Page 45 of Under A Sicilian Sky
The drive from Inverness was rainy and dull, but the scenery was magnificent regardless. The road was flanked on either side by green hills dotted with purple heather that was, in turn, sprinkled with frost. The mountains in the distance looked ominous with their caps of snow and crowns of cloud circling their pinnacles despite the fact it was almost April.
The car passed through tiny villages with almost unpronounceable names and small, cute, white-painted houses that backed onto open countryside. Pine trees lined the road on either side, as if standing to attention like soldiers, their spiky boughs swaying in the wind.
A break in the cloud gave way to a patch of blue sky, and the sun shone down on the once inhospitable-looking mountains, painting them in a golden glow. Ruby was reminded a little of the Yorkshire Moors when her dad used to take her sledging and she imagined Cathy fromWuthering Heightsrunning freely out there somewhere with Heathcliff. She smiled and decided if Glentorrin was half as pretty as this it wouldn’t be so bad.
They passed a small lake – or loch, she supposed – the surface rippling along as the breeze played on it, and she observed a bird of prey hovering above, watching the ground, ready to dive to retrieve its dinner.
The sun descended rapidly and as they passed a wooded area, Shelby pointed. ‘Look! A deer! I’ve never seen one in the wild. It’s so beautiful.’ Her eyes seemed to mist over, her youth and innocence shining through.
Ruby glanced in the direction of Shelby’s outstretched finger and smiled. Sure enough, the brown hide of the animal was a stark contrast to the gleaming white of the snow. ‘Oh yes! That’s so exciting!’
As she watched Shelby sitting there in awe of the wild animal, she thought perhaps she should be the one to look afterher, not the other way around. The young woman wasn’t long out of college so can’t have been more than twenty-two.
Shelby turned to face her, beaming. ‘I think I’m going to love it here.’
Mitch laughed. ‘Aye, you’ll see all sorts on Skye. Otters, deer, maybe eagles too. And if you’re really lucky, you might spot a pod of dolphins off the coast. Although it’s better if you go on a boat trip and there’s not many of those at this time of year, sadly.’
Shelby grinned. ‘I’m so glad I brought my camera. It has a zoom lens.’
* * *
The Skye bridge loomed before them and a shiver of excitement travelled along Ruby’s spine. The vast structure seemed to defy gravity and her stomach flip-flopped as if they were on the ascent of a rollercoaster ride. Thankfully, however, the descent wasn’t steep and the views from the car windows were incredible, even in the fading light.
The journey through the village of Glentorrin wasn’t long enough for Ruby to make out much by way of details, but what she did see was quaint and pretty. Lights were strung around what appeared to be an inlet of water, and a few dim street lights highlighted a mixture of houses and shops, some with the amber glow of lamplight just visible through the windows. Rain was now bouncing off the pavements, forming puddles that reflected the strung lights. She hoped she would get the opportunity to explore but wasn’t yet sure of the plan for keeping her out of sight.
The moon was high in the sky but partially covered by rain clouds when the driver pulled the car through the wrought-iron gates with the sign showing the name Glentorrin House. The driveway curved slightly, and the white, double-fronted house stood on top of a hill overlooking the village green and church. The house itself was quite modest, although it was clear it had been extended a little. There was a high stone wall surrounding three sides of the property and a large front lawn encased by a lower wall; she presumed that was to make the most of the view. It wasn’t as large as the one in Palermo, however, and Ruby was filled with a little anxiety over the security.
‘Well, here we are, folks, home sweet home,’ Mitch said as he opened the door to exit the vehicle. ‘I had my friend, Archie, come and light the fires and turn on the heating, so it should be nice and toasty inside. And Morag from the shop sorted out some basics until I can head to the mainland to the big supermarket. There are five bedrooms, but they’re kind of wee. Hopefully you’ll be comfortable though.’
Dougie, the suited security man, came around to the open door closest to Ruby and held out his hand. ‘Miss Locke,’ he said with a serious expression.
She took his hand and stepped out into the chilly evening air, the rain now abating. ‘Thank you, Dougie. Please call me Ruby though. Miss Locke feels way too formal.’
When she inhaled, she could smell the salt in the air and the pine of the trees at the back of the house.
Dougie nodded. ‘As you wish, Ruby. You go on in and I’ll bring your bags.’
‘Thanks. Where are you staying? Close by?’ she asked, hoping it was somewhere nice.
He cleared his throat. ‘It was decided, that, in light of the recent issue with the crazed fan and other possible threats, I should be on hand. So, I’m staying here with you.’
‘Oh? Goodness, I hope that’s not a huge inconvenience for you,’ Ruby replied, once again feeling guilty for the sacrifices people were making on her behalf.
He smiled warmly. ‘Not in the slightest, Miss. I’m happy to be of service.’
‘Well, I hope you know how appreciated you are,’ she told him.
He simply nodded once.
Ruby followed Mitch into the house and Shelby brought up the rear, while Dougie unloaded the boot. The small addition to the front of the property was a pitched-roof porch, its woodwork painted sage green and highlighted by lanterns hanging at either side. It wasn’t huge, so they walked through into a hallway.
Mitch gestured with his hand. ‘Okay, so over to the left is the living room and to the right is the kitchen which leads through to a dining room. There’s a conservatory beyond the dining room with underfloor heating where you can sit and chill.’ He pointed to each room as he described it and Ruby had to stifle a giggle because he reminded her of a rather brawny, stubble-chinned flight attendant. ‘Down the hallway, there’s a utility room, or laundry for those of us who’ve spent most of their time in the USA.’ He looked directly at Ruby and she thought she saw him wink. ‘And at the back of the laundry room, there’s a wee shower room and toilet. There’s a garage at the back of the house, where you can park your rental car when it arrives. I have a Land Rover in there already, but it fits two.’
They all followed him up the stairs in the middle of the hallway. ‘As I said, there are five bedrooms but only four of us, so I’m thinking Ruby, as guest of honour, can have the largest of the rooms as there’s an en suite and it links to a room that counts as the fifth bedroom. I have it set up as an office-come-library. I know you like books, so help yourself to any in there that take your fancy. There’s a comfy chair in there too.’ He turned to Shelby. ‘I’m giving you the second largest room with an en suite. You’re across the hall from Ruby. Dougie, you can have bedroom three which is small, but if you’re anything like me that’ll be fine. You have a wee en suite too. Although if you find that too cramped, feel free to use the main bathroom at the top of the stairs. I’ll have the other back bedroom. I’ll let you all get settled in and I’ll go put the kettle on. Shout if you need anything.’ He nodded and smiled, then headed back down the stairs.
Dougie had brought all the bags and placed them outside the relevant rooms so Ruby took hers, opened the door to her room and flicked on the light. The room wasn’t huge but was pleasant enough. The walls were a simple pale cream and the furniture was in a sage green similar to the porch and a little distressed at the corners. The bedding was pale green with a faint damask pattern in cream and above the bed was a painting of what she presumed to be the village, only bathed in summer sunlight. In the corner of the painting was a signature that readReid MacKinnonand she wondered if he was a local artist. In the corner of the room was a small but comfy-looking armchair and beside that a dressing table. Considering this was probably Mitch’s room, it was tastefully decorated and not as masculine as she might have expected. She had everything she needed. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the bedside table and she smiled at how thoughtful a touch that was. He had certainly gone out of his way to make her feel welcome.
There was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find Shelby standing there.
