Chapter 38
The last time I was on a sleeper train to Scotland, I was wary of Eliza and what might happen if I let her back into my life. The memory of our awkward carriage-sharing made me smile. I could never have foreseen falling for her, or the spectacular mess that would follow.
But now, as the Highlands rolled past like the world’s most expensive screensaver, I found myself semi-optimistic. Maybe it was the wise lack of gin this trip, or the plush first-class cabin. Or perhaps it was because I finally had some idea what I was doing with my life.
Eliza clearly had an affinity for this place: she kept fleeing here like some sort of corporate refugee. Perhaps there was something in the Highland air that induced clarity, or at least the illusion of it.
Despite everything, I was looking forward to seeing Eliza. With Margot restored to her rightful position as my aunt — and the company crisis resolved — Eliza was the final piece of the puzzle. Whatever happened, at least I’d know where I stood.
The train pulled into Goldloch, and I dragged my wheelie suitcase through the usual platform chaos, feeling slightly seasick from the train’s rocking motion now I was back on solid ground.
As I cleared the barriers, I spotted a familiar figure waiting on the other side, and couldn’t suppress the grin that took over my face.
Eliza was clad in tartan trousers that should have looked ridiculous, but somehow made her look like she belonged, her blonde hair catching the morning light.
Just the sight of her made something in my chest do an embarrassing flip, like my heart had just woken up from a very long sleep.
She held a sign that read Poppy Voss, CEO, Voss Watches in bold black letters, as if she were the world’s most strangely attired chauffeur.
I shook my head as I approached. When I was close enough, she turned the sign over. The reverse side declared: I’m Sorry. Can You Forgive Me?
I stopped just short of her. To her left, two teenagers wandered past in a passionate clinch, oblivious to the world. We weren’t there yet.
Eliza lowered the sign and offered a tentative smile. “I wasn’t sure if this was endearingly romantic or mortifyingly cheesy.” She tilted her head, studying my expression. “Judging by your face, I’d say it’s landing somewhere in the middle?”
“It’s very Love Actually, which was nobody’s finest hour.”
“In my defence, I’m significantly less stalker-y than Andrew Lincoln.’
I raised a single eyebrow. “You did send me train tickets to travel the length of the country.”
She grinned. “But I gave you a choice and didn’t kidnap you. And I wore tartan trousers to make you feel at home. Can we agree it’s a good start?”
Eliza reached out her hand and took my suitcase.
I let her.
“I wasn’t even sure you’d get off the train,” Eliza admitted, shepherding me towards a red Mini Cooper. “But I thought, on the off-chance you did, I should be here. I’m glad I took the gamble.”
“And you’ve got a car, now?”
“I hired it for a bit.”
As we drove through the village, Eliza waved at various locals like she was running for town mayor.
She pointed out the butcher chopping in her shop window — “A female butcher. Everyone’s very excited!
” — along with where to find the best coffee, and which road worked better for avoiding tourist traffic.
It got me wondering, how long was “a bit”?
At the pub, Marcus greeted me with a hug, then launched into easy banter with Eliza about some local drama involving the postie and a territorial cockerpoo. This wasn’t casual acquaintance. Rather, this was the familiarity of someone who’d become part of the furniture.
Once I dumped my bags in my room, Eliza turned to me.
“Are you hungry, or can I show you something first?” There was a strange energy radiating from her.
“So long as we can get a coffee on the way, you can take me where you need to.”
We did just that, then drove down to the loch, stopping right on the shoreline beside Loch Cottage. In the overgrown garden, the estate agent’s sign still proclaimed it was for sale, though something about Eliza’s expression suggested that might not be entirely accurate anymore.
I stared at the cottage, its stone walls the same weathered grey, the windows still crooked in their frames like sleepy eyes. The wild garden spilled towards the water in a riot of Scottish roses and brambles, exactly as I remembered it.
“What are you showing me?”
I had an inkling.
She nodded towards the cottage. “This.”
This was the place we’d invented stories about as children, the one we’d sworn we’d buy someday when we had money.
The cottage that featured in every daydream I’d ever had about the best view to pair with a morning coffee.
About a life that moved at the speed of seasons rather than quarterly reports.
