Where the Heart Belongs (5 page)

Shona hesitated. The direct gaze of the headmistress was daunting. ‘I hope I will be one day,' she said. ‘I'm a new employee at Ferniehope Castle, the conference centre run by Jack Cullen the owner. Apparently Tamsin arrived there last night expecting to find her father and then left when she found he wasn't there.

‘I found her nearby this morning. That's all I can tell you, I'm afraid.'

Miss Bowen smiled, her plain face softening for a moment. ‘This was kind of you, Miss Renison. I'm sure her father will be in touch in due course to thank you for caring for his daughter.'

‘And the police?'

Miss Bowen's face seemed to freeze. ‘The need to inform the police has now gone.'

‘What will happen to her?'

‘I'm afraid I can't say at the moment.'

And
it was clear that Miss Bowen wasn't going to give anything away about her troublesome pupil, Shona thought, feeling snubbed.

‘May I know your name and details?'

Shona gave them and then left, refusing refreshment. The sooner she was away from here the better. She could do nothing more for Tamsin now.

‘YOU LOOK AS IF YOU'VE SEEN A GHOST'

Jack's car was parked in the yard at the back of the building when Shona got back to Ferniehope Castle. She glanced at her watch as she parked beside his vehicle. Four o'clock! She had phoned Mags as she was leaving Benwood House and then stopped for a coffee and a sandwich on the way back. Strangely, she had missed Tamsin's company.

To help make up for it she got Toby out of his hideaway in the glove compartment and put him back on the seat beside her. He was a silent passenger. Not much change there because Tamsin hadn't spoken much, only the odd bitter comment about people minding their own business and leaving her alone, which Shona had guessed referred more to Mags than herself.

‘I
don't tell her how to run her life,' Tamsin had muttered. ‘And she wouldn't take any notice if I did. I'd make her get rid of those foul fridge magnets for a start.'

Smiling now at the memory Shona went into the hall and saw Jack standing by the telephone table with a book in his hand. ‘Had a good day?' he asked.

Surprised at his critical tone she looked up at him. He had removed his jacket and tie but the expression on his face looked anything but relaxed. ‘Well, yes . . .' she began.

‘Your good deed for the day, I take it?'

‘I'm sorry?'

‘Mags put me in the picture. I don't approve of my employee chasing about the countryside on other people's business.'

‘This was in my free time,' she reminded him.

‘Even so. Interfering in what you must have known could be a police matter showed a severe lack of judgement on your part. I thought better of you than that, Shona. I expect total loyalty at all times from my staff.'

Shona was speechless. His attack was unfair and totally undeserved. What had she done other than show some common humanity?

His direct gaze was daunting. ‘I need your promise that it won't happen again.'

‘I hope it won't,' said Shona, finding her voice at last. ‘But I can't give that promise.'

‘That's not good enough.'

Shona
stared back at him. ‘I did what I thought was right at the time. I still do.'

‘That's a matter of opinion.'

‘My opinion,' said Shona firmly.

Jack shut the book and put it down on the table. ‘Dinner's at seven,' he said. ‘Don't be late.'

Shona nodded. She had felt hungry a moment ago but not now.

‘And before I forget. Felix Langholme? He's flying home tonight. Don't look like that, Shona. He's not blaming you. Why should he? Shona, are you all right?' His voice softened. ‘You look as if you've seen a ghost.'

She felt as if she had. ‘Are you sure?'

‘For goodness sake, girl. What's got into you?'

She put out a hand to steady herself against the hall table. ‘The name . . . I knew someone once with that name. He lived near here.'

‘Then you'll know that he's totally unreliable, swanning off abroad when he feels like it and letting someone else take care of his responsibilities.'

‘I knew him when we were children.'

‘I don't suppose he'll have changed much since then,' said Jack in a tone of dismissal.

*   *   *

Too impatient to wait for the tide to go out, she waded through water as thick as honey to
reach
the island. Strangely, she arrived on the shore on the other side bone-dry.

