Chapter 5: Highland Twins

I spent the rest of Thursday reviewing my separation agreement, leaving Phoebe’s revised version until Friday morning, when I was well enough rested to control my temper. It turned out to be a reasonable response, leaving me feeling that I had been too harsh. In particular, it was cruel to pay household expenses only until the end of January. Helen deserved more time to sell the house or make other financial arrangements.

I called my Scottish lawyer who agreed to consider taking my divorce case but insisting that it would require a face-to-face meeting. He had good financial news. My accountant had released some money from the account I had set up to cover future taxation. He had even agreed in principle that the boat would be treated as a business expense in view of the distance between the cottage and the factory in Kyle.

By lunchtime there was nothing left but to face the elephant in the room: I called Matt and arranged to meet on Saturday morning. He was happy to hear from me, promising much good news to impart. I slept the sleep of the righteous on Friday night. It was Sam who opened the door to me carrying a bin bag in each hand, demanding that I unlock my car.

Matt appeared from the room I usually used carrying two more bin bags. Inside the door were two large, battered suitcases. Mitzy called from the kitchen to say that coffee was ready, so we trooped in there. Matt and I sat in our usual places and Sam sat alongside Matt. When Mitzy had served the coffee, she took her usual seat at the head of the table. All three were grinning like idiots.

“Sam has moved in,” she announced. “The three of us will be living together in future.” Both men nodded in agreement. I guessed that Sam was moving into my room, and I wanted to ask the sleeping arrangements, but I had no idea how to phrase the question. “Sam’s learning to play golf,” she added, smirking at me since she knew that was not what I wanted to know.

When she had finished her coffee, she rose and took the car keys from their hook. “Sam has a lesson at eleven and he’s not on the insurance yet, so I have to drive him. Matt will explain things.” And with that she was off, her husband trailing behind, leaving Matt and me alone together. “Sam and I will have a room each and Mitzy will decide which bed she sleeps in.” I could see all sorts of problems, but they seemed happy with the arrangement. “She loves both of us and we love her. Sam is a real hero: he can no longer satisfy her in bed and is happy to see her fulfilled by another man. He says its better me than some stranger or a series of one -night stands.”

He got up and poured us another cup of coffee. “I lost the plot after my stroke,” he continued. “I felt everyone had let me down, starting with my own body. I was resentful and wanted to punish everyone. Beth thought she could run the business better than me, so I punished her by letting her try. I punished you by keeping from you the gift of the patent revenues.

“I tried to seduce Faith to punish her brother who had been her idol until then. As you saw on Monday, that didn’t work. I saw her for what she was and drew back just in case I succeeded. Mitzy, as she so often does, warned me about my behaviour. She told me bluntly that I was less of a man because I was bedding her without facing Sam and explaining. When I did talk to him, it was to find that he had known all along and had given us his guarded blessing.

“Before I was pushed into partnering Trey, I really enjoyed playing golf, so Sam and I are going to spend time bonding on the course. The other thing I really loved was finding and restoring antique machines. Starting at Easter, the three of us plan to travel the country looking for bikes or anything else that needs repair. Mitzy is learning Spanish so we can spend the winters doing the same thing in Spain. Lots of bikes in Spain.”

He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he told me all this. I hadn’t seen him so relaxed and happy since long before the stroke and I hadn’t heard him say so much since his wife left him. Mabel’s desertion had hit him harder than I had realised.

When Mitzy and Sam returned, we had lunch before the two men headed back to the golf course. Mitzy sat me down at the table, ready to begin the inquisition. “Who is she then, the woman who ended your drought?”

I knew better than to prevaricate. “Her name is Louise and she’s the landlady of the hotel in Corran. Only two nights but she restored my pride.”

Mitzy looked pleased. “Don’t fall for her, Bill. Enjoy it for what it is – a brief affair.”

I explained that she took other guests to bed since her husband passed out drunk every night. “She’ll drop me as soon as the young holiday makers arrive,” I laughed. “She’s twenty years younger than me and voluptuous.”

