by Agatha Frost
Andrew lifted his pint to the ceiling before gulping down the remaining contents. Julia edged forward, eager to hear more.
“Henry liked to fire people?”
“It was his favourite thing to do, lassie,” Andrew said with a dark chuckle. “Gave the wee man power. He hardly cleared five feet in height. Napoleon complex right enough! Girls never last more than six months in that kitchen.”
“And the family?” Julia asked, her heart racing. “What are they like?”
“A nightmare,” he grunted, shaking his head heavily as he leant back in his chair to rest his head on the chunky frame of the oil painting. “That Charlotte is the worst, but she does have nerve, I’ll give the lassie that. She stands her ground, but she’s spoiled. Her brother is worse.”
“And Mary?”
“The latest Mrs McLaughlin?” he snorted. “I’ve been there long enough to remember the original Mrs McLaughlin. She was the only one up to the job. The rest haven’t held a candle to Sandra. Mary is running that place into the ground. I’ve never seen the place so quiet. Charlotte has been gunning for the lassie’s job since Henry got rid of the last wife. What was her name again? Claire? Bridget? It’s hard to keep track. Now if you don’t mind, I’m getting another drink, and I’d like it if you weren’t here when I got back.”
Andrew shuffled away from the table and towards the bar. Julia sat for a moment, absorbing the information she had just heard. She turned to Sue, and then to the bar. Andrew and the barmaid were both staring bitterly at them, and she knew they had overstayed their welcome.
“Why would Charlotte try so hard to give Andrew his job back?” she thought aloud. “And why on that morning? Why call him up there so early?”
“I don’t know, and quite frankly, I don’t care,” Sue mumbled, linking arms with Julia and dragging her towards the exit. “I want a pedicure, a facial, and a nice long nap.”
Julia didn’t argue. Andrew had given her more than enough to think about, and as time ticked on, she found her attention directed more and more towards Charlotte McLaughlin.
Chapter Seven
As the sun set on Seirbigh Castle, Julia found herself in her kitchen apron once more and pushing a trolley down the corridor towards the entrance hall. She glanced over her shoulder, where she could hear her gran loudly placing her dinner order with Blair. Looking down at the silver cloche, which contained haggis, neeps and tatties on the plate beneath it, she almost couldn’t believe she had convinced Blair to let her take the food up to Charlotte alone.
She pushed through into the entrance hall, which aside from the roaring fire in the giant fireplace, was dark and deserted. She looked behind the reception desk and through to the office, but it was completely empty. She almost walked right by the fireplace and to the foot of the stairs, but something white fluttering on the stone slab in front of the flames caught her eye.
Leaving the trolley by the desk, she tiptoed over, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she was truly alone. She knew it was possible that somebody would be there any moment to turn on the lights, but her intrigue drove her forward.
She crouched down and stared at the corner of a white piece of paper that was charred and smouldering at the edges. She patted it with her hand and blew off the excess ash before lifting it up to her eyes. It appeared to be an official looking letter, but the only thing that was still visible was an address in Aberfoyle. Julia looked into the fire where she was sure she could see the ash remnants of a large stack of paperwork that had been dumped onto the flames. She knew it could be nothing, but she pocketed the piece of paper anyway.
With the trolley in hand, she made her way up to the landing and towards Charlotte’s bedroom. She glanced at the miserable family portrait again and wondered if the little girl with the sad face could actually shoot her own father.
Julia knocked softly and waited a few seconds for Charlotte to summon her inside, before pushing carefully on the door, keeping her head bowed as she entered. She was relieved to see Charlotte sitting up in bed alone, in almost complete darkness aside from her bedside lamp. The heavy curtains were drawn, blocking out the last of the day’s sunlight. Charlotte was wearing a pale pink silk dressing gown, and her auburn hair was flowing down her chest, almost hitting the paperwork she was reading.
