“Hugh, right—you mentioned him. Your boyfriend.”
“Yes, the flowers were from Hugh. We’ve been seeing each other for about a year. And actually the flowers weren’t all. When I got home last week, he . . . he gave me this.” She pulled the box from her pocket and handed it to him.
David opened the box. “This looks like an engagement ring.”
“That would be correct.”
“You’re not wearing it.”
“No.”
“So now I find myself asking the same question you asked me a few days ago: Are you engaged?”
“I’m more confused than engaged. No, I’m not engaged.”
“Did this Hugh propose?”
“Sort of.”
“Like Audney and me—a sort of proposal?”
“You had to be there!” said Loni with a sardonic smile. “Let’s just say it wasn’t Hugh’s finest hour. Not to put too fine a point on it, but he was a perfect nincompoop.”
“What did you say?”
“That I had to think about it.”
“But you kept the ring.”
“I didn’t want to make a fuss in front of the train station.”
“And have you thought about your answer?”
“Probably not as much as I should have. I didn’t know another man was going to show up that I would . . .” Loni stopped.
“Another man who would distract you with talk about duty and destiny and islands and villagers and an inheritance?” laughed David.
Loni exhaled a sigh of relief. Saved by the bell.
Had David sensed she was about to blurt out more than she had intended? Had he stepped in to protect her from saying something she would regret? Or had he intervened to keep from hearing what he was not ready to hear?
“Exactly!” said Loni quickly. “How could I think of Hugh and engagement rings with all that’s on my plate, right?” She hoped her flippant response did not betray her sudden flurry of emotions.
David closed the box, handed the ring back to Loni, and they drove on. The subject of Hugh and the ring did not come up again.
65
Girl Talk
Loni had telephoned Maddy and kept her abreast of events and that David was coming to Washington with her.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” Maddy had said. “He sounded so refined and courteous when he called to find out where you were. And not engaged after all! By the way, how did he get my number?”
“I don’t know,” replied Loni, “probably from the solicitor. Lawyers know everything, you know.”
Arriving in Washington, after she had David situated at a hotel near her apartment building, and agreeing to return after checking in at work, Loni went straight to Capital Towers. Fortunately Maddy was in the middle of nothing urgent. The moment the door of her office closed behind them, the days of pent-up emotion poured out.
“Oh, Maddy,” Loni wailed, “I’ve made a mess of everything!”
“Why? And by the way, your dashing Scotsman is very handsome.”
“How do you know?”
“I looked him up on the internet. Educated at Oxford, writes books, a sought-after naturalist. You didn’t tell me all that.”
“I suppose he is a bit of a celebrity. At least in the Shetlands.”
“And such a gentleman. I love his accent. Why didn’t you bring him with you? The whole floor is dying to meet him.”
“I had to talk to you. I’ve been so confused.”
“What’s there to be confused about? You’ve met what sounds like a great guy.”
“But I’m a perfect idiot around him. I almost blabbed that I was falling in love with him. Then he got quiet after I showed him the ring from Hugh.”
“What ring from Hugh?” asked Maddy slowly.
“Oops—did I forget to mention that?”
“Uh . . . I’ve heard nothing about it. Are you telling me I was right about those hints he was dropping?”
Loni nodded. “Hugh sort of proposed to me on the way to the train station last weekend.”
Maddy stared back across her desk with her mouth open. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she said after a moment.
“I’m afraid not.”
“I hope you had the good sense to turn him down.”
“I didn’t give him an answer. But it was dreadfully awkward, with him telling me he plans to run for Congress and that I would look good on his arm at parties. I’m not sure that’s what I’m looking for in a marriage.”
All Maddy could do was shake her head as Loni pulled out the ring for the second time that day and held it across to her.
“He just handed it to me while we were driving, assuming I would know what it meant.”
“He proposed to you while driving?”
“It was a strange proposal . . . if it even was a proposal.”
“I always knew Hugh was a moron,” said Maddy. “The guy is beyond belief. He will make a perfect congressman. It will serve the people right if they elect such a dolt.”
“Let Hugh have his time in the limelight if that’s what he wants. Now that I am waking up, I suppose is the best way to describe it, I can’t believe what I saw in him. I guess you drift into relationships without thinking about it like you should. But what am I going to do?”
“Tell Hugh to take a long hike off a short pier is my advice. How can you even think about Hugh alongside a hunk like your chief?”
“Actually he is about the best-looking guy I have ever seen. But he’s not like that. He’s just . . . well, he’s David. He’s nice. I know that he would treat the poorest and most homely girl in the village with the same courtesy and respect as if he were mixing with royalty at Buckingham Palace. He is the truest man I have ever met.”
“So what’s the problem? What does he think about you? Is the feeling mutual?”
“I really don’t know.”
“You must have some idea.”
“I’m not very good at reading what men are thinking.”
“Give me thirty seconds with him and I’ll tell you what he’s thinking. But please tell me I misunderstood a minute ago—you didn’t actually show David the ring?”
“I’m afraid I did.”
“What would possess you to do such a thing, girl?”
“We have a pact not to keep secrets. But David clammed up afterward.”
