Christmas at a Highland Castle

Chapter 16

It turned out that, after Vivi’s arrival, Jess needed to give her aunt a couple of days to recover from her journey, even if Vivi made up some other excuse for the delay. She’d called to let Jess know she’d arrived in Kirkshield, but Jess didn’t think she’d ever heard Vivi sound so quiet, not even when she’d visited her in the hospital after the accident. So, Jess knew the journey had taken its toll, even though her aunt pretended it was something to do with a dodgy chicken and mayo sandwich she’d bought from the in-service food trolley while she’d been on the train.

It had also been a couple of days when Jess had kept her head down and concentrated on preparing for the imminent party. Between sprucing bedrooms nobody had slept in for a while, and getting as much food prep done as possible, she’d hardly had a moment to herself.

So, by the time Vivi gave her the green light, Jess couldn’t wait to escape the castle and head to the village for a visit to the Macwarrens.

She was about to wrestle Digby into his special walking coat when Sebastian wandered in.

‘I’m going to visit my aunt,’ she said, doing her best to coax Digby into putting his legs through the correct holes. ‘If that’s OK?’ she added.

‘Of course it is.’ He paused, then said, ‘Actually, would you mind if I came with you? I haven’t seen the Macwarrens yet.’

‘Are they friends or foes?’ she asked, then bit her lip at the lack of filter in her comment.

‘You’ve picked up on the village vibes, then, have you?’ Sebastian said, an unmistakeable arch in his brow.

‘It wasn’t exactly difficult. I think some of them would like to beat you to death with Aggie Fernell’s prognosis – or that broken space heater in the village hall – given half a chance.’

He gave a rueful laugh. ‘You might be right. Although it’s difficult to blame them, after the way they’ve been treated over the years. I know it’s up to me to try to turn it around. To try to win them back.’

His expression told a different story to his words, lacking as it did any hint of conviction. Maybe he thought it was already a lost cause.

‘Or not?’ she said.

Sebastian sighed. ‘Or not. Anyway, let’s not put clouds in a clear sky. I’m itching to meet your aunt.’

Jess frowned. ‘Are you? Why?’

‘She sounds …’

‘Terrifying?’

‘I was going to say indomitable, but you know her way better than me, so …’

‘I’m going to roll with formidable,’ Jess said. ‘With a capital F.’

‘I’ve been warned,’ he said, grinning as he layered a soft teal-blue waistcoat beneath his thick tweed coat and zipped everything up to his chin.

Jess finished sorting Digby and slipped into her padded jacket. With the outside temperature dropping lower every day, she went full-on arctic, checking she had gloves and a woolly hat before Sebastian pulled open the external door.

They walked briskly towards Kirkshield, with plumes of white breath circling away from them like puffs of steam from a tiny locomotive.

It was still early, and frost clung to everything – grass, stone, hedge, it made no difference. Drops of glistening, pearlescent beauty were everywhere, like the whole vista had been created as a lavish photo opportunity. Even the tarmac of the lane was slippery, and Jess skidded a couple of times before she got to grips with the conditions. She couldn’t help her squeal the first time she nearly tripped, but the second time left her feeling breathless – mainly because Sebastian had grabbed her elbow to stop her from falling. His touch had been surprisingly welcome, under the circumstances, and although his hand had lingered for no more than a couple of seconds, Jess could feel other parts of her body warming at the contact. As she moderated her stride, she became confused by her body’s reaction, and how her disappointment had spiked once she’d regained her footing and he’d sunk his hand back into a deep pocket.

On entering the village, Jess was struck again by how picturesque the place was. She stopped on the bridge over the river Kirk, turning on her heel to look back the way they’d come, noticing for the first time how visible the castle was from here. She paused, staring at it. She’d expected it to loom over the village like a brooding crow, full of portent and oozing a feeling of dominance over its subjects. Instead, with the glaze of frost softening its edges, the castle looked solid. Dependable. Like whatever might happen in the world, it would always be there for the village, ready to support and protect.

Sebastian stood at her shoulder, his gaze also on the castle.

‘I’m going to consider selling,’ he said.

Jess swung around to face him. ‘You are?’