Waking suddenly from her dream, Shona didn't know at first where she was and still felt the warm sand beneath her body instead of the soft mattress of her bed at Ferniehope Castle.

Outside it was light and she could hear birdsong. Vestiges of sheer happiness lingered and she felt as she had all those years ago at the thought of spending another day in Felix's company.

Now she took a deep breath and let it out slowly to acclimatise herself to being safe in her bedroom instead of having spent the night in the open air as poor Tamsin had done the night before.

When Jack had told her that Felix Langholme was on his way home from somewhere far away, Shona had been too surprised to question why he had told her this. It was only as she was getting ready for bed hours later that she realised that the two events were connected. Too late then to ask Jack to fill in the details. In his mood of last evening she wasn't sure that it would have been a good idea anyway.

Tamsin's absent father was Felix Langholme, whom she had known as a boy long ago.

Now, early as it was, Shona sat up. She needed to be up and dressed and ready to face whatever today had in store.

*   *   *

The first members of Ruddon Ramblers arrived early but Shona was ready for them, clipboard in hand.

A moment later the bell rang with a determined sound that echoed round the hall.

Shona opened the door, smiling. On the doorstep were three men and a woman, clad in shorts and bulky jackets. No one could mistake them for being other than an enthusiastic walking group eager to start out on their first trek and prepared to be pleased with everything.

‘Coffee will be served in the dining room,' she said when the introductions were made and she located their names on the list she was holding.

Involved as she was with making sure everyone knew which rooms they were allotted, Shona wasn't aware that there was a stranger among them until someone asked why the bedrooms had such strange names.

‘I can answer that,' said someone behind her.

She swung round.

His eyes twinkled at her. ‘Felix Langholme.'

‘Tamsin's father,' she said faintly. He was wearing jeans and a navy crew-necked sweater beneath a denim jacket. He hadn't recognised her. Even though she knew it was unlikely
after
all these years she felt a stirring of disappointment.

‘I'd like to be of help if you'll allow me.'

‘Of course.'

‘Good morning all,' he said with a flourish.

Smiling greetings were returned and Shona could see the effect of his charm. He had an easy confidence that had been lacking in the rather diffident young lad she had come to know so well long ago. She wondered where Tamsin's mother was and where Felix lived now.

‘So you are able to tell us?' said the man who had asked the question. ‘The room names sound decidedly odd to me.'

‘You've heard of character jugs?'

‘Toby jugs?'

‘This place used to be full of them. The owner was a collector.'

‘So they called the rooms after the jugs?' said the man, light dawning.

‘So where are they all now?' a young woman in a frilly dress and hiking boots demanded, looking around as if she expected a gang of toby jugs to materialise on tables and chairs.

‘You tell me.'

There were further questions and in the flurry of more arrivals Shona was kept busy. Her concentration on remembering everything that Jack expected of her was exhausting. Where was he, anyway?

When at last she was free she came
downstairs
again with an apology on her lips for leaving Felix to his own devices. She found him in the conservatory looking critically at one of Jack's pale lemon orchids.

‘This needs attention,' he said sternly as if its drooping appearance was her fault.

‘May I offer you some coffee?' she said.

‘Look at this wretched thing.'

‘I'd rather not. I'm sure Jack's got its welfare in hand.'

He turned, smiling, towards her. ‘Miss Renison?'

She could see he still didn't remember her. Twenty years was a long time after all and his mind would be focussed on the present situation.

‘It seems I have you to thank for restoring my daughter to her rightful place,' he said.

‘Rightful?' Shona couldn't keep the doubt out of her voice.

‘You question that?'

‘It's none of my business, but . . .'

‘Too right,' said Jack Cullen from behind her. ‘I'm not sure I like my employee mixed up in all this, Felix. You must sort out your own problems. Shona's here to work for me.'

Felix looked at Jack steadily, his right hand clenched. ‘I came merely to thank her for showing compassion and kindness to Tamsin when she needed it. Is that such a bad thing?'

Jack made no answer but with an exclamation of dismay, moved across to the
windowsill
and bent to examine the wilting orchid. He straightened. ‘Who did this?'

