Page 40 of The Scottish Island Wedding

‘What?’ Elizabeth blinked at her.

‘I don’t know. If we end up in a sort of Mad Max-type apocalyptic world and no one has petrol and the cars are all rusted up, a horse would be quite useful to get around.’ Heather twinkled at her mother-in-law-to-be. She was trying to make Elizabeth smile or laugh, but it was like trying to crack a statue.

‘What an odd girl you are.’ Elizabeth sniffed. ‘Anyway, you’ll be giving your little job at the animal charity up when you get married, so what does it matter?’

‘Um…’ Heather did a double take. ‘Where did you get that idea?’

‘You want children, Matthew says,’ Elizabeth said smoothly. ‘How do you think that you’ll have time? You’ll be looked after, there’s no need to worry about that. You don’t need to work.’

Annie, who was sitting nearby, interjected, ‘Mum. Have a day off. Come and look at the view.’

‘But… I want to work. I love my job,’ Heather said. ‘Yes, I do want a family, and I realise that I’d have to go on maternity leave. Maybe I’d work part time for a while. But I’d always want to have something that was mine, outside of my family. Mum and Dad run the Inn. I want to work too.’

‘Many young girls would envy your position. I don’t know why you’re so recalcitrant,’ Elizabeth scoffed. ‘It can hardly be paying you much at all. A pittance, I expect.’

‘It’s a small charity, so, no, I don’t earn a huge salary,’ Heather replied, honestly. ‘But I live at home at the moment, and then I’m going to move in with Matty, so it’s doable. Matty understands, what with his charity work as well…’

‘Hm. So you expect my son to support you, after all.’ Elizabeth sighed and looked at her phone. ‘You modern girls. You say you want independence, but only on your own terms.’

Annie, who had been talking to Bluebell, interrupted again.

‘Mum, leave her alone, for goodness’ sake. You’ll make her think that we aren’t the charming Campbells TV has made us out to be. Or has made you out to be, anyway.’

‘I have the right to talk to this young lady. She wants to become a Campbell, after all,’ Elizabeth replied, haughtily.

‘Yes, she does,’ Annie replied. ‘Let’s be grateful that Matty found such a lovely girl to join our family, maybe?’

‘I am grateful. Goodness. I was only asking,’ Elizabeth muttered.

Annie turned to Heather. ‘So, these boat trips were something that all you guys used to do when you were kids?’ she asked, as the boat left Portree behind and headed into the Sound of Raasay. Wavelets splashed the outside of the boat; Heather drew in a deep breath of the cold, clean air and let it out, slowly. She loved being out on the water so much.

‘Yeah. Dad used to take us, now and again. I think when he wanted to give Mum a break. She came sometimes, too.’ Heather was grateful for Annie’s intercession in her and Elizabeth’s conversation. She smiled over at her mother, who was gazing out at the water with a thoughtful expression. Heather wondered if Catriona was remembering those times, too. ‘It was hard, having six kids. She was ill quite a lot. I can’t imagine how I would have coped in her position.’

Heather knew that Annie was deliberately asking her questions about herself to make up for Elizabeth, and she was grateful for it. Good to know that I have at least one ally in my tradwife, enforced ski holiday future, she thought wryly.

‘Me neither. I mean, I love kids, but I love giving them back at the end of an hour or two.’ Annie laughed. ‘Mum had the four of us, but we had nannies. Like, a team of nannies. I didn’t even know who Mum was until I was, like, four or five.’

‘Wow. Really?’ Heather shot another look at Elizabeth, who was frowning at her phone. Heather wished she would look up and see the stunning scenery unfolding around her; the tall, grass-topped cliffs that buttressed the clear black water; the salmon farms, visible as vast circles atop the icy water; the glint of the sun on the Sound. But Elizabeth was glued to her screen.

‘Yeah. But at least I got to stay home. The boys got sent to boarding school at six. It’s why they’re sociopaths. Well, Gerald and Charles, anyway. Mum softened and let Matty stay at home until he was eleven. She and I were close when I was a kid. But then, when I started rejecting her way of doing things, we grew apart.’

‘I’d never send my kids to boarding school. Not at that age, anyway. It’s awful.’ Heather shivered. ‘I don’t think I could.’

‘Eh. It’s good for some people. Depends who you are, I guess. What kind of temperament. I think Matty turned out okay, although it was hard, but he wouldn’t have been at six. Nobody should go that young. Did you guys all go to school on the island?’

‘Yeah. It was nice.’ Heather smiled, thinking about her school days. They’d been happy, for the most part.

‘You’re so lucky, having sisters,’ Annie said. ‘And you’re a twin. I wish I had a twin sister.’

‘You’ve got Clara and Estella,’ Heather replied, but laughed as she caught Annie’s expression. ‘Oh, come on. They’re not that bad,’ she added, giggling.

‘They are. Lady Clara and Lady Estella are just carbon copies of Mother. Or they desperately want to be,’ Annie replied quietly. ‘I wish they’d stand up to her. You have to, you know. Stand up to her. Or she’ll just walk all over you.’

‘I’ll try.’ Heather looked over at Elizabeth again. ‘But she makes it hard work.’

‘I know. I mean, I’m the black sheep, and I’m fine with it.’ Annie rolled her eyes. ‘I just can’t, with it all, though. You have to live your own life, Heather. Don’t let her make you into a carbon copy of her.’

‘She won’t. I won’t let her.’ Violet sat down next to Annie and handed them both a roll. ‘Babe, I got you bacon, and Annie, I thought you might be a veggie, so you got a fried egg roll. No luck if you’re vegan, I don’t think.’