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She shrugged. “No one’s been as rude as Neville, but I feel they don’t approve of me.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I wanted us to have a pleasant time here together. But we can go back to the city first thing. We’ll have a few days to just enjoy each other’s company.”
“Maybe we can do something else,” London said, a smile lighting up her face. “What do you think about visiting my family’s estate in Scotland? Maybe we could meet some of my extended family?”
I smiled at London’s suggestion, feeling grateful for her ability to turn a difficult situation into something positive. “I think that’s a great idea,” I said, holding her hand. “We can leave tomorrow and spend a few days up there. Maybe it will be just what we need.”
London smiled back at me, and for a moment, all the stress and tension of the past few days melted away.
FORTY-TWO
LONDON
“I’ll sayit again because it deserves repeating: it’s a castle.”
Spencer’s statement made me laugh, just as much today as it did yesterday evening when we first arrived. One benefit of being able to charter a private plane at a moment’s notice was that instead of spending nearly an entire day driving from London to Fife, we’d flown most of the way.
“Aye, it is,” I teased, mimicking my father’s accent.
“I thought you said your father’s family was from Edinburgh,” Spencer said, turning to me. “I meant to ask that yesterday when we left the city, but I was a little taken aback by the, um...well, castle.”
“They are,” I said, taking his hand. “My great-grandfather wanted a place in Edinburgh as well. The house he purchased there is where my father and his siblings grew up. When their father passed, each of them inherited a portion of this estate and the one in Edinburgh. My father’s sister, Janet, wanted to raise her family in Edinburgh, so she bought out her siblings’ shares. Eidheann Castle still belongs to all of them, though. We get along well enough that it’s never been a problem sharing.”
“Eidheann Castle,” Spencer repeated the name, enunciating it carefully.
“Ivy,” I said, pointing at the ivy covering nearly a third of the stone. “Eidheann is Gaelic for ivy.”
“And what about where we’re staying?” Spencer gestured to the house behind us.
“Cluaran Cottage,” I said. “Thistle.”
“And that one?” Spencer pointed to the other guest house.
“Craobh Cottage,” I explained. “Tree.”
“Tree House?” Spencer asked.
I shrugged. “My great-grandfather had a fondness for plants.”
“Is that where the staff live?”
“The estate manager lives in the gatehouse,” I said, gesturing to the large iron gates at the entrance of the drive. “The head housekeeper has an apartment above the garage, and any other staff who live on site are in the Summer House,” I indicated the tall building further back on the property. “I know little about who lives there now. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been here.”
“This is...impressive,” Spencer said, shaking his head. “You said your family had money, and I’ve heard of MIRI, so I thought I had an understanding. I never imagined this.”
“This isn’t mine,” I said, clarifying my earlier statement. “Technically, we kids will inherit my father’s share of the estate someday, but we don’t claim ownership. The McCrae family, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption, owns it together, and it’s always been that way.”
“And everyone is okay with that?” Spencer asked, sounding impressed.
“As far as I know,” I replied, pausing to think. “We see this estate as our family history and roots, and we wouldn’t want any disputes to prevent future generations from enjoying it. That’s more important to us than individual ownership.”
“I’m thinking the castle is not the most remarkable thing about the McCraes,” Spencer commented. “I can’t imagine my siblings, let alone cousins, being so cooperative.”
“Maybe that’s the difference between us Scots and you Sassenachs,” I teased, using the Scottish term for non-Scots.
Spencer chuckled. “Did you seriously just call me that?”
“I thought it would make you laugh,” I said, kissing his cheek. “Come on, I want to give you a tour of the house. It’s big for just the two of us, but I still want to show you around.”
