I look at the ground beneath us and press a palm to my chest, comfort my unsteady heart as I take in the sheer beauty below...
‘Something else, isn’t she?’
I nod as I take in all that has changed and all that remains the same.
The far-reaching loch with its wooden jetty where I first met Edward. The new addition of what looks to be a boat house. The dense woods that punctuate the skyline and run along one edge, up into the mountains, and the rolling fields where the estate’s game roam free. And nestled in the heart of its wild surroundings the majestic house itself.
Glenrobin Castle, in all its austere beauty.
‘It’s even more breathtaking than I remember.’
‘And it’s half yours now.’
I can hear the continued disbelief in his tone, his discontentment too, and I feel it through and through. This can’t be mine.
I gaze along the lawn at the vast baronial building with its château-inspired pepper-pot turrets, all granite and slate and irregular in shape. It has a gothic fairy tale vibe, and if I hadn’t lived here once upon a time I’d have a hard time believing such mythical beauty exists. Let alone accepting I own any part of it.
I’m mesmerised as the pilot touches down with a gentle bump, the carefully groomed lawn kicking up dirt and grass as it settles into position.
‘It hasn’t changed a bit,’ I whisper to myself as Edward speaks to the pilot, and I’m surprised to hear him respond.
‘Not from the outside, but you should see some improvements to the amenities inside, and there are a few holiday rentals dotted about the land now. It needs renovating in parts, but we’re getting there.’
If I’m not mistaken, it’s the sound of pride in his voice. Is Edward responsible for it all? Has he been helping to take care of Glenrobin for a while now?
Even more reason for him to resent me and my share.
Not for the first time, I wonder at his parents’ lack of involvement, their small by comparison inheritance. Now isn’t the time to ask him about it, though. I’m exhausted. It’s early evening here, but it’s the middle of the night in Kuala Lumpur and I’m still on Malaysian time.
How easily sleep will come is another matter. Being back here...with all the memories I’ve tried hard to forget, all the feelings I’ve tried to suppress. Last night was impossible enough, but tonight...in a new bed in a new room in a house I know of old...
Where will I sleep? Do I get to choose? Has Edward chosen for me?
‘You ready?’ Edward looks to me expectantly, his seatbelt already undone as he gestures to the door that has been opened without my noticing.
I release my belt and clamber forward. My legs feel weak. I want to blame the vibrations of the helicopter, but I know it has more to do with him and the castle I’m walking into—the dawning responsibility of it too.
I grip the handrail as I carefully step down to the ground, my eyes fixed on the house and the staff I can see waiting, though I can’t make out their faces. Will I know anyone? Will they remember me? Do they know we’re now...? What are we, exactly? Their new employers?
Edward’s palm presses into my lower back and I inhale sharply, heat rushing to greet his touch.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!’ he shouts over the helicopter blades. ‘But unless you want your ears ringing all night we should move!’
‘Oh, right...of course!’ I scrape my whipped-up hair back from my face but can’t find my legs.
‘What is it?’ He leans into my immobile form.
‘Do they—do they know?’
‘About us?’
My eyes shoot to his—us? Oh, how I once wished that we could have been just that—an us.
‘Summer?’
‘About the new ownership!’ I blurt. ‘The conditions—all of it?’
‘Yes, they know enough!’