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Thea had asked her why, but all she’d said was that Callum had something so, so important to tell her. Now Thea knew what thatsomethingwas. She cringed when she thought back to that short, sharp conversation …
‘You have to go with him,’ Mabel had insisted.
Thea had yelled at her, ‘I’m not going anywhere with him. I don’t believe a word that comes out of that man’s mouth. I’m returning to London to the job I love and the friends I can trust.’
‘But you love the bookshop. You love Callum.’
Thea remembered the tears as she turned away, rushing out of Cobblers Yard to the waiting taxi, her world feeling as though it had fallen apart around her.
Jack said, ‘We’re worried about him, Thea – the thought that this is his future, living here in this place all alone. We’re afraid he’ll die here of a broken heart, like Douglas.’
‘Douglas?’
‘Yes, Douglas was his grandfather. He had a son, Duncan. Turns out that although Douglas married, his heart belonged to another. He was pining over his lost love – Mabel.
‘Mabel?’ said Thea in surprise. ‘Mabel from the charity shop?’
Beth nodded. ‘That’s what Callum told us. It’s a small world, isn’t it?’
Thea stared at her. ‘It certainly is.’
‘It’s so sad to hear that Callum’s father, Duncan, grew up here, just him and his broken-hearted father, Douglas.’ Beth shook her head, remembering what Callum had told them on the phone from Scotland when he’d found out his family history. ‘You see, the woman Douglas did marry died in childbirth. It sounded like a very lonely life for Duncan with a distant father, growing up with a succession of nannies, and then eventually being sent away to boarding school.’
‘How did Callum’s father and mother meet?’ Thea asked.
Beth said, ‘It sounds as though Moira, that’s her name, went to work as a secretary on the estate, and obviously thought that she had done pretty well for herself, marrying Duncan, a laird. However, the marriage didn’t last long. The honeymoon period was soon over when she found herself a virtual prisoner, along with her infant son, Callum, and soon dreamt of an escape from a possessive, reclusive husband who was unfortunately an alcoholic – and not a very nice man, by the sounds of it, when he was drunk.’ Beth had lowered her voice, whispering to Thea as she leaned forward in her seat, out of earshot of Fergus.
‘How did she escape?’ Thea asked.
Beth and Jack exchanged a glance before she continued. ‘Moira found her escape route in the form of a bookseller who often visited her husband, selling him rare books.’
‘Henry.’ Thea narrowed her eyes. ‘I see.’
Beth caught her expression. ‘There wasn’t anything going on between Moira and Henry when he came here to sell books, although when Callum talked to Moira about it recently, she did tell Callum that she was always drawn to the kind, thoughtful man, and used to look forward to his visits when he travelled from his bookshop in Suffolk to deliver the rare books. Over the course of those visits, he grew attached to her son, Callum, and agreed to help them flee. They escaped to Edinburgh, where she changed her and her son’s surname by deed poll.’
‘To Cavendish,’ said Thea, thinking of Henry’s surname.
Jack said, ‘Yes – unbeknown to Henry, who was still living with your family in Suffolk at this point. It was obviously a conceit because they were never married.’
At least that’s something, thought Thea.
Beth added, ‘Callum’s mum was afraid that if she didn’t take Callum and disappear when she had the opportunity, then she’d be forced to leave him behind in this big old place, and history would repeat itself – he’d grow up a very lonely little boy with a distant father.’
Thea stared at the house. ‘What are we going to do?’
Beth turned in her seat and looked at Thea. ‘It’s not whatwe’regoing to do, Thea. It’s whatyou’regoing to do.’
Thea stared at Beth. She didn’t have to say it. Although they were all there to rescue Callum from a lonely life in his Scottish castle, it was only Thea who could really do that. She needed to forgive Callum, and tell him the truth – she was in love with him, and wanted him back.
Thea got out of the van. She stepped on to the gravel drive and walked up to the huge wooden door. She turned around and looked at the occupants of the van. Jack, Beth, Edward, and even little Fergus were waving their hands, egging her on to pick up that big brass knocker and knock on that door. Winston barked.
It felt like she waited an age after knocking on the door, but slowly, the heavy door opened. Callum, dishevelled and sporting stubble, his once short blond hair looking as though it needed a cut, appeared. He looked her up and down, clearly shocked to see her. ‘Thea?’
Thea stepped forward and flung her arms around his neck.
He tentatively put his arms around her, and started to cry into her shoulder.
Thea was crying too, but she knew that both of them were crying tears of joy. ‘I love you, Callum.’ When they’d finished hugging each other tightly, afraid to let go, Thea stepped back and grabbed his hand.