“Eliza.” My voice was a whisper. “Please tell me you haven’t—”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out some keys.
“You’ve bought it?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, but I’ve put in an offer, and it’s been accepted. I just need to give the nod, and it’s mine. But I didn’t want to do that until you arrived.”
This was still making zero sense. “You’re buying a house here? But you’re doing one up in London.” I had to say the words out loud to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. When she told me it wasn’t necessarily the house of her dreams, I never thought she meant it.
Eliza’s mouth quirked up at one corner. “It’s just a house, not a home. I can rent it out. Or maybe keep it as my London base. I have some plans, if you want to listen.”
She got out of the car and we walked up to the front door. It was still the same powder blue, although it could do with a lick of paint.
“What I want and need has changed. This house?” She put the key in the lock.
“It’s always been the dream, hasn’t it? I bought the house in London because I needed somewhere to live, and my dad told me to buy a doer-upper.
I did what he told me. I’m tired of doing that. It’s time I did something for me.”
She walked into the house, and I followed. Finally through the front door after all these years.
I took in the faded floral wallpaper that was probably fashionable sometime in the 80s, the carpets that had seen better decades, and the kitchen units that looked like they’d been installed when microwaves were still a novelty.
But I also saw the gorgeous stone fireplace with its carved mantel, the thick walls that would keep out Highland winters, the high ceilings with their original beams still intact.
Light poured through windows that faced directly onto the loch, and despite the dated decor and musty smell of a house that had been empty too long, there was something familiar about it.
Standing in what would be the lounge, looking out at water that stretched to mountains, something settled in my chest that I hadn’t even realised was unsettled. It was like coming home to a place I’d never actually lived, but had been dreaming about my entire life.
I brought my gaze back to Eliza.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Emotion stirred inside me, something between wonder and panic. “I think you bought our cottage.”
She shook her head. “Not yet. But I very well might.”
I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly needing a barrier. “I just got off a train, and this is a lot. Explain it to me again.”
She took a steadying breath. “You know I quit my job with my dad.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t. I know you did in the heat of the moment, but I wasn’t sure if it was real.”
“It’s real. In fact, it’s the best decision I’ve made in years. Being up here made me realise what I actually need.” She took a deep breath. “You know that Andrew wants early retirement; he wants to go travel the world.”
Fiona had messaged me the news when she heard. Andrew had been with Voss for 30 years. I nodded.
“Fiona needs someone to step in to his role. She offered me the job.” Eliza rushed on before I could respond. “I know she usually hires without consulting the CEO, but this felt different. I couldn’t take it without getting your okay.”
“This is quite the departure from a few months ago.” I was still trying to catch up.
“You genuinely wanting to run Voss made me see that I definitely didn’t want to run Dad’s empire.
He can sell it or find someone else to handle the corporate machinery.
I want to work for something I actually care about, something hands-on and meaningful.
” Her voice grew warmer. “Something like this incredible family-run watch company with a brilliant CEO who’s not even thirty yet. ”
She paused, a hint of her dazzling smile appearing. “Quite an attractive CEO, too.”
My cheeks warmed despite everything.
“I know this is overwhelming,” she added quickly.
Speechless didn’t begin to cover it. This wasn’t just a career change: this was Eliza completely rewriting her script. I was happy for her, but disappointment filled me like cold water. She was moving on, building something new, and I had no idea where that left us.
Then a thought flickered to life just like Amina’s neon sign: could I live here too?
“After I left London,” Eliza continued, “I came back here to help Fiona and Ronnie. The lease on the old factory is sorted, and I’ve been involved in recruiting the new staff, and getting all the admin sorted.
Turns out I’m quite good at the practical side of things when I’m not drowning in boardroom politics.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t in touch, but I wanted to give you space to cool off. I hope you know by now I was trying to get Dad and Margot to change their plans. I wasn’t trying to undermine you. I believed in you.”
Her face told me that was true. “I know. Margot told me.”
She exhaled. “Thank fuck. I’m sorry for being elusive, too. I didn’t handle it the best.”
“You didn’t.”
