by Joanna Neil
She didn’t know what it was that made her finally realise that reality was a lonely, dark road in the middle of the Scottish Highlands. Maybe it was the faint creak of leather upholstery, or the brush of the gear lever against her leg. Either way, she came back to the present with a sense of shock.
He must have latched on to similar thoughts, because he eased away from her a fraction and gazed around with a faintly bemused look in his eyes.
‘Maybe we should start for home,’ Izzy said, trying to gather her thoughts together. Now that her brain was starting to function again, she was beginning to wonder if she could blame her actions on the hot coffee. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s almost as though the coffee was laced with alcohol. It went straight to my head.’
His brows shot up. ‘Not guilty,’ he said, and she realised that she must have actually spoken her thoughts aloud. ‘I would never do anything like that. At least, I don’t think I would. I suppose in the right circumstances I might resort to devious means.’ He threw her a devilish smile.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, her cheeks flushing with colour. ‘I must have been talking to myself. It’s just that everything that’s happened this evening has been very unsettling. I can’t think what came over me.’
‘Put it down to a basic need for human companionship and comfort?’ he suggested. ‘We all suffer from that condition at some time or another.’
‘Do we?’ She studied him. ‘You always seem so confident and in control. Nothing ever seems to faze you—even disputes with your father, or your brother, or the villagers. And now you’re taking on the running of the estate, as well as holding down a job and looking after Alice’s children.’
A momentary bleakness crossed his features. ‘Eventually you learn to take most things in your stride. You deal with your problems and move on. It’s the only way—as you’ve probably discovered.’ He frowned. ‘You didn’t actually say how you came to be out here on this lonely road. Had you been out on a call?’
She nodded, a momentary recollection of her visit to the farmhouse filling her mind. ‘Yes, to a farmhouse miles from anywhere.’ Her gaze sparked with happiness. ‘Oh, it was wonderful, Ross. One of the best things ever.’
A puzzled expression flitted across his face. ‘Are you sure about that, given how it’s turned out?’ He laid a hand on her forehead, as though to check she was quite well, and then studied her curiously. ‘Perhaps we ought to have you looked over at the hospital? You’re obviously not thinking too clearly.’
‘No, really—it’s true.’ She laughed. ‘I delivered a baby—a little boy. He was absolutely gorgeous and it made me feel fantastic, on top of the world. I even got to wondering what it would be like to have a baby of my own to cuddle and love, just to share some of that heavenly feeling those new parents had when they were holding their baby in their arms.’
‘Oh, I see.’ He looked at her thoughtfully, taking in the blissful smile on her face, and then he said slowly, ‘Well, we can do that. We can sort that out. Any time you like, I’m more than happy to oblige.’ His arms closed around her, drawing her ever closer to him.
Her fingers tightened in her lap as his mischievous words washed over her, and her grey eyes shot flinty sparks in his direction. ‘You are incredibly out of order, Ross Buchanan. Just because you’ve come out here to rescue me it doesn’t mean you can start taking liberties that way. What happened just now was a mistake—because I was confused and needy. It won’t happen again.’
‘You don’t really mean that, do you?’ He gave her a look that was full of mock horror, a light dancing in his eyes that promised devilment and mayhem if ever he had the chance.
‘Stop making fun of me. I’d appreciate it if you would drive me home, please.’
‘Spoken like a truly well-mannered girl.’ He was still laughing at her, but his hold on her relaxed. ‘I will, of course—if you promise to come over to the castle after work tomorrow. The film crew are doing a run through of one of their main scenes in the Great Hall. They’ve agreed to let visitors view the proceedings. Lorna will be there, and one or two others. The GP, along with his wife and children, Mary from the shop, Maggie, of course, and the garage boss if he can get away. We’re going to lay on some refreshments afterwards.’
The invitation brought her down to earth and gave her something to look forward to. Her eyes widened. ‘How can I refuse? It sounds too good to miss. I’ve never seen a film in the making.’