“I thought it was you I saw in here this morning,” she said with a smile, the angry tone from earlier completely gone, and back to the welcoming one that had greeted her at check-in. “What are you doing in that apron?”
“I’m giving Blair a helping hand,” Julia said with a smile as she pushed the trolley into the bedroom. “DI Fletcher wants us to stick around, so I thought I would help out.”
“Oh,” Charlotte said with a smile, a slight furrow in her brow. “Well, I guess I should thank you then.”
Julia waved her hand to tell her that wasn’t necessary. She pulled the cloche off the plate and looked down at the steaming slices of haggis, her stomach turning a little. Charlotte had insisted Blair cook it especially for her because it was her favourite meal, and even though it had taken Blair a trip into the village and nearly a full day of preparation, she had been too polite to refuse.
“Reading anything fun?” Julia asked, casting her gaze to the paperwork covering the sheets as she placed the plate on the bedside table.
“Just accounts,” Charlotte said quickly before gathering them and dropping them into a cardboard box, which she swiftly shut. “Boring stuff.”
Julia nodded and smiled, not wanting to admit to Charlotte that she knew what accounts looked like, and they weren’t them. For a start, Julia didn’t spot any numbers, just reams and reams of tiny letters covering many pages. If she hadn’t spent the last two years wrapping her head around her own accounts for the café, Charlotte’s lie might have washed over her.
“How are you feeling?” Julia asked as she poured a glass of water from the metal jug on the tray. “You’ve been through a lot these last couple of days.”
As though a reminder that she should be grieving, Charlotte’s expression suddenly dropped, and she looked into her lap, her hair falling over her face. She stared up at the ceiling as though to stop herself from crying, but no tears came forward. She scooped her long hair around one side, her dressing gown slipping off her right shoulder. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and Julia wouldn’t have stared if it weren’t for the dark black and purple bruise just below her right shoulder. When Charlotte caught her looking, she quickly pulled her dressing gown together and grabbed the plate.
“That looks painful,” Julia said as she passed Charlotte a knife and fork. “My gran swears by putting raw meat on a bruise, but I’m not sure if I quite believe that.”
Charlotte forced a small laugh as she stared down at her haggis, her knife and fork clasped in one hand.
“I hit it on a door,” she said quickly without missing a beat. “It looks worse than it feels. Why don’t you take a seat, Julia?”
Charlotte motioned to the end of the bed as she cut into her haggis. Cooked mince and spices filled the room, turning Julia’s stomach even more; eating was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She looked warily at the edge of the bed, and then to the door. She had promised Blair she would be back in a matter of minutes, but an invitation to talk to Charlotte, even if it was an unexpected one, fascinated Julia too much to turn it down. She perched on the edge of the bed.
“Tell me about yourself,” Charlotte said. “You’re from down south, right?”
“Peridale,” Julia said. “It’s a beautiful little village in the Cotswolds. I run a café there.”
“A café?” she remarked, arching a brow before she put a forkful of the food into her mouth. “On your own?”
“I have help with the day-to-day side of things, but I run the business on my own.”
“Not an easy thing to do,” Charlotte said, glancing to the box. “I’m sure I have a lot to learn.”
Julia followed her eye line to the box, dying
to know what information the paperwork contained. She thought about the charred slip of paper in the front pocket of her apron and wondered if this box was next for burning.
“So you’re going to be running things around here?” Julia asked, looking around the vast space. “It’s a big castle for one woman. I thought Mary was the manager?”
“She thinks that too,” she said with a devious smile. “She has no claim to this place. She might have been my father’s wife, but she wouldn’t have been for much longer. The lawyers have the relevant paperwork to prove the divorce was all but final. She’s being dealt with.”
Julia’s stomach dropped. The sinister look in Charlotte’s eyes as she took another mouthful of haggis unsettled her. Julia turned her attention to the window. Through the gap in the heavy curtains, the sun was setting on Scotland for another day. She had never felt further from home.
