The Lady of the Loch by Elena Collins

Author:Elena Collins [Collins, Elena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2023-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

Leah was sitting at one side of the living room researching on the laptop, moving the mouse around, her brow creased in a frown. She had found superficial facts about Robert the Bruce, his family, the details of his life, some of which she knew already. She’d compiled several pages of information, and had just typed the dates he’d reigned,1306–29, and that he’d freed Scotland from English rule, winning the decisive Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and ultimately confirming Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton in 1328. But what she sought were the real stories, the local colour, linking him to Rosemuir. There were a few facts online about Ravenscraig Castle: it had been built by Malcolm McNair in the late twelve hundreds and handed down to his eldest son, Ross. But Leah was desperate to find a connection between the castle and the king; wherever she searched, she drew a blank. It was the link she needed to make the open day leap from the page. Robert the Bruce: from the page to the battlements. That was her strapline for the tour.

On the other side of the room, Zoe was preparing some research for Sharon, which she’d been told would find its way into an article in The Observer soon. Zoe blinked at the blurring screen. It was past eleven; she was ready for a coffee break.

They heard the resounding knock at the front door at the same time, and Leah pushed back her chair. ‘I know who that is. I’ll go.’

Zoe immersed herself in her research, finding a graph showing that donations among the top 1 per cent of earners had plummeted dramatically. She saved the document as she heard a familiar voice behind her. ‘Hello, Zoe. Leah and I have a brief meeting. We’ll go downstairs – we won’t disturb you.’

Zoe whirled round on her chair to see Abigail Laing, smart in a black coat and tartan scarf, standing with Leah. Zoe shook her head. ‘Not at all. I’m due a break and I was about to make coffee. Shall I make some for us all?’

‘Oh, yes please,’ Leah enthused.

‘Tea for me, no sugar,’ Abigail said.

Leah watched as Zoe rushed towards the kitchenette, then she indicated the small sofa. ‘Shall we sit?’

She and Abigail sat down and Abigail produced some documents from her briefcase. She offered Leah a professional smile. ‘Firstly – I know I didn’t come here to discuss this – but I had an email from Aidan Irving, who wanted to do the whisky photo shoot here. I checked up on him. Apparently, he has some kind of business degree and was given free rein by his father’s firm to follow his whimsical ideas for advertising the product. Not the way to run a shrewd business. Suffice it to say, he won’t be back here.’ She nodded towards Leah, her mouth firm. ‘I have no patience with these timewasters. Foolish talk about supernatural sightings only gives this place a bad name and I want to quash it.

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