Secrets and Shadows by Mary Nickson

Author:Mary Nickson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781407090351
Publisher: Random House

Chapter Seventeen

On Friday Isobel had arranged that Amy, who usually flew to Edinburgh from school, should come on the London to Inverness train that stopped at Perth, so as to coincide with Edward’s bus from Aberdeen. It was a new venture for Edward to undertake even such a comparatively short journey on his own and it still made Isobel anxious, but both Giles and his school felt he was ready for this experiment in independence; provided someone actually put him on the coach and there was someone waiting to receive him at the bus station the other end, it had so far been a success. Isobel still worried that he might panic if there was any sort of hitch on the journey, but knew she had to help him towards as much self-sufficiency as was possible and this represented a huge step forward – something that even a year ago would have seemed out of the question.

Giles was going to meet them both in Perth.

‘You will be there on time, won’t you, darling?’ Isobel asked. ‘Promise me you won’t get distracted by anything and run it all too fine?’ Though Giles frequently had the devil’s own luck over timing, he was not one to allow for emergencies and hated having to wait about for anything or anyone.

‘Panic not, O ye of little faith,’ said Giles, grinning at her. ‘I shall check on my watch every two minutes.’

‘You’ll have to meet Ed first. Have you got Amy’s mobile number in case his bus is late?’

‘I have – and a parachute, a compass, a water bottle and my bag of pemmican.’

‘I’m sorry, darling,’ she said. ‘It’s just that it’s so important he shouldn’t lose confidence. You know what he’s like if he gets a fright. When he’s done it a few more times I’ll get more relaxed about it. I don’t mean to fuss.’

‘I know.’ He kissed the top of her head, noticing for the first time, with a wrench of the heart, a few silver strands in her curly dark hair – his laughing, once-so-carefree Iz who had whistled her way through life with bright confidence until Edward was born.

‘Would . . . would you like me to take Rory with me for the ride?’ he asked cautiously, not wanting to activate the lurking jealousy Isobel had confessed that she battled with over the beguiling little boy – his son, but oh, not hers. He felt he walked a tightrope between his own growing pride in, and love for, the little boy and his fervent wish not to cause his wife any extra hurt. ‘I could take him off your hands for a bit?’

‘Oh, do. He’d love to go with you and Ed will be thrilled to see him again. That’s one of the good things about this whole difficult situation. It’s Amy’s reaction I’m much more worried about. I think we need to talk to her about it this weekend – explain a few things before she hears hints from anyone else.

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