‘She’s an education snob, Gran,’ Elle said. ‘She may have her reasons for being like that, but it’s time to stop using it as an excuse. Granny and Granddad weren’t bad people just because they didn’t have a degree and fancy careers. Mum might have hated growing up like that, but she has no right to try to force everyone else into how she thinks we should all live.’

She’ll come around, Gran said quietly. I think this time apart will do wonders for both of you.

SEVEN

Seven

The next morning, as she sat at the table after being summoned for breakfast at her parents’ place, her father cleared his throat and made an announcement. ‘I’ve been in touch with my cousin, Alice, in Scotland. She’s sent her address and a phone number for you to organise a time to visit once you get over there.’ He slid a piece of paper across to Elle.

Caroline, busying herself with buttering her toast, didn’t look up.

Portsoy, Elle knew from Gran’s stories, was located on the Moray Firth Coast of northeast Scotland, in Aberdeenshire. On the map it looked somewhat isolated, almost in a straight line north from Edinburgh, as far as you could go before you ran out of land.

‘I can’t believe we’ve never met any of Gran’s relatives after all this time.’

Her father shrugged. ‘Your gran and pa didn’t have a lot of money when they were first married. Flights weren’t as cheap as they are now.’

‘Do you think they’ll be okay with some stranger dropping in?’

‘They seemed excited.’

Elle wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being foisted onto complete strangers simply because they were related, but she was looking forward to meeting them, nonetheless. Pa’s family were close and she and her siblings had grown up knowing all their cousins, aunts and uncles from the Kinnaird side, but Gran had left her family behind in Scotland at fifteen years old, and seemingly never looked back.

‘Your father’s been in contact with a few of his cousins over the years,’ her mother reminded her.

‘But we’ve never actually met them,’ Elle pointed out.

‘Well, I’ve already told them you’ll be coming over, so make sure you give them a call once you’re there to let them know when you’ll be arriving.’

Gran was conspicuously quiet on the whole matter, which made Elle somewhat curious considering she sensed an unsettled kind of feeling surrounding her. But with so much to do before she left, Elle was too busy to ask about it now. She would sort out the prodigal-rellie visit later, once she got there. It would all be a moot point if she missed her flight because she hadn’t finished packing.

‘Damn it!’