‘That’s settled, then.’ He made a crooked grin. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’ He snapped his seat belt into place and started up the car. ‘You’re welcome to ask your parents to come along, too, if you like. Your father might want to think of it as me extending an olive branch. I’d issue the invitation myself, but I can’t be certain he would consider it.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, pleased that he had offered. ‘That’s a lovely gesture. I’ll mention it, but I must say I really don’t hold out too much hope. My father’s a proud man, and it will take a lot for him to accept any invitation from you. You know he still hasn’t been to see Alice in hospital? It’s worrying me quite a bit.’
‘I’m sorry about that.’ He started to drive home. ‘I was hoping that if Alice was released from hospital in time for Christmas he might consider inviting her to join your family for the celebrations. But that’s probably not going to happen, is it?’
Izzy shook her head. ‘My mother wants it, but he would never agree. She’s tried coaxing him, but he just goes into stiff and starchy mode and won’t even think about it.’
‘It’s depressing to think that he would hold a grudge for such a long time.’ He grimaced. ‘But it doesn’t matter. If she’s well enough, I’ll bring her to my place to recuperate. She’ll be sad, though, because what she wants more than anything is to be accepted back into the fold.’
‘I know.’ It made Izzy unhappy to think of her cousin being ostracised this way. ‘I’ve been racking my brain to see if I can find a way around it, but there doesn’t seem to be a solution. The Buchanans are still his sworn enemy. What went on between him and your father, and his father before him, has had repercussions throughout the decades. Even thoughts of Alice’s children won’t melt his heart. He’s only seen them briefly in passing since they’ve been here.’
He sent her a brief glance. ‘I suppose it can’t be helped. And Molly and Cameron don’t seem to be too badly affected by any of this. I suppose it all tends to go over their heads. They haven’t said anything about wanting to see him, although they are very fond of your mother. They call her Gran, and if your father happens to come into the conversation he’s Grampops. I’m not quite sure how the name originated…whether it’s a derivative of grandad, or poppa, or even grumpy gramps. I don’t know, but it seems to have stuck.’
Izzy smiled at that. ‘I know. I’ve heard them say it. I think it’s meant to be a term of endearment. They don’t know him, but they like him since he’s associated with their gran.’ She was thoughtful for a second or two. ‘I’m sure he cares about them deep down…Alice, too. But he’s been hurt by what he thinks of as her betrayal—of him and of the family name—and it’s hard for him to reconcile that. I love my father, even though he can be difficult. He’s a good man, but he can be immensely stubborn.’
‘Perhaps he’ll come round, given time.’ Ross concentrated on the road ahead.
‘I hope so.’ She couldn’t see it happening, though. It would probably take a miracle for her father to change his way of thinking. ‘My mother told me that you’ve enrolled Molly and Cameron at the local school,’ she said, changing the subject. ‘How are they getting on?’
His mouth flattened. ‘Not too well, by all accounts. They’ve taken to the teachers, and they’re quite happy with the work, but there’s some friction with the other children. I suppose the animosity comes from their parents, who have a problem with me as the Laird. In turn the children take it with them to the playground. They get on well enough with Tom Slater’s c
hildren, though, so I’m hoping things will settle down soon. Of course they’ll be breaking up for the Christmas holidays very shortly.’
She looked at him, studying his face in the half-light. ‘I think you’ve been great with the children. You’ve taken a lot on, taking care of them and Alice. I doubt other men would have been so keen to look after someone else’s family.’
He turned the car onto the main road leading to the village. ‘I think of them as my family…which they are through my brother. I feel responsible for them. It’s no hardship to me to give them a home.’
Some time later he dropped her off at the cottage. He went straight home to relieve Maggie of the children, and Izzy went to soak for a while in a warm bath to ease her aching limbs. She’d taken quite a jolt when the car skidded, and she was already beginning to feel the after-effects.
‘I heard about you being stranded,’ Lorna said, when Izzy came down to the sitting room around an hour later, snug in a warm dressing gown and ready to sit in front of the cosy fire. ‘I was going to come and find you myself, until the mechanic told me Ross had gone to help you out.’ She picked up the remote control for the television. ‘Did Ross tell you about the goings-on at the castle tomorrow?’
