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He flopped back into his desk chair. There was nothing he could do now but wait for her to return. Knowing Donna, if she didn’t want to deal with him, she’d sneak in after dark and use the back stairs to avoid him. It wouldn’t be the first time. But this time he was on to her, and he planned to be waiting.
Whether or not she liked it, they were going to have a conversation about the unauthorised severance cheques she’d been writing on his behalf.
***
“I’m in trouble,” Donna said as soon as she let herself into her sister’s flat, over the only garage in Arness.
Mairi and Agnes had both lived in the flat for years while Donna had lived with her eldest sister, Isobel, and her kids because she was the sister least likely to lose patience with them and lock them all in the closet to get some peace. Now Isobel was married and living in London, and Mairi was back with Keir and had moved into his house in Campbeltown. That meant Agnes had the place to herself. Not that you would know it as Mairi was usually there, sitting at the tiny kitchen table with her laptop. She was setting up an online matchmaking business and had decided she liked working above the garage Keir owned instead of staying home alone. Knowing Mairi, it was best for everyone if she wasn’t left by herself too long, so this arrangement worked well all round.
“What did you do this time?” Agnes asked. As second oldest, she considered herself their leader, now that Isobel was at the other end of the country.
“Don’t you mean, what has she let someone talk her into this time?” Mairi said, as she tossed her wild, curly red hair over her shoulder.
“I hate you both.” Donna flopped into the old sofa, with its springs sticking up and threadbare armrests. “And I need a cup of tea.” She batted her eyelashes at them. “Please.”
“You are so pathetic.” But Agnes got up to put the kettle on. “What did you do? Spit it out.” She leaned back against the kitchen counter, folded her arms and did the toe-tapping thing that drove her three sisters mad.
“The Women’s Institute are holding their bi-annual fundraising ball in the mansion.”
Agnes’ eyebrows shot up into her pale blonde hair. All four sisters had different hair colour—Isobel’s was chestnut, Agnes’ was white blonde, Mairi’s was wild red, and Donna’s was mousy blonde/brown. Which just about summed up her whole personality. Her sisters call her hair strawberry blonde, but she had a mirror and could see for herself that they were only being nice. All sisters had the same short, curvy stature and green eyes. Although, Donna’s were more of a mould green than grass green. She was the only one who’d inherited their mother’s nose, which was a dot on her face. If she painted the end red, people would think it was a clown’s nose.
Agnes stared at Donna with her emerald eyes, before looking down her lean nose. Now, why couldn’t she have inherited that nose? “Duncan’s letting the women hold a ball in the mansion?”
Mairi snorted. “Don’t be daft. He doesn’t know anything about it, does he?” As usual, she was enjoying the chaos.
“Not yet,” Donna admitted. “Possibly never—if I have my way.”
“Those bloody women have been preying on your good nature again,” Agnes snapped. “I’m going to kill them.”
“No! Don’t. I can take care of myself.”
Mairi burst out laughing. “Oh, honey, no you can’t. We love you, but you fall for every sob story that crosses your path. You’re a conman’s wet dream.”
“Ew!” Donna scrunched up her nose.
Agnes frowned at them. Obviously, they weren’t being serious enough for her. “When’s this ball supposed to be happening?”
“Flora sent me a text, it’s two weeks on Friday.” She ducked her head as she admitted the rest of it. “They’ve already sent out the invitations.”
“I don’t know whether to be outraged that they played my sister,” Mairi said. “Or impressed by their technique.”
Agnes reached over and smacked Mairi on the back of her head. “We’re outraged. And you”—she pointed at Donna, in case there was any doubt whom she was ordering around—“need to tell them to cancel. Duncan will lose his mind if a bunch of strangers rock up to his house.”
“I was kind of hoping he wouldn’t be there to see them.” She looked up at Agnes through her lashes.
“Please tell me you aren’t planning to go ahead with the ball?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. The invitations have gone out, and people have already said they’re attending. Plus, it’s for a good cause. They’re raising money for a programme that helps young cancer patients and their families who are struggling financially.” She batted her eyelashes at them. “There are babies in the programme, Aggie. Sick babies.”
Mairi grinned. “They used babies? That is so dark. I’m seriously impressed.”
Agnes glared at Mairi, who was unrepentant in her admiration of the three witches of the Women’s Institute. “You need to stand firm and tell them no.”
“Or...I could try something else. I’ve been thinking about it on the way over.” Which was five whole miles from Campbeltown. “My first instinct was to hop a flight to Spain, but Esther in the travel agency couldn’t find me one within my budget. So, I’ve moved on to plan B—hold the ball in secret. If we can get Duncan out of Kintyre for the weekend, then there’s no reason he’d know there had been a ball at the mansion in his absence. I mean, who’s going to tell him? I’m the only person he talks to, and there’s no way I’d say a word.”
“You can’t be serious. You aren’t really thinking about holding the ball behind his back. Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds? He’ll kill you. And then he’ll bury your body under Fiona’s precious roses.”
Mairi burst out laughing. “I was thinking exactly the same thing!”
