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‘I’m not stupid! You think I don’t know he has some slag shacked up somewhere? He’s made enough hints that he was dating.... Tell me... Where has he been going lately?... Always checking his phone. Always busy running errands. Creating distance between us... Barely any time anymore to take me to the hospital or come for my therapy appointments... He missed my last flight back and I had to get a taxi home at four in the morning because I could not get hold of him and whenever I come here he is never in his own bed! Now he disappears without any word and leaves me high and dry again. I need help with the museum and he’s always fucking busy! Won‘t answer my calls.

Leaves me lame excuses that he’s in a meeting or he’s dealing with a client, doesn’t text me back for hours on end.’ She was high pitched, closed to hysteria, rambling and Rose suddenly saw what she needed to see.

The agony of a woman in heartbreak, the pain of a man trying to pull away from her while she was clinging onto him like a lifeboat. Morag was behaving like Rose but for different reasons and a lot more extreme. Rose had felt only a margin of this ache when she had seen them together at the bakery and now seeing her here like this, she put herself in Morag’s shoes for a second. If the man you were wholly dependent on and crazy in love with was trying to find happiness with another woman, then it would send you off the edge much like this. Whether you had mental health issues or not.

Abby muttered something about hardly being ‘Dry’ and the smell of booze. Not really helping things at all and she could see, even from up here, Morag was swaying on her feet quite drastically.

This was what he had been dealing with for god knows how long.

The elegant seductive woman from the museum, replaced with this wild-eyed, erratic mess before her. Hair tangled and unkempt. Clothes dishevelled and normally manicured nails chipped and broken. Her makeup had slid under her eyes, giving her an almost panda look, her mouth normally precision lined in red was faint and smeared, which added to the hysterical ambience. She looked like a total train wreck, the air of someone who had been scrubbing her fingers over her head and face in desperation, voice several keys higher than normal and with a slight slur. Her normally upper-class manner now rough and full of common slang and slurs; the facade well and truly slipped. She did not seem to hear Abby’s insults. Lost in her manic pacing and raging as she cursed out Abby.

‘Maybe he has just had enough of your bulls...’ Abby continued, waving her hands dramatically and stomping closer to Morag.

‘Language Abby!’ Alice cut in like a motherly hen, patting the girl’s shoulder and pulling her back to intervene. The voice of reason and calm in this household. Mother Alice.

‘Morag?... Mr Munro left on business in the early hours. I packed his bags last night and Tommy got his car ready for an early departure. Go look at the airfield and you will find his car parked in his usual spot...There is no woman Morag! He barely has time to relax, let alone carry on some sordid affair!’ Alice folded her arms under her ample bosom and tried to sound sympathetic.

Rose felt the pang of pain hit her stomach and heart in unison. Knowing that Alice was unaware, but somehow her words had struck a chord.

Was that how it would look to everyone? Is that what people would think? That she was carrying on with him behind Morag’s back, having a dirty little fling? The cause of this woman’s anguish?

It made her feel dirty and stricken with pain, looking at herself in a whole new light.

‘I’ll check alright, and I’ll check his flights and make sure he was alone!!!’ She was still seething and spitting feathers. Rob had mentioned that he let Morag use his private jet when needed, so the threat was probable. She didn’t put it past this version of Morag to go ravage through the flight papers and check for other passengers.

‘Do whatever the fuck you want, psycho, and you will pay for that!’ Cut in Abby, pointing at the mess to the side of them on the floor. The remains of a crystal vase and beautiful floral selection which had been sitting in the side hall earlier.

‘Shut up you jumped up little br...’ Morag swung forward violently, just missing Abby by mere inches with an attempt at a slap.

‘Oh no, you don’t!’ The voice came out of Rose without prior thought and even shocked herself. The way Morag had moved towards Abby aggressively, that look in her eye. It had impulse kicked this loud aggressive reaction from her and she was already half way down the stairs, her temper flying.

No one would lay a finger on HER Abby! Especially not this crazed hag!

‘Don’t you dare talk to her like that and you get the hell away from her! You lay one finger on her so help me god I will snap you like a twig!’

