by Agatha Frost
“Heather,” she said to Sue, pointing to the purple flower covering the bank around them. “It smells beautiful.”
“Your baker’s nose never fails you,” Sue said, before turning to their gran, who was halfway back along the bridge and snapping the water below. “Gran! We can’t check in without you.”
Dot reluctantly dragged herself away and dropped her camera into her bag, not without snapping a picture of Julia and Sue first. Without offering to take any of the bags, she shuffled past them and up the slope, which wound around the side of the castle.
The entrance, which was signposted as ‘McLaughlin Spa and Hotel Retreat’ in bold gold lettering, looked like any other traditional castle entrance Julia had seen. It was door-less, and tall, double any of their heights. The castle appeared to be divided into three separate buildings, all joined together like a mismatched jigsaw. Julia wasn’t much of a history buff, but she was sure if she had a look at her gran’s guidebook, she would read that parts of the castle were older than others, with different invasions and families adding on their own sections. The entrance, which was the simplest part of the building, appeared to also be the oldest.
Led by Dot, they walked in through the entrance, which took them to a large ajar mahogany door. The first sign of modern civilisation was a table containing tourist leaflets next to the door. Dot picked up one of each, before yanking on the gold handle. The door creaked open, and she slipped through, letting it slam shut again. Julia shook her head, and Sue let out a long sigh. Julia dropped her bags and opened the door for Sue, who slipped in, and in turn she dropped hers and held it open for Julia.
Julia walked along the embroidered red carpet into the grand entrance hall. A matching mahogany staircase swept up the left side of the space, ending at a landing, which led off to many doors. The walls were exposed in some parts, and wood-lined in others, with heavy-framed oil paintings cluttering them in equal quantities. A large reception desk, with the spa’s logo, sat at the far side of the room, with a door directly behind it leading off to what appeared to be an office. The desk was unmanned, but that didn’t stop Dot from hurrying over and enthusiastically slapping the small metal bell. It rang out through the entrance hall, echoing into the corners. Julia slowly sauntered over as she attempted to take in every detail. She dropped her bags by the desk and turned to face the roaring fire that burned in the fireplace, which was as tall, if not taller, than her. It put her cottage’s fireplace to shame.
Just from her first glimpse of the spa, Julia was sure she was going to enjoy it very much. She could already feel herself relaxing, and it was a feeling that she enjoyed, even if it was foreign to her. Peridale felt all of the three hundred and sixty miles away that it was, and even though she loved her little village, she was surprised how glad she was to be away.
Unfortunately for Julia, that tranquillity didn’t last long. A door slammed, casting out any peaceful thoughts from her mind. She stepped back and looked up at the landing where the noise had come from. To her surprise, a black bag flew towards her, and she barely darted out of the way before it landed on the ground and split open. The plastic bag burst on impact and women’s clothes, in a size much smaller and much more expensive looking than Julia’s, spewed across the stone floor.
“I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again!” a man’s deep voice bellowed, his Scottish accent the strongest Julia had heard. “We’re over!”
The man appeared from the door the clothes had flown out of, dragging a woman by the arm. He seemed to be in his early sixties, but slight in frame and very short. His head was completely bald and shiny and looked as though it was barely balancing on his narrow shoulders. His sharp cheekbones and sunken sockets created two shadows where his eyes should have been. The woman, on the other hand, was curvaceous and looked to be in her mid-forties. She struggled against the man’s grip, but he was clearly much stronger than her despite his weak appearance. The hairs on Julia’s neck instantly raised and every instinct in her body told her to help the woman.
“Please, Henry!” the woman begged. “You’re hurting me!”
The woman’s pleas fell on deaf ears. He dragged her towards the stairs, her long jet-black hair flying over her face. Julia stood and watched, completely numb, but fully expecting the man to fling her down the stairs.
“Our marriage is over, Mary,” he yelled, tossing the woman to the floor at the top of the stairs. “It’s been over for a long time. I’ve had enough of you digging your claws into my fortune.”
He hurried back into the room, and two more black bags flew over the balcony, landing with the others. Julia and Sue jumped back, both of them looking at the woman who was sobbing at the top of the stairs.
“Henry, let’s talk about this,” Mary pleaded, her accent distinctly English against Henry’s. “I love you.”
“You wouldn’t know love if it hit you in the face!” he cried again, appearing at the top of the stairs with a suitcase in his hands. “You’ve got an hour to get out before I call the police.”
He opened the case and projected the clothes into the air. Before they even had time to flutter to the ground, he launched the suitcase after it. It cracked and split into two halves on impact.
“Dad!” a voice called from behind the reception desk. “Guests!”
Henry glared down at Julia and Sue, before turning and disappearing back into the room, slamming the door behind him once more.
Julia turned to the young woman behind the counter, unsure of what to do. She looked to Sue, who shrugged as Mary’s sobs echoed around the grand hall.
“Is she okay?” Julia asked, looking down at the woman’s name badge, which read ‘Charlotte McLaughlin’. “She seems quite upset.”
“Leave her,” Charlotte snapped, her tone cold. “She brought this on herself. Total gold-digger, just like the last three. I’m sorry you had to witness that, but it’s been a long time coming.”
