93

The house was almost free of traces of the party, the formally dressed cleaning staff moving from room to room on the ground floor, removing remnants of the celebration and spray killing the lingering smells with strong cleaners. Rob and Rose stayed in bed till noon before finally, starving, dragged themselves to the kitchen. Both suffering from the hangovers from hell as though their bodies were in after effects of some sort of forgotten beating.

A few Munro’s had wandered aimlessly around, smiling and thanking them for a fantastic night as they had come downstairs. Equally rough looking and a little lack luster. Rob informed her a few had stayed in the guest rooms and probably more than he even remembered allowing as they watched a strange, red dressed, blonde girl, doing the walk of shame out the front door as they got to the kitchen. Everyone was suffering. No one flashing any winks or smiles at the pairs noise last night. She guessed they had not been the only noisy ones and was more than a little relieved.

Hamish Munro’s sporran was hanging in the center of the hallway about twelve feet above the floor on a mounted stag’s head. Somehow a symbol of the night everyone had taken part in. Things had gotten crazy and it seemed everyone was in the same state. Even Alice, nowhere to be seen at the late hour, Muffin sleeping by the cooker with a fresh bone under his nose and no one familiar, that wasn’t hired to be up at this time, was milling around.

Looking at Muffin guiltily, Rose realised she must have let him out of there room on returning in the early hours. Maybe that had been a good thing considering what they had got up to. He would have been traumatised if he had been locked in a bedroom with Rob and her and whatever acrobatics they had been trying out.

Rob made her scrambled eggs and toast in the kitchen, he was looking better than her already, and they ate in the cosy room, spread out lazily, watching Jeremy Kyle. Laughing and cringing at the storylines and the state of the guests.

Finally settling into easy silence in front of an old movie. A passion they both shared in their down time, both too worse for the wear to even want to talk anymore and feeling like a day of TV and sleep was on the cards. Muffin was now curled under Rob’s arm on the couch.

Traitor!

He was fast taking his cuddles and lap time with Rob nowadays and Rose had to practically bribe him for attention when she wanted it, Muffin truly adoring his new pack leader.

Her parents were staying in the cottage tonight. A text confirming, they were in a similar sorry state and that they would be leaving early and would see her next time. No need to drag anyone from their recovery to say goodbyes.

Abby would be dead for the rest of the day, hiding out in bed. Rose inwardly hoped she had the sense to sneak Duncan out a window and not bring him through the house now Rob was up. She knew her only too well, and knew in Rob’s irritable hungover mood, he would literally knock the young man out.

Rose must have dozed off in front of the TV. The calm quiet cosiness of lying there doing what domestic couples did, watching rubbish daytime television and pigging out on snacks in sweat pants and t-shirts.

Rose awoke, his body shifting under her where she had been curled up against him, an arm laid around her. Rob was throwing his phone across at the table agitated, his face a thundering sight of tension. ‘What’s wrong?’ She yawned and stretched sleepily, leaning off him to sit up and face him while straightening out limbs and easing away her stiffness, rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist.

‘A million and one missed calls and ten voicemails.’ He gritted his teeth, still staring ahead past her at the television set. Her heart sank, she knew only too well but she had to ask anyway.

‘Morag?’

‘Who else? She finally breaks the silence!’ He huffed. The laugh was not one of happiness and he seemed bristly and agitated. Something cold in his demeanour, almost aggressive; she had not seen him this way since the day Morag had walked in on them and felt her heart sink and the return of that knot of anxiety low in her stomach almost instantaneously.

‘What did she say?’ She probed dubiously.

He scooped up his phone, punching the screen with his thumb harshly and handed it to her to listen. Too angry to summarise, his expression telling her that he was simmering on rage and trying not to let Rose see it.

His voicemail recording told her he had ten messages. To listen to number one press star, so she did. The screechy, slurring, angry voice, pouring abuse and insults into his phone made her feel sick to her stomach. Angry, cruel words. How much she hated him and his whore. The descriptive way she described her anguish knowing he was there celebrating their impending marriage, then sobbing, pleading for him to leave Rose and come back to her and then more angry abuse.

How could he do this to her? How could he be so cruel? Did he not love her anymore? How could they so publicly humiliate her? It went on and on and on. She couldn’t listen anymore so ended the call and slid his phone back down softly, her nerves completely frayed and tears threatening to creep up from the pit of her body.

‘She even describes your dress! She was here. She saw us!’ He snapped, moving out of Rose’s reach and leaning forward to lean his elbows on his knees and run a hand through his hair, his shoulders bunched up and taut.

‘When? What? Last night?’ Rose’s head was too fuzzy for this, the wave of nausea no longer down to alcohol consumption.

‘Yeah. The third of fourth voicemail. She says something about you lording over the manor in your showy gold dress...She must have come here last night.’ Rob flopped back again, against the couch, reaching out to scoop her hand into his and entwine their fingers protectively. Rose felt the ice grip inside her. That old feeling of foreboding and fear sweeping up faintly. It had been giving her a break of late but now it was back like a familiar old friend that you no longer wanted to hang around.

‘What does this mean Rob?’ Her voice wobbled slightly. He shook his head, his jaw set firmly and clenching. Accentuating its squareness and looking more aggressive.

‘I need to go end this crap! Enough is enough Rose. No more being nice and keeping my cool. I’ve had enough. She’s not part of the picture. This is not her life to fuck with!’ He snapped again, then frowned her way with an apologetic look, pushing his face forward to lightly kiss her on the forehead.

‘She’s not well Rob.’ Rose tried, she had no idea why she was defending her but if it calmed his temper then she would.

‘It doesn’t matter anymore baby...This time with you. The last couple weeks without her hanging over my life, made me realise how done with this shit I am. I’m happy. Happier than I ever thought I could be and I want you to be happy, when she appears again it just ruins everything between us.’

