Chapter Thirty-One

‘Thanks for coming.’

‘That’s the least Niall and I could do, after what happened. He’s waiting in the truck.’ Alice gave Rosalie a hug and stepped back to look at her. ‘Poor Roz. You look like hell.’

Rosalie sighed. She was only too aware of the cuts and bruises on her forehead, and her stained anorak and jeans. She slipped her arm under Alice’s and the two women walked out of the hospital.

‘I’m fine, really. I didn’t sleep much, that’s all.’

She hadn’t slept at all. It wasn’t her aching shoulder that had kept her awake, nor the uncomfortable hospital bed, but memories from her early childhood that kept playing in her mind, like a broken film. She must have buried them deep inside her, and they had resurfaced, vivid and disjointed, after her being face-to-face with Tyler.

She could recall her mother’s voice, hushed and scared, as she urged her to hide and make herself small; her cheeks wet with tears as she kissed her goodnight. The sobbing, the cries, and Tyler’s cold, raspy voice … A few hazy, less scary, memories had come back too – of a small, red brick bungalow, perhaps her grandparents’ house, with sunshine streaming through neat white net curtains, the smell of cakes baking, and the feel of a teddy bear she cuddled to fall asleep.

Alice stopped and stared at Rosalie. ‘You’re not fooling me, you know, and you don’t have to be so brave. What happened last night was bloody awful. It’s lucky both Marc and you made it without being seriously injured.’ She frowned. ‘Where is he, by the way, your knight in shining armour? We could give him a lift back to Raventhorn too.’

‘He was discharged this morning. The nurse told me that he left with a very glamorous blonde woman. Kirsty, no doubt.’ Rosalie let out a bitter laugh. ‘She must be tending to his wounds at the Four Winds Hotel as we speak.’ Heavens, how she hated the sound of her voice. She sounded like a sad, bitter and jealous woman.

She forced a smile. ‘At least Geoff is getting better.’

‘Does he know what happened?’ Alice asked.

Rosalie nodded. ‘I gave him the edited version.’

‘It’s wonderful that he has pulled through. You must be so relieved, so happy – I mean, under the circumstances. At least there’s something to be happy about. What did he say … you know … about Tyler being your dad?’

‘What do you think he said? He’s sorry I had to find out about him, but he’s glad the man is back in jail where he belongs.’ Rosalie halted and cast a suspicious glance towards her friend.

‘Hang on a minute. How do you know Tyler is my father?’

Alice had the grace to look embarrassed. She lifted her shoulders in a dismissive shrug then fiddled with the handle of her handbag. ‘You know Eddie, the young policeman who’s just been transferred from Inverness – the blond one who has breakfast at the café every morning. He kind of let it slip.’

‘Did he now?’

‘He mentioned the trouble at Raventhorn and at the holiday village at Geal Charn this morning, and I was understandably worried about you.’ She bit her lip, and looked so sheepish Rosalie felt embarrassed for being so grumpy. Alice was her best friend, and she would have been the first person she told about Tyler anyway.

‘Go on,’ she said.

Alice sighed. ‘I gave him an extra large coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs on the house, and he told me about Tyler.’

‘Was there anybody else in the café?’

‘The usual suspects, and Marion and Fergus who were having a pot of tea and a couple of toasted teacakes.’

‘Did Marion hear what Eddie said?’

‘I’m not sure.’ Alice paused and pressed her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh, Roz, I’m so sorry. If Marion heard him, then the whole of Irlwick knows that Tyler is your dad by now, and possibly the whole of Aberdeenshire too.’

Rosalie’s heart sank. Soon everybody would know her father was a criminal and her mother had a shady past. She forced a smile. ‘Let’s look on the bright side. This way I won’t have to explain the story time and time again, or write a family announcement for the Gazette.’

They resumed their walk across the car park.

‘Tyler isn’t exactly the father you had in mind, is he?’ Alice asked.