Eliza licked her lips. “I’m also really sorry for declaring my undying love in the middle of an argument in front of my dad and Margot. That was unforgivable.” Her face crumpled with embarrassment. “Can you forgive me? For all of it?”
I looked at her standing there in our childhood dream cottage, hair slightly mussed from the Highland wind, wearing tartan like she belonged here, asking for forgiveness for loving me badly instead of not loving me at all.
The disappointment I’d felt moments ago was transforming into something else entirely.
Something that felt dangerously like hope.
“I think there might be some leeway.” I wanted to forgive Eliza. I knew she’d been my cheerleader, not my saboteur.
Eliza’s face lit up, and she reached for my hand. “This place needs some work, but I love the bones of it. I love where it is. I especially love it when you’re in it.” She grinned. “Come on, let me show you the best bit.”
She led me down the narrow path to the water’s edge, a couple of minutes’ walk to our log and our small wooden jetty. The water was mirror-still, reflecting the mountains like something from a tourism poster. Eliza swept the log of debris, and gestured for me to sit.
I did as she wanted.
“Remember we used to come here as kids? We used to dream about living in that cottage?”
She nodded towards what could be her future home.
“Dreams can come true. And I want them to come true with you.” She sat next to me and took my hand in hers. It fitted perfectly.
“Even though I told you I love you in the worst possible circumstance, I meant it. I want to tell you again, in one of our favourite places in the world.”
She swept a hand, and I took in our surroundings. The absolute peace and tranquillity, the gorgeous scenery, the even more gorgeous woman beside me.
Eliza snagged my gaze, and the silver flecks in her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Poppy, I love you, and I would really love it if you’d consider moving here permanently.
Look around, it’s not a bad option. If you need to be in London, it’s easy enough.
But in between times, we could try building something here.
Slow down a bit, try a different pace of life.
” She paused. “And if you say yes, Loch Cottage is big enough for two.”
I stared out at the loch, and the Highland air filled my lungs, crisp and clean in a way that made London’s exhaust fumes seem like a distant memory.
When I raised my gaze back to her, something had shifted inside me.
It was what I’d always wanted as a kid. Now, Eliza was offering me the chance to make it real.
“I’ve never entertained the idea fully before, but it sort of makes sense when you say it.” Why had I never thought it possible to wake up to this view every day? Eliza and the loch, and mornings that began with mist rising off water?
“Think about it. I don’t need an answer right away. But you could keep your London flat with Amina if you wanted, and be there whenever you need to be.”
“She’s been talking about moving in permanently with Noelle.”
Eliza’s eyebrows lifted. “Maybe it’s a sign. I could keep my house as our London pad, and we could both use it when we need it.” She paused. “I know one thing. I miss you when you’re not with me. Wouldn’t it be better to be together more, wherever that might be?”
The pure honesty of her statement hit me hard. Perhaps the simple solution really was the best option.
“You’d be in the same place as Fiona, Ronnie and me. In some ways, it makes sense.”
“That’s true. Plus, I could wear tartan trousers more often and nobody would bat an eye.”
“Already things are tipping in my favour.”
I shook my head, staring at Eliza. The woman who’d spent her life in tailored suits and killer shoes was stood in DMs, tartan trousers and a massive black woolly jumper, looking more relaxed than I’d seen her.
“If I say yes, you’ve got no hidden agenda? You’re not a secret spy for your dad?”
She gave me a sad smile. “My dad has gone back to being my dad, which I’m really pleased about.
My mum is really excited to come back here, too.
She’d be even more excited if you were here as well.
” She shook her head. “I’m on your side, Pops.
I always have been, even when I was too stupid to show it properly. ”
I reached for her then, and she met me halfway. Our lips met, and we finally kissed. My heart roared its approval, as my whole body tingled with possibility.
When we broke apart, I rested my forehead against hers. “This cottage, then: it definitely has room for two?”
Her eyes lit up. “Plenty. Amazing views, too.” She patted the log. “And I hear the stone skimming competition is really strong.” She smiled. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s definitely an ‘I’ll think about it’.”
She kissed my lips again. “Good enough.”
I stared at her, then shook my head. “I can’t believe you bought our cottage.”
She took both my hands in hers. “Isn’t it about time?”