I never got the chance to go through any plans as it turned out - just after we left Perth, we hit trouble - a tree had fallen on the line, and, between a combination of nightfall, sleet, and slipper tracks, the engine plouged right into the tree, causing the train to partially derail and sending passengers and crew flying from the impact. By the time the dust settled, the damage was made clear - the engine was a crumpled mess, the driver dead, and passengers in the first few carriages badly injured. Thankfully, since we'd only left Perth, medical aid wasn't far away, and the slow process of rescuing injured and uninjured passengers went well into the night as crews worked to remove the driver's body and assess the train for the extent of the damage.
It was well after ten by the time I reached my temporary lodgings for the night - the house of a very kind lady named Maud and her two adult sons, Angus and Callum. Given the sudden accident and the terrible aftermath, Maud was very accomodating, and she fussed about me as I sat in her favourite armchair - a chair that was never to be occupied by anyone else on pain of death, Callum told me solemnly - with a fluffy blanket over my legs and a purring cat on my lap. The cat - Mavis - was a grump, but had taken to me immediately, and I admitted to feeling quite cosy and comfortable. But in the back of my mind, there was a worry - news of the accident would reach Dad. And since it was no secret of where it had happened, he'd start for Perth immediately. It was an almost 9 hour journey, but nothing would stop him from getting me to Inverness. Maud put paid to that idea, however.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8jUJgbfOW
"Your dad's a fool," she told me. "And he's full of shit as well. You're a grown woman, lassie. You don't need to go where you don't want to go."
I sighed. I'd ended up telling her, Angus and Callum the full story, and they'd all been horrified at what I'd been put through. "Dad's determined to keep me as far away from help as possible," I said. "I know it's got to do with him wanting to keep me away from Mum, even though he kicked up a right fuss when I was born, but surely he'd be over it by now?"40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7WQV2TLQi
"Men don't forgive slights, no matter how small," Maud said solemnly, ignoring her sons' sputterings, and I had to laugh. "They carry on grudges right up till they pass on, and even then you can still hear their ghosts bitching about it in from the other side. And your dad's got a grudge a mile wide with a mean streak to go along with it. He never wanted you, hated that you were a tie between him and a woman he ought to have kept his dick away from if he couldn't handle the consequences of knocking her up, and he didn't like that she was happy to have you around. Hence why tomorrow, my Callum is going to take you up into the highlands."
I blinked. "Why?" I asked.
"Why not?" Maud asked reasonably. "Here's the thing. No one can enact a removal order on an almost adult child. So your dad bilked the system to get what he wanted when your former stepmother saw sense and realised what an unutterable piece of shit he was. He knows this - it's why he panicked when your former stepmother challenged the order. He'll be hot on your tail to try and drag you back, but he won't be able to find you- my Callum knows the highlands like the back of his hand. No one will find you whom you don't want to find you."
I admitted to being very tempted by the idea, but even so, there was another worry in the back of my mind. "What about Sally marrying Oliver?" I asked.
"No law against it," Maud told me, "even if it does put an interesting spin on the relationship between him and his half sister! I'm sorry, lassie. I know you loved him, and I can tell you love him still. We never do forget our first loves. But you said it yourself - you always knew he wasn't going to want to wait forever, and, though he's an ass, your dad is right. That child needs a father; your former stepmother is free to marry whomever she wishes, and even if he was her former stepson, he is no longer."
"I guess you've got a point," I admitted. "I don't like it, but done is done, right?"40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Wz8Pn0LIm
"Right," Maud agreed. "Now, it's almost past my bedtime, and way past all three of yours. I'll rouse you in the morning, get some breakfast in you, and then you and my Callum can be on your way."
But even as she shooed us off to bed, I had the nasty feeling Dad - despite knowing his removal order was bogus - would still find something up his sleeve to keep me from getting away. I hoped not, but as I got into bed, the worries continued to nag at me, and I shifted restlessly. "Callum?" I called softly. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIU7D5ktpK
In a moment his form appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the hall light. "Can't sleep?" he said, his voice low so as to not disturb anyone. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW2kUhvysg
I nodded, even though he couldn't see it in the dark. "I know this is odd," I said, my cheeks hot, "but I could really do with a cuddle."
Soon I felt him squeeze into bed next to me - it was quite a narrow single bed - and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "Better?" he murmured. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrqcpUPIrc
I nodded. "Thanks," I said. "And I'm sorry. This is pretty awkward."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFESCBEuEU
Callum chuckled, and in the dark, I felt him kiss the top of my head. "Only a little," he teased. "Now if you'd asked for a kiss, well, that would be awkward. I always want to see the girl I'm kissing. In the dark, I can't tell if it's the Mona Lisa or Mother Theresa."40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMGUSmRL8J
I stifled my laugh against his chest. We'd taken to each other like a duck to water, and somewhere in the space between dark and dawn, I found the courage to let Oliver go.
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