‘Are you accusing me?' Felix's voice was rough and Shona couldn't blame him. ‘Not guilty, I'm afraid. Try Shona! Or Ingrid!' His face brightened. ‘Is Ingrid anywhere around?'

Ignoring his question, Jack glanced at his watch. ‘I think you should leave. I need to do some first aid here. Shona, carry on with the arrangements, will you. I'll see everyone later.'

‘Yes, of course.' She tried to sound confident.

Felix turned to her, his voice softening. ‘I think I must leave my thanks until another time.'

‘You do that,' said Jack as he turned to go. ‘Shona has work to do.'

‘I'll be in touch, Shona, when things have quietened down,' said Felix. ‘A meal away from here perhaps?'

‘That would be good,' she said, pleased.

*   *   *

The leader of Ruddon Ramblers, a short stocky man with receding hair, had the programme for the week in his hand when he came to find Shona in the office after lunch.

‘We're more or less settled in now Jeannie's room had been changed,' he told her, shuddering.
‘Henry the Eighth . . .
I don't think so. Nor for Jeannie.
Anne Hathaway
is much
better
and she's pleased you could sort it out.'

‘That's good,' said Shona, smothering a laugh. Luckily there was a spare room available of exactly the same proportions as the disliked one. It would really have been easier to have changed the name plates had that been possible.

‘I see afternoon tea is scheduled for four o'clock today. I'd like to organise a walk round the grounds now. Could you put tea back for an hour?'

‘No problem at all, Mr Luttrell. I'll see to it at once.'

His small eyes gleamed at her. ‘Rex,' he said. ‘Call me Rex.'

‘Fine, Rex,' Shona said, hoping Mags wouldn't be put out by the new arrangement.

Ingrid was in the kitchen with her mother when Shona went to find out.

‘It's too bad of you to change the programme,' Ingrid burst out. ‘We can't have this sort of thing I hope you told him so.'

‘It seemed a reasonable request,' said Shona.

‘And so it is,' said Mags, her cheerful face a contrast to her daughter's grimmer one. ‘Be off with you, Ingrid, and leave us to get things sorted here.'

Ingrid's mouth was a thin line and the look she threw Shona was venomous. ‘I'll go then. I can see when I'm not wanted.'

‘Take no notice of her,' said Mags when she
had
gone. ‘She gets in a strop when she can't get her own way, right enough. It'll blow over. We've time for a cup ourselves now that their tea is put back. Sit down, lassie, and take the weight off your legs. Not that you've got any spare weight of course, not like me.'

She sounded so complacent that Shona laughed. The atmosphere had lightened because of Mags and the kitchen felt a friendly place. There was still the evening's programme to feel apprehensive about, though, but for the moment she could relax.

*   *   *

Jack gave a welcome speech when the group gathered with their coffee in the lounge after dinner. He spoke movingly about the attractions for walkers in the surrounding area and promised an interesting week at Ferniehope Castle.

‘You did well earlier,' he said to Shona when he had finished. ‘Everything seems on course for the programme tomorrow. Donald will bring the minibus to the front door at ten. Whitborn Abbey and the Machars, a shortish walk. The forecast is OK with sunny periods. Mags knows about the packed lunches?'

Shona nodded. ‘It's all in hand. They know where to leave their boots and outdoor clothing when they get back. Rex, Mr Luttrell, was please to find there's a drying room next
door.'

‘It's stated clearly—the specifications.' Jack raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched. ‘Perhaps he can't read?'

She smiled. ‘He was able to read the name plates on the bedroom doors.'

‘Just as well or the written sheets for the quiz this evening would be lost on him. We'll both be on duty as it's their first night but then we'll take it in turns to be here, starting with you tomorrow. Is that all right?'

‘Of course.'

‘Good girl. It's good to have you here.'

She glowed at his praise.

He looked at her closely. ‘A word of warning, Shona. I don't want to see you hurt. You've done enough for that man. Don't be fooled by his so-called charm.'