress me out, even though they don’t mean to… Mother, I mean. And she kept texting and calling, wanting to know about the wedding, and you, and I guess I sort of just… shut down,’ he added, sounding miserable.

‘You didn’t want to tell her about me. What did you think, that you could just keep me a secret?’ She stared at him in disbelief. ‘Matty. We’re getting married in thirteen days’ time. I just don’t get “shutting down”. How could you think that it would ever work? At some point, reality intervenes.’

He wrung his hands. ‘Heather… I’ve loved you from the second I saw you. I’m so, so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.’

‘Well, you have.’ She opened the door to the broom closet and strode out into the hall, her heart pounding with a combination of hurt and anger.

Heather hardly ever got cross; she liked to give people the benefit of the doubt, and she disliked arguments: it was so much nicer when everyone just got along. But, occasionally, Heather would allow herself to feel angry: only when she absolutely felt justified to be cross, and in moments when she felt that she definitely wasn’t in the wrong.

Her heart ached, and she felt as though she was going to be sick.

Heather glanced behind her as she strode along the wood-panelled corridor, listening for Matty to run after her, but there was only space and silence behind her. What if he’s not coming? she thought, panic rising in her belly. What if that’s it, done, between us? He’s realised that he doesn’t love me any more? What if Matty was right and I was wrong? I shouldn’t have shouted. Maybe I should go back.

Heather stood outside the door to the large drawing room, feeling the panic get bigger in her stomach: swelling, like a black sponge taking on water.

Maybe there was something I missed. Maybe I’m wrong. Oh, Matty.

She had just decided to go back for Matty when the door to the drawing room was flung open violently, and Elizabeth Campbell swept regally past her, looking concernedly at the screen of her phone. She seemed not to even notice Heather as she stepped hurriedly to one side to let her pass.

Charming, Heather thought.

She watched as Elizabeth made her way back towards the main entrance to the castle. Something made Heather follow her; perhaps Heather could persuade Elizabeth to come back to the drawing room. Perhaps they could get a moment just to themselves to have a private chat and connect, one to one. Heather desperately wanted Matty’s mother to like her.

‘Lady Campbell!’ she called out, but Elizabeth didn’t appear to hear her. She strode purposefully out of the main entrance and onto the gravel drive and then started to walk down it.

What on earth is she doing? Heather wondered; also, she was freezing, and regretted not grabbing her coat from the hook as she’d gone by. She’d taken hers off on going inside, so pulled the white cardigan she’d brought to go over her dress around herself, but it didn’t do much to keep out the sharp winter wind.

Heather realised that a car was making its way up the drive. It wasn’t anyone that she recognised, and it didn’t look like part of Elizabeth’s retinue, not being a huge SUV with blacked-out windows.

As Heather watched, the car stopped in front of Elizabeth, parking at the side of the drive. Elizabeth got into the passenger seat.

Heather ducked behind a tree. She didn’t know why, but something in the way that Elizabeth had looked around her guiltily before she’d got in suggested that there was some secrecy involved in this meeting.

As surreptitiously as she could, Heather peered around the tree at the man sitting in the car with Elizabeth. He was difficult to make out: he wore a baseball cap and dark glasses, which seemed ridiculously unseasonal for Scotland in the winter, which suggested only one thing: the man was trying to keep a low profile.

That seemed… odd.

As Heather watched, Elizabeth and the man seemed to engage in a heated conversation. Elizabeth looked like she was yelling at the man, and there was gesticulating on both sides. Then, Elizabeth threw what looked like an envelope at the man, got out of the car and slammed the door.

Heather swore. She’d followed Elizabeth out of the castle more or less innocently, but now she’d have to remain unseen, going back.

Who was that man? Why had Lady Campbell left the champagne reception being thrown especially for her son’s engagement, to go and shout at a man and throw something at him? It made no sense at all.

Heather hid behind the tree again, watching Elizabeth walk back into the castle, smoothing her hair and her expensive outfit. The man in the car did a hasty three-point turn in the drive and drove away.

When Heather cautiously followed Elizabeth back into the castle, she went back to the drawing room, expecting Lady Campbell to be there. But, when she got back, Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen.

SIX

Aunt Evelinda had been decorating the castle for Christmas for the last month.

Depending on the room, Evelinda and her housekeeper Claire had a theme: some rooms were more formal, such as the drawing room, featuring stylish arrangements of natural holly and winter foliage around the base of wide cream candles. Some were more playful, such as the bedrooms, where Evelinda had gone wild with tinsel, tartan bunting and baubles, prompting some cutting remarks from Aunt Joan about fire hazards.

As well as the tasteful candles with their green foliage surrounds, the drawing room boasted a garland of holly with red berries, tartan ribbon and white roses around the large fireplace. The white roses were a nod to Heather and Matty’s wedding. An array of Christmas cards from friends and local people stood arranged on a side table. In the background, Nat King Cole played on the sound system.