by Anne Fraser
‘Hello, hello. Is there a doctor in the house? A corny line, I know, but I always wanted to say that.’ She took one look at Meagan and then was concerned.
‘Hey, I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you look dreadful.’
‘Thanks,’ Meagan said. ‘Those are the words a woman always wants to hear. Don’t worry, I’m fine now, although I think I may be coming down with something.’
‘Oh, don’t say you’re going to miss the ball. I’m so looking forward to introducing you to everyone.’
Meagan had to laugh at Jessie’s downcast expression.
‘I gather the handsome Simon has arrived, then?’
Jessie blushed, then grinned. ‘Is it that obvious?’ she asked. ‘Oh, Meagan, there’s no point. He’s rich—well, relatively speaking—and titled, and I’m just a cook with a small child to support. It’s pointless even thinking about it.’
‘You’re not just a cook,’ Meagan exclaimed. ‘You are a beautiful woman who does what she needs to in order to support her child. And, by the way, you are an excellent cook. How many people can say that?’
‘True, having tasted your cooking when I came to lunch the other day. I’m afraid I can attest to the fact that you are many things, Meagan Galbraith, but a cook is not one of them.’
The two women laughed and Meagan felt slightly better. One good thing at least had come out of her return to the island. She had made a good friend in Jessie. Then, as the realisation dawned that she wouldn’t be here for much longer, her smile faded.
‘What is it, Meagan?’ Jessie asked.
Meagan shook her head. ‘I didn’t want to tell you until after the ball but I won’t be staying here after all. I’ve decided a permanent position is not for me. I’ll stay, of course, until Colin finds someone else.’
‘Oh, Meagan. I’m so sorry. I thought you were happy here. Is it the job? Do you find it boring after the excitement of the big city or working abroad?’
‘You’re forgetting everything that’s happened since I’ve been here,’ Meagan reminded her. ‘Air and sea rescues, emergency surgeries. How could I possibly be bored?’
‘I am going to miss you so much.’ Jessie went over to Meagan and hugged her hard. ‘What does Cameron say? I bet he’s sorry you are leaving.’
Meagan stiffened. ‘I haven’t told him yet. And anyway…’ Meagan bit her lip. She had been about to tell Jessie about Cameron and Rachel and that he was leaving. But it wasn’t her place to tell. A thought struck her. With Cameron gone, Colin would be in a difficult position. It wouldn’t be fair to abandon him too. On the other hand, could she stay with all the memories that were here? And when Cameron and Rachel came back on holiday, as they were bound to do? It would be unbearable.
Jessie was looking at Meagan speculatively. ‘I know, Meagan.’
Meagan looked at her sharply. ‘Know what?’
‘I know that Rachel and Cameron are getting married again. And that they’ll be going away. He told me.’
Meagan felt a wave of relief. For one moment she had thought that Cameron had told Jessie about them. But as soon as she thought it, she knew that Cameron wasn’t that kind of man. He would never share something that wasn’t his to share.
‘Were you surprised?’ Meagan asked.
‘Surprised? That’s putting it mildly. More like gobsmacked, disbelieving, incredulous. What on earth is he thinking?’
Meagan didn’t have to ask—it was clear from not just Jessie’s words but her expression what she thought of Cameron’s announcement. But still she couldn’t resist posing the question. ‘You don’t approve, then?’
‘Approve? How could I? I don’t believe for one minute that either of them is in love with the other. If they ever were. I suspect, although Cameron didn’t say, that it has something to do with Ian.’ Jessie stood up, looked around the room and then sat down again, clearly agitated.
‘You don’t have feelings for him yourself?’ Meagan asked, suddenly curious. How awful that would be.
‘Feelings for Cameron,’ Jessie replied slowly. ‘Of course I have feelings for Cameron. I couldn’t love my own brother more than I love that pig-headed man. That’s why I’m so annoyed. I’ve been wishing for years that he would meet the right woman, someone who shared his passions and interests. Someone who would love him to death.’ She stopped suddenly. ‘Someone very like you, in fact.’ She looked closely at Meagan, her green eyes shrewd.
