Page 50 of A Highland Family Affair

‘It was awesome! The band were fantastic. It was just me, Dad, Kerr and Ben.’

Olivia was touched that he had included her brother. ‘Where did you see them now the Ironworks has closed down?’ The Ironworks had been an amazing gig venue but had sadly closed its doors the previous month.

‘The Tooth and Claw on Baron Taylor’s Street. Great wee place. Amazing atmosphere. They opened with U2’s “With or Without You”, which was phenomenal. And they played some Police stuff, so Dad was in his element. In fact, my dad had a word with someone connected to the band because “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” was dedicated to me by the band.’

Olivia was immediately taken back to the moment that Brodie had told her that was the song that made him think of her and her heart fluttered.

‘They played some Queen, Culture Club, Wham!, Bon Jovi. It was brilliant. Nice and simple, no strippers, no being tied to a lamp post naked, no being put on a boat and waking up in Shetland.’

‘Well, I’m glad about that!’ Olivia laughed.

‘How about you? Good time?’

‘It was wonderful. So relaxing. Lots of laughs.’

Brodie beamed. ‘I’m so glad. How did Charlotte fit in?’

‘Really well. And by the way, I may have invited her and Kerr for a couples dinner on Friday, is that okay?’

‘Absolutely. Should I invite Skye and Ben?’

Olivia shook her head. ‘No, let’s not pile on the pressure. Just the four of us, I think.’

Brodie nodded. ‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll cook.’

Olivia smiled. ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’

On Monday, Olivia sat at her desk looking over some plans for the old barn when her desk phone rang.

‘Olivia speaking.’

‘Hi, Olivia, it’s Charlotte, I have an Eilidh Baird on the line for you. She says she got your number from Ruby Locke.’

‘Ah, yes, thanks, Charlotte, you can put her through.’

There was a pregnant pause. ‘Erm… Can I just ask something, is she talking about Ruby Locke the actress from The Girl and the Rose? The one who opened the castle to the public? I mean, it can’t be that common a name. And I absolutely love that film. Ooh, sorry, I’m rambling now. And sorry if I’m being nosy,’ Charlotte added hurriedly.

Olivia smiled. ‘Indeed she is. Exciting stuff.’

‘Oh, wow. Okay, putting her through.’ The line went silent for a brief moment.

‘Hello? Is that Lady MacBain?’

‘It is, Ms Baird, hi. But please call me Olivia.’

‘In that case, please call me Eilidh. As you may have guessed, I’m calling from Braw Narratives Productions. Ruby Locke is going to be starring in our next project. It’ll be her first role as her return to the screen following the birth of her daughter and we’re very excited about it. The film is a Scottish historical romance set in the Georgian era and Ruby suggested your castle as a possible location for filming. I was wondering if I could perhaps arrange to meet with you to talk it through.’

‘Of course. Ruby said you might call, she seems excited about the project too. Obviously we’ll need to have a serious think about everything, and I can’t confirm anything until I’ve discussed it with my team.’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less, Olivia. I’ve had a wee look at your website, and I have to say it’s a very impressive building. Plenty of history, which is exactly what we’re looking for. And, of course, there would be quite a hefty fee payable to you for the use of the castle, should we decide to go ahead. We understand how much upheaval our presence could potentially cause and so we compensate our location hosts substantially. I would imagine with a place as old as Drumblair there are multiple ways in which that money could be used, and we hope that may encourage you to consider allowing us to use your location if it turns out to be suitable for our needs.’

‘We’ll certainly give it some serious thought.’

‘I understand you have some Chippendale and Hepplewhite pieces and I wondered if they could be hired for the set too? Obviously they will be adequately insured, and we’ll be bringing some other pieces of furniture too that have been borrowed from private collections.’

‘That’s something I will need to look into. I don’t want to agree to anything without understanding the implications. They are family heirlooms, and I don’t really want to risk damage.’

‘Of course. That’s understandable. So, when would be best for me and my location scout to come and visit? How about 21 April?’