Free The Last of the Kintyres by Catherine Airlie

come!”
    Hew caught her, steadying her with both hands firmly on her arms. It was probably the only way to prevent her from flinging herself upon him in an abandonment of frenzied relief, and Elizabeth averted her eyes, half expecting him to permit a kiss, at least.
    Apparently he was too angry for such a swift reconciliation, however, because he continued to hold Caroline away from him as she spoke.
    “It happened so quickly, Hew! Neither of us saw it coming. It was the most ghastly accident, and really sheep ought to be kept off the roads in such a difficult half-light.”
    He smiled grimly at the ridiculous statement. It was evident that Caroline was half hysterical and he no doubt intended to let her gain relief by talking.
    “It was so dark under the trees,” she rushed on, “and then we seemed to swerve when we came out on to the moor and it was all over in a couple of minutes. Don’t blame Tony too much,” she begged. “He couldn’t really help it. There were a lot of pot-holes and the steering was rough.”
    Hew’s grip tightened on her arms and he shook her a little.
    “What are you talking about, Carol?” he demanded. “Surely you were driving the car?”
    Caroline’s mane of blonde hair fell over one eye as she twisted away from his searching scrutiny, and Elizabeth’s heart gave a small, sickening lurch of dismay.
    “Answer me,” he repeated, his voice like ice. “Were you driving the car?”
    “No.” Caroline swallowed hard, and then some of her former confidence seemed to be restored and she said rather arrogantly: “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. The police needn’t know that Tony was at the wheel. I can say I was driving. They needn’t know,” she repeated less confidently, meeting Hew’s gaze. “We can square it with them, anyway—”
    He released her with an expression of disgust.
    “We’re not going to try to ‘square’ anybody,” he said angrily. “Least of all Dougal MacLean. He’s got his duty to do, and his duty is to report an accident when he sees one.”
    “But he didn’t see this one,” Caroline protested. “I crawled out and got here. It only happened down the road. Shona and the boys got Tony out—”
    Mrs. Lorimer moved towards the stairs.
    “Dougal will be at the car by now,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what Doctor Mac will have told him, but he didn’t know about this—about Tony driving. Perhaps,” she suggested tentatively, “we could leave things as they are, just for the present.”
    Elizabeth felt as if some great weight was pressing her down, crushing her to the earth with humiliation. Every word Caroline Hayler had uttered had struck deeply and painfully into her heart, condemning Tony as relentlessly as Carol herself. And all the time the heavier burden, the real responsibility, was being placed on Hew Kintyre’s shoulders. He had made himself answerable for Tony little more than an hour ago, and this was the result, the first fruits of his trust!
    “Hew—I’m sorry,” she heard herself saying, as if she must spend her life apologizing to him. “T his is a dreadful th in g. Tony knew that he shouldn’t have been driving without a licence.”
    Caroline turned to look at her for the first time. “Don’t start to lecture him as soon as he comes round,” she advised cuttingly. “It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone—to me, to Hew even!” Not to Hew, Elizabeth thought numbly. Hew wouldn’t go tearing along a narrow lochside road in a fast car without regard to anyone or anything but his own pleasure. Suddenly she thought about the dead sheep and knew that he would be concerned about that, too. The owner of the animals would be involved and would probably have to be completely satisfied that it had been an accident or compensation would have to be paid.
    “If we’re going to be liable, Hew,” she began, but he brushed her offer aside.
    “Leave this to me. Go up and see Tony,” he advised.

 
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