Astounded into silence, everyone just stared at Rose as she approached at speed. She had scaled the stair in bare feet in a matter of seconds, her hair flying wild and her temper roaring like a lioness. She bounded to push in between all the women speedily and was now only inches from Morag herself.

Morag’s breathy What the F response only enraged her more.

‘Who the hell do you think you are, tramp?’ Morag had regained some sense of aggression and was now ready to square up to this new annoyance. From here the stench of alcohol was enough to put hairs on even Rose’s chest, it was obvious Morag was more than a few bottles into a heavy drinking session, more alarmingly was that she probably drove here.

‘SHUT UP!’ Rose had stayed her sharp shrill voice with a palm, millimeters from Morag’s face, startling her into a moment’s pause. All the built-up frustration, heartache and agitation of weeks and weeks of sneaking around somehow coming tumbling out in one moment.

‘Who the hell do you think you are talking too? She’s Rob’s sister! She’s Abby Munro! She lives in this house! Who are you to disrespect her and Alice? Coming in here smashing things and raising your voice huh? Demanding to know where Rob is?? He’s a grown ass man with a business to run and a life of his own. He can do whatever he damn well wants without your permission and everyone is completely sick to death of your behaviour; you’re not even his girlfriend Morag!!’ Rose let loose, her temper spewing out and her mouth enjoying a moment of verbal diarrhea.

Abby and Alice stood in stunned silence, their eyes large and fixed on Rose and Morag as though time had paused; mouths agog. The normally cheerful and smiling Rose breathing fire before them was enough of a surprise to bring an unearthly moment of silence... And then Morag’s voice broke

‘He’s my... We’re supposed to be working it out...I’m trying. I’m really trying, and he knows I love him. He loves me, I know he does.’ The tears fell like waterfalls from her face and Rose felt immediately bad for the woman. The fire in her belly dowsing quickly when faced with genuine sadness and her own seething anger simmering down at this pathetic demonstration. But like the flick of a switch Morag seemed to get a hold of herself and snapped back into fierce anger. Rose found it hard to stay angry at this picture of genuine heartbreak, a moment of empathy cooling her down.

‘What the fucking hell do you know anyway? You don’t have a fucking clue what we are, so back off! It’s none of your fucking business, slag! You’re just his baby sister’s bestie and nothing but a fucking annoying presence wherever we go.’ Morag moved forward, raising her clenched fists up to her chest. The anger and violence once again threatening to explode from the red-haired woman and Rose recoiled slightly, suddenly unsure of this manic reaction, all her fire and fight gone and wasn’t as quick to return the way Morag’s had.

Abby sprang into immediate protector mode, screamed at Morag to leave her house.

‘Get out! ... Get out! ... Crazy bitch’ She was in Morag’s face now, pushing Rose aside and pushing Morag back hastily. An instant reaction to defend Rose. The fiery nature of Abby only superseding Rose’s previously rage.

The next few seconds went by in a haze of chaos. Rose was not sure exactly how or what happened, the pushing twosome became a threesome of hands and grabbing. Hair tugging and chaos and somehow, she was caught up in it. Her hair grabbed and yanked hard so that she was pulled in against Morag’s slender frame and embroiled in a cat fight of sorts that included Abby jumping on top of Morag.

They ended up brawling in a heap on the floor, all legs and nails and screaming. Rose was slapped in the face so hard by Morag she saw stars before Abby managed to jump on her back and wrench a good amount of red curls out. Alice was trying to pull Abby away but soon felt the wrath of Morag as the old woman was smacked over the right breast with a flailing arm and dove in to join in.

Next thing Rose knew, boys were hauling them apart. Rose had seen red and was clawing and kicking at anything resembling Morag aggressively as she was drawn out of the fold.

Tommy was pulling his now animated brawling wife to one side and trying to tame her unleashed beast. She was a fierce one that little old lady. Morag was being half dragged, half escorted by two burly lads out the front door kicking and screaming back out of the house and Duncan was holding Abby’s screeching fighting form around the waist. Her arms and legs flailing as she called unladylike curse names and insults after the red-haired woman.

Rose was helped to her feet by one of the returning boys, dazed from the smack in the face and a little unsteady, her hands shaking as she was ushered towards the kitchen behind Tommy and his wife. Rose had no clue who these boys were, they seemed vaguely familiar from the dance but she recognised Duncan right away.

