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“Sir Buster? Of course he is. He’s a crabbit beast most days, but he’ll put on a flirt when he’s in the mood for a wee bit of chicken. Don’t mind his dramatics,” Archie said, as Buster’s trembling increased. “It’s all for show.”
“We are coming up on his next meal,” Hilda pointed out. She bustled over to the table and nodded to a chair. “Join us for tea, Lia. We’ll have ourselves a wee chat and get acquainted. Boys!”
“Just one more game…” Lachlan trailed off when Sophie gave him a pointed look. “Right, then. Never mind. I’ll kick your sorry arse later.”
“Like bloody hell you will,” Munroe muttered.
In short order, we sat at the table with warm crusty bread, leek soup, and a simple green salad. It wasn’t anything fancy, but the ingredients were fresh, and the taste was superb. I hoped the castle would have a space for a garden where I could plant herbs. I’d never had an outdoor space to call my own before, and now, seeing the expanse of green space behind the castle, excitement bloomed at the possibility of growing my own ingredients.
“Clyde likes to greet our new guests,” Sophie said after we’d all settled into our late lunch. “I met him the first night I was here with my best friend, Matthew, and it was an experience, that’s for sure.”
“I can see that,” I said. Nope, I was not going to mention the fact that I’d hit the floor like the castle was under attack. “It’s…um, yeah. It was memorable to say the least. I guess it makes me feel better that I’m not the only one who saw him. I mean, ghosts, huh? A ghostcow. Like, that’s just not something I’ve ever heard about. Regular ghosts, sure. But…”
“We pride ourselves on being different in Loren Brae,” Lachlan said, puffing out his chest in a mock show of arrogance. “Nothing but the most original ghosts to be found here.”
“Ah, so Clyde is like a Michelin Star of ghosts then?” I smiled into my cup of tea.
“We like to give the full Scottish experience here. It’s…immersive,” Sophie added, tapping a finger to her lips. I’d immediately warmed to my fellow American, though she was staunchly a West Coast girl, while I was from the East. However, once I’d learned how she’d inherited the castle and, instead of selling it and rolling around in buckets of cash, she was trying to bring the failing tourism sector back to life, I’d instantly respected her. Maybe I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about rich people, as I was someone who refused help and worked for everything I had, but it was nice to see that Sophie was diving headfirst into saving the castle. I could admire hard work, even if she had the money to hire someone else to put the castle to rights for her. Not that it looked like it needed much help. What I’d seen of the place so far was astounding.
“I’d forgotten about Clyde,” Munroe said, an amused smile hovering on lips that I desperately wanted on mine again. He looked just so…both out of place and perfectly at home. I wasn’t sure how to describe the effect he was having on me. He sat at the end of the table, the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled to reveal muscular forearms, his height and broad shoulders making him tower over his bowl of soup. The small teacup he held in his hand looked like it would snap, and much like how I’d felt when he wrapped his arms around me earlier by the loch. Tiny. Dainty. Ready to shatter at his touch. There was something about Munroe that took up space, as though he claimed his right to be there, and I found myself distinctly aware of his every movement. “We used to run the halls late at night, hoping he’d jump out and scare us. I think he had as much fun with it as we did.”
“Aye, he did at that. Clyde does love a good coo joke.” Lachlan laughed.
Oh, now Clyde was a jokester? Lovely. We had a laughing ghostcooand murdering water horses. Surely my day couldn’t get any stranger. And yet, I was enjoying the conversation and the quick-witted banter that flew across the table. If anything, staying here would not be dull, that was for certain. I already imagined the stories I would tell my father. I found myself relaxing as Lachlan and Munroe poked at each other over the time they’d tried to climb a tree to peek into a girls’ sleepover party. The conversation flowed around me, requiring little of my input, while I enjoyed my soup and got a read on my new employers.
It reminded me of sitting with my staff at the end of a long shift while the servers counted their tips, and I made notes on what needed to be restocked for the next day in the kitchen. I liked being on a team, even more so for a team that took pride in their work. I didn’t mind being a part of the “help” at the castle, if anything it made me feel like I fit in even more. I’d never dreamt of being a princess, after all. Those dreams were for far fancier people than me. Except in my kitchen, of course. There I could be supreme ruler.
“Lia, do you want to see the kitchen and the restaurant space after we finish eating? I can imagine you’d like to get an idea of what you’re getting into before you make any final decisions,” Sophie said, exchanging an odd look with Hilda. What was that about? Hilda gave a small shake of her head, and my senses went on high alert.
“Is there something that I need to be warned about?” I asked, pointing my spoon at Sophie. “What was that look for between you and Hilda? I don’t like surprises, and if there’s something that I need to know, it’s best you tell me now, so I’m prepared.”
“Aye, lass. There’s a world of things you need to know. But in due time,” Archie said, his bushy eyebrows drawn low on his forehead. “You Americans are always so quick to rush into things. Running about, all day long, instead of taking things as they come.”
“Och, listen to this one now? A few months ago, he was hounding me to take more action here, and now he wants to potter about in the garden instead?” Lachlan rolled his eyes.
“She’s only just arrived. There’s time enough for the things that need to get done.” Archie glowered at Lachlan. “You’ve been here your whole life. You didn’t have any excuses.”
“I’d say I had some justifiable reasons for sticking my head in the sand,” Lachlan countered, and before the two men could get into it, Hilda cleared her throat.
“Enough of that at my table.” Hilda turned back to me. “Ignore these two. Yes, there’s a lot to learn about Loren Brae, including some more unusual elements like Clyde, but why don’t we have a wee wander about the grounds first before we delve into the rest of it?”
“Is the rest of it going to be the thing that makes me turn tail and run?” I asked. When the table grew quiet, I looked to the only person who’d been my North Star thus far.
Munroe just shrugged, his blue eyes soft and encouraging on mine. “Can’t say what they’re talking about, lass, but I’ll be here to help with anything you need.”
Not that I needed a hero, I reminded myself, but if I did, this quietly buttoned-up, hulk of a Scotsman would do just fine.
“I’m sorry. We’re being annoying. It’s like when someone puts up a vague post on social media,” Sophie apologized.
“I could use your good thoughts,” I deadpanned.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to me now,” Sophie jumped in.
“If only I’d known better,” Lachlan added.
“I never saw that coming.” Munroe’s lips quirked and I found myself smiling at him.
“What in the world are you all blethering on about?” Archie demanded.