“Have you managed to get out and about?” Julia asked, making sure to gauge Charlotte’s reaction. “The weather has been lovely. The fresh air might do you good.”
Charlotte slowly chewed her food, her expression unwavering. There was a little glimmer in her eyes that told her that Charlotte knew she had been to the village to speak to Andrew. Julia forced her soft smile to remain while her heart trembled in her chest.
“I went into the village this morning,” she replied flatly. “To speak to our ex-groundskeeper. I offered Andrew his old job back, but he was reluctant to take it.”
“I thought his position had been filled by Blair’s brother?” Julia asked. “I met him this morning. He seems like a nice man.”
“That position is soon to become vacant,” Charlotte said through a strained smile. “I’ll let you go. You shouldn’t spend your trip cooped up in that kitchen. Enjoy what we have to offer.”
“I’m sure I’ll have a chance before I leave,” Julia said softly as she stood up. “Enjoy your dinner.”
She closed her hands around the trolley and walked as quickly as she could out of the dark room. When she closed the door behind her, she realised she had stopped breathing entirely. Taking in a deep lungful of the musty castle air, she stared at the portrait on the wall again. Once more, she wondered if that little girl could be capable of murdering her father, and this time, her conclusion was less optimistic.
When she was back in the depths of the castle, Julia was relieved to see that Blair had finished serving Dot and Sue’s dinner and was drinking a cup of tea while flicking through a gossip magazine. It was comforting to see her doing something normal for once.
“I thought you’d gotten lost,” Blair exclaimed as she looked up from her magazine. “I was about to come looking for you.”
“I had a little chat with Charlotte,” Julia said, trying not to give away anything on her face. “I just think she’s lonely.”
Blair frowned a little, but to Julia’s surprise, she didn’t question her further, and she returned to her magazine.
Julia decided to take advantage of the quiet time to retrieve her phone from her bag. She pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and opened up the internet browser. She hovered over the search bar, blankly looking down at the address. With a shake of her head, she put the slip of paper into her bag, closed down the browser, and did something more important.
“Barker?” Julia whispered into the phone as she pressed it against her ear. “It’s Julia.”
“Julia!” Barker exclaimed, the joy in his voice soothing her in an instant. “Enjoying the spa? I’ve wanted to call you all day, but I didn’t want to ruin your relaxing time. How’s Dot and Sue?”
“They’re good,” Julia said, pushing forward a smile as she pinched between her eyes. “How are things there?”
“Everything is fine,” he said. “We’ve just finished eating dinner. Jessie made us fish and chips.”
“How’s the café?”
“It’s all fine,” he said with a small chuckle. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. Jessie has really stepped up to the plate. She’s taking it all in her stride.”
“And Mowgli?”
“He’s on my knee right now.”
An easy smile spread across Julia’s face. She closed her eyes, and she could picture the scene as clear as day. Barker would be sitting in the seat nearest the fire, with the heat licking at his feet because he didn’t like to wear socks in the house. Mowgli would be snoring softly, popping his head up every time Barker fidgeted. Jessie would be sitting at the opposite end of the room, her face buried in her new tablet, with a cup of peppermint and liquorice tea balanced dangerously on the chair arm. She would take a couple of sips, but she wouldn’t finish the cup; she never did.
Sadness swept over Julia like a heavy tide she couldn’t fight. She wanted nothing more than to be there with them.
“Julia?” Barker mumbled. “Are you still there?”
“I’m still here,” she whispered. “Signal isn’t great.”
“I said that I’m taking Jessie on her first driving lesson tomorrow,” Barker whispered down the handset. “I’ve upgraded my insurance premiums to cover everything.”
She heard Jessie call out something in the background. It was no doubt a sarcastic remark about how she was going to be an excellent driver. Julia laughed to herself.
“Thank you for being there for her,” Julia said, her heart fluttering. “I really appreciate it, and I know she does too.”
“She’s growing on me,” Barker said, loud enough so that Jessie could hear him. “Like a bad rash.”
