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He could see the sincerity in her eyes. She meant every word. She wanted to help him. She didn’t seem worried about the possibility of no water, no electricity or no heating. Just about every other woman in the world that he’d ever known would be freaking out right now. But Grace was calm. The excitement from the helicopter journey had abated now they’d been travelling for a few hours.
Something washed over him. A sense of relief. His stomach had been in knots. A long time ago he’d loved Drumegan Castle. Loved the approach and seeing the grey castle outline against the sky, towering above the landscape on the top of a hill. It used to give him tingles.
Then, for a while, it had given him dread. That had been the point of staying away for so long. He couldn’t imagine coming back here himself. He couldn’t imagine opening the front door and being swept away by the wave of emotions.
But even though those things were circulating around his brain, he didn’t feel the urge at all to break the connection with Grace’s steady brown gaze. There was something about being around her. A calmness. A reassurance he hadn’t felt in...so long. He placed his hand over hers. ‘I think you could be right.’ She was trying so hard to help him, but how much had he done for her?
‘You should have told me about your gran,’ he said quietly.
She shook her head quickly. ‘I couldn’t. Once you’d told me about Anna...I just felt so guilty. My grief can’t compare with yours. They’re two entirely different things.’
She was trying so hard to sound convincing, to stop the tiny waver he could still hear in her voice. Her grief was still raw. His?
He kept holding her hand. ‘It’s not different, Grace. You lost someone that you loved. This is your first Christmas without that person. I get it.’ He gave a rueful smile. ‘Believe me, I do.’
He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder. Next thing he knew the pilot was giving him a shout. ‘Five minutes.’
He nudged Grace. ‘Wake up, sleepy. We’re just about to land.’
She sat up and frowned, rubbing her eyes and looking around. It was still pitch black outside. ‘Where on earth are we landing?’ she asked.
He smiled. ‘At the helipad. The lights are automated.’ As he said it they switched on, sending a stream of white light all around them. ‘The helipad can be heated to keep it clear. It has its own generator.’
Grace pressed her nose up against the window. ‘Is this near the castle? I can’t see it.’
She turned and planted one hand on her hip. ‘Finlay Armstrong, are you sure you have a castle? It’s a caravan, isn’t it? You’re secretly pranking me and taking me to a forty-year-old caravan with no heating and electricity in the middle of nowhere.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Don’t forget the no water.’
She laughed. ‘I couldn’t possibly forget that.’
He pulled a face. ‘Believe me, once you see the castle, you might prefer a forty-year-old caravan.’
She leaned back with a sigh as they approached the helipad. ‘I bet I won’t. Stop worrying.’
The helicopter landed smoothly and they jumped out into the biting cold air. ‘Whoa!’ Grace gave a start. ‘I thought London was cold.’
He grabbed her bags. ‘I told you to bring layers. Maybe I should have supervised the packing?’ He was only half joking. He was curious about where Grace lived and was annoyed he’d been distracted by a business call. It might not have been the most prestigious part of London but he’d have liked to have seen the home she’d shared with her grandmother and had so many good memories of.
He gave a nod to the pilot and walked off to the side as the helicopter took off again. There was a garage next to the helipad and he pressed a button to open the automated door. There was a squeak. And a creek. And finally it rolled upwards revealing a far too smart four-by-four.
Grace turned to face him. ‘This is yours?’
‘Last time I checked.’ He felt up in the rafters of the garage for the keys, fingers crossed it would start. He knew that his father secretly used the car on occasion to ‘keep it in running order’. He was just praying it hadn’t been too long since he’d last borrowed it.
He put the bags in the boot and Grace climbed in. He waited until he was ready to get in next to her, then flicked another switch—the external lights of the castle.
She let out a gasp. ‘What?’
It was almost as if the castle appeared out of nowhere. The white lights illuminating it instantly around the base, the main entrance, the turrets. At the same time more lights came on, picking out the long driveway between the landing pad and castle.