Meagan blushed under Jessie’s scrutiny, cursing her inability to hide her feelings.
‘Well, well,’ Jessie said, giving a low whistle under her breath. ‘So that’s the way the wind blows, is it?’
It crossed Meagan’s mind to lie. But she had never been a good liar.
‘Please, Jessie. Keep it to yourself. It’s nothing really. And as you said, he’s getting married. So there is absolutely no point at all in me having feelings for Cameron.’
‘He’s even more daft than I gave him credit for if he’s ignoring what’s under his nose,’ Jessie said crossly. ‘I just know you two would be perfect together—at the very least you both seem to love nothing more than putting your lives at risk. But now he’s insisting on marrying Rachel again. She doesn’t even like getting wet. And why? Because he feels guilty about depriving his child of both parents.’
‘You have to give him credit for that at least.’ Meagan couldn’t help sticking up for Cameron. ‘I have known so many women whose husbands have just walked out on them and their children. After all, isn’t the child the most important person in the relationship?’
‘I agree, Meagan, to a point. But Ian has always managed fine with mainly his father around.’
‘But has he?’ Meagan persisted. ‘You heard him when he was ill. He desperately wanted his mother. At the end of the day isn’t that what all children want? To be with their mother?’
Jessie shook her head regretfully. ‘I suppose, thinking about it that way, you’re right.’ Her voice trembled slightly. ‘I only wish my child had the luxury of two parents. I’ve tried to do my best for her, but it would be so much easier if Hamish was still alive.’
‘Oh, Jessie.’ Meagan took her hand. ‘You couldn’t help what happened. I guess the difference is that Cameron can do something about it for his child.’
Jessie blew her nose loudly. ‘I still think it’s not right, though. Two parents are best, but surely only when they love each other. Children are very sensitive like that, you know.’
‘Do you ever think you’ll marry again?’
This time it was Jessie’s turn to blush. ‘Aye, well,’ she said. ‘You never know. But one thing’s for sure—I would never marry anyone who wasn’t prepared to accept Effie as his own. Not to replace Hamish, you understand—no one could ever do that.’ She looked wistful. ‘Anyway, so far there haven’t been any offers.’
‘Is there anyone you wish would offer?’ Meagan teased gently, knowing that Simon was back, happy to steer the conversation away from Cameron and herself.
‘Maybe. Neither of us have been particularly lucky in love so far, have we? Oh, Meagan, you have to stay. I’ll miss you terribly if you go.’
‘And I would miss you too.’ Impulsively Meagan stood and hugged Jessie. The two women broke apart and Meagan blinked away a tear.
What is wrong with me these days? she thought. I never used to be this emotional.
‘Anyway, I’d better go,’ Jessie said. ‘I’ve masses to do before tonight. To be fair, they insisted on getting caterers in so I could enjoy the ball, but I want to keep my eye on everything. Mrs McLeod’s going to take over from me. God help them if she finds anything that’s not quite perfect.’
‘How many guests do you have for the weekend?’ Meagan asked.
‘Around half a dozen. No doubt they’ll be wanting something when they come back from the fishing—Cameron has taken them out. And then, of course, it’s breakfast and lunch tomorrow before they finally leave.’
‘Hard work for you,’ Meagan said sympathetica
lly.
‘Och, I don’t mind. It keeps me out of mischief. I’ll be down later to pick you up and I’ll introduce you to everyone. That is, if you don’t feel worse!’ And then, with a quick kiss on Meagan’s cheek, she was off.
