Page 21 of Heirs and Graces at Highland Hall
‘There might be things in his room. Private safes, that sort of thing,’ Gordon continued.
It made sense, but one thought nagged at her.
‘Kieron isn’t going to like that,’ she said. ‘How are you going to explain it to him?’
‘Let me worry about the lad,’ Gordon replied. ‘We have to do what we have to do. Whether he’s Fergus’s nephew or not disnae change that he’s nae the heir until we’ve gone through all this. He should know that.’
There was another option beyond the castle that Bex wasn’t sure if she should mention or not. But if they were going to leave no stone unturned, then it made sense.
‘Maybe after this, we need to start talking to people,’ Bex said. ‘People in the village. People who knew Fergus well. See if they know anything.’
Gordon raised an eyebrow. ‘You’d think if folk knew there was another heir, they’d have said something, wouldnae they? And as for people knowing him, I didnae grow up in the village, but I’d known him a good forty years and would have considered myself among those tight with him, and I can tell you, this was as big a shock to me as it was to you. I don’t think folk know anything more than we do.’
A long sigh escaped Bex. ‘I’m not so sure,’ she replied. ‘People were very loyal to Fergus. You have no idea how long these things can stay hidden. I’m sure there are hundreds of secrets here that have gone to the grave with people. Maybe this was one of those Fergus decided, a little too late, that he didn’t want buried.’
‘If that’s the case, I wish he’d been a bit more obvious about it,’ Gordon muttered. ‘I mean, if he had an heir, he could’ve just said it. He could have told me. He should’ve known I wouldnae judge him. No matter what the situation.’
That had to be it, Bex pondered. There was something to do with the situation that meant Fergus, for whatever reason, was too afraid to own up to it. A scandal of some sort. And possibly one big enough to rock the whole village if he was this desperate to keep it a secret.
Bex nodded. ‘Do you mind if I take a break?’ she asked, rubbing the back of her neck. ‘I feel like I’ve been staring at bits of paper for hours.’
‘Tell you what. Why don’t we call it a day?’
‘Really? It’s only three o’clock.’
‘I know, but I hate working when it’s dark like this. No point scanning through things when we’re tired. The worst thing would be missing something important because we weren’t thinking properly.’
Bex agreed.
‘Do you want a lift back to the village?’ he asked.
‘If that’s okay?’
‘Aye, it’s always grand, lass. You dinnae have to ask.’
She climbed into the car and they drove towards the village.
It was less than a five-minute drive from the castle to the centre, but they chatted the entire journey. Although they hadn’t been working together long, the pair had already learned a fair bit about one another.
Gordon had two grandchildren and was looking forward to retiring at the end of the year, though depending on how long this job went on, he was tempted to stop even sooner. He’d been married to his wife for forty-seven years, though she had turned down his first two proposals.
‘Knew from the first day,’ he had said once. ‘First time I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me. But she took a bit more convincin’. The second time I asked, I saw her waver. She was tempted. But I hadnae done it properly. So that’s what I did the third time. I asked her da’, got down on one knee, and the rest, as they say, is history.’
It was a sweet story. Forty-seven years of marriage was definitely something to aspire to, just like her parents’ relationship.
‘At the cottage?’ Gordon said. Bex nodded and was about to thank him again when something made her stop.
Duncan was there, in the centre of the village, dressed in jeans and a thick coat, and just the sight of him was enough to make her throat tighten. She wanted to keep going until he was securely out of view, but before she could say as much to Gordon, her eyes shifted to the dog at Duncan’s side. Ruby.
Ruby was Bex’s favourite, but normally, whenever Duncan went for a walk, it was with all the dogs. Not just one. Then, with a stomach-clenching nausea, Bex realised they were standing outside the vet’s office. Duncan had brought Ruby to the vet. Ruby was ill?
‘Actually,’ she said, turning to Gordon as her pulse rocketed, ‘can you just drop me here?’
18
It was definitely Ruby that Bex wanted to see, Bex told herself as she hopped out of the car and walked towards the pair with her heart pounding. Definitely Ruby she wanted to check was all right, and not Duncan, who was standing there, brow furrowed with his hands plunged into his pocket as he chewed on his bottom lip. She hadn’t seen that expression on him for a long time, but she knew what it meant. He was worried. And given that he was standing outside the vet’s with her favourite dog on the lead, there only seemed to be one reason why.
‘Duncan,’ she said as she approached. ‘What’s going on? Is everything all right? Is Ruby okay?’