‘I’m not sure there’s any feasible alternative.’

He didn’t look delighted by his declaration, didn’t seem as though the idea of getting rid of the millstone around his neck was going to make him feel any better at all. If anything, as they walked on, he looked completely conflicted by the possibility.

The low gate into the cottage garden at the front of the Macwarren property took some negotiating. The spring on the catch was long gone and Sebastian managed to pinch a finger in the mechanism trying to hold it open as he pushed on the gate. Another repair to add to the estate manager’s list.

Although, if the entire estate was purchased by a big development firm, the problem would no longer be his. The houses would be fully renovated, and the villagers would be able to call on a management team to sort out their grumbles and snagging issues. Everyone would be much happier.

In the Macwarrens’ garden, the square borders containing perennials and low bushes had been pruned back for the winter, and a trellis around the door held a mature rambling rose. Sebastian was wondering what colour its flowers were as his knock on the door was answered by Isla Macwarren.

‘Oh, Your Lordship. I didn’t realise you would be visiting too … It’s wonderful to see you.’

Whether she meant it or not, Sebastian decided to take her words at face value. ‘It’s lovely to see you too, Isla.’

Then her bright expression faded. ‘We were so sorry about your father.’

‘It’s been a difficult time,’ he said, the words seeming to have worn a groove in his throat.

‘I’ll bet you’ve said that a time or two,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Bad business.’ Then she caught herself, as though she realised what she’d said could be misinterpreted. Her expression brightened as she looked past him to Jess. ‘And you must be Vivi’s niece. Come away in, both of you. Come in out of the cold.’

‘Thank you.’ Sebastian stood back to allow Jess entry to the cottage, stooping to pass through the lintel and into the tiny hallway. The stairs were directly in front of them, and there were doors to either side, one of which was ajar.

‘We’re in here,’ Isla pushed wide the door and ushered them into a room where a fire roared in the grate. To the side of the fire sat a small old lady, a walking frame beside her.

‘I’ll go and find Craig,’ Isla said. ‘He’s out back somewhere, but he’ll want to see you, Your Lordship.’

‘Please, call me Sebastian,’ he said, a prickle of discomfort at the unearned formality edging its way up his spine as he turned to the woman seated by the fire.

‘If you’re expecting me to stand, I’m going to have to disappoint you.’ Although her physical frame was diminutive and there was a pillow cushioning her hip, Aunt Vivi’s gaze was sharp and focused. It was obvious she was starting as she meant to go on, her voice strong and unapologetic.

Sebastian appreciated her forthright attitude, but he was confused. The lady was far older than he’d imagined from Jess’s description. Jess was in her early twenties, so as her aunt, he’d expected Vivi to be in her fifties, maybe sixties at most. His frown must have showed as he bent to shake her hand. ‘Aunt Vivi, I presume?’

‘You look confused, young man. Jess, did you explain properly?’ Without waiting for Jess to respond, she said, ‘It never quite seemed right for her to call me her mother, with the age difference, you see. So, we settled on aunt. It works for us.’

Her words hadn’t provided the clarity he needed. Having assumed the two were blood relations, he now wasn’t sure he’d got it right.

Jess tugged in a deep breath. ‘Vivi’s my foster mum, that’s what she’s trying to say.’

‘Oh. I had no idea.’ Sebastian looked between the two of them.

‘Yes, and once she’d wheedled her way into my life, there was no getting rid of her – and so here we are.’ The bright smile belied the older lady’s words and Jess burrowed in, enveloping Vivi in a massive hug.

‘How are you feeling?’ Jess said, her features creasing into a frown as she backed off and studied her aunt. ‘You look terrible.’

‘Ha! Thank you so much.’ Vivi sniffed. ‘Journey was a bit long, truth be told. Now, where’s my Digby-Dog?’

The sound of Vivi’s voice had been enough to set the little dog into overdrive, and Jess lifted a squirming Digby into her aunt’s lap, unclipping his coat and removing it as Vivi ran her fingers over the little dog, murmuring to him as he crooned in excitement.

‘Has he put on weight?’ she said, as Digby bounced on her knees.

‘I don’t think so,’ Jess said.