Feeling restless and a little down, Meagan wondered what she should do with the rest of the day. The ball wasn’t due to start until 7:30 so she had oodles of time.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror in the sitting room. Jessie was right—she did look peaky. She was pale and there were dark rings under her eyes. Hardly surprising as she hadn’t been sleeping well. Another wave of nausea washed over her. Goodness, she thought, I haven’t felt like this since…And then her heart dropped to her shoes. No, it couldn’t be! It wasn’t possible, not with her medical history, she thought frantically. She was late now she took time to think about it. Only a few days, but late nevertheless. And she was as regular as clockwork. She sat down on the sofa. Was it possible? Could she be pregnant? She felt a flutter of excitement. No, don’t think like that, she told herself firmly. This isn’t a good thing. No matter how much you want a baby, you don’t want to be a single mother. But if—despite all the odds against it—she was pregnant, what would she do? She squeezed her eyes shut. Unbidden, an image of her holding a tiny baby with Cameron looking at them both fondly filled her mind. Cameron! What would he think? But should she even tell him? What would be the point of that when he was leaving? But she was getting way ahead of herself. First she would need to find out one way or another if she was pregnant. Her heart plummeted at the thought. Even if she was, it might be another ectopic.
She could hardly bear the contrasting emotions of hope and terror. At the very least she needed to know whether she had conceived. Making up her mind, she grabbed her car keys from the bowl beside the door and jumped into her car. Very soon, one way or another, she would know.
Cameron, dressed in his dinner jacket, wrestled with his bow-tie. Ian stood watching him, his eyes round with excitement. He was wearing full Highland dress, with the exception of the skean dubh. He’d been mutinous when Cameron had refused to let him borrow his traditional knife.
‘In a couple of years,’ Cameron had promised his sulking son. Thankfully within minutes Ian had forgotten his disappointment and was hopping from one foot to another.
‘Mummy wants you to help her fasten her necklace,’ he said. Cameron was still sleeping in his own room in the west wing. Rachel had her own suite of rooms when she came to stay in the east of the house. He knew Rachel wanted him to move back in with her—too antediluvian to wait until we are married, darling, she had drawled—but he had resisted. Although he had agreed they should marry again, he wasn’t ready yet for the kind of intimacy Rachel wanted. In fact, he wondered if he’d ever be ready. He closed his eyes against the image of Meagan in his arms. How could he take another woman to his bed when his mind was filled with the only woman who had ever really mattered to him?
‘It’s more appropriate, darling.’ Rachel had tried to persuade him. ‘After all, we’ll soon be married.’
He frowned at the thought. Rachel was talking about going through the whole church ceremony again. Cameron dreaded the thought. It had been bad enough the first time round. Why go to all the bother of doing it all over again? But would he mind if he was getting married for the right reasons? If he was marrying Meagan, he would want to shout it from the rooftops. Now, where had that come from? He had promised himself he wouldn’t even think of Meagan, let alone imagine getting married to her. Anyone would think he was in love with her. His hands stopped their restless and futile fiddling with his bow-tie. In love with Meagan? He shook his head, trying to clear it of the images of her—lying in his arms, eyes soft and wondering after their love-making, eyes sparkling as she splashed him with water, and the last, most painful image of them all, her eyes trying but failing to hide her hurt and bewilderment when he had told her he was going to remarry Rachel.
He cursed under his breath. Why couldn’t he have met Meagan just a few months before he had? He would never have married Rachel had she not been pregnant. But, then, and he glanced down at his son who was practising his dancing, there would have been no Ian. It wasn’t worth thinking about. None of it was worth thinking about. He was doing what he thought was right, and he needed to accept the hand life had dealt him, as he always had, and move on.
‘I got tired waiting for you,’ Rachel said, coming into the room. She looked breathtaking in a long silk sheath of deep blue that set off her eyes. She had twisted her hair into a sophisticated arrangement at the top of her head and finished her ensemble off with the pair of diamond earrings he had bought her on their wedding day. In her hand she held the matching necklace he had given her for their first wedding anniversary. ‘Could you help me clasp this?’
She turned her back to him, offering him her long neck, and he quickly fastened the necklace.
‘Ian,’ she said to her son, ‘do you want to check how your Uncle Simon is getting on?’
Ian ran out of the room, eager to help, as Rachel turned in Cameron’s arms. She let her eyes linger on his.
‘You look devastatingly handsome as always,’ she said. ‘There will hardly be a woman here tonight who won’t envy me.’ She traced a long finger between his brows.
‘Why the frown, darling?’
Cameron took her hand and firmly placed it back by her side.