‘You can say that again.’ How could she explain to her friend how tainted she felt by her connection to him, how much she hated herself for being his daughter, and for any trace of him there was inside her?

They arrived at Niall’s pick-up truck. He climbed out, kissed her cheek, and held the passenger door for her and Alice. ‘Sorry to hear about your … hmm … problems last night,’ he said as he helped her climb in.

‘Thanks.’ Rosalie slid onto the bench. It was nice and warm inside the truck. She closed her eyes as soon as Niall started the engine, and dozed on and off all the way to Irlwick.

‘Looks like someone’s home,’ Niall remarked as they approached Raventhorn.

‘Really?’ Rosalie opened her eyes and stared at the castle. The lights were on downstairs, and Marc’s hire car was parked in the courtyard. So he was there.

She had been so sure Marc would be at the Four Winds Hotel with Kirsty that she hadn’t prepared herself for a confrontation, and had no idea what she would say to him.

‘Would you like us to stay?’ Alice asked as Niall stopped in the courtyard.

‘No, thanks. All I want is to go to my flat and sleep.’

Niall and Alice exchanged a glance.

‘Actually, there was something I needed to tell you.’ Niall coughed to clear his throat. He looked worried suddenly, and Alice gave him an encouraging nod. ‘It’s very awkward.’ His face was pale and strained, and his fingers shook as he spread them on the steering wheel.

‘Niall, you’re scaring me. What’s up with you?’ Rosalie asked, but he only hung his head down and let out a deep sigh.

‘What Niall is afraid to tell you,’ Alice said then, ‘is that he was the one who made the hoax calls.’

‘What?’ Shock made Rosalie’s voice hoarse.

Niall closed his eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, so ashamed. I don’t know what came over me.’

‘You mean you made me and Duncan drive around, wait in empty car parks and waste our time for nothing? But why?’

‘Because I wanted your business to fail so you would close up shop and be with me. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight.’

Rosalie turned to Alice. ‘And you knew about this?’

Alice shook her head. ‘I only found out this morning. Niall told me after we heard about all the commotion here.’ She pulled a face. ‘He also told the police.’

‘Now I understand why you were always turning up in your tow truck whenever I was stranded somewhere,’ Rosalie said.

‘I am sorry. I behaved like a total eejit. I know that.’

‘Aye, you did.’ She frowned, anger twisting her stomach in a knot. ‘The threatening note on my windscreen the other day … the one that said, “I am watching you.” Was that you too?’

He sighed. ‘No. That was Julia. She was annoyed when she saw you having lunch with Petersen. She only told me what she’d done today. She was afraid she would get in trouble with the police.’

Alice sighed in disbelief. ‘I hope she does. Who would have thought your sister would be so nasty and want to scare Rosalie like that?’

‘It’s a lot to take in,’ Rosalie said. ‘Hang on a minute. What about Duncan’s windscreen getting smashed in the Duke’s car park? Did you do that too?’

He rubbed his face. ‘No! That was that idiot Kian. I swear I had no idea he was going to do that.’

‘What does Kian Armitage have to do with it?’

Alice reached out and put a calming hand on Rosalie’s forearm. ‘Apparently Kian was outside the Duke’s that evening, completely drunk. He saw that the cab was empty, and decided to teach you a lesson.’

‘A lesson? Why?’

‘Because he’s an Armitage and you’re a McBride by association,’ Niall said, ‘and because I asked him to make a few prank calls so that Fergus or Fiona wouldn’t recognise me, and he thought wrecking the cab would scare you more.’

‘I see. Who else knew about this?’

‘Stacey, his girlfriend. He asked her to make a fake call once.’

The so-called woman stuck in the car park at Loch Armathiel …

Her heart grew heavy. ‘I can’t believe you did this to me, Niall, and you drew Kian and Stacey into this stupid scheme of yours.’

Niall hung his head down. ‘Kian told me about Duncan’s cab this morning. He told me something else too – and it’s a lot more serious.’

