Christmas at a Highland Castle

Chapter 14

Jess wandered back to the castle from Robbie’s cottage, allowing Digby plenty of sniffing time. With another rehearsal with the choir looming that evening, she’d have no time for the dog until much later.

Mrs Keel had tasked Jess with trying to persuade Sebastian to play piano for them again, and so she’d furnished him with the timing of the next rehearsal. Apparently, Aggie was still incapacitated, although Mrs Keel had been vague enough with the details for Jess to wonder if she was being fed a line. Perhaps this was Mrs Keel’s way of trying to encourage Sebastian to build bridges with the village.

As she closed the scullery door behind herself and unclipped Digby’s lead, Jess thought he needed to build roofs and new windows, rather than worrying about bridges. Not that he’d have to concern himself with either if he did decide to sell up.

Sebastian had been effortlessly non-committal about the next choir rehearsal, but Jess was determined to attend. Digby snuffled at his empty bowl, turning to Jess with a wag of his tail. When she didn’t move, he sat down, his gaze unmoving from hers as he held up a paw.

‘You do tricks?’

Digby panted, then swapped paws. He added a head tilt for good measure.

‘News to me. You’re still not getting tea yet,’ Jess said, laughing as Digby gave up on looking cute, instead glaring at Jess with unapologetic enmity. ‘Ooh, is that meant to be scary? You look more like you’re constipated, little man.’

Once she’d completed the prep for the evening meal, set the table in the dining room and tidied up the kitchen, Jess took pity on a clearly desperately hungry Digby, dumping a scoop of his food into his bowl, and then checked her watch. Half an hour before the start of the rehearsal – perhaps she should locate Sebastian.

Darkness was swallowing everything outside, and with no sign of him in the library, his usual haunt, Jess made for the music room. The room was empty, so she drew closed the massive drapes. She should have turned and left – she didn’t have time to waste – but instead she switched on the lights, turning in a circle as she admired the stunning space, the effortless beauty of the mahogany grand piano. A combination of an overhead chandelier and a series of matching sconces around the walls gave the room a warm light, even though the air was cool. Jess decided she must be acclimatising. The castle no longer felt desperately cold; it was more of a low-grade chill which Jess had decided was easily combatted with a woolly jumper and thick socks. Plus, it was important to remember it was December, and although the weather had been kind for the last couple of days, Jess wondered what deep winter would feel like in the Highlands.

With the lid propped open and the fallboard lifted, Jess slid onto the piano stool, placing her fingers lightly on the keys. It had been a very long time since she’d played anything, and she’d never played on an instrument as impressive as this. With an embarrassed grin at the thought she might only remember how to play ‘Chopsticks’, she closed her eyes and took a moment to choose a piece.

She began to play, and while her rendition of ‘Moon River’ was far from note-perfect, it was at least recognisable. She was concentrating so hard, she didn’t hear Sebastian, didn’t even realise he was in the room until he stood at the side of the piano, his expression difficult to read.

She startled and lost concentration, the melody fading away as she stopped playing. His expression didn’t change, and she wondered if he was expecting her to apologise. Maybe he was the only person allowed to touch such a hallowed instrument – unless it was being polished.

Then he checked his watch. ‘I thought you told me the rehearsal starts at six. We’re going to be late.’

Jess’s shoulders relaxed, and she grinned. ‘I wasn’t sure you were up for it.’

‘Where Mrs Keel is involved, it’s usually easier to comply,’ he said.

With coats found and buttoned, they used the moonlight to guide their way down to the village. Jess bit at the edge of her lip as she tried to find a way into a conversation, but everything she thought of seemed weighed down, far too serious. Had he decided what he was going to do with the castle? Was he angry with her for daring to touch the grand piano, or for offering it as a resource for the choir? Was he annoyed at having been press-ganged into helping with the choir? In the end, it was Sebastian who broke the silence.

‘Is everything under control for Olivia’s party?’ he asked.

‘It’s your party, really,’ she answered, noticing the frown burrowing its way into his forehead.

‘Hmm. I can hardly wait.’ It would have been difficult for him to have laced his words with any less enthusiasm.

‘You never know, it might be fun,’ she said.

‘Yeah. Right.’

‘Anyway – in answer to your question, everything is completely under control. Is there anyone you want to add to the guest list?’

‘Nope.’

‘Decisive. Excellent.’ Jess sucked in a breath and changed the subject. ‘Can I ask a favour?’

‘Of course.’

‘My aunt Vivi has discovered an old acquaintance is living here in Kirkshield. Isla Macwarren? Anyway, Vivi has decided to visit, and I wondered if it would be OK for me to take Digby to see her.’

‘That’s fine by me, Jess. Honestly, you don’t need to ask my permission.’

‘I suppose I should be totally transparent here and tell you she’s also the owner of my agency – Home From Home. I didn’t want you to think she’s here through stealth, coming to check up on you or something.’

‘Checking up on me?’ For the first time since they’d left the castle, Sebastian cracked a smile. ‘Maybe she’s coming to check up on you.’

Jess grinned. ‘You might be on to something there.’

Explaining about Vivi’s accident, the reason Jess was looking after Digby and ultimately the reason she was at Kirkshield in the first place, took the rest of the walk to the village hall. Someone had strung coloured bulbs across the front of the low building since the last rehearsal, the first bit of Christmas cheer she’d seen.

‘What happens about Christmas decorations at the castle?’ she asked as Sebastian pushed open the door. ‘Do you want any up for the party?’

‘I don’t think so,’ he replied.

‘Will you have any at all, with your father passing so recently?’

‘My nephews are coming to stay for Christmas, so we’ll have to have something. To be honest, Jess, with everything else going on, it’s not been high up in my thoughts.’

‘Ah, you’re here. Jolly good.’ Mrs Keel hurried them inside before he could say anything else, pressing carol sheets into Jess’s hands and leading Sebastian to the piano. He unbuttoned his coat, looking as though he was about to discard it, but the air in the hall was almost as frigid as outside, and he kept it on.

‘Space heater is broken,’ the woman to Jess’s right said as she shuffled into line, and so she opted to keep her own coat on, too.