‘Girls, sit.’ Alice commanded them and ushered the men out, once they were in the kitchen. Adrenalin was still coursing through their veins. Duncan kissed Abby quickly and shyly, saying something in her ear before following his friends out. She watched him go with a smile on her face that looked a lot like Rose’s whenever Rob was close. She envied her for being able to freely be that way with Duncan.

‘Well that was eventful. Thank God Duncan was popping by with my festival tickets.’ Abby burst out laughing and ignored Alice’s shake of the head. The woman turned and moved to put the kettle on and uncovered a plate of scones to bring to the table.

‘Tommy will be telling me off later, hearing that ruckus from the garden, must have given him heart failure.’ Alice brought over a tray of tea and cups with milk and sugar and laid them in the center of the table.

Rose just sat, dazed by the encounter. Wondering what the hell Rob was going to say about it and unable to shake Morag from her mind.

She was completely torn about what had happened.

‘Rob is going to be pissed.’ She said out loud without thought.

‘Don’t worry about it Rose’ Abby smiled, catching the worried expression on the normally cheerful face. ‘It isn’t the first time and won’t be the last. She’s attacked Rob many a time. Slapped Alice here once before too, and she tried to go for me with a vase once, but Rob was quick and restrained her. If you’re worried he’s going to be mad then fear not, he will be mega pissed at Morag for this. Not us.’ Abby pulled over a cup and started making herself a sugary tea.

Alice pushed between them, lifting Rose’s fingers which were cradling her burning cheek and placed a small ice pack on her skin instead, pushing her hand back against it to hold it in place with a warm smile and a pat on her shoulder.

‘Keep that on to stop it from bruising.’

‘Why does he put up with it?’ Rose was in disbelief at her statement, but Abby didn’t need to respond. Alice cut in instead, a sad look on her maternal face as she moved to a chair and slowly sank down.

‘The girl has real troubles, Rose. I feel sorry for her really. Her mum killed herself when she was still a young un. Much of the same illness that Morag seems to suffer from and well that no good filthy alcoholic father started abusing her.’ She looked down at her lap sadly. ‘Even as a kid, she was never quite right. Something off about her emotionally, so when it came out a few years ago that she had finally spoken up, well... No one could blame her for being that way. He got five years for sexual abuse, should have been more but her testimony was weak. She was too emotional and too afraid to really tell them everything she should have.’ There was a glaze of emotion in Alice’s eye and Rose could tell she had probably known the girl a little more than Rose first thought. Alice had been the housekeeper here since Rob was a baby, it made sense that she had known Morag as long as Rob had, if not longer in this tiny community.

‘And she ended up in the nut house for a year!’ Abby chimed in, seeming a tad smug about it.

‘Abby! It’s a psychiatric hospital, that’s not proper to call it that and please take that look off your face. No one asks to be unwell in that way!’ Alice chided. The pair looked at each other with narrowed eyes. An obvious affection between the sparring pair despite her scolding.

‘So, she still has to go there then?’ Rose cut in as Abby made faces at Alice childishly, remembering Morag mention her appointments and therapy.

‘Yes, she sees a shr... Psychiatrist!’ Abby corrected herself, catching the glare from Alice across the table. ‘She has a list of things going on as long as her arm. Bipolar... Some personality, anxiety thing... Lack of one more likes!’ Abby mock grinned at Alice who shook her head, mock bashing Abby on the head indulgently.

‘Yes, she still has to go, still has to check in every two weeks and they monitor her medication.’ Alice seemed to know more than she let on and she wondered if Rob confided in this dear woman or if this was simply observation. A tug at her heart as he came to mind and another shiver of apprehension at how he was going to react. Rose pulled the pack off her face now the ice was starting to sting it.

‘When she takes it!’ Abby raised her eyebrows as she mumbled and took a sip of tea. Uttering something else under her breath and gaining a small slap on the hand from Alice. A look of warning before Alice pulled over two cups and made one for Rose and herself quickly, pushing the cup to Rose and tapping the ice pack with an authorative look. Rose put it back on her face obediently.