For some reason, Rosalie already knew what Niall was about to say. ‘He was the one chasing after me on the forest road in his father’s car the night of the ceilidh, wasn’t he? He probably wanted to teach me another lesson for spilling his beer all over him.’

Both Alice and Niall nodded. ‘Stacey confessed everything to Kian’s dad. She felt awful about lying about the so-called crash Kian made up to explain the dents and scratches on his father’s four-by-four. His dad gave him a right good bollocking, then dragged him to the police station to tell the cops. After that he came to the garage to tell me everything and to grovel for me to keep him on.’

He looked at Rosalie, worry in his eyes. ‘Now it’s my turn to grovel. Do you think you can ever forgive me? Do you think we can still be friends?’

Rosalie swallowed hard. ‘I’ll have to think about it. For now, I just want to go home. Thanks for the lift.’

Alice let her out, pecked a kiss on her cheek, and Rosalie stood shivering in the courtyard to watch her friends leave. A cold wind blew her hair around her face, sneaked into her anorak. She felt as frozen inside as outside. The kitchen door creaked open behind her. She stiffened, and slowly turned round.

Marc stood in the doorway, projecting a large shadow on the snowy cobbles. He wore his green jumper and jeans. There was a small dressing on the side of his head, and cuts and bruises on his nose and cheekbones.

‘I phoned the hospital,’ he started, ‘and they told me you were on your way. Please come in. It’s freezing.’

She shook her head. ‘No. I … I want to go to my flat.’

He frowned and took a step in her direction. ‘Rosalie. We need to talk.’

She heaved a deep sigh. She wasn’t sure she could bear listening as he explained why he had changed his mind about everything he promised her, or told her their night together had been a mistake, and he wanted to go back to his life, his work, and his glamorous girlfriend.

So she took the coward’s way out. ‘I’m tired, and I want to be on my own.’

‘Of course. I understand. Why don’t you stay here tonight? I have made something to eat.’ He smiled. ‘I bought a chocolate cake too. Flo recommended a brand she said you’d like. I even got whipping cream to go with it.’

Surprise almost made her speechless. ‘You saw Flo?’ she asked at last.

He nodded. ‘I popped over this morning after being discharged. I was one day late for her supermarket trip, so she had run out of crackers and Battenberg cake.’

Anger now tightened inside her. Why was he being so nice? What was he playing at?

‘Do you really think chocolate cake and cream would make me forget you’re a liar and a coward who sends his girlfriend to do his dirty work?’

She took a deep breath. ‘I understand now why your secretary always said you were too busy to take my calls. You didn’t have the guts to tell me you’d changed your mind about Love Taxis and the bus company. Well, you may regret sleeping with me,’ her voice hitched in her throat, ‘but believe me, I wish it hadn’t happened either. You’re not the man I thought you were.’

She wasn’t sure but in the glare of the security lights, he seemed to have become paler. She wasn’t feeling any better at all, but desperately sad and horrible and mean.

‘Let me walk you up to your flat and make sure you’re all right,’ he said in a quiet voice. ‘It’s the least I can do.’

‘The least you can do is leave me alone when I ask you to,’ she snapped, as she desperately tried to hold back the tears.

She walked to the entrance of her flat, trying to pull out her keys from the pocket of her jeans, but her hand shook too much, and her vision was blurred with tears. She heard footsteps behind her, then felt his warmth against her back. His hand touched her shoulder lightly and she tensed.

‘Give me your key. I’ll unlock the door for you.’

It was quicker to give in than to argue so she handed him the key. He opened the door. ‘If you don’t want to talk tonight, then we should talk tomorrow, but it will have to be very early because I have a plane to catch.’ He looked down, holding her captive in his serious grey gaze.

Her chest tightened. So he was leaving already. He probably would have left tonight if his damned good manners hadn’t nagged at him to make sure she was all right.

‘That won’t be necessary,’ she said. ‘We have nothing to talk about.’

‘We have plenty to talk about, starting with what happened last night.’ This time his voice was sharp and steely.