‘He did. He said the producer has invited us along to watch the filming.’
Lorna nodded. ‘Maggie told me that Ross asked specially if we could all come along. I think it’s his way of trying to win the villagers over. It should be fun. I can’t wait to see the actors doing their bit. You know one of them is Jason Trent, don’t you? He was in that film about the Highland rebels last year. It broke box-office records. It makes me go hot all over, just thinking about him.’
Izzy was feeling a little feverish, too. But it wasn’t Jason Trent who was stirring her blood. It was the memory of a close encounter in the front seat of a silver Range Rover that was causing her heart to race. Ross Buchanan had a lot to answer for, stirring her up body and soul, and what made it all worse was he was probably well aware of it.
He wasn’t at the door to welcome them when she and Lorna arrived at the castle the next day. Instead Maggie, the housekeeper—middle-aged, friendly and straightforward in her manner—ushered them into the warm kitchen and offered them mulled wine and hors d’oeuvres.
‘The place is bustling with activity,’ she said. ‘I’ve never known anything like it. So many folk under the roof at any one time. I think himself is taking on an awful lot—especially with the bairns running about the place.’
The children took over from Maggie as hosts as soon as they saw Izzy and Lorna.
‘Come and see how they’ve set out the Great Hall,’ Cameron said, racing ahead of them in his eagerness to be at the centre of things. ‘They’ve put loads of food on the big table in there. It makes me hungry, looking at it, but the director says we have to wait a while—we can tuck in when the filming’s finished, he says.’
‘That’s good, isn’t it? None of that lovely food will go to waste.’ Izzy smiled, glad to see the boy’s excitement.
She was definitely impressed when she looked at the banqueting table. It had been laid with all manner of silverware, and with beautiful candelabra and masses of food—turkey and hams, and great platters piled high with fruit.
‘And all the actors and actresses are dressed up in old-fashioned clothes,’ Molly put in. ‘The ladies are wearing long skirts and blouses with lace at the cuffs, and some of them have shawls. They look really pretty.’
‘I can’t wait to see them,’ Lorna said. ‘Let’s see if we can find a good place to view all the goings-on, shall we?’
‘We can watch from up on the balcony,’ Cameron told her. ‘But we have to stay out of the way of the cameras and we have to be very quiet, or they’ll have to do the film all over again. That’s what the director said.’
They followed the children up the narrow staircase to the balcony overlooking the hall. ‘Where’s your uncle?’ Lorna asked. ‘Is he going to be joining us?’
‘Yes,’ Cameron answered briefly, ‘in a few minutes.’
‘He’s showing Jason the broadsword from his collection,’ Molly informed them importantly. ‘He saw it hanging on the wall in the library and asked if he could look at it.’
‘Men and their toys,’ Lorna said, raising her eyes heavenward. ‘I might have known.’
They joined the rest of the crowd who had come to view the filming, chatting amicably among themselves until the director called for quiet and the actors began to take their places.
The setting was a banquet, where people were gathered around the table eating, drinking, and generally merrymaking. Lorna’s heartthrob took up position at the foot of the staircase, where he was talking to the lady of the house, and all was pleasant, homely interchange. Soon, though, he swivelled around to face a Highland clansman who had erupted into the hall from a door at the far side of the room. The lady moved hurriedly out of range, alarmed by the intruder.
‘You’ll pay for the deed you’ve done this day,’ the Highlander said, advancing menacingly towards Jason. ‘I’m here to avenge my kinsman.’
From then on it was truly as though they were witnessing a fiery feud. It was so realistic that at one point Molly hid behind Izzy, only risking a peek at the scene through one eye. Cameron’s expression was awestruck, but he, too, sidled closer to Izzy.
The intruder, whose dark hair flowed with every flourish, was dressed in full Scottish regalia: kilt, loose linen shirt and waistcoat, and an impressive woollen cloak that swung importantly with every movement. Now he rushed towards the stairs with such realistic energy that the gathered crowd instinctively moved back. They could not be seen, of course, by the camera lens, since they were way above the line of view.