‘He’s been getting plenty of exercise?’

‘Yes. Wow, I feel like I’m in the headmistress’s office, Vivi. And you know I know what that feels like.’

Vivi chuckled. ‘True enough.’

‘I’ve done my best with the dog, honestly,’ Jess said, glancing at Sebastian. He gave her what he hoped was a supportive grin.

Vivi continued her assessment, eventually nodding and smiling. ‘He looks very well, Jess. Thank you.’ Her expression darkened. ‘I’m sorry, could you lift him down, he’s …’

Sebastian did the honours, and Vivi did her best to shuffle in the chair. She was clearly in discomfort. ‘Can I help you with anything?’ he asked, thinking she might need the cushions adjusting.

‘Not really. Not unless you can turn back time by about twenty years. Getting old is, frankly, not for the faint-hearted.’ Vivi crossed her arms, and studied them, while Digby snuffled around at her feet. ‘So, tell me everything.’

The question was aimed at the room, rather than anyone specific, and Sebastian thought it was rather clever. The ultimate in open-ended information-gathering – there wasn’t even a starting point, let alone an expected answer.

Before either he or Jess could say anything, Craig and Isla were back in the room; Craig hastily pulling off gardening gloves and cap as he headed to greet Sebastian, with Isla talking about making tea.

‘Tea? Isla, it’s barely ten in the morning. Could I have coffee?’ Vivi asked. ‘Milk and a generous spoonful of sugar, if I may?’

Once he’d admitted he would love coffee too – with the same combination of milk and sugar, Sebastian took a seat at the small table at Craig’s insistence. As he glanced at Vivi, Sebastian was sure she gave him a conspiratorial look, edged with a smile.

It wasn’t long before the conversation returned to the death of his father, and Sebastian braced himself for another round of platitudes. However, this time they were brief – and overridden by Vivi mentioning someone on her street who had also died recently, and at a far younger age. Vivi then gave the Macwarrens a few moments of excruciating embarrassment, if their expressions were anything to go by, when she gave her opinion on extra-marital activities, especially in the aged. The words ‘silly old buffer’ were mentioned more than once and Craig straightened as though someone had poked him in the kidneys, his gaze fixed on Sebastian, waiting for his response.

If Sebastian hadn’t already been aware that gossip spread through Kirkshield quicker than a hot knife through butter, he knew it now. The circumstances of his father’s death had clearly been discussed.

‘Oh, I didn’t realise that’s what happened,’ Jess muttered, looking annoyed at having to play catch-up to her aunt.

‘Hmmm. With the housekeeper of all people, so you’d better watch your step, young lady.’ Vivi’s eyebrows arched as she fixed Sebastian with a direct look. A challenge. And for a moment Sebastian felt angry heat rising up from beneath his collar, the desire to push back demanding to take over. The need to tell her exactly how little he was like his father bubbled like lava. Then he noticed the twinkle in her eye, the way the edges of her lips were twitching, and his anger melted away. He started to laugh, the ludicrous nature of his father’s final moments finally settling in his head as being just that. Ludicrous.

‘It’s not funny,’ he said. ‘So why am I laughing?’

‘Because we experience all the emotions when we grieve,’ Vivi said. ‘Whatever it is we’re grieving about.’ She fixed him again, her gaze seeing past his face, as though she was staring into his soul. As though she knew that regardless of what had happened to his father, or why, whatever decision Sebastian now made about Kirkshield would impact on everything and everyone he cared about.

His laughter fell away, and Sebastian took a sip of coffee as he recalibrated. Craig Macwarren took the opportunity to move the conversation on.

‘I hope you don’t mind me saying, Your Lordship, but it will be such a treat to have music back in the castle.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Isla and I were talking about it with Dorathy Keel, not more than a couple of days ago. She was telling us how generous you’re being with your time, playing for the choir. You never knew your grandfather, him being long gone before your father married your mother, but like yourself he was also a very keen musician. Used to hear his pipes all the way down here when I was a boy.’ Craig frowned. ‘Did your father never tell you?’

‘The bagpipes?’ Sebastian asked, feeling adrift again.

