THE TIME BEFORE THE FUTURE: PARTS 9 & 10 "Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?" His throat suddenly dry, Archie coughed: "Sorry excuse me. Do you make jewellery to order here?" he asked. "Yes, we have done in the past sir; what did you have in mind?" "Could you make up a design for a an engagement ring?" The assistant's smile broadened considerably. At least now she knew why he was so nervous. "Ah I see. Would you mind waiting here for a moment whilst I fetch my brother? He makes and repairs pieces for us here at Thomas'. Please feel free to look around." "I will, thank you." The assistant smiled reassuringly once more (almost as if trying to convince him that it was safe to stay) & disappeared into the back of the shop & Archie went over to inspect a tray of silver necklaces that caught his eye in one of the glass-topped cases. As an icebreaker (& proof that he had money in his pocket), he would ask to be shown them close-up. Perhaps one of those would be right for Lexie to wear her 'other' ring on. As he thought about Lexie, he couldn't help but miss her, wonder what she was doing at that precise moment & wish that she had chosen to come with him to pick the ring. Then at least he would have been certain that she was happy with it. What if, despite her worries about settings she really wanted a solitaire instead of what he had in mind? Perhaps Lexie, being so modern, would prefer white gold or platinum as opposed to the traditional yellow gold? He would hate for her to feel obliged to wear something she didn't like, for the rest of her life, just because he had bought it for her! He knew he should have asked for a few more tips! Archie shuffled nervously from foot to foot trying to calm the bush full of butterflies that had suddenly appeared in his stomach. This was much worse than his meeting with the Chairman! At least, he consoled himself, the lady at the counter seemed to have taken his enquiry seriously, which was a slight relief. Something about this whole thing so far reminded Archie a bit too much of being sent to the Headmaster's study at school. Perhaps it was because this was one of the few times in his life he was totally dependant on somebody else to get something vital to him just perfect. Unsurprisingly, the sound of people returning to the front of the shop made him jump. "Here we are then Sir. This is my brother Colin Thomas." The lady smiled warmly. Archie turned around & took the proffered hand. Colin Thomas must have been in his mid-fifties. He had brown hair that was starting to let flecks of silver show through & wore half-moon glasses. He too was smiling. "Mr Thomas, it's good of you to see me." "My pleasure, Mr..?" Archie took a deep breath, this was it, the crunch. No sense putting it off anymore: "Call me Archie, Archie MacDonald." Neither sibling said anything but Archie saw the all too familiar light of recognition in their eyes. To his relief that disappeared as Colin returned to the business he was there for: "My sister Rosemary tells me you'll be wanting an engagement ring made up?" "Yes." Archie nodded. "Nice to meet you Miss Thomas." "Please, call us Colin & Rosemary." She said. "Thank you, Rosemary." Archie smiled. Whether the MacDonald's had used one firm of jewellers in the past or not, they were going to start today, and he wasn't fool enough to think Clan Patronage would be refused. He was so engrossed in the thought that it took him a second to realise that the Thomas' were waiting for him to speak again. He gave himself a mental shake & continued: "Now, I do need to talk about an engagement ring, but I'd also like to see some of your silver necklaces, please." Colin looked puzzled at this, but Archie didn't take long to explain, & both the Thomas' smiled at the sheer romance of it whilst Archie didn't mind in the least & coloured with pleased embarrassment. Then fuelled by Rosemary's tea & sponge (which Archie suspected was the standard way of treating seriously valuable customers at Thomas'), & the obvious merriment of their task, all three enthusiastically got to work; Archie confident that he'd made the perfect choice of shop at least. PART 10 The day was dragging beyond belief – it was still only ten to one. Lexie wasn't lonely, she was rarely if ever lonely, but she was missing Archie like mad. 'Pining' her mother would more than likely call it. She realised with a stab of guilt that this was the first time she had even thought about her mother in weeks, never mind since becoming engaged! That made Lexie a little sad, but she was not surprised by the thought. Her mother had always been what was politely called 'A Free Spirit'. To Lexie that had in the past meant getting the occasional phone-call when her mother was splitting up with her latest boyfriend, or coping somehow when the whirlwind of a woman came for a visit, & went into 'Mothering Overdrive' taking over Lexie's life entirely in an attempt to make up for the rest of the time. Lexie had to admit though that things had been easier between since Pamela had remarried, but still. Oh, it wasn't that Lexie didn't love her mother, she did; it was just that the relationship was much easier at a distance. Her mother had raised Lexie alone & Lexie was far from ungrateful for the job she had done, but Lexie had her own family now – the MacDonald's. She had regarded them & the rest of the Glenbogle staff as family long before she fell in love with Archie. She didn't know whether anyone else knew this, but it was she who left the flowers by the loch every year on Jamie's birthday. It was just her way of remembering him & what a good friend he had been to her. Even though she'd never actually met him Lexie had silently 'poured her heart out' to Archie's older brother on many a long, lonely walk on the estate. The thought made one or two tears spill down her cheeks (she seemed to be doing an awful lot of 'howling' just lately!), & she had to wipe them away quickly on her sleeve as the back door squeaked open. Lexie's heart couldn't help itself, it skipped a beat in anticipation, & she had to fight like crazy to mask her disappointment & smile when she saw Hector standing there & not his son: "Hector, this is a rare event, you in my kitchen, what can I do for you?" she asked a little hurriedly, acutely aware that she was still wearing Archie's sweater & what a seemingly intimate thing that was to do. Hector, however, didn't seem to notice a thing. He was far too busy trying to keep Rommel from snapping & pawing at the edges of the quilt. "Down Rommel, bad dog! That's it! No dog biscuits for you today. My dear wife will both our 'guts for gartters' if you so much as loosen a stitch!" Here he looked up as if he had completely forgotten his Housekeeper was in the room, which, knowing Hector, he probably had: "Ah yes, Lexie, well, it's actually more what you can do for Molly. She found this in the Library trunk & wants it airing. Got some 'grand scheme' or other for it, I expect!" Lexie who had been smiling at Hector's conversation with the dog, quickly pulled her face back into a neutral but happy expression as he looked up. "Of course, that's no problem. I've a load to hang out in a bit, I'll do it then." She said relieving him of his burden. "Yes, yes, just so. Heal, you crackpot canine!" With that Hector left & Lexie went back to trying to fill the time until Archie's return. TO BE CONTINUED...