Shortbread and Sorrow

by Agatha Frost

  As the officers worked their way around the drawing room to take official statements of what everybody had heard, Julia hung back near the window, sitting in Charlotte’s armchair. She stared out at the loch, wondering what would become of the castle that had seen so much death and destruction in the last week.

  “I owe you an apology,” a soft voice came from behind her.

  DI Fletcher sat in the armchair next to her and joined her in looking out at the dark loch. In the reflection of the glass, she caught him glancing at her.

  “It’s not needed,” Julia said, shaking her hands dismissively.

  “You have a brilliant mind,” he said, his tone heartfelt. “I couldn’t piece any of that together. The police force needs more people like you.”

  “I just keep an ear to the ground and an eye on the shadows,” Julia said with a small shrug. “I’m happy being a baker.”

  “Well, you must be an amazing baker,” he said as he stood up. “Your man back home is pretty lucky. Now I can see why he couldn’t resist letting you run his investigation. You’re quite the force to be reckoned with, Miss South.”

  “He’s not too bad himself,” Julia said with a wink. “Do you mind helping me up, Detective Inspector? I can barely move in this dress.”

  She held out a hand, and he yanked her up. She pulled down the ruffles in her dress, surprised to see him holding out a hand for her to shake.

  “I promise I’m actually left-handed,” he said playfully as he glanced down at his open palm. “Drive safely back home.”

  They parted ways, and Julia was happy she had sensed the mutual respect between them. She felt bad for assuming he couldn’t do his job because of his age, but she knew it had taken some guts to drop everything on her request and follow her down a secret passageway to wait for a confession that might or might not happen at the end of a long meal.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Sue said as she appeared behind Julia and rested her chin on her shoulder. “Charlotte told Rory to get rid of Mary, which he took to mean ‘kill Mary’, which he did willingly. She also told Andrew to destroy the evidence of her brother’s crime, and he did that willingly too. Then, Benjamin killed Henry, completely unrelated to the rest of the family, because Henry had gotten Blair pregnant, but he was dying of cancer anyway so he should have just waited and none of this would have happened?”

  “I think that’s about right,” Julia said with a nod. “Although, you missed out how great the spa was.”

  They both looked back to their gran again and chuckled as she grabbed the dessert across the table from her and started her third helping of Cranachan as she gave her statement, no doubt embellished with dramatic twists that never happened and recommendations for great wrap treatments and cucumber facials.

  “What now?” Sue asked, linking her arm with Julia’s.

  “We go to bed,” Julia said, letting out a small yawn. “We have a long drive home tomorrow. Are you going to tell her?”

  Sue rested her hand on her stomach as they walked out of the drawing room and towards the entrance hall.

  “Soon,” she said. “I think I’m enjoying this being our secret for now. It’s just like being kids again.”

  “But with tighter dresses and more murder.”

  They made their way up to their bedroom, and after Sue peeled the dress off Julia, she wiped off the remnants of her red lipstick and collapsed onto her bed, ready to dream of nothing else other than what was waiting for her back in Peridale.

  15

  Julia didn’t set an alarm for the next morning, but she still rose with the sunrise, as did Sue and Dot. It wasn’t long before they were fully packed and loading their mountain of luggage back into her tiny car.

  “Do we need to check out?” Dot asked, looking back at the grand castle entrance.

  “There’s nobody to check out with,” Sue reminded her. “The entire family has gone. Just like that.”

  “Probably for the best,” Dot said airily with a shrug. “They were all pretty awful.”

  Julia and Sue both gave each other the look they did whenever their gran said something outrageous. One of them usually attempted to correct her so she could see why what she had said was inappropriate, but it seemed neither of them actually disagreed with their gran, even if they wouldn’t have said it out loud themselves.

  After forcing the car boot shut, and squashing the hatbox Sue still hadn’t had a chance to open, Julia turned back to the castle and inhaled the cool, crystal clear heather-scented air once more. As though the loch knew what had happened, the skies were vibrant and cloudless, and the water was calm. In the distance, she thought she saw a deer sprinting across the horizon, but it could have been her mind playing tricks on her. Despite everything, it was still a beautiful place.

  “Get the car started,” Julia said, tossing her keys to Sue. “I have something I need to do.”

  Sue nodded her understanding and climbed into the car, leaving Julia to head back into the castle. She wasn’t entirely sure where she would find Blair, but she decided the kitchen was the best place to start. When she pushed on the door, she saw the young girl sitting at the counter, her mousy hair down for the first time, and in much more casual clothes.

  Blair looked up at her with a smile, letting Julia know there were no hard feelings. Julia climbed into the seat next to her, and they sat in silence for a moment.

  “I’m sorry about your brother,” Julia started.

  “I’m sorry I ever asked him to come here,” Blair said with a small laugh. “I was just so lonely and scared. Henry was a persuasive man. I never should have been so stupid.”

  “None of this is your fault,” Julia whispered, nudging Blair with her shoulder. “You’re the victim in all of this, but you have something to look forward to. A new beginning. I think there are some good lawyers out there who could make a worthy case for you inheriting this castle considering the only other heirs are soon to be serving long prison sentences.”