Mitzy went on to ask if I had seen Helen, wondering if I would consider taking her back. “Not a chance, although I will admit that I can see what I fancied about her when I proposed marriage. The truth is, we haven’t loved each other since before Emily was born. We had become a habit, and I’m pleased that she broke it and freed me to go forward alone.” She paused to think about that, and I took the opportunity to ask how she planned to handle the sleeping arrangements.

“I intend to sleep with Sam every night. He still works for Ruby, so I’ll get up and see him off for his six o’clock start, then I’ll join Matt in his bed until lunchtime. We’ll both enjoy the sex more after a good night’s sleep.” I told her she should have been a general directing regiments of soldiers.

I helped her prepare the evening meal and stayed to share it when the men returned from golf. It was clear that they got on well together and that they both cherished Mitzy. I was happy for them but concerned that they would encounter obstacles they hadn’t anticipated. I left soon after dinner, afraid that my doubts would surface, spoiling the growing bond between them. Early on Sunday, I checked out of my hotel and was on the motorway north shortly after nine.

The weather was gloomy, but the threatened rain never materialised. I did have dipped headlights on throughout the journey. It was almost seven when I pulled up outside my hotel in Oban.

Next morning was frustrating although ultimately satisfactory. The lawyer strongly advised against using him in my divorce persuading me to use an associate practicing in London. I spoke with him on the phone, and he agreed to send a speedy reply to Phoebe. After ten minutes of discouraging predictions, he finally admitted that I had a reasonable case.

I find lawyers a depressing breed, so I left the office in need of cheering up. Without further thought, I called Iain and Lachie telling them of my intentions before turning off the main road at Sheil Bridge and taking the track that led to Corran and Louise. I considered calling ahead to book a room, but I was afraid she would turn me down. Even in my prime, I was never a stud, the kind of man women drool over.

Her face lit up when I walked through the door, and she stepped forward to hug me even though her husband and a few villagers were present. She insisted on making fresh sandwiches since I had missed lunch. “Hamish won’t be back for a while. He took the boat to Mallaig to send a load of lobsters to London or Madrid or somewhere.” One of the drinkers said he should be back very soon.

After I had eaten, I walked to the pier where Hamish was just pulling in, so I boarded, and he headed across the loch. “About once a week, I take my catch to Mallaig for onward transmission, mostly to Northern Spain,” he told me in answer to my question about his voyage. “About half the catch goes to Portree from Easter when the countess opens her restaurant.”

I found myself telling him I knew Izzy from way back and that I hadn’t been impressed with her husband.

He laughed: “That Hernando Hernandez is as bent as a three-bob note,”

We reached the cottage before I could ask more. Lachie met us with a huge grin on his face. “Delighted to see you, Bill. The painters have finished upstairs.”

We walked straight into the living room where the walls had been prepared to get their first coat of paint. Lachie went straight into the kitchen. “You’ll have a wee strupach,” he smirked, switching on the electric kettle. It wasn’t until he opened a mini fridge and took out a carton of milk that my brain caught up. “When did we get electricity?” I demanded.

“The batteries arrived last week so we set two solar panels against the back wall of the byre and the result is enough power to run the fridge, boil a kettle and turn on the lights so the painters can work a full day.” Apart from the milk, the only thing the fridge contained was beer! The painters have been camping out to get the job finished quickly, which is only possible because they have electric light.

After viewing the progress of the work, Hamish took me back across the loch before he and Lachie sailed for their home port of Isleoronsay. With the end of the work on the cottage approaching, he was planning to spend a few days estimating and quoting for more work to keep his team fully employed. His yard is right on the water and Hamish has a mooring there although he seldom uses it.

Louise continued to make a fuss of me throughout the evening though we had no chance for even a brief private chat. I went to bed hopeful but prepared to be disappointed. I need not have worried: Louise came straight to my bed as soon as she had seen off the last customer. I was the only guest, and Philip was in his customary coma.

Our lovemaking was better than before. It was as if our bodies had reviewed our past performance and decided that we could do better. As we cuddled together after our first explosive release, I acknowledged that I needed her presence to dismiss the jealousy I had been harbouring for Matt, Sam and Mitzy. I certainly did not grudge them their happiness, but I felt that I deserved something better than a cheating wife and an empty bed.