She started to go up the stairs but turned round. ‘Actually, you are right. Let’s talk about last night. I’m sorry you got mixed up in my family’s sordid affairs. Sorry you had to deal with my thug of a father. In fact, I am more sorry than you’ll ever know – and more ashamed than you’ll ever know too.’

‘What do you have to be ashamed of?’

She swallowed hard. ‘I would have thought it was obvious. My father is a criminal.’

‘I see.’ He sounded infuriatingly calm. ‘And what has it got to do with you?’

‘He’s my father. It has everything to do with me.’

He shook his head. ‘Rosalie, your father has done despicable things, that’s true, but you do not have to feel ashamed or guilty because of him.’

‘How can you say that?’ she cried out, her voice choked with emotion. ‘I am his daughter. I have his genes, his blood. He is part of me.’

‘He always was. The only difference now is that you know who he is – what he is. You are still the same Rosalie, the kind and loyal Rosalie who cares for the people she loves, who would do anything to help out her friends and family. Please don’t let Tyler define you.’

He let out a deep sigh. ‘I hope you sleep well. If you want to talk, come over in the morning. If you don’t …’ He shrugged. ‘Then I’ll see you when I come back.’

There was something final as he spoke the words, as he closed the door behind him, leaving her alone on the dimly lit staircase.

She was up early the following morning, early enough to watch the sunrise turn the cloudless sky into liquid fire. It had become so cold during the night that thick icicles had formed and now shot down from the eaves like giant ice-lollies.

She made a cup of tea, nibbled on a piece of toast and got dressed. She was brushing her hair when the sound of an engine made her rush to the window, just in time to see Marc drive away in his rental car and disappear down the snowy lane. Where was he going? London, Paris, or some other city where business meetings awaited him?

He said he would be back, she wished he wouldn’t. It would be far easier if he stayed away and entrusted Kirsty or another member of his staff with selling up Raventhorn, and she never saw him again. At least then she might forget the sound of his voice, the stormy grey of his eyes, and the feel of his arms around her. This way the raw pain ripping her apart might fade with time.

She slumped on the sofa, cuddled a cushion to her chest and spent the morning crying and feeling sorry for herself. It was the sound of Marion’s car backfiring as it bumped up the lane that forced her to go out. She draped her woolly cardigan over her shoulders and went over to the castle. It was time she confronted Irlwick’s chief gossip. Perhaps if Marion knew the brutal truth about her mother and Tyler, she would agree to keep certain details to herself and her mother’s reputation would be safe.

Marion was in the kitchen pulling her boots off and slipping her feet into her slippers, when she walked in. A frown creased her forehead when she saw her. ‘What are you doing up, pet? You should be in bed, resting.’

‘I need to talk to you. It’s important.’

Marion nodded and pulled out a chair. ‘All right, but sit yourself down first. I’ll put the kettle on and make us some tea.’

It took over half an hour and two cups of tea for Rosalie to tell Marion her mother’s story.

‘Poor pet.’ Marion patted Rosalie’s hand. ‘You’re afraid I’ll open my big mouth and blether to everybody about her, aren’t you? Don’t you worry. I can keep a secret when I have to. I’ll never betray your mum.’

She looked around the kitchen. ‘Now, where’s Petersen? I want to thank him personally for making my Fergus a very happy man yesterday.’

‘What do you mean?’

Marion shook her bright orange hair and beamed a smile. ‘I suppose I can tell you.’

‘Tell me what?’

Marion laughed. ‘Petersen came over yesterday and told us about that minibus company he’s setting up with you. He wants Fergus and Fiona to work in the office. He even asked Fiona to design the logo. He said it will be called the Love Bus in homage to Love Taxis. And it’s going to be pink too! He didn’t want us to tell anyone before he spoke to you last night. It was hard to keep my mouth shut but I did it, so you see, I can keep secrets when I have to.’

Rosalie felt the blood drain from her face. Was that what Marc wanted to talk about last night when she’d brushed him off? But why then had Kirsty said that he’d changed his mind about the bus company?

