Both men were suddenly looking at Flora.
“What?” said Flora, who didn’t want to answer the question and had been looking out to sea because she thought she’d suddenly seen a seal’s head pop up. She looked again; yes, there it was, its whiskers glinting in the sun. She wanted to nudge Joel to show him, but obviously it would be completely inappropriate.
“What do they think of Colton on the island?” prompted Joel, looking annoyed that she hadn’t been paying attention.
“Oh . . .” Flora wasn’t sure what to do here: tell the truth or flatter the client. “Well . . . they don’t see you around that much,” she said, adding diplomatically, “You know, you’re not here that often.”
Colton frowned.
“But I bring a lot of money to this island.”
There was a pause.
“With respect,” began Flora. Joel shot her a warning glance, but she figured there wasn’t a lot of point in beating around the bush. The locals weren’t going to come out and support him, and that was that. “You don’t . . . I mean, you bring your own people in, and you don’t shop in the village.”
“That’s because the produce is—”
“I’m just saying,” said Flora. “You don’t drink in the pub.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know,” said Flora. “It’s just something people do.”
“Why?”
“Why do pubs exist?”
Colton smiled.
“Okay, go on. How else am I failing Mure, apart from investing in it, building on it, protecting its flora and fauna . . .”
“You’ll be shooting quite a lot of that.”
“Law firms are definitely getting quite bracing these days,” said Colton to Joel, who was watching without saying anything. Flora felt nervous, like she’d gone too far.
“Sorry,” she said.
“No, no,” said Joel. “Actually, Colton, it’s useful. To know where you stand when we’re putting our strategy together.”
“What, that everybody hates me?”
“No!” said Flora. “But nobody knows you.”
There was a pause, as the waves lapped quietly against the perfect sand.
“So I should go and make nice? So people will support me?”
“You could just make nice anyway,” said Flora, smiling slightly.
Colton smiled back.
“Yeah, yeah, all right . . . so speaks a lawyer.”
“I’m not—” began Flora, but Joel stopped her.
“What about an animal protection measure?” he said.
Flora shook her head.
“What?” said Joel.
“Island’s too small,” she said. “If you couldn’t have a wind farm because of the wildlife, the protection zone would go all the way round. You couldn’t put it anywhere.”
“Well, let’s not put it anywhere,” said Colton.
“Then they’ll build a nuclear power plant,” said Joel. “Then you’ll be sorry.”
“There he is,” said Flora, pointing.
“What?”
Colton and Joel followed her outstretched arm but couldn’t work out what she meant at first.
“Look!” she said, surprised. “Can’t you see?”
The seal popped up with a surprised look on his smiling face, his whiskers trailing water.
“Well, look at that,” said Colton.
“Don’t shoot it,” said Flora.
He rolled his eyes.
“No, ma’am. Well now, isn’t he lovely?”
“He is,” said Flora.
Joel squinted.
“What is that, a sea lion?”
They both looked at him.
“You’ve spent too long with sharks in suits,” said Colton. He looked at Flora. “I notice it was you who spotted it.”
Flora blinked impatiently.
“I can see why there’s that old legend.”
“What old legend?” said Joel.
“Seal people,” said Colton. “They believe that stuff up here. Seals that turn into humans. They get married sometimes, but they always go back to the sea in the end. Are you one? Is that your cousin?”
Flora desperately tried to smile, but couldn’t.
“Don’t they have your coloring?” said Colton.
She suddenly flashed back to the funeral, that awful, awful day, and was filled with a terrifying sense that she might cry.
“Hmm,” she said.
Joel looked at her. Her pale face was distraught. On the white beach, with the green sea behind her that exactly matched the color of her eyes, he saw, suddenly, that what looked colorless in the city was right at home here. He changed the subject.
“So, what’s the answer?”
“Farther out,” said Flora promptly, grabbing her way back to the conversation. “Somewhere you can’t see it. They could put it behind Benbecula; that’s uninhabited apart from the birds. You have to tow the turbines out anyway; that’s your cost. Moving them a bit farther . . . I can’t see how that can matter. And the birds won’t mind.”
“They’ll probably like it,” said Colton. “Something new to shit on.”
“So there’s a solution,” said Flora. “It’s basically a PR job now.”
Joel shot her a sharp look.
“That we could also totally handle for you,” she continued smoothly.
“Okay, where would you start?” said Colton.
Flora smiled at him. “Councilors.”
Something struck her.
“Oh,” she said.
“What?”
“I might have a . . . a bit of a conflict. My dad’s on the council.”
“This is excellent news.”
Flora shrugged.
“I’m not sure he’s your biggest fan.”
“Seriously? Am I going to have to charm-offensive everyone?”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
“It can hurt me!” said Colton. “This is meant to be my haven of peace and tranquility! I don’t want to have to spend every minute of the day chatting up old drunks I can’t understand. No offense to your father.”
“Ahem,” said Flora.
“Who else is on the council?” Joel said. And they wrote down the list: Maggie Buchanan, old Mrs. Kennedy, Fraser Mathieson. Not a group naturally in favor of radical change. Which might work, Colton pointed out, if you didn’t want a wind farm on your doorstep. And might not if it would bring cheaper electricity to the residents.
“Well,” said Joel as they headed back. “You guys know what you’re doing. I’ll get back to London and you can keep me abreast of any developments.”
“Hang on,” said Colton. “I want you here to help me draw up the new proposals. People will want to see a real lawyer, and that I’m serious about this.”
“Won’t she do?” said Joel. Flora glanced at him, alarmed, and he had the grace to look slightly shamefaced about it.
“We’re going to make an impression,” said Colton. “Get on the ground tomorrow, ask around, then we’ll meet and have dinner. You can bring someone local if you like,” he said to Flora. “We might as well get started.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Flora backed the Land Rover out carefully, anxious not to touch any of Colton’s priceless cars. Joel sat beside her, making notes.
“Well done,” he said, and she glanced at him, surprised. “He took to you. Now you have to get the rest of the place on your side. God knows why I have to be here.”
“So he’s got a real lawyer?”
“A real lawyer with a lot of work to get on with.” He turned to her. “But if this works out . . . he could bring the most tremendous amount of business our way. So.”
“So don’t mess it up!”
He looked at her, his lips twitching slightly.