“You told him you turned Hugh down?”
“I didn’t exactly turn Hugh down.”
“But you’re going to, right?”
“Probably . . . yes, of course. How could I accept such a ridiculous proposal? He was a dolt, just like you say. But—”
She paused almost sadly. “I thought I liked Hugh,” she said. “How could I not have seen how different we are? Like I said, I suppose part of me was asleep. In any case, once David showed up at my grandparents’, I quit thinking about Hugh altogether.”
“How long is David staying? What are his plans?”
“He was scheduled to fly to England tomorrow. I told him I wanted to show him D.C. He’s trying to reschedule. He wants me to go back with him. But then the thing with Hugh came up and I put my foot in my mouth and he got quiet. Now I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
“Who cares what he’s thinking—if he wants you to go back with him, go.”
“But nothing has changed since I left.”
“Except that David came to get you! Men don’t chase women five thousand miles for no reason. I tell you, girl—he’s interested. Did he say why he wants you to go back?”
“He said it was my duty and destiny.”
“Hogwash.”
“He said I needed to be there to make the right decisions for the island. He did say that he missed me and that the people needed me.”
“That’s all code, Loni. Don’t you get it? He’s in love with you.”
Loni sat stunned to hear Maddy speak so bluntly.
“He hasn’t said a word to give that impression.”
“Men don’t say
it. He came to America to find you. That’s his way of showing you what he’s feeling. I tell you, that man is in love with you. Now go to Scotland with him.”
“I don’t want you to get frustrated with my not being here.”
“No chance of that. You can stay away six months. I’ve got a temp filling in. She’s no Loni Ford, but she’s adequate. Your job will be waiting for you. And don’t forget, I’m taking you to New York with me!”
Loni let out a long sigh. “Whatever I do, I can’t leave things hanging with Hugh. I have to resolve that before I do anything. I am not about to return to Scotland with Hugh’s ring sitting on the nightstand in my apartment. I need to talk to him.”
“Bad idea.” Maddy thought a moment. “Miss Ford,” she said, “take a letter.”
Loni grabbed the blank legal pad and a pen from Maddy’s desk.
“Dear Hugh,” Maddy went on.
Loni chuckled to herself as she took down Maddy’s businesslike dictation.
“Thank you very much for your recent offer to join in your political future. However, I’ve since realized that cocktail parties and fundraisers do not fit into the future direction I envision for my life. Thank you for the times we’ve shared. I wish you every success.
“You will find your ring enclosed. Alonnah ‘Loni’ Ford.”
Loni set down the pen and glanced over what she had written. “Very succinct and courteous,” she said pensively. “Actually, it’s perfect. But it’s sad in a way. I don’t think Hugh will understand. I really should talk to him in person.”
“Talking to him won’t make him understand, Loni. He doesn’t listen. Hugh is on a different wavelength . . . Mars, you know. No, Jupiter better captures his view of himself. He would just try to change your mind and twist you up in knots. Do you really want that while David is here?”
“No, actually I don’t. You’re right—that is exactly what Hugh would do. He is so confident in his ability to talk me into anything that he would try to browbeat me into accepting him.”
“Talk to him later if you have to,” said Maddy, “after the emotion of the moment has subsided. For now, put the ring and the letter in a courier packet. Then you and David make arrangements to fly to Scotland and do whatever you need to do to figure out what kind of future you have together. The moment your plane lifts off, I will have your packet delivered to Hugh.”
Loni smiled. “That is very good advice, Maddy. For someone who isn’t interested in men, you sure seem to know how relationships work. But promise me you won’t fire me when I’m gone.”
“Loni, I told you before that you and I belong together. I told you once that going to the Shetlands to find out about your inheritance was your destiny. Now that destiny has shifted. If you and David have a future together, just like he said, that’s something you have to discover for yourself in Scotland, not here.”
66
Two Are Better Than One
Suddenly Loni’s face brightened. “I just had a sensational idea,” she said excitedly. “I do need to figure out what to do about the estate and finances and everything. You’re totally right. I thought I could do it from here, but . . .”
“And?”
“I have a request to make.”
“Go on,” said Maddy.
“I’ve still only told you sketchy bits about this inheritance that has fallen in my lap—”
“Yeah, like your being a sudden millionaire who owes three million in taxes!”
“I know,” laughed Loni. “It sounds like I’m talking about someone else. There are more details and complexities than I can begin to comprehend—mineral rights and land values . . . I own a hundred separate buildings from cottages to a hotel to a mill to the entire main street of a town. There is a thriving wool business. I am boss to thirty or forty employees, and landlord to several hundred. Then there is the matter of rents—are they too high or too low? And maintenance issues—are the roads on the island my responsibility?
“There are a million questions I have no answers for. When I was sitting in the lawyer’s office last week, going over the chart of accounts and balance sheet, I thought I more or less understood what was going on, but my head was swimming. All I wanted to know was whether there would be assets and cash to cover the taxes. Most of the rest was beyond me. I’m in over my head.”
“That’s why you need to go back with David to sort all that out.”
