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He
was after all only fifteen years old and the youngest in the family.
    “I am not going to
have us host my fiancé’s family in that officious   blue, mother!” Anne argued.
    “Mother!” George
protested.
    Ethel gave him a
disapproving glance. “You do protest too much, George. And it’s not a horrendous
shade at all. I think it is warm, friendly and quite elegant.”
    Arthur lifted a questioning
eyebrow. Mary rolled up her eyes and George huffed.
    The only one that did
look pleased was the bride-to-be, Anne Felicity Kinnaird.

 
    Mrs. Kinnaird
smiled.   The wallpaper was horrendous.

Chapter 5

 
 
    The light had begun
to fade outside, accompanied by a drizzle of light snow that sparkled its
crystals as it showered gently all around her house. The children were occupied
with their favourite television program. From the sounds of their laughter,
Emma could tell they were far too engrossed to spend the afternoon with her in
her conservatory.
    She lay back on her
settee, watching the snow patter against her glass roof. She almost fell
hypnotised by its rhythmic shower when she heard a tap against her
conservatory. She peered over the top of her settee and managed to spot Lisa
through her windows again. She hunched back and winced.
    Reluctantly, she rose
and opened the door.
    “Hi there,” said
Lisa, pushing past her yet again, inviting herself into Emma’s house. “Damn
it’s cold out there.” She vigorously rubbed her palms together. “I’ll take that
tea,” she said, smiling. “God, this place looks even greater in the evening. I
should get Bill to see this. I would so love one of my own.”
    Emma stared at her
blankly. The invitation of tea had expired long ago that morning and which she
distinctly remembered Lisa had turned down. Despite that, she found herself
walking over to the little kitchen cabinet and making themselves a small pot of
tea. She shook her head in disbelief. Six months ago, she would never have
tolerated such insolence in her London mansion. She must be growing soft and
tolerant to the impertinent cultures of her neighbours.
    “How did Big Jim do
at his practice?” she asked trying to decipher why Lisa was back again, twice
in a day at her house. She prayed silently that this was not an inkling of a
habit she might have to endure in the near future.
    “Oh, he did well. It
was just a friendly match the boys had set up amongst themselves. Gives an
excuse to make most of a good and sunny day in the winter,” she rambled. “It
was good too with the sudden change in weather.”
    Emma smiled. “Skye
weather is quite unpredictable.” And so are its residents, she added silently.
“Did you drive here? I didn’t see your car.”
    “No, I didn’t,” Lisa
said. “I walked. Bill’s going to pick me up when I call him. He’s babysitting
the children. Told him I needed to do a ladies chat with you.”
    “A ladies chat?” Emma
asked, lifting up a brow. She handed over a cup of steaming tea to Lisa and
motioned for her to continue at the settee. “What sort of ladies chat?”
    Lisa placed her cup
down on the glass coffee table and plopped down into a couch. “You know, the
one we had this morning. About old Mrs. Kinnaird.”
    Emma watched her
mystified and baffled. Wasn’t Lisa hesitant earlier to speak of the woman? And
now here she was, more than willing to reveal all that Emma wanted to know of
the mysterious Mrs. Kinnaird over a cup of tea.
    Lisa took a sip of
her tea. “Oh this is delightful,” she said.
    “Yes, it is,” Emma
said impatiently, almost demanding her to stop with the chat on tea. “What
about Mrs. Kinnaird?” she asked carefully, trying not to sound too anxious.
    “Well,” Lisa
answered, tucking her legs under her. “It happened a long, long time ago. Mrs.
Kinnaird’s eldest daughter had just got married. The newly married wife and
husband moved to London where they settled.
    Their second
daughter, Mary went visiting her aunt in Glasgow. There she