‘I am happy Rob.’ Rose reached out to smooth away his frown instinctively, he caught her fingers mid-air and held them against his chest instead.

‘Come on Rose? This crap doesn’t mean anything to you? It’s hanging over us, always in the back of my mind. It’s the only thing we’ve ever fought over. Almost ended us. I’m sick to death of it all and I’m always worried in case she shows up here when your home alone. I even changed the locks when you started staying here so she couldn’t just walk in on us again.’ He let go of her and moved forward again, restless and unable to settle, he leaned back on his knees and sighed.

‘I thought you said she was only a danger to herself?’ Rose queried nervously.

‘Abby told me she slapped you in the face that day! That was before she knew about us...Before you were her biggest threat. I don’t want to take any chances with her volatile outbursts, if she laid another hand on you Rose, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. If she kicks off, her anger will be aimed at you and I may not be around to intervene. I would literally rip her fucking head off if she touched you.’

‘What are we going to do?’ Rose tried to ignore the mounting anger coming off him in waves, curling up on the couch and pulling a cushion to her lap for comfort.

‘I’m going to speak to my solicitor and try a new approach. Show her I’m not messing about anymore. Hit her with a restraining order and deal only via him... Any correspondence! I don’t know how else to tell her I’m serious about this, to tell her to stay away.’

The sickening tightness in Rose’s stomach hit hard. She knew this was a bad idea and he wasn’t thinking straight because he was pissed off, she knew when he was mad he acted out impulsively and seemed to disconnect feelings and compassion. Her gut was screaming that what he was doing was the worst possible course of action where the other woman was concerned. She knew he would regret it when he calmed down too.

‘I don’t know. Maybe you need to see her again?...Talk to her?’ She tried to sway him gently, reaching out and wrapping herself around him from behind, resting her cheek on his back and listening to the hammering of his heartbeat.

‘No! It does nothing... It changes nothing!...I don’t have anything more to say to her. She can’t keep on insulting you, leaving me messages about you and not expect me to react this way.’

‘You’re angry Rob. Tired and hungover. You’re not thinking straight! Sleep on it. Think it over. Don’t do anything rash. It may just make this worse.’

He was leaning forward further, his forearms on his knees as he glowered at his phone on the table, shaking his head, his body felt poised and ready to jump up and Rose knew she was barely keeping his temper under control.

‘No. Not this time. I’ll change our numbers. Get the drive gated so no one can enter without buzzing the house first. A video cam, maybe even a gatehouse and constant security guard. Close her out. Warn her off. It always starts with calls and threats Rose. I need to think about you now, about looking after you. I can’t leave on business knowing she can show up throwing shift around and attacking you.’ He darted to his feet, pacing the floor in agitation, his temper hitching and voice teetering on a more aggressive tone.

‘Rob, your scaring me.’ Rose recoiled back to her previous curled position on the couch and watched him warily.

‘You didn’t listen to all ten messages Rose.’ He stalked towards her, scooping to plant a quick kiss on her forehead before grabbing his phone from the table purposely.

‘I need to go make some calls. There may be a need for some security in the short term until I put things in place. I don’t want you to be scared.’ He walked off through the kitchen and disappeared without another word or a backward glance, that stony set to his face that screamed stubborn Munro mode and she knew it was best to leave him alone. She had gotten to know how better to deal with him like this and Abby was right, space to blow it out and work through it was the best thing for him. He sometimes just needed alone time.

How could she not be scared? Look how he was reacting!

She wondered what else had been in those messages to make him behave this way, her mind churning with anxiety.

* * *

He stayed out of sight for hours, locked away making calls and doing what he did when he was overwhelmed emotionally. He shut everyone out. She heard him in passing when she retrieved some items from the bedroom, sounding serious and business like, but not clear enough to make out any of the words, so she left him alone, sensing that it would be best.

Rose tried to catch up on sleep and daytime TV, she helped Alice bake some cakes and meandered the house for a bit, getting to grips with the layout of the rooms upstairs and where her new bedrooms were going to be.

A van showed up around dinner with two men in black clothes, some obscure logo on their t-shirts and Rob took them off, walking down the drive. His arms animated as he pointed out some points of interest to them, one of them taking notes on a clipboard. Another car showed up later in the evening. A man in a tan suit and briefcase, being guided into Rob’s office via the hall door he rarely used as he left the men in black to continue surveying the grounds without him. It was obvious these men were security companies to make the Manor a fortress.

Rose felt uneasy, a sickening dread developing at just how far he was taking this. She wanted to ask him exactly what had been said in the remaining voicemails, but fear halted her.

Had she made threats towards him? Towards Abby? Towards Rose?

She knew if she had threatened Rob he wouldn’t be handling it this way. He could handle himself, especially when it came to Morag. This had hit a raw nerve. It had to be one of either his sister or her. Most likely her... After all, she stood in the way of Morag’s happiness and was the only threat in her delusional path to happy ever after with Rob.

Rob caught her in passing, another couple of new faces in scruffy clothes in tow.

‘Hey baby, sorry I have barely seen you all day, might be busy until bed.’ He leaned in, kissing her chastely, despite the hovering men behind him. Rose eyed them up and came back to his face questioningly.

‘Will you tell me what’s going on then?’ She pushed with a lowered voice.

‘Later. For now, just promise me you will stay in the manor and not go anywhere for today.’ He looked serious.

‘What? Why?’ Rose wasn’t about to be put on house arrest without explanation, but he just frowned her question away. Kissing her on her mouth to silence her.

‘Later.... I’ll see you in bed. Love you.’ Throwing her another quick kiss, he left before she could get him to elaborate further. A look of serious storms brewing in those steel grey eyes and furrowed brow that just gave her more reason to worry.