Page 27 of The Moon Sister
‘Come up to the house with us, Tiggy, and have a coffee and a chat,’ Charlie suggested as we all headed back towards the Lodge.
‘Sorry, darling, but I’ll need you to drive me to Dornoch to visit Lady Murray. She’s expecting me for coffee at eleven. Maybe another time, Tiggy?’ Ulrika suggested coldly.
‘Of course.’
‘I’ll pop across to the cottage when I’m back later,’ Charlie said. ‘I want to give you those grant application papers and also talk to you about bringing European elk onto the estate in the spring.’
‘Okay. Well then, bye Zara, bye Ulrika,’ I said, and beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the cottage.
‘Wow!’ I breathed as I slumped onto the sofa.
‘What’s “wow”?’ Cal asked me as he came into the sitting room with a slice of toast.
‘Ulrika Kinnaird,’ I sighed. ‘I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much.’
‘I don’t think she likes anyone very much, Tig. Don’t take it personally. What’s she said tae you?’
I explained what had happened and Cal laughed.
‘Whoops,’ he said, ‘I think you’re off her Christmas card list for the next few years. Ulrika doesn’t like tae be left out of anything, especially when it’s tae do with her husband. Mebbe she’s just really insecure, y’ know?’
‘Maybe she’ll tell her husband to fire me.’
‘The Laird really rates you, Tig, don’t worry. Now, I’ve got tae go. Her Majesty has requested I shovel the drive o’ snow and lay down some salt so she won’t fall flat on her precious wee arse.’ Cal winked at me and left the cottage.
*
‘So did the Laird make it round for a cuppa and a chat?’ Cal asked me when he arrived through the door at eight that night.
‘No, he didn’t,’ I said, pouring Cal a glass of whisky and handing it to him.
‘Right, mebbe he got caught up with other things.’
‘Perhaps, but it’s not a million miles to walk over from the Lodge to tell me. I sat in here all day waiting for him.’
‘Aye, and they were in at the Lodge all right; I saw their car come back around three. C’mon, Tig, don’t look so down.’
‘Well, as he’s definitely not coming now, I’m going for a bath.’
There was only lukewarm water, and I lay there pondering whether Chilly saying I’d be leaving soon had anything to do with the blonde Valkyrie appearing this morning.
There was a sudden rapping on the bathroom door. ‘Tig? Are you out yet? We have a visitor.’
‘Er, nearly,’ I said, pulling the plug and stepping out. ‘Who is it?’
I held my breath for Cal’s reply, only hoping it wasn’t Charlie Kinnaird. I really didn’t want to emerge into the sitting room in my ancient blue woolly dressing gown, and have to dash to my bedroom to retrieve my clothes.
‘It’s Zara an’ she’s in a bit o’ a state,’ he hissed.
‘Okay, coming,’ I called through the door.
When I opened it and walked into the sitting room, I saw Zara sitting on the sofa, head in her hands. She was sobbing loudly.
‘I’ll leave you ladies to it.’ Cal raised an eyebrow and left.
‘Zara, what’s wrong?’ I said, sitting down on the sofa next to her.
‘Dad promised we could stay until the day before Hogmanay, but now he’s saying we’re leaving! Two whole days more that I could have spent here, and now I have to go back to Inverness!’