Louise turned over and had me roused faster than at any time since I graduated. The once and done man that Helen discarded had become a multi orgasmic tiger between the sheets. As we were settling, following our second bout, I gave a sigh that brought Louise up on an elbow, looming over me. “This might be our last time together,” I explained. “Have you found someone else,” she groused, clinging to me.

“Next time I visit, I’ll be a local and you told me you don’t bed the locals, so I thought you’d dump me. I’m too old for you and not exactly Don Juan.” It was only when I felt my shoulder becoming wet that I realised she was crying.

“For a clever man, Bill, you’re an idiot. I’m not one of those women that love sex but hate men. I admit that I have my needs that Phil can’t meet, but I’m very selective.”

“You’re a unicorn, my lover. It’s true that I can get almost any man I want into bed but mostly they’re looking for a quick fuck with no commitment. That suits me but it’s only because I wouldn’t want to have them as permanent partners. I’ve been bedding guests for years, but I have never once been tempted to leave Phil. I don’t know if it is love I feel for the old bugger but its deep and lasting. You’re the only one I would leave him for.

“I know I told you my rule about locals and I do still want to be discreet, but I will make an exception for you. There will be times when the sea is too rough for you to get to the cottage, so you’ll have to stay here for the night.”

She climbed onto me, and, to my surprise, I was ready to go again. “You have it all planned,” I said, in awe.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms, but I woke when she got out of bed to return to her room. I opened an eye in time to see her beautiful boobs being wrapped in her dressing gown. “What did you mean when you called me a mythical beast?”

She laughed softly. “Most men who have shared my bed, don’t give a thought to my feelings. They take what I offer without regard to my pleasure. I’m not complaining, it’s just the way life is.”

She lay down beside me again but without removing her robe. “I flirt with every man that comes in here and I take to my bed the ones I fancy. It’s not surprising that they treat me like a whore, thinking only of their needs and pleasure. You’re different. You treat me like a lady, trying your best to ensure I’m satisfied. That’s why I called you a unicorn. I’ve heard about guys like you, but they don’t usually escape the clutches of their wives.”

She kissed me on the forehead and got out of bed. “I need to get some beauty sleep – some of us have to work in the morning.” She was standing in the doorway when she turned to have the last word: “Your wife’s an idiot, you know.” I lay and thought about that and about other men simply taking what they wanted without caring what their partner thought.

Philip, as usual, was full of life the next morning at breakfast. It was his day to travel to Stirling to the wholesaler. He went four times a year to view new products, relying on deliveries for the rest of the time. I have no idea how his body copes with the excessive amounts of alcohol he imbibes but he is always as fresh as a daisy until about ten in the evening when he suddenly wilts.

After he left, Louise brought fresh coffee and sat with me while we drank it. “You might hate me for asking, Bill, but why did you give up on your marriage after she had one fling. You treat me like a duchess, and I will jump in the sack with anyone who asks.”

I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips. “I discovered that I no longer loved her. And it wasn’t her first time. In fact, it was her previous affair that got me assessing what I felt about her - and her about me. The previous time was while she was carrying Emily and I’m nearly certain that it was emotional rather than physical.” I might have stopped there if Louise hadn’t threatened to kill me if I didn’t tell her the whole story.

We had just moved into our mansion when we learned that Archie was going to have a sibling. I was earning enough to afford it, so when Helen didn’t feel too good in her fourth month, she stopped working. The first I knew that anything was going on was in the supermarket when we ran into a young man. He and Helen greeted each other like long lost friends; he smirked when he gave me the merest glance.

When we got home, she told me that he was the son of neighbours who had returned to live with his parents after the breakdown of his marriage. From then on, she talked about him occasionally and I gathered that they met most afternoons out walking or to share a coffee in a local cafe. I was a devoted husband, and I don’t think it crossed my mind to suspect Helen of inappropriate behaviour.

She was more than eight months gone when I had my eyes shockingly opened. I came home mid-morning to pick up some papers I needed. As usual, I went along the side of the house to the kitchen door. There was a small window on that wall of the living room, and I glanced in as I passed.

What I saw stopped me in my tracks. Helen was sitting on the couch, naked from the waist up and with her maternity joggers pushed down below her baby bump. Ralph, fully dressed, was massaging her tits with oil that was supposed to prevent stretch marks. They were chatting and laughing, looking extremely comfortable in their intimate situation.