Jessie called back something that Julia heard, but wouldn’t repeat in the presence of Blair. She chuckled and looked over her shoulder, but she was still engrossed in her magazine.
“I’ll let you get back to your relaxing week,” Barker said, making Julia wish the conversation didn’t have to end. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
When she finally hung up, Julia stared down at her phone for what felt like a lifetime. Being away from Barker and Jessie made her realise how much she loved them both. Nothing tied any of them together aside from their desire to be there, and she knew that’s what made them a family, dysfunctional or not.
The door to the kitchen opened, tearing her from her thoughts. She slipped her phone into her bag and was relieved to see Blair’s brother, Benjamin, the very man she had wanted to talk to next.
“Evening, ladies,” Benjamin said. “Anything tasty to eat, sis? I’m starving.”
Blair closed her magazine and grabbed the shortbread that Julia and she had prepared in the gap between lunch and dinner. Julia and Benjamin pulled up a seat on either side of Blair at the counter while Blair teased the lid off the metal tartan tin. Benjamin didn’t wait to grab a piece of the buttery and crumbly shortbread.
“Anyone would think you were Scottish,” he mumbled through a mouthful, his eyes closed and content. “Delicious as ever.”
“Julia can take the credit for that,” Blair said proudly as she smiled at Julia. “She suggested a drop of vanilla extract, and it really punches through, don’t you think?”
“Genius,” Benjamin said with a nod. “You’re quite the inventive baker, Julia.”
Julia blushed as she reached out for a piece of shortbread. The room fell silent as they all enjoyed the baking. Julia swallowed quickly, deciding it was the perfect time to ask Benjamin the questions that had formed in her mind after speaking with Charlotte.
“What are your roles as a groundskeeper, Ben?” Julia asked casually. “There isn’t much ground on this tiny island.”
“It’s a bit of a vanity title,” he admitted with a smirk. “I have a little hut around the back of the castle where I work, but I’m more a maintenance guy. I fix up the castle best I can, light the fires, chop the firewood. That sort of thing. I make sure the castle is looking neat for when guests arrive. The family owns a little land beyond the bridge for the hunting, so I keep that in order too. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but a castle this old takes a lot to keep it together.�
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“I don’t doubt it’s a difficult job,” Julia said as she brushed the crumbs off her fingers. “I heard hunting is popular here? Do you get a lot of guests interested in that?”
“I haven’t worked the hunting season yet, but I hear this place will be full of hunters in the coming months. Almost exclusively, according to Mary.”
“Do you know much about hunting?”
“A little,” he admitted. “I’ve been out and about with the rifle getting in some practice.”
“I thought it was out of season?”
“For deer, yes,” Benjamin said as he plucked another piece of shortbread from the tin. “But there are plenty of other animals scurrying around out there. Shrews, badgers, foxes, voles. Even the odd moose if you’re lucky, but they rarely come this far south. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to shooting them down though, but Charlotte insisted I get used to it before the season starts. I’m not even sure if it’s legal this time of year.”
“Charlotte is a hunter?”
“She’s more a mad woman with a gun,” Benjamin said with a chuckle. “Shot at every shadow and piece of heather blowing in the breeze. She was trying to teach me, but her technique was so sloppy, I learned more by watching videos online.”
“I bet that can cause some nasty injuries,” Julia suggested casually as she played with a stray curl that had fallen from her bun. “I heard that guns like that can have some serious kickback.”
Benjamin nodded as he looked down at the piece of shortbread in his left hand. He tossed it into his mouth before turning back to Julia.
“Are you thinking of giving it a go?” he mumbled through a mouthful. “I can take you out if you want.”
“Thank you, but no thank you,” Julia said, waving her hands in front of her. “I couldn’t imagine shooting down an animal like that.”
“Me neither,” Blair agreed. “It’s barbaric.”
“It’s nature,” Benjamin said with a laugh. “The circle of life. Hakuna Matata and all that stuff.”