‘Aye. And your great-grandmother played the piano. You’ve still got the grand up there, I presume?’ Craig barely waited for Sebastian to nod before he continued, ‘Oh, the parties they used to hold up there. The dancing. We used to go up and help with whatever needed doing, just so we could listen. Highland dancing bands, sometimes they had your kind of musicians up there, playing for the balls and dances they held, and once a year we got to go and let our hair down with the earl, too. Whatever kind of dancing the villagers wanted, that’s what the old earl put on. All stopped, of course, when your father took over.’ Craig paused, then gulped at his coffee. ‘Not one for the dances, was he? Much preferred his shooting and what-not.’

Sebastian wanted to smile again, had to stifle a laugh at Craig Macwarren’s unspoken conclusions. It seemed everybody was all too familiar with the ‘what-not’ he mentioned. It followed every conversation about his father around like a stain on a favourite jumper.

But Sebastian was fascinated by the information about his grandfather, his interest properly piqued. It struck him that he knew very little about his grandparents, or the generation before that, apart from the fact that his grandmother had survived his grandfather by a good many years and remained at the castle until her death, shortly before Sebastian’s parents were married.

‘My grandfather played the bagpipes. And my great-grandmother the piano?’ Sebastian floundered, searching for solid ground. It came from Jess.

‘Well, you didn’t think your abilities came out of thin air, did you? Stands to reason they came from somewhere. And your mum would have told you if her side of the family were musical, wouldn’t she?’ Jess turned to Craig. ‘Were the dances held in the picture gallery?’ she asked.

‘Aye. Band set up at the end nearest the kitchens – which meant we could all hear it well – and the dancers twirling around the rest of it. Perfect space for it, plenty of room even with some tables set out for food. And at Christmas there would be a massive tree, too. Strung with lights and paper angels. Magic, it was.’

Jess was as struck by Sebastian’s expression as she was by Craig Macwarren’s revelations. Sebastian looked lost, as though everything he knew about himself and his life had been tossed to a particularly strong Highland breeze. It seemed amazingly cruel that Sebastian’s father hadn’t ever let his son know about his musical heritage.

As she and Sebastian wound their way back to the castle, with promises made to give Sebastian’s mother the Macwarrens’ best wishes, Sebastian seemed deep in thought. Quiet, but in a contemplative way, rather than brooding.

It was just as well he didn’t want to chat, as Jess had her hands full trying to coax a reluctant Digby back up the track. He’d threatened to nip her when she’d fastened him back into his harness, Vivi’s words of encouragement doing nothing more than stoking the fire of Digby’s desire to stay in the cottage with her.

At least Vivi had behaved herself – on a scale of one to full-on Vivi, Jess would score her a four this morning. Her hip was causing her more pain than she was letting on, that much was clear, and Jess hoped it was nothing more than the result of the long journey. Give it another couple of days, and she hoped Vivi would again be scoring a ten on her very own Richter scale. Although what repercussions that might have for the quiet village of Kirkshield was yet to be discovered.

‘Come on , will you, Digby?’ Jess couldn’t contain her exasperation any longer.

Sebastian paused, turning to see the dog bellying himself on the tarmac and refusing to move.

‘I like Vivi very much,’ he said.

Jess smiled. ‘She’s a one of a kind.’

‘She’s very welcome to come and stay at the castle if you like. That way, she can do all the checking-up on you she wants,’ he said.

‘That’s all I need,’ Jess said. ‘But thanks for the offer.’

Sebastian gestured at the dog. ‘Take him back down, spend some more time with her if you want.’

‘I’d love to, but I think she probably needs to rest. And if I give in to this monster now, I’ll never get him to do anything I say ever again.’

‘Fair enough,’ Sebastian said, looking as though he was about to say something else, but before he did their attention was taken by a four-by-four heading towards them along the narrow track. It was Robbie’s truck and, as Jess tugged an uncooperative Digby to the side and the vehicle slowed, Sebastian struck off up the hill for home. ‘I’ll leave you two to it,’ he said. ‘See you later.’

The four-by-four pulled to a stop beside her, its window rolling down as Jess dragged her gaze – and her thoughts – away from Sebastian and his parting words, refocusing instead on Robbie’s open grin.