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“Oh, she and Ally have gone away for the night as a treat to themselves for Valentine’s Day.”

A memory comes to me. A week or two ago, on a call, Emily did mention she’d be doing that. I should have remembered, but my thoughts have been so scattered today, it slipped my mind. But . . . it still doesn’t explain why I’ve not been able to get through to her.

I pull out my phone. “I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried her, but it’s gone to voicemail every time. Any idea why that is?”

Jamie nods. “Her phone is off, as is Ally’s. Before they left this morning, Ally took me and Lewis aside and told us not to try contacting them. He said, even if the hotel goes on fire, they don’t want to hear about it until they get back tomorrow.”

I chuckle quietly. I can imagine Ally saying that.

“So . . . aye, they got us to open the restaurant on a day it’s usually closed and made us put on an extra-special menu. Meanwhile, they’ve buggered off to have a night of sex and romance. All right for some, eh?”

He winks to show he’s not seriously criticising them. I get the impression he’s actually quite looking forward to serving diners in his kilt.

“That explains that, then,” I say, “but I’ve not been able to get through to my brother either. It’s so weird.”

“Er, not really—that’s got a simple explanation too. Elspeth bumped into Johnny yesterday, and he told her about his Valentine’s present for David, which your brother wouldn’t have found out about until this morning. They’re also away for the night, off to a luxury cabin a wee way up north. It’s the kind of place you go to escape everything: it comes with a hot tub but no mobile phone signal. No wonder you can’t get through to him.”

“Ah.”

If David had realised he wouldn’t have reception, I’m sure he’d have given me a heads-up. As the trip was a surprise, he might not even have known where he was going until they got there.

So . . . I’ve travelled up from London, and not only is my best friend not here today, neither is my brother. That’s fine, so long as I can see Aidan. He’s the one I’m really here for.

I put my phone down on the desk. “When I got to Bannock, I went to Elspeth’s house, looking for Aidan, but no one was in. I tried calling him but couldn’t get through. What’s the deal there? Has he also gone away for the night?”

Jamie frowns. “Nah, he should be about. But . . . he doesn’t live with his maw anymore. Don’t you know that? He’s got his own place now.”

This news is like a sucker punch to my heart. He’s . . . moved out? Aidan didn’t mention that to me. We’re having a kid together—isn’t that the kind of thing he should tell me? Then again, I suppose I have been avoiding him for quite some time.

But . . . oh, shit, that house on Boxing Day, the isolated property I absolutely hated, he wouldn’t have . . . ?

Dread settles in my stomach. He was really keen on it at one stage. If I’ve not even been answering his calls, maybe he decided to push ahead with it? Crap, crap, crap!

“Jamie, where are you?” Lewis’s voice rings out.

“Er, just coming!”

“Well, hurry up! You’re supposed to be decorating the restaurant. The first customers will be arriving soon, and we’re fully booked until close. It’s going to be a busy night.”

Jamie rolls his eyes. “I’ll go and have a quick word with him. You chill here for a wee bit. You can take your coat off, if you like. Can I get you a tea or something?”

“Er . . . a glass of water would be great.”

“Sure, I’ll be back in a minute or two.”

With another reassuring smile, he leaves. No sooner does he do so than I realise I can’t just sit around here. Jamie, Lewis, and Elspeth are putting on a special dinner tonight—I don’t want to distract them and take up even more of their time. Besides, it’s Aidan I need to speak with, and I now have an idea where he might be. If I can’t get through to him on the phone, I’ll have to go see him in person.

Standing, I head out of the office. The reception is once more empty, so without a word to anyone, I slip outside, back onto drizzly Main Street.

I aim for the bridge, cross it, then pass the church, all the while bracing myself against the weather. Aidan said a path runs from Bannock Woods to the town of Duntreath and that it goes past the house. That makes things easy—I should have no trouble finding it. Except . . . he also said it takes the best part of an hour to walk there.

Already the sky is darker than it was when I arrived in Bannock, and it’ll only get darker still as the sun sets. But there’s dusk too, right? An hour . . . I’m sure I’ll be fine. Besides, what choice do I have? Everyone I know in this town is either away for the night or working at the hotel. And, yes, I took a taxi here from the city of Inverness, but I’ve no idea how you’d go about arranging one from this end.

This is okay. Sometimes love requires a grand gesture. Well, this can be mine. I’ll hike to Aidan’s on this cold, rainy evening—a feat not many women would consider while seven months pregnant—and I’ll throw myself at his feet and beg him to forgive me for ignoring him. I’ll explain I didn’t know about my mum’s meddling, and somehow I’ll fix everything.

Yes, that’s how this is going to go. Some might claim it’s a terrible idea—reckless, even—but I only have myself to blame for having to do this. If I hadn’t pushed Aidan away, I wouldn’t be in this pickle.

I reach the woods and head on in, soon finding and taking the footpath marked duntreath. In the summer, when I fell here, the forest was vibrant and beautiful. At Christmas, when everything was covered in a layer of white, it was also stunning, though in a different way. Now the atmosphere is eerie and foreboding. On either side of me, trees rise tall and menacing, their bare branches reaching for the darkening sky like long skeletal fingers. The shadows they cast stretch across the woodland floor.