“That’s just it—I don’t know how to sort it all out. I need a strategy to deal with all this. I hardly know where to begin. I talked to my grandparents and I value their advice. My grandfather was a businessman, he knows what he’s about. But I also need the counsel of someone with financial expertise. What should I keep, what should I sell? Mr. Tulloch had a huge portfolio of investments. That’s where most of the tax money will come from. But selling off a portfolio of that size is not as easy as snapping your fingers. We need to go over the portfolio and decide how to handle it, perhaps keep some of the investments and raise cash elsewhere—from the oil leases or from selling some of the land. I would really like for your expertise to guide me through it all. Will you help me?”
“Of course,” replied Maddy. “I would love nothing more.”
“Then,” Loni added slowly, “would you consider going to the Shetlands with me as my financial advisor? You know, a working vacation?”
“Whoa!” exclaimed Maddy.
“You could look over everything firsthand, sit down with the estate’s solicitor and accountant and ask the questions I don’t even know to ask.”
Maddy stared at Loni from across the desk. “That is an idea that will take some getting used to!”
“You told me you’ve always wanted to visit Scotland . . . family roots and all. Maybe we’re related.”
“I know I said it. I’m just not sure if I meant it!”
“It would be so fun, Maddy! My house, the Cottage—it’s so big you could have a whole wing to yourself.”
“For once in my life I’m speechless.”
“But you’re not saying no.”
“I promise I will think about it. But what about the rain?”
“Yes, it rains. And it’s cold.”
“You said you hated all that.”
“You get used to it.”
“And the tea!”
“Actually I’ve learned to like it. You get used to that too.”
“I don’t know if I want to!”
“And bring walking shoes and jeans and warm clothes.”
“Wait a minute—I said I would think about it! And after seeing you in that fisherman’s getup, I’m not sure I want to go quite as far as you did in getting into the spirit of the place.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The picture of you in the raincoat and hat and boots. It was hilarious.”
“How do you know about that?”
“David told me about it when he called. He emailed it to me.”
“That rogue!” laughed Loni.
“He said you wanted him to take it for me.”
“I suppose I did say that. But stop changing the subject. Please, come with me, Maddy,” begged Loni. “After all, two heads are better than one. We once took New York by storm, didn’t we? Let’s take Whales Reef by storm too.”
Still shaking her head, a smile crept over Maddy’s face. “You’re on, girl!”
67
Clandestine Search
LERWICK, SHETLAND ISLANDS
What the clerk at Shetland Outfitters thought of the large fisherman and even larger cowboy both asking for the cheapest athletic shoes they had—in sizes twelve and fourteen—it would be difficult to say. Jimmy Joe had to squeeze into a size thirteen, and was swearing under his breath as he tiptoed behind Hardy across the gravel entry toward the Cottage.
It was 1:20 a.m. and not dark enough to hide their movements. Their footsteps could not be said to be altogether silent, but the gravel beneath them presented far less a problem by virtue of their rece
nt purchases than it would have otherwise.
Since his meeting with Jimmy Joe at the Craigsmont, Hardy had learned that Dougal Erskine was back in his quarters at the Cottage, a fact that changed their plans and would necessitate considerable caution, as the dogs would also be back in residence.
Accordingly, late that afternoon Hardy had driven to the Cottage, intentionally making enough noise as he knew would bring the surly gamekeeper to investigate. Dougal appeared around the side of the Cottage three minutes later with three dogs bounding and barking after him to see Hardy standing at the front door.
“Hey, Erskine!” said Hardy jovially.
“What is it ye’re wantin’, Hardy?” he said gruffly.
“Jist tae see the mistress o’ the hoose.”
“She’s no here. She’s gone home, a’body kens that.”
“I guess word didna reach me.”
“So ye can jist gae yer way,” said Dougal.
Hardy turned from the door and took a few steps as if to accompany Dougal back in the direction of the barn.
“So what’s goin’ tae happen wi’ the Cottage?” he asked. “The two Mathesons comin’ back, are they?”
“Hoo should I ken?” rejoined Dougal. “The mistress didna share her plans wi’ me. Noo I got work tae do,” he added and strode off around the house toward the barn.
Hardy waited a few moments until he was out of sight. The dogs continued to run about and follow him as he walked back toward his car, just as he knew they would.
At length he stopped, pulled from his pocket a handful of dog biscuits. “Here ye be, lads,” he said softly. “A wee snackie for ye. Winna hurt ye, but ye’ll be sleeping sound tonight!”
Watching them hungrily gobble up his offerings, he went on his way and returned to the village.
With no cover of night to protect them, for night at this time of the year was a mere figure of speech, the two intruders crept stealthily toward the silent stone edifice known as the Cottage.
There had been no break-in reported on Whales Reef in a generation. Hardy knew the door would not be locked. He knew the dogs would hear nothing. If the cows and chickens and horses became restless, it would not be enough to blow the alarm. He also knew the old coot Erskine was a traditionalist, and that no gamekeeper in Scotland was worth the name without a gun at his side. Scarcity of burglaries and wild game notwithstanding, Dougal Erskine was known to sleep with a loaded shotgun leaning in a corner of his bedroom.
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