“It’s a good job we’re not paying, or I’d ask for some discount!” Dot cried, her face red and eyes wide. “Quite unacceptable, young lady!”
“I can only apologise,” Charlotte said through almost gritted teeth. “So, you must be the competition winners. Welcome to Seirbigh Castle. I hope you had a pleasant drive through our beautiful corner of the world.”
Despite her friendly smile and soft Scottish accent, Julia could tell the girl was reading the lines from a mental script she had recited hundreds of times. She was strikingly beautiful, with large doe eyes and thick lashes, and soft auburn hair, which cascaded over her shoulders, only stopping in the small of her back. Faint freckles scattered her nose and cheeks, which only made her pale green eyes even more striking. Just like the beautiful landscape outside, it looked as though the woman had been painted by a skilled artist’s brush.
“Let me show you to your rooms,” Charlotte said as she pulled two keys off the board behind her. “I’ve got you down in one double and a twin room.”
Before they could debate who got what, Dot snatched the double bed key out of Charlotte’s hand and smiled unapologetically at her granddaughters. Julia couldn’t begrudge her gran the bigger bed; it was her competition prize after all.
Sue picked up the bags once more and headed awkwardly towards the foot of the stairs, stepping over the large pile of clothes and broken suitcase. Mary was still sobbing at the top.
“This way,” Charlotte called over, stopping Sue before her foot even touched the bottom step. “That’s staff quarters. Out of bounds to guests.”
Sue frowned and turned on her heels before stepping back over the clothes. Julia scooped up the rest of the bags, grateful that Dot had at least grabbed one of the lighter ones this time. They followed Charlotte through a door, and along a narrow stone corridor, with windows on either side looking out onto the loch, which wasn’t any less striking on second viewing. They entered one of the other parts of the castle, which appeared to be the largest and most recently built, although still centuries old.
&
nbsp; “The spa and pool are through there,” Charlotte said, directing a finger towards the end of the corridor as they walked to a less grand, but still stunning, sweeping staircase. “Breakfast is served at eight sharp every morning. You’ll find the dining room by going back towards reception and through the double doors to the left of the office. Lunch and dinner are served at twelve and seven respectively. Since you’re the only guests, try not to be late.”
“Only guests?” Dot asked, a faint brow arching high.
“We’ve been quiet recently,” Charlotte replied quickly, her customer service smile still plastered across her face, but something else entirely twinkling in her eyes. “Rest assured, you will still be getting the best treatment. We’re running with a skeleton staff at the moment, but the spa is still fully functional.”
“As it should be,” Dot said with a stern nod.
They reached the top of the stairs and walked along another long corridor. Charlotte paused outside of one of the doors and took the key from Dot. She unlocked it and swung the door open. Julia felt her jaw drop before she realised she was doing it.
“Since we’re empty, I thought I’d make use of our bridal suite,” she said, glancing smugly to Dot. “I think you’ll be quite comfortable in here.”
Dot swallowed down a lump in her throat and nodded as she walked into the room. She walked straight over to the four-poster bed and looked to the large windows overlooking the loch. Julia knew it was a tactic as old as time, and one she had used herself in the café more than once. Always give the tricky customers something special because they’re less likely to complain.
“I think I will,” Dot said with a nod as she laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. “Put my things on the dresser, Julia.”
Julia shuffled in and dropped her gran’s bag, gazing at the beautifully decorated room, which looked bigger than her whole cottage combined. Elaborate tapestries covered the wood lined walls, with ornate mahogany furniture filling the space. Through an open door, Julia could see an ink-green tiled bathroom with a freestanding bath with gold feet. She would be happy if her bedroom were only half as beautiful as this one.
“You ladies are next door,” Charlotte said, sounding eager to move them along. “There’s an adjoining door if you would like me to unlock it?”
Sue glanced at their gran’s room and shook her head. “It’s okay. Keep it locked. I came here to relax.”
Julia smirked as they carried their bags to the next door. She was relieved to see an equally beautiful smaller room, which was similarly decorated, with two wooden single beds next to each other.
“If you need anything, the phone on the bedside connects straight through to reception,” Charlotte said as she bowed out of the room, her hand already on the door handle. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m sure we will,” Sue said as she jumped onto the bed. “Thanks.”
Unlike her gran’s room, their room was on the corner of the building, so they had two windows. One was overlooking the loch, and the other looked over the rest of the castle. From this height, Julia could see her Ford Anglia parked in the shadows. Her eyes wandered to a figure sitting on the stumpy wall of the bridge with a pile of clothes at her feet. She realised it was Mary. She pulled a packet of cigarettes from her pocket and with shaking hands, put one between her lips and lit it with a match.
“I wonder if she’s going to be okay,” Julia whispered.
“Who?” Sue mumbled through a content and calm smile. “The wife? Well, soon to be ex-wife. Who cares? It’s not our problem. We’re here to relax. Speaking of which, I think we should hit the spa right now.”
Sue grabbed Julia’s hand and dragged her towards the door. She looked back at her bed, wishing she could curl up and have a nap, but she knew that wasn’t why she had agreed to come on the trip. She had come for quality sister time, and even though face masks and massages were more Sue’s style, she was sure she was going to enjoy every second of it with her little sister by her side.
