THE TIME BEFORE THE FUTURE – PART 22 BY: ANGLEROSE Kilwillie & Lexie pulled up outside the croft & having let Lexie out Kilwillie wondered what to do next. He followed her into the small house. She still hadn't said a word to him, but she had tried to smile when he opened the car door. Clearly she knew her way around the croft for she went straight to the phone, leaving him standing. This left him feeling a bit lost; what should he do now? Then he noticed the kettle by the sink. Tea; people always drank tea for shock didn't they? He seemed to remember Nanny doing that whenever he took a tumble or whatever around the Castle. And it would give him something to do; if he could remember how to do it! He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd done something like this himself! Still, it couldn't be that hard! Lexie picked up the phone & dialled but she was shaking so hard that she misdialled & had to start again. The one thing she had decided on the journey over here was that she would follow Archie's lead & invite her mother & stepfather up for the re-opening of the dining room. Archie wouldn't mind in the least & that weekend was her mother's wedding anniversary anyway, so there was the perfect excuse. As the phone began to ring Lexie tried to take a few steadying breathes; she really didn't want to have to muster the courage to do this twice. If Pamela noticed the waver in her only child's voice (which she was bound to do), Lexie would simply be truthful about the box; that would be the easiest way to handle things. It was just then that Kilwillie set a mug of strong tea down beside her, indicating that it contained 3 sugars. Lexie hid a grimace behind a grateful smile; she normally only took 1 sugar & the brew looked strong enough to hold up the Glenbogle Bridge, but Kilwillie was as shaken as she was by the day's events & only trying to help. Just then there was a voice at the other end of the line: "6742, Pamela speaking." Lexie sighed with relief: "Mam, hi..." Golly took a deep breath to brace himself as he rang the doorbell of Kilwillie Castle. He had only been inside a few times, & although he like harmless, bumbling Kilwillie (in small doses), the man's home with all its overstated pomp made Golly very uncomfortable. A couple of minutes later, the old, very traditional butler appeared in the doorway clearly slightly out of breath: "Oh Golly. M'Lord is not here at the moment; he actually went over to Glenbogle House. Lord Kilwillie was needed to help the family." "Yes Badger I know, I was with him. It's actually you I needed to see. Can I come in?" At this Badger looked somewhat stunned. He quickly regained the composure his profession was famous for however, though he couldn't quite hide a flinch at the sight of Golly's mud-caked boots: "As you wish; follow me to the kitchen?" Golly was not at all surprised to find himself being led around to the back door of the Castle. He carefully made good use of the boot scraper before entering the kitchen. Poor Badger, highly rattled by the day's events so far, clear forgot to offer his visitor a seat. Golly sat down anyway, taking a newly filled hip flask from his back pocket & setting it down on the table.