‘I don’t understand. Are you sure he said it was definitely going ahead?’

‘Of course, I’m sure.’ Marion tutted. ‘I’m not likely to get something that important wrong, am I? I must confess that we were a bit cross with you at first, young lady, for not telling us that Petersen owned both this place and Love Taxis in the first place, but he said we shouldn’t be too harsh on you because you had a lot on your plate.’

‘Oh. Did he say anything else?’

‘Only that it would take a few months to get the paperwork sorted and the company up and running, and Love Taxis will carry on serving the community in the meantime. Of course, you’ll need to hire a couple of drivers, since Duncan is still in Edinburgh looking after his mum and you’re poorly. Petersen said he would be too busy from now on to do any more driving.’

‘Oh,’ Rosalie said again.

‘There’s something else.’ Marion couldn’t keep another smile off her face. ‘He’s going to help Angus set up his brewery. Isn’t that grand?’

She got up and tied her apron behind her back. ‘Anyhow, it’s time I started work. This place won’t clean itself, especially after the mess that Tyler and his cronies made.’

Rosalie nodded absent-mindedly. It was almost too much to take in. Marc was setting up the bus company after all, and he had even decided to help Angus with his microbrewery.

Marion came back into the kitchen holding a can of dusting spray and a cloth and angled her chin towards the window. ‘It looks like you have visitors.’

Rosalie glanced out of the window to see a MacKay taxi pull up in the courtyard. Kirsty stepped out, elegant as always in her purple coat, her straight blonde hair smooth and shiny in the pale winter sunlight.

‘I’ll tell her to sling her hook, shall I?’ Marion scowled. ‘You’re not well enough to deal with that snooty madam.’

‘Thank you, Marion, but you can let her in.’ Rosalie took a deep breath as Kirsty walked in and cast a surprised look in her direction.

‘You’re up,’ she said.

Rosalie forced a smile. ‘I’m not that ill.’

Kirsty arched her perfect eyebrows. ‘According to Marc, you’re at death’s door and your every whim should be indulged.’

‘She does need a rest, so you can’t stay long,’ Marion interrupted, waving her dusting cloth as if to get rid of annoying midges. ‘What is it you want?’

Kirsty unbuttoned her coat and sat down opposite Rosalie. ‘Believe me, I don’t really want to be here but Marc made me.’

‘Made you?’ Rosalie asked, a little distracted by Marion’s energetic dusting of the dresser.

Kirsty’s cheeks coloured. ‘He asked me to come here and apologise for giving you the impression we were romantically involved. It’s not true. We were never lovers, and there were never any plans of us living together, even if we had both moved to the States. I made it all up.’

‘I knew it!’ Marion put the dusting can down and curled her fists on her hips. ‘You were jealous of Roz, weren’t you?’

The colour on Kirsty’s cheeks deepened.

‘What about that photo on the cover of Newsweek magazine?’ Rosalie asked. ‘He was holding you ever so tightly.’

Kirsty sighed. ‘I pretended to trip and clung to him, and he was too polite to make a fuss.’ She shook her hair and sighed. ‘Listen, I’m sorry, all right? I always had a thing for him, always thought we were well matched and should be together. Obviously, I was wrong.’

She rose to her feet. ‘There are a few other things I have to tell you as well. It’s about Raventhorn. It really doesn’t make any business sense whatsoever, but Marc told me this morning that he meant for you to keep living here. He’s sending his lawyers instructions to gift the place back to McBride.’

Rosalie’s heart did a little flip. ‘He’s going to give Raventhorn back to Geoff?’

‘Yes, and you should hear from his lawyers in the next few days. Now, I’ll leave you to your gloomy castle and terrible weather. The airport has reopened so I can fly back to London, and civilisation.’

‘Wait!’ Rosalie stood in front of Kirsty. ‘Where is Marc? He said he was going away for a few days. Did he go back to London too?’

‘No. He went to Denmark.’