  Blair looked around the kitchen, and Julia actually thought she was considering it for a moment. She shook her head and looked down at her stomach, resting her hand on the tiny bump.

  “A new beginning,” Blair agreed with a nod. “I never belonged here. I’m going home to my mam in Blackpool. She’s always wanted grandkids.”

  “That’s a good idea. You’re wise for somebody so young.”

  “Not wise enough to turn and run the first time Henry tried it on,” Blair said softly. “Do you know what Seirbigh means in ancient Gaelic? It literally translates to doom. This is Doom Castle. I was doomed from the second I arrived here. It sucks you in with the beautiful views, but nothing good happens between these walls. You’ve set it free, Julia.”

  Blair took Julia by surprise and hugged her. When she let go, Julia could feel the tears welling up, but she forced them down.

  “If you’re ever near Peridale, pop into the cafe and say hello,” Julia said, before looking at her stomach. “Both of you.”

  “I promise we will,” Blair said with a nod. “I think I should go and pack. I don’t suppose you’re driving past Blackpool, are you?”

  Julia nodded and held her arm out for Blair. They set off up the castle stairs together, both of them more than ready to go home.

  After dropping Blair off with her mother, who was more than overjoyed at her daughter’s surprise return, they set off towards Peridale leaving them to have a much needed conversation.

  They arrived in Peridale just after six in the evening as the sun started to wane in the sky. As Julia drove through the village, she made sure to slow down and really soak up every tiny detail. Just seeing her café, even if it was closed, gave her butterflies.

  She dropped Sue off with her gran. Just like with Blair and her mother, they also needed to have a serious conversation. Dot invited her in for a cup of tea, but she declined in favour of heading straight home.

  When she pulled up behind Barker’s car, she could barely contain her smile as sh
e killed the engine. She inhaled, relieved to smell manure from the surrounding fields, and not heather. She grabbed her single bag from the boot and walked around Barker’s car, which was now sporting a giant dent where the registration plate should have been.

  Using her key, she unlocked the front door, dropped her bag on the doorstep, closed her eyes, and smiled. She was home.

  She followed the sound of music and laughter into the kitchen. She walked in, surprised to see Barker and Jessie completely covered in flour.

  “Julia!” Barker exclaimed. “You’re home!”

  “I am,” she chuckled. “Dare I ask?”

  “We’re having a food fight,” Jessie said with a shrug.

  “We were trying to bake you a cake.”

  “But you said I always burn cakes.”

  “So she dumped a bag of flour on my head,” Barker said, dusting the flour off his hair. “And then I tossed the batter at her, and I guess – welcome home!”

  Julia didn’t care about the mess. She walked between them, taking them into an arm each. Jessie eventually wriggled free, leaving Julia to wrap her arms fully around Barker’s waist. He kissed the top of her head, before lifting up her chin with his forefinger to kiss her softly on the lips. Time suddenly stopped, and everything that had happened over the past week no longer mattered.

  “So, how was it?” Barker asked. “Did anything exciting happen?”

  “Nope,” Julia said, as she dusted the flour off her front. “It was actually quite boring. Uneventful, you might say.”

  Barker stared at her suspiciously, but he didn’t question her. He wrapped his hand around her shoulder, and they both watched as Jessie sat down at the counter, her eyes glued to her tablet. Mowgli crawled in through the open kitchen window and nudged Julia’s arm to let her know he was happy she had returned, before looking at the flour and sauntering straight back out into the garden.

  “We should go away sometime soon,” Barker suggested as he rested his head on hers. “Just you and me.”

  “I’m exactly where I want to be right now,” she said, smiling at Jessie who looked peculiarly up from her tablet. “Here, with you two.”

  “Did you bump your head in Scotland?” Jessie mumbled as she tapped on her screen. “I heard too much fresh air can actually be bad for you.”

  Julia laughed as she picked up the kettle. Staring out into the garden, she flipped open the lid and began to fill it with water. She caught Barker’s eye in the reflection of the glass, and they smiled at each other. As Barker began to sweep up the mess, and Jessie ignored them both in favour of her new gadget, Julia’s mind wandered to her sister’s pregnancy. Without realising she was doing it, her hand rested carefully on her stomach as the kettle overflowed, and for the first time in a long time, she began to wonder if that would be her one day.

  The End

  The next and 6th book in the series, Espresso and Evil is COMING June 20th! Click here to PREORDER your copy! Turn the page for a sneak peek of the cover

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  Other Books in the Peridale Cafe Series!

  Pancakes and Corpses (Book 1) - OUT NOW!

  Lemonade and Lies (Book 2) - OUT NOW!

  Doughnuts and Deception (Book 3) - OUT NOW!

  Chocolate Cake and Chaos (Book 4) - OUT NOW!

  Shortbread and Sorrow (Book 5) - OUT NOW!

  Espresso and Evil (Book 6) - PREORDER NOW

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