She quickly ran to him and threw her arms round his body. ‘Please, please be careful,’ she pleaded, not wanting to let go.
‘Hey, hey.’ He calmly unwrapped her to face him. ‘Don’t worry.’ Then he kissed her. ‘Remember what I said, yeah?’ He spoke softly, hating to see her so upset. A tear fell down her cheek. He wiped it away with this thumb. ‘I’ll ring as soon as I get back.’
‘Yes, you must,’ she choked.
‘Please, Cass, don’t cry.’
‘S… sorry,’ she gulped, trying to regain control.
‘OK, I’m off.’ With one more kiss he went. She didn’t want to say goodbye in the car park, where everyone would see them, so she stayed in her room and waited and waited for him to contact her.
Chapter 12
Fletcher put another log on the fire. He had a feeling this evening was about to be a long one. Lilly and Ruby were coming to discuss the holiday. It had been all Lilly had talked about since his suggestion of her twin sister joining them. Quite how it was all going to pan out, Fletcher wasn’t sure. Already he was having reservations, but it was too late now, both sisters were clearly revved up for it. To back out would be cruel. So, here he was, preparing to meet them. Together, they could be a formidable force, firmly lead by Ruby, who was the eldest twin by thirty-four minutes; a fact she regularly reminded Lilly of. Ruby didn’t mince her words and that was putting it mildly. Fletcher nicknamed her Boudicca, but never quite had the guts to call her that face to face.
He poured himself a large whisky. He was going to need it. Next door in the library, he could hear Adira and Jasper, busy making wedding plans no doubt. At that, he smiled contently. He, more than most, was delighted with Jasper’s choice of bride. From the moment he had met Adira, parked with her campervan on his land, he knew she was special. He laughed to himself at the stir that lass had created in Lilacwell when first arriving. The herbal medicine she’d administered had caused much speculation within the village. Very soon she’d become the ‘go-to girl’ with her healing potions. The one thing she hadn’t needed any medicine for was capturing Jasper’s heart. That had been done without any assistance at all. Quite naturally they had been drawn together, which had pleased him immensely.
Feeling sentimental, Fletcher considered his relationship with Lilly. Up until now, he’d always looked upon her as his old friend, someone to share his memories with, as he had grown up with Lilly and Ruby. With Lilly, though, there had been a close bond. When she’d offered to assist at The Laurels, he’d been pleased of not only the help, but having the time to chat and reminisce about the old days. Together they would while away the time, chuckling over the past. Occasionally it would be interrupted by subdued reflection, as though privately, in their quieter moments, a feeling of what might have been had caused them to stop and think. This was certainly true of Fletcher, but then, wasn’t it his fault that he and Lilly had never taken the plunge? He, to his detriment, had been obsessed with his brother’s wife, Alice. Of course, it hadn’t helped knowing it had been reciprocated.
She had been his, but only for one night. Precisely one month later, Alice declared she was pregnant. Fletcher had been elated, convinced the baby was his. But his elation soon turned to dismay when learning that Alice was not going to leave Rufus, and that she couldn’t be sure who the father actually was; only that it was a Hendricks. That had been the party line, but they both knew, deep down, that Fletcher most probably was Jasper’s father.
Fletcher had only recently revealed this to Jasper and, after the revelation, they had decided to leave things as the status quo. What was the point in dragging up old history that would only cause hurt and pain to all involved? So, officially Jasper remained Fletcher’s nephew, but as the sole inheritor to The Laurels, it really didn’t make much difference. Most important was that Jasper knew how very much loved he was by Fletcher.
He took another mouthful of whisky. A wedding would give them all a boost; a good old family knees up. His thoughts were interrupted by Ruby.
‘Where is he?’ she demanded, her loud voice reverberating round the hallway.
‘Fletcher’s in the drawing room, lighting a fire,’ Adira replied.
‘Good. It’s enough to catch your death of cold in this place. Always was an ice box,’ Ruby threw back.
‘This way dear, don’t make a fuss,’ intervened Lilly, ushering her into the room.
‘Ladies!’ Fletcher knocked back the rest of his whisky. ‘Come and take a seat.’
‘I’ll have one of those,’ Ruby nodded towards his glass.
‘Oh, yes, certainly.’ He made his way to the drinks cabinet.
‘It’ll help take the chill off my bones,’ she further complained with a sniff.
Fletcher rolled his eyes and poured them all a whisky, giving himself a double. With a deep breath he braced himself and turned to face them.
‘Well, are we ready to make plans for our exciting river cruise?’ he asked with forced enthusiasm and a false smile.
‘River cruise?’ said Ruby with a raised eyebrow. ‘I don’t think so, Fletcher. We were thinking more of the Highlands—’
‘Oh, well…’ Lilly tried to interrupt.
‘Shush, Lilly,’ barked Ruby, then continued, arms folded, shoulders back, ‘Fletcher, we’re far too old to be frolicking on the Danube. No, we think something closer to home would be more suitable, Scotland.’
‘Scotland?’ replied Fletcher, gobsmacked.
‘Yes, a castle in Scotland,’ Ruby told him resolutely.
‘A castle?’ Fletcher blinked.
‘Oh, a castle, how romantic!’ Lilly clapped her hands in glee.