‘Don’t play games, Rachel,’ he said, his voice deep with warning. ‘You and I know exactly why we are getting married. There is no need to pretend love comes into it.’
‘But love did come into it once,’ she said quietly, ‘and if only you’ll let it, it could again.’
‘I can’t lie to you,’ Cameron said. ‘God knows, I never have and I am not going to start now. I will never change the way I feel about you. We are getting married and I will do my best to be a good husband to you, but that is all. You know I only agreed to this because of Ian.’
‘Doesn’t being a good husband mean you’ll be sharing my bed?’ Her eyes glittered up at him. ‘That at least will make it…fun.’
Suddenly Cameron couldn’t bear it any longer. He held Rachel away from him at arm’s length. ‘It’s no use, is it?’ he said sadly. ‘If we get married again, it will be the worst mistake either of us will ever make. You don’t love me and I—’
‘Love someone else,’ Rachel finished for him. ‘Who is it?’
Cameron shook his head. ‘It’s really none of your business.’
‘Oh, but it is,’ Rachel spat. ‘If you remember, I told you I would take custody of Ian if you ever married again, and I meant it. If I can’t have you, be in no doubt that no one else will have you either.’
‘Why do you care?’ Cameron said wearily. ‘You aren’t going to pretend you love me. We both know it’s not true. So why are you doing this? Why take Ian away from me? You know I can look after him better than you can.’
Rachel looked at him, her eyes moist. ‘But that’s just it,’ she said. ‘You have it all. But I, apart from my modelling, I have nothing. No one to love me.’
For a moment Cameron found his heart softening and he touched her cheek gently. But then he saw the flash of triumph in her eyes and knew that she had almost fooled him. There was really no doubt in his mind—the only reason Rachel wanted him was because she knew she couldn’t have him and because she wanted to be Lady Rachel again. In her short, spoiled life her over-indulgent widower father had given her everything she had ever asked for, except the one thing she craved—someone of her own to love.
‘Please, don’t take my son away from me,’ he said, his voice gruff with emotion. ‘I’ll beg you if I have to.’
Rachel looked at him coolly. For a moment Cameron saw something shift in her eyes. Was it sympathy? Regret? But, then just as quickly, her expression hardened.
‘The choice is yours, Cameron. We get married and you both come with me—or we don’t and I take Ian with me. You have to the end of the eve
ning to let me know one way or another what your decision is.’ And with a flash of violet eyes she left him standing alone.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MEAGAN finished drying herself after her bath. She stood in front of the mirror and surveyed the surprised—no, shocked—woman in front of her. She could hardly believe it. She dared hardly believe it. She was pregnant.
She finished drying her hair and started to get dressed, pulling her new dress over her head and letting it fall about her feet. She could feel the smooth silk cling to her body. It was far too early for her pregnancy to show and the dress emphasised her curves in the most flattering way. So this was what an expensive designer dress did for you, she thought. At least she wouldn’t feel at a disadvantage next to Rachel tonight.
She still wasn’t sure whether she should go to the ball. The thought of facing Cameron and Rachel made her stomach tighten with nervous tension. How would she feel seeing them together? And should she tell Cameron about the pregnancy? But even as she finished putting the finishing touches to her outfit, she knew she had no intention of telling him. It was too early in her pregnancy to be sure it would continue, and anyway what was the point? He and Rachel were getting married. Telling him about her own pregnancy would only—what? What would he do? Would he insist on staying with her? And if he did, would it be for all the wrong reasons? She also wanted her child to have two loving parents, but not at any cost. She couldn’t bear it if Cameron stayed with her because of the baby. Unlike Rachel, she didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t love her.
She had never imagined that she would be a single mother, but life didn’t always work out the way you planned, and this baby would be loved. Somehow she would make sure that he or she never wanted for anything.
She knew she had to go to the ball. She couldn’t hide from Cameron, no matter how much she wanted to. She brushed her hair until it shone, letting it fall in a sheet around her shoulders. She finished her make-up, adding a final slick of lipstick. She was ready. Ready to face anything the evening could throw at her.