There was no point in me attempting a silent entrance and by the time I had crossed the kitchen and entered the living room, Helen had pulled on her sweater and was sitting looking uneasy. Ralph was blatantly wiping oil from his hands with a large handkerchief, turning to give me a prolonged smirk. I spotted her bra, tucked under a cushion, so I pulled it out, waved it under her nose and went to the study to collect my document. I left, without saying a word.

That evening, I raged at Helen who dismissed my assault as unfounded jealousy. Yes, Ralph did rub oil into her breasts, but he had done the same thing for his wife before his marriage ended. Nothing sexual had taken place and I should be ashamed of myself for even suggesting it. In response to my demands that she stops immediately, she rejected my right to make such a demand on her. She was my wife not my slave.

The subject was not raised again. I was concerned about her health in the latter stages of pregnancy and decided to defer further discussion until the baby was born. I was at the birth, bringing her and Emily home the next day. She was in bed when the front doorbell rang, not unexpected when there is a new baby in the house.

Ralph pushed past me as soon as I opened the door and rushed upstairs with me on his heels. He clearly knew the location of our bedroom since he went straight to it, opening the door and bursting in. Helen was sitting topless with Emily at one nipple and the other invitingly bare. She smiled at Ralph and held Emily out to him, inviting him to hold the newborn.

I saw her face crumple just as he turned and pushed past me with a stricken look on his face. He rushed out the door and was never seen again. I discovered later that he had done the same thing to his wife. He had tended her lovingly throughout her pregnancy but could not bring himself to even look at the infant. That behaviour had led directly to divorce.

“During the two months before she decamped,” I told Louise. “I had plenty leisure to assess my marriage, concluding that my love for Helen had been an illusion based on a picture I had formed of her that had no basis in reality. The real Helen had revealed herself as a selfish bitch. Of course, I had made promises, and I had two children who were innocent of any blame.”

“It must have shattered you to find that your wife was unworthy of you,” Louise said, squeezing my hand.

“I think it was the nature of the men she chose rather than the actual infidelity that damaged my fragile male ego.”

She took my hand and led me to my bedroom where she spent the next two hours restoring my pride in my manhood. When she told me, as she repeatedly did, that I was a wonderful lover, I did not ask for further proof.

As she prepared for the lunchtime trade, I packed and called Iain to let him know that I would be in Kyle by four o’clock. I was tired but happy on the drive north. Iain was eager to see me, so I went straight to the workshop where he had a gear assembly laid out on the bench. “It works, Bill but there’s a problem with hunting for a signal in cloudy conditions.”

The gear train was designed to turn a solar panel array to get the maximum sunlight. Larger arrays have solved the problem by following the sun. The west of Scotland is frequently cloudy, and the best direction may be pointing at the thinnest cloud. I had anticipated the problem, but I had not yet reached a conclusion. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told my daughter.” He must have noticed my scepticism since he hastened to add that it was his eldest child, Elspeth, who had just started a graduate degree in computer programming.

She had some ideas, so we called her to ask if we could drive to Glasgow to talk to her. She hadn’t been home since Christmas, so she promised to drive up the next day, spending Saturday with her dad and me before returning to her studies after lunch on Sunday. Iain did all the talking, of course, and she gave him no idea of her thinking about the problem. I shared his hopes but not his conviction that his kid could solve our problems.

We spent Friday planning the next phase of our work. Basically, I propose building an electrical generator that can be powered by the best available power source at the time. The prototype will be fitted beside my cottage using waterpower from the burn or wind power from a mast. An array of solar panels on the byre roof will be an alternative on the occasional day when there is neither wind nor water. If the weather is foggy, we’ll rely on battery storge. The beauty of the idea is that it will be in one-house modules. Material is cheap and you can use any source if power, including burning camel dung for desert dwellings.

Iain’s job would be to have the protype ready to install when I moved into the cottage. After that, he would source cheap components to bring the cost down. I intended to bring some of my old contacts to see the operation during the summer, in the hope that they would licence the manufacture of the product. Iain wanted us to set up a small manufacturing unit in Kyle.