Chapter Three
Julia woke with a smile five minutes before her alarm the next morning. Her skin felt soft with the floral scent of the massage oil still lingering. Her muscles felt relaxed and loose, and her mind was clear and at peace. She looked over to Sue, who was snoring soundly, a glistening trail of dribble across her cheek. She snorted and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head, as though she knew it was nearly time to wake up for breakfast.
After a quick shower in the freestanding bath, Julia quickly dressed in a simple dark grey knitted jumper, fitted black jeans, and trainers. She hadn’t brought any of her typical 1940s style dresses with her because hadn’t she been sure the weather would call for it, but as she looked out of the window and down at the tranquil loch, she knew she had majorly misjudged the retreat.
Sue woke with her alarm, which had been set to go off at ten to eight. She groaned and rolled over, before sitting up in bed, her highlighted hair matted and sticking up. She looked around the room, her eyes landing on Julia in the dark, who was half hiding behind one of the curtains as she looked down at the loch.
“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Julia exclaimed as she tossed back the heavy silk curtains. “Sleep well?”
Sue shielded her eyes and groaned even louder. Julia was sure she was about to try and go back to sleep, but she suddenly darted out of bed and hurried into the bathroom in her nightie. She slammed the door behind her and by the sounds of it, buried her head in the toilet.
“Are you okay in there?” Julia called through the wood with a wince.
“Must have been the beef last night,” she groaned back.
“I feel fine.”
“You know I have a dodgy stomach.”
Julia tried to remember if she knew that, but she couldn’t recall that being a known fact about her sister. She remembered one time when they were kids that their friend, Roxy Carter, had pierced her own ear with a hot needle and a piece of apple, and Sue had thrown her guts up on the village green, but that was the only thing that sprung to mind.
Leaving her sister to get ready, Julia thought about calling Jessie or Barker to check how they were getting on. She got as far as hovering over the green call button, but hesitated, knowing they probably didn’t need checking up on. She trusted them not to kill each other, or run her café into the ground.
She tossed her phone onto her bed and turned to look out of the other window and down at the rest of the castle. She immediately spotted Charlotte’s striking auburn hair, which glistened brightly under the piercing morning sun. She was walking along the bridge where Mary had been sitting and crying with her clothes and cigarette the afternoon before. A tall redheaded man in a business suit was by her side. They appeared to laugh at something, not that Julia could hear it. She was sure if they looked up, they wouldn’t see anything other than a shadow. When they reached the end of the bridge, they hugged and parted ways, with Charlotte walking up the slope towards the entrance, and the suited man disappearing around the side of the castle and out of view.
“What are you looking at?” Sue mumbled as she came out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and scratching her head with the other.
“Just taking in the view,” Julia muttered as she watched Charlotte walk through the castle entrance. “We better get going. Gran won’t miss a free breakfast for anything.”
Just as Julia suspected, Dot was already waiting outside her room, obsessively checking her watch. With Sue trailing behind, they hurried down the staircase, along the corridor overlooking the loch, and into the entrance hall. Dot headed straight for the double doors by the reception desk, but Julia hung back to hold open the door for Sue, who had turned a ghostly shade of white.
“Why don’t you go back to bed?” Julia suggested.
“I’ll pass,” Sue said with a shake of her head. “I’m already starting to feel better.”
Julia smiled as supportively as she could, but her sister looked anything but ‘bette
r’, in fact, she looked worse than she had when she had stumbled out of the bathroom. When Sue walked through and headed towards the double doors, Julia let go of the door and turned to follow. A man had appeared at the reception desk, and for a moment, Julia wondered if he was the same man she had seen out on the bridge with Charlotte, but she immediately noticed he was much older. He was wearing a weighty brown overcoat, which had been patched up in many places. His sparse hair was wiry and coarse, sprouting out of the sides of his head without any style. He turned to Julia, a dark shadow of stubble covering the lower side of his face, and a definite smell of whisky on his breath.
“You my replacement?” he barked, his accent the thickest yet. “Cannae believe they’ve picked a lass to take over my job.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the new groundskeeper?”
“I’m a guest,” Julia said with a small laugh. “But I’m sure if I were the new groundskeeper, I could do the job just as well as any man, thank you very much.”
The man scowled and grunted. He shook his head and lumbered past her, the scent of moss and heather following him, hinting at a lifetime spent outdoors in the same jacket.
When the man vanished, Julia laughed in disbelief to herself and headed for the double doors. She walked down another corridor to a different part of the castle, and she came out into a long hallway lined with framed portraits. At the end, there was what looked like a glass sunroom overlooking the water. She guessed that was a more modern addition. An arrow on the wall pointed her to the dining hall, which was on the left through a wide stone arch opposite a room marked ‘Drawing Room’.
Dot and Sue were already sitting at a table in the middle of the empty dining room. There was a canteen style buffet, but the lights weren’t turned on, and there was no food on display. Ceiling high windows looked out over the hills, flooding the room with light, but the cavernous room still looked dark and gloomy somehow.