As the action progressed the two actors engaged in a magnificent tussle which took them halfway up the staircase. The intruder was thrown against the balustrade, and seemed to be almost done for, but then he came back at his opponent, brandishing his sword.
‘Cut!’ the director called, and all action ceased. ‘That was great,’ he said. ‘Take a break, everyone. We’ll do the scene outside the walls in half an hour.’
Ross appeared from a side door and waved up at Izzy and Lorna, beckoning them to come down. ‘I’ll introduce you to Jason and Murray,’ he said.
Izzy checked that the children were all right, and not too shaken up by their experience.
‘Wow!’ Cameron said, brandishing an imaginary sword. ‘I can do that.’ He brandished his invisible weapon and chased his sister along the balcony.
Izzy went to rescue her. ‘What did you think of the acting?’ she asked. ‘Do you think it was a bit scary?’
Molly thought about it. ‘A bit.’ She gave a wide smile. ‘It looked ever so real.’
‘I wonder if we can go and eat some of the food now?’ Cameron wanted to know.
They trooped downstairs. Jason and Lorna hit it off right away, and after a few minutes moved off together in the direction of an ante-room. Izzy glanced at Lorna, lifting a brow, and Lorna made a ‘go away and don’t disturb me now’ gesture with her hand, making Izzy chuckle.
She turned her attention back to Ross and Murray, the actor who played the part of the intruder, and Murray explained the storyline behind the action they had just witnessed.
‘I think it’s going to be a great film,’ Izzy told him. ‘It was so powerful—and colourful, too. Of course the setting’s just right.’
‘Can we eat now?’ Cameron said in a plaintive tone. ‘I can’t just keep looking at all that food. Besides, everyone else is helping themselves, and Maggie is handing out drinks.’
‘You’re so greedy,’ Molly remonstrated with him. ‘Anybody would think you haven’t had anything to eat today.’
Cameron pondered that. ‘That was an hour ago,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t pastry and it doesn’t count.’
Molly shook her head like a wise little old lady. ‘Boys,’ she said.
Ross chuckled. ‘Go and have somethin
g to eat,’ he said. He looked back at Murray. ‘What about you? Shall we go and help ourselves?’
Murray hesitated. ‘Perhaps in a while,’ he murmured. ‘You go ahead. I’ll just stay here for a minute and think about my next scene.’
Izzy looked at him closely. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘Only I’ve noticed you seem to be moving a bit stiffly since filming finished. Were you hurt during the fight scene?’
‘It’s just a bruise, I imagine,’ he said. ‘One of the hazards of the job. The action gets a bit fierce sometimes.’
‘Like when you were thrown onto the balustrade?’ Ross suggested. ‘I thought you landed heavily. It looked too realistic to have been manufactured.’
Murray grinned crookedly. ‘You’re right about that.’ He caught his breath. ‘I think I’ll just go and get some air,’ he said.
He started to move away, and Izzy glanced at Ross. ‘Do you think we should follow him?’ she asked. ‘He looks a bit winded to me. I’m not sure he’s as okay as he says he is.’
Ross nodded. ‘I’ll suggest that we go into the library. Maybe he’ll let me take a look at him there. I keep my medical bag in there, so it’ll be handy if we need it.’
He went and spoke quietly to Maggie, letting her know what they were doing.
‘That’s all right. I’ll watch the children for you,’ she said. There was a faint affectionate smile in her eyes as she spoke, and Izzy could see that Maggie was warming to Ross. He was making conquests all round, it seemed. It was just a pity that her father wasn’t to be counted among them.
Murray agreed to go with Izzy and Ross to the library. Izzy guessed that he wanted to be able to sit somewhere for a while, away from prying eyes. He appeared to be uncomfortable and increasingly breathless.
‘Sit yourself down,’ Ross said, indicating a comfortable leather-backed chair. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Not so good,’ Murray said. He began to cough, and clutched at his side.