Page 66 of The Scottish Island Inn

In the time that she’d been away, Sorrel had sometimes thought that her heart was made of stone, like the stone heart Tam had found in the River Sligachan. Now, she knew that it wasn’t made of stone, and that, if it had been broken, then it was at least, to some degree, repairable.

‘I’d like that.’ Sorrel rubbed her eyes with her sleeve.

THIRTY-SIX

‘So, it’s all been going on up at the Balhennie Inn, eh?’ Briony asked as they sat down at a table in the wine bar.

‘You could say that, yeah.’ Sorrel took a big glug of red wine and closed her eyes as its pleasurable sweetness made her head tingle. ‘Oh, my goodness. I needed that.’

‘What on earth happened? Your text sounded pretty desperate.’ Briony chuckled. ‘Seriously. Are you okay?’

Sorrel had texted Briony the night before, asking to meet for the drink they’d mentioned when they’d met at Muriel’s. She’d felt in need of a friend who wasn’t an ex-boyfriend or one of her family; she needed to decompress.

‘I’m okay. It’s just been a lot.’ Sorrel was relieved she and Catriona had finally talked. She already felt lighter, even though it had only been a week ago, but everything was still going to take a lot of getting used to.

Portree was the main centre on Skye, though it was really just a village. Tourists came there for supplies, to go on boat tours, to go to one of the handful of pubs and restaurants or take in the views. The famous view that everyone wanted to take pictures of was of the pretty, multicoloured houses on the harbour side: a terrace of pink, yellow and blue cottages faced the harbour. The wine bar that they sat in was around the corner.

She was slowly repairing her relationship with Catriona; they’d had a couple more talks, and Catriona had had her first appointment with a therapist. It would be a long road for her, but Sorrel was grateful that she’d been brave enough to begin it.

Haltingly, she began to fill Briony in on everything that had happened: meeting Malcolm Sinclair; her sisters finding out that she wasn’t Angus’s biological daughter; her relationship with Catriona.

‘I love her. It’s just that… I suppose we have to rebuild trust. It’ll take time.’ Sorrel let out a long breath and poured herself another glass of wine. She’d drunk the first one way too fast, but the relaxed feeling was nice. She needed to unwind. Sorrel didn’t feel as though she’d relaxed since she’d got to the island – and for years before that.

‘Wow. Yes. I can see that.’ Briony sat back in her chair. ‘You know, I’ve driven past that archery place so many times. Wild to think that’s your real dad.’

‘Well, Angus is my real dad. But yeah, I hope that I can have a relationship with Malcolm too one day. I want to see where it goes.’

‘For sure. That’s good. Healthy.’ Briony shot her a thoughtful look. ‘Repairing relationships is hard. Good on you, though. Some days I don’t want to adult at all. I just want to pull the curtains and stay in bed.’

‘Gah. Me too. Regularly.’ Sorrel chuckled. ‘We should start the Stay in Bed Club. Normalise resting for women who are too busy and stressed.’

‘We could be sponsored by a bed linen company.’

‘Have a manifesto: Order pizza. Invest in bedside coffee machines. Listen to audiobooks. Write in our journals. Do not feel guilty for sleeping.’

‘I love this. We should, I dunno… Start an Instagram account or something.’

‘Ha. Maybe we should.’ Sorrel let out a long sigh. ‘You know, I really just needed to get away from the castle and the Inn. I love my family, but all my sisters are fighting, because of me, and it’s tough. I can only do one thing at once, you know? I feel like I’ve started to repair my relationship with Mum, but now, I don’t know how to bring my sisters together. Bluebell and Violet are upset.’

‘Yeah. Families are a lot.’ Briony took a sip of wine. ‘I don’t know what to suggest. I’m an only child, so… I guess, the only thing you can ever do in these situations is talk when people are ready.’

‘I know. But Bluebell won’t talk to me, and Violet’s away abroad, so it’s difficult to talk to her. I just feel as though the family’s split apart. And the Inn, of course. Everything’s broken.’

‘The Inn’s being renovated. And at least things have improved with your mum. So, maybe everything’s getting fixed,’ Briony said, sounding positive. ‘You have to have hope. Otherwise, what else do we have in this life?’

‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’ Briony had endured so much, and yet she was still so kind.

‘No need to be sorry at all. I know how these things can be.’ Briony sipped her wine. ‘What about Simon?’

‘He’s gone.’ Sorrel sighed. ‘You know what? It was actually good that he visited, even though I didn’t ask him to come. It helped me to see for sure that he and I shouldn’t be together.’ She shivered, thinking about the moment when Simon wouldn’t let her out of the car. She hadn’t heard from him directly since: no more text messages, no more Simon telling her that he wanted her back. Everything had been going through the solicitor, and Sorrel was relieved.

‘Well, that sounds very adult, too. Though I have to say that I thought you’d got back together.’ Briony looked surprised.

‘What?’ Sorrel had taken a sip of her wine, but she almost snorted it out through her nose. ‘No, we very definitely have not.’

‘Oh. Tam said you and Simon had made up. He assumed you’d be leaving again.’

Sorrel felt for the stone heart in her pocket and held it tightly.