Spirit of the Island by Joan Fleming

Author:Joan Fleming
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, womens fiction, scotland, scottish, contemporary romance, contemporary fiction, sweet romance, scottish romance, mull, scotland romance
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Chapter 24

Around midday, when Elsa and Kirsty were serving lunch to customers, Duncan Morrison arrived at Lochside, looking uncharacteristically windblown, his wisps of white hair easy prey for the fresh breeze. Known locally as The Colonel, he had made the Isle of Mull his home since retiring from the army thirty years before, and he was popular with the islanders. Although he would never be considered a Mulleach–a man needed to be born on the island for that–he was readily accepted as a valued contributor to community life in the Ross of Mull.

‘Hello, Duncan. You look as if you’re the bearer of bad news,’ Elsa said. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes, I’m fine, but I’ve come to let you know that we’re organising a search party. No-one has seen Mary Benview since the storm, and we’re all beginning to worry about her.’

‘I can help,’ Charlie said.

‘You certainly cannot!’ Elsa was indignant at the mere suggestion.

‘Elsa, I think it would be a good idea for you to stay here and pin Charlie down, but I wanted to ask you if you would provide hot drinks and snacks for the searchers?’

There was no doubt about who was organising the search. Duncan’s army training was finding a new outlet.

‘I’ll come,’ Kirsty said. ‘Give me a minute till I put my boots on.’

‘I was hoping you’d volunteer, Kirsty. We need all the young folk we can get.’

Ten minutes later, equipped for what might lie ahead, Kirsty followed Duncan out of Lochside. The wind, having died down after the big storm, was beginning to whip up again. As yet, there was no rain, but Duncan had listened to the weather report.

‘Unless we find her quickly, we could all be drenched before the day’s out. Heavy rain is forecast for the area within the next couple of hours,’ he explained.

‘I hope she’s not out somewhere with no shelter,’ Kirsty said. ‘There’s a chill in that wind, and she can’t be the robust woman she was ten years ago.’

‘Oh, don’t underestimate the strength and endurance of Mary Benview. I sometimes go walking with her, and she has more stamina than a woman half her age. She hasn’t been softened by living a protected life. She never lights a fire in that house of hers, and I’ve yet to see her put a hat on to protect her head.’

‘She must get soaked when she goes out.’

‘She has a big oily raincoat. I think it belonged to one of her brothers, but she refuses to part with it. I once offered her a coat my niece left behind after a visit to Mull, but she refused to accept it. “I have a fine coat of my own, thank you,” she told me.’

When Duncan and Kirsty met up with the other volunteers who had gathered to search for Mary, she recognised most of them, but there were a few who must be newcomers to the area. Amy and Sandy were there, as well as some of the others from Kirsty’s teenage group.

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