Page 68 of Snowy Surprises in the Highlands

Dougie had polished up Lady Freya’s old Rolls-Royce that had been in one of the garages for years. He had kept it running ever since she’d passed away and polished it regularly in her memory. And even though the walk down to the chapel by the loch wasn’t too far, Dougie insisted on driving them down, so their dresses didn’t get spoiled.

‘You look stunning, Bells,’ Skye said, dabbing at her eyes.

‘Don’t cry or you’ll set us off too,’ Olivia said, nudging her. ‘But she’s right, you do look stunning.’

‘My beautiful Arabella,’ Isla said, cupping her face in her hands.

There was a knock on the door and Olivia opened it. ‘Hey, gorgeous, I just wanted to let you all know that the eagle has landed.’ It was Brodie. He stepped inside the room and caught sight of Bella. ‘Wow! You look amazing. Harris is going to flip!’

Bella laughed. ‘Is he okay?’

Brodie nodded. ‘Completely unscathed and smelling fresh as a daisy now he’s washed the smoke off and borrowed my cologne. Just a heads-up, too, it’s started to snow. I’ll see you soon.’

He left and Bella gasped, making a dash for the window to open the curtains. Sure enough, feathery, glittering flakes were floating from the brilliant white sky overhead and settling on the ground beneath them, blanketing everything in a smooth covering like icing on a wedding cake.

‘I got my wish!’ Bella said as she stood there. Isla, Olivia and Skye joined her to gaze out at the view as the snowfall got faster.

Skye linked her arm through Bella’s. ‘This place always looks so magical when it snows. I used to love coming here in winter when we were kids.’

‘I know, the snowball fights were rather epic,’ Olivia said. ‘Unless Kerr was involved. He was far too competitive.’

‘Aye, him and his cronies were a wee bit too aggressive for us. Although I think we gave as good as we got,’ Bella said, remembering how the snowballs stung even through her padded coat as they hit her arms.

‘We sure did. We’re no shrinking violets. Do you remember the time we built snowmen and raided your mum and dad’s wardrobe for the accessories?’ Skye said, giggling.

‘I sure do. I was grounded for a week after that for using my mum’s pure silk scarf and dad’s best tie.’ Olivia laughed. ‘Kerr took great delight in taunting me for the whole week when he was going out to play but Mirren used to sneak me mugs of hot chocolate to my room so it wasn’t so bad.’

‘Mirren’s hot chocolate was always the best,’ Skye said dreamily.

‘It still is in my opinion,’ Olivia replied with a smile.

‘It’s coming down pretty fast out there, lassies,’ Isla said.

Skye shivered audibly. ‘Bells, you’re going to be freezing. We have our shawls but I wonder if you should wear a coat. We don’t want you catching pneumonia.’

Olivia gasped. ‘Ooh, I’ve just remembered. I have the perfect thing for you to wear until we get to the chapel, Bells.’

‘Haha! Chapel bells,’ Isla said, giggling. Olivia, Bella and Skye turned to look at her, shaking their heads but smiling. ‘What? I thought it was funny… and topical.’

Olivia walked to her wardrobe and opened the double doors before pulling out an ivory satin hooded cape, embellished at the hem with crystals and pearls. It was almost as if it had been made to accompany Bella’s dress.

Bella’s eyes widened as she looked at the exquisite item. ‘That’s perfect! Where on earth did it come from?’

‘Believe it or not, I made it years ago as part of my university portfolio. I’ve kept it all this time because I loved it and couldn’t bear to part with it. I must have known, eh? You can take it off just before you go in.’

Skye shivered. ‘I’m glad we’ve got the Donaldson tartan shawls to wear because it really has dropped chilly.’

‘We’ve made sure the heating is on in the chapel, so it’ll be nice and toasty in there,’ Olivia said.

There was a knock on the door. ‘Come in!’

Bella’s dad walked into the room and stood there glassy-eyed, shaking his head. ‘Well, look at you. You’re a vision, Arabella. An absolute vision.’

‘Thanks, Dad. I think we’d better get going.’

* * *

The snow had slowed a little by the time they reached the chapel, and once Bella had stepped out of the car she clung to her dad’s arm, afraid of slipping. Isla, Olivia and Skye walked on ahead, their green dresses and tartan shawls a striking contrast to the glistening white of the snow.