Page 92 of The Moon Sister
‘Of course, dear.’
I rang Charlie’s mobile, which went straight to voicemail, so then I tried the home number. Having not expected him to pick up there either – logic told me he was probably at the hospital – it took me a couple of seconds to register the foreign-sounding female voice that answered on the second ring.Ulrika, of course. My heart sank like a stone.
She sounded about as happy to hear my voice as I was to hear hers, but given the circumstances, I had no choice but to tell her Zara had turned up at Kinnaird. I had to hold the phone at arm’s length for several seconds while she sobbed dramatically – presumably with relief – into the receiver, but eventually she calmed herself.
‘I have not slept a wink all night! I’m in no state to drive, but I’ll be up there as soon as I can,’ she told me before slamming the phone down. I sighed heavily, realising that I hadn’t told Ulrika that Zara was currently missing again and only hoping she would reappear before her mother did.
Already dreading the Valkyrie’s imminent arrival, I trudged back to the kitchen and relayed the finer points of the conversation to Beryl.
‘I hope she thanked you. You’ve done what you can and now it’s up to the Kinnairds to sort out their family affairs.’
As I sipped the strong tea that Beryl placed in front of me, I wondered how a job that I had worried would be too quiet seemed to be turning into a constant drama of Chekhovian proportions.
‘While I’m here, is the office free by any chance?’ I asked her.
‘Yes, his Lordship’s taking a call on the landline extension in the Great Room and can’t be disturbed.’
‘Great, thanks.’
I went into the office and logged into my email account. I’d finally received a response from the European elk man who said he could come up to Kinnaird to look at the terrain, and suggested a date in about a month’s time. My heart leapt as I saw I also had an email from Ally.
Dearest Tiggy,
How lovely it was to hear from you, and I’m glad you’re settling into your new job. As I look out of my window, the snow is covering everything and the fjord is part frozen – I’m sure it’s the same where you are. I’m getting fatter and fatter, and I’m glad I’ve only got another few weeks to go until the baby makes its entrance into the world. My father Felix visits me every day – (I have hot chocolate and he has aquavit!) – and yesterday, he brought me down a cradle that his father Pip had once slept in. Seeing it really made me realise that the baby is on its way.
Now, Tiggy, on to other matters: you asked me about Zed Eszu and Maia. Well, yes, he did go out with Maia when they were at university and . . . Oh Tiggy, I don’t want to betray any confidences, but it all ended very badly. On top of that, my darling Theo met him a couple of times through his sailing, and to be honest, thought he was an arrogant idiot. (Sorry.) I’m pretty sure he knows Electra too . . . he seems to have a thing about the D’Aplièse sisters . . .
I also have to tell you that when I spotted Pa’s boat near Delos last summer, I also recognised Kreeg Eszu’s yacht moored in the bay next to it. I haven’t told you before because I still don’t understand if it was a coincidence or something more . . . but Tiggy – between father and son – that is an awful lot of coincidences, isn’t it?
You didn’t say whether you were actually involved with Zed on a romantic level, but take care, please. I’m not sure he’s a very nice person. Maybe youshouldspeak to Maia who really knows him well – far better than I ever could.
What a strange year it seems to be for all of us as we get used to living without Pa. Let’s confirm the date for that trip to lay a wreath with the rest of the sisters where I last saw Pa’s boat moored. I think it would be therapeutic for all of us to be together again and really put Pa to rest.
Hugs and kisses from snowy Norway!
Ally xx
I printed off the email so I could mull over it at my leisure, even though it had only confirmed what I already knew, then stood up from the computer and made a hasty exit before Zed came in search of his breakfast.
Two hours later, I heard a car screech into the courtyard. Ten minutes after that, I was just preparing to take Chilly’s lunch down when there was a loud banging on the front door.
I didn’t even reach it before Ulrika burst in.
‘For God’s sake, Tiggy! Beryl told me that Zara turned up here lastnight! Why didn’t you call us immediately?’
‘Ulrika, I’m so sorry, I—’
‘And now apparently she’s missing again.’ Ulrika cut me short, and I could see that she was shaking with anger. ‘I’ve already left urgent messages for Charlie, but he hasn’t called me back yet. Absolutely bloody typical – his daughter goes missing and he is not returning his calls.’
At that moment, Cal appeared through the front door. ‘The Land Rover’s vanished. Are the keys in the pot?’
‘I don’t know, I didn’t think to check,’ I told him.
‘You think Zara might have taken it?’ Ulrika asked.
‘Aye.’ Cal went over to the pot on the sideboard. ‘The keys have gone,’ he confirmed.
‘This gets worse!’ Ulrika shouted. ‘Zara’s never even had a proper driving lesson, just driven around the estate! What if she crashes? Or gets stopped by the police. She’ll be in all sorts of trouble . . .’
