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FIVE
‘So. All settled in? You were going to rent a cottage nearby, I think?’ Ben sat across from Liz at his desk, a wide, dark wood thing topped with green leather and held down with bronze studs. ‘Did you find one?’
Ben’s office was the same size as hers, but laid out so that when he sat at his desk, he had his back to the window. His wallpaper was tartan and a large portrait of a bearded man in a gold frame hung over a blackened fireplace.
‘I did. Gretchen Ross’ cottage, up on Queens Point,’ Liz replied.
‘Ah, Gretchen. Lovely woman.’ Ben nodded. ‘She’s at the care home now, I believe?’
‘Yes. I’ve got to go and see her soon. We’ve only ever spoken on the phone, but she seems great.’
‘Indeed. She was great friends with my father, in fact. He was a bibliophile, and Gretchen worked in the book world most of her life.’
‘Oh, really? Is that him?’ Liz pointed at the oil painting.
‘Goodness, no. That’s Iain Raymond Douglas, my ancestor. He’s the one who established the distillery.’ Ben looked up at the portrait. ‘Somewhat of a tyrant, so the legend goes. But he had a vision, and we’re still here. So, I have him to thank for all this.’ Ben waved his hands at their surroundings. ‘My father passed away some years ago,’ he added, shortly.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Liz said.
‘Thank you. We weren’t close, though.’ Ben’s friendly demeanour had shifted somewhat; his twinkly expression had faded.
‘My dad died when I was younger. I don’t see my mum much. She lives in Australia,’ Liz offered, to break the tension that had lowered suddenly at the mention of Ben’s father.
‘Australia’s a long way away. Why did she move there?’
‘Oh, usual story. I grew up in a small village – Auchentoshan, if you know it?’
‘I do, of course. Another small distillery village.’ Ben nodded.
‘Yeah, I actually worked in the distillery when I was a teenager. I don’t know if I told you that at my interview.’
‘I don’t think we talked about that, but it’s good to know.’
‘No, I didn’t think we got to it. But I loved it – I think it’s what gave me the passion for whisky, in the first place. It was like a family there, too, you know. Everyone looked out for everyone else, and I was the youngest. I was like the kid of the family.’ Liz smiled at the memory. ‘It was a place I could go to get some peace and quiet, away from my mum and dad arguing all the time. I used to do my homework in the office.’
‘Sorry to hear that. About your parents.’ Ben picked up Henry, the dog, who had been sniffing around under the desk, and put him in his lap.
‘Thanks. Just standard family stuff, I guess,’ Liz said, brushing over the truth somewhat. When she talked about her parents, she always made it sound like their arguments were just normal family bickering, but the truth was that it had been much more serious than that. Her dad had been ill and unable to work for many years, and that had made money very scarce at home. Her mum, a nurse, had worked all the hours she could to make ends meet, but that had meant she was always tired, and her temper was short.
When Liz’s dad had died, her mum had tried to hide the fact that it was a relief, but Liz understood. It was terribly sad. Liz had loved her dad so much. But, after years of debilitating pain, it was the kindest thing for him when he had passed away, quietly, one day on the sofa. Liz had come home from the distillery where she’d been revising for her Highers and found him.
‘Anyway, Mum fell in love with an Australian guy. He’s kind, and she has a good life. It was tough for her for years, so I’m glad she has someone looking after her now. It’s just been hard to find the time to get over there. I will, this year, probably.’
Liz didn’t explain that the reason she hadn’t been able to see her mum in Australia was that all her time and money had been swallowed up by the IVF for the past few years.
Again, it had been something that she and Paul had argued about before they finally split. Liz had been ready to sacrifice seeing her mother for a few years if that was what it took to get pregnant, but Paul had been of the opinion that they should still go. Liz had been so hyper-focused on the fertility treatment that she hadn’t had the head space for anything else.
Paul had said that family was important. He was right, of course, although Liz and her mum hadn’t ever been that close: she was always closer to her dad, and when he’d died, she’d thought that she and her mum would grow closer, but they never had.
If I ever had a child, she would think to herself, I’d always make sure we had enough money, and we never argued about it. And I’d love that child so much. I’d tell her every day.
There had been many days where Liz hadn’t even seen her mother, let alone be told that her mother loved her. It wasn’t because her mum didn’t love her, but for those years, all of her energy went into her work, and Liz had felt like an inconvenience rather than a daughter. Her mum’s patients had got all of her love.
‘Good. So, we should talk business.’
‘Yes. Let’s.’
‘Right. Well, first, I wanted to say how happy we are to have you start in this role. You’re well known in the drinks business as a top Sales Director. You’re a person with business acumen, insight and great instincts. So, I’m really happy that we managed to tempt you over to Loch Cameron.’ Ben’s smile returned.