It might have helped that the whole area was covered in a thick layer of snow, making it look even more magical than normal.
Grace turned to face him, her face astounded. ‘This is your castle?’
‘What did you expect?’
She pressed herself back against the leather seat as he started the engine. She was transfixed. She lifted up one hand. ‘I don’t know. I just didn’t expect...that. Look at the snow,’ she breathed.
He was fighting back the wave of emotions that was threatening to overtake him. The immense sadness was there. But it wasn’t because he was grieving for Anna. It was the sudden realisation that he’d truly been away for too long. As soon as the lights had flashed on he’d been struck by how much he’d missed this sight.
Drumegan Castle had always made him so proud. It was every boy’s dream to own a castle. According to Anna it had been every girl’s dream too. Drumegan might not have been the pink of some Mediterranean castles, or the beige limestone of many English palaces and large houses. Drumegan Castle was built entirely of grey stone, making it look as if it just rose straight up from the green hill on which it was perched. But to him, just the sight of it gave him immense pride. He’d forgotten that.
It seemed he’d forgotten a lot of things.
He started the car and pulled away. ‘What do you think?’ It was the oddest sensation, but he wanted her approval. Why? He couldn’t quite understand. It was important to him that she liked Drumegan Castle as much as he did.
‘How many rooms does it have?’ She sounded a bit spaced out.
‘Rooms or bedrooms?’ His reply was automatic. He’d answered so many questions about his home in the beginning he was practically a walking encyclopaedia on Drumegan Castle.
‘Either.’ She was still just staring at the structure ahead as they moved along the winding driveway.
‘Well, it has wings really. Six bedrooms in each wing. Then two main kitchens. A scullery. A ballroom. Five sitting rooms. Three dining rooms. A few studies. And most bedrooms have separate bathrooms. Some of the top rooms have never been renovated. They’re still the original servants’ quarters.’
‘Ah...so that’s where you’re putting me.’ Grace had sparked back into life. ‘No bed. No bedsheets. No curtains. And probably...’ she pulled her hands around her body ‘...freezing!’ She gave an exaggerated shiver.
He tapped the wheel. ‘Hold that thought as you pray the heating is still working properly.’
The car moved up the final part of the drive towards the main entrance of the castle. Normally he would sweep around to the back where there were garages. But there didn’t seem much point. He didn’t expect anyone else to appear and they were both tired.
He pulled up directly outside the main steps and huge traditional carved double doors.
Grace stepped automatically from the car—she didn’t need to be told twice. In the bright outside lights she looked pale. And a little nervous. Even though she was wearing the pink winter coat he could see the slight tremor in her body. He walked around to the back of the car and unloaded the cases, the hamper and the cool box. She came over to help and they walked up the flight of steps to the door.
His hand fumbled slightly as he reached for the lock. ‘You’ll need to give me a second to turn the main alarm off when we get inside. It should only take a few seconds.’
She nodded.
The lock creaked, then rattled as he twisted and jiggled the key. Finally the key turned around. He breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the iron door handle then shouldered the door completely open.
There was a whoosh. A weird kind of noise. Then an incessant little beep. The alarm.
He dumped the bags and walked to the right. The alarm panel was inside the cupboard at the side of the door. It only took a few seconds to key in the code. The light from outside was flooding in. He’d forgotten to mention the glass dome in the main entrance way. It had been put in by the previous owner—an architect and design engineer who obviously had been born before his time. Together with the lights reflecting from outside and the silver twinkling stars above filling the black sky it was a spectacular sight.
The hamper fell with a clatter from Grace’s hand as she walked forward under the dome. She held out her hands and spun around as her eyes stayed transfixed above. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ she said as she turned slowly.
He smiled as he walked over next to her, moving close. ‘It’s amazing. It was the first thing I noticed when I came to view the castle.’ He pointed above. ‘At least I know the electricity is working inside as well as out.’
