Page 6 of Heirs and Graces at Highland Hall
‘What is it?’ she asked, looking Lorna straight in the eye. ‘Why don’t you want to go into the White Hart?’
‘I don’t mind, it’s just, you know. Cold. And musty. And the fires in there are so strong.’
‘I thought you just said it was cold.’
‘Right. Right.’
Lorna was a terrible liar. And although she was only Duncan’s stepsister, they had a surprising number of traits in common, including blushing. With Duncan, it was the tops of his ears that went red. With Lorna, it was her whole face, which flushed bright pink.
‘He’s in there, isn’t he?’ Bex asked, suddenly piecing it together. ‘Duncan is in there.’
‘Look, we can go eat at the Boar, or we can make cheese toasties at mine. I’m sure I’ve got some food.’
A sad laugh escaped Bex’s lips. She shook her head.
‘Honestly, it’s okay. Duncan and I said we were going to be friends. There was no bad blood in our breakup. It’ll be nice to see him.’
Lorna’s face remained crinkled with concern. ‘I’m sure you think that now, but when you?—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Bex said, turning around.
Before Lorna could protest, Bex put her hand on the pub door. ‘Now, are you coming, or am I going in on my own?’
She swung the door open, steeling herself with her best smile. She and Duncan would get on. They would be the perfect exes. She could feel it. Or at least, while she was here, she would play the part and then she would wait until she was back in London before she broke down in tears.
With her shoulders still pushed back, Bex stepped inside, just as a loud laugh rattled through the pub.
‘Oh, you’re just hysterical!’ The voice had an Australian twang – probably one of the tourists who visited frequently.
Bex’s attention was immediately drawn to the corner, where two women were sitting and laughing. Her jaw dropped.
The women weren’t alone. Sat in the middle of them, with one arm around each of the young blondes, was Duncan. Drinks in front of him, their hands on his lap.
So much for thinking he’d become a recluse again.
5
Bex could feel her jaw hanging open as she looked at him. No, this Duncan definitely hadn’t turned into a recluse at all. By the looks of things, he had been there since the pub opened that morning, although part of her couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been with the Australian women before then too. One thing was clear, though. He was drunk, and she didn’t need to see all the empty glasses on the table to know that. His cheeks had taken on a rosy hue, and there was something about the way he was grinning that felt overly forced – or at least alcohol-induced. As she stood there, he whispered something into one of the women’s ears. The woman threw back her head and laughed.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lorna said. ‘We can go. Let’s leave now. We’ll grab the others and get something else for lunch. Honestly, we don’t have to stay here.’
Bex wanted to reply. She wanted to say that leaving was probably a good idea, as there was no way her fragile heart could cope with seeing Duncan like this. Seeing him so… so okay, after how she had spent the past few weeks. But her throat seized up, and her eyes were unable to look anywhere except straight ahead at Duncan. Even as she felt Eilidh and Niall sidle up beside her,her attention remained locked entirely on Duncan. It was in that moment, as her lips parted, ready to speak, that he moved his head away from the pretty blonde at his side and looked at her.
The same level of shock that registered on her face appeared on his. Pure disbelief. Yet why would he be surprised? He was the person closest to Fergus, and as far as she was aware, nothing happened in Highland Hall that Duncan wasn’t aware of. Had they not told him she was going to the castle? That she had been summoned? It certainly didn’t look like that, though the expression of horror on his face didn’t last long. As she stood there wondering what to say, his demeanour changed. And it wasn’t a positive change. It was like a thundercloud had settled.
‘Ladies,’ he said as he pushed himself up from the table, grabbed his glass, then squeezed past the women, before swaggering over to her. There was a slight sway in his stride that might have been less noticeable if he wasn’t such a tall guy. Or maybe it was just because Bex knew how he normally walked.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he said.
‘Well,’ Bex said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise I’d be cramping your style by turning up.’
His jaw feathered. ‘That’s not what I meant. You should’ve told me you were coming up.’
Tension rolled through Bex. The hurt that had pierced her heart only moments before transformed into something far sharper. ‘Why?’ she scoffed, staring up into those blue-green eyes of his. ‘So you could stop your flirting and turn on the whole reclusive, heartbroken act?’
A guttural sound reverberated from the base of his throat. Was he seriously going to try to defend himself? Pretend that he hadn’t had his arms all over those women? Oh, she would love to see him try.
‘Look, we just came to get some food,’ Lorna said, placing her hand on her brother’s arm. ‘We didn’t know you’d be in here.’
