Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
‘Yes?’ He reaches me and I slowly begin to make out his shadow in the darkness. Dan stands over me now, in the tiny crack of daylight that is coming down through the gate. My eyes fully adjust to the darkness as we hold eye contact. I’m beyond relieved to see him.
‘Maggie! What happened? Are you okay?’ His voice heavy with concern for me.
‘I-I think so, I just twisted my ankle a little, I’ll be fine.’ Extending my leg, I rotate my left ankle around, and it’s feeling a little better now. Thank goodness.
‘Don’t frighten me like that.’ Dan takes a hold of Red’s collar. ‘Enough. Good boy. It’s Maggie.’ He quietens the dog who is now licking my hand.
‘I’m so sorry, I feel like an idiot. I didn’t know what was going on there for a second, I was terrified,’ I tell him feeling rather foolish.
‘Don’t worry, I have you, you’re safe with me. It’s all okay. But what are you doing down here in the first place?’ He offers me his warm hand.
‘I was just exploring for my article,’ I say as I reach up to take it and again that bolt of electricity runs up my arm and through my entire body.
This is nonsense, I think as I finally get to my feet and brush myself down, careful on my sore ankle.
‘I saw the door open and I was just curious. I hope I’m not .
. .’ I trail off as I realise we are still holding hands. I pull my hand free.
‘Sure your ankle is okay?’ Dan still looks more than concerned in the dim light.
‘No, I’m fine, honestly.’ Tenderly, I put my full weight on it. ‘Just bruised I’d say.’
‘That’s good, I was down here trying to fix the lock on the bloody gate again.
’ He holds the screwdriver in the air, the same one he had at dinner.
‘Then Red ran off, must have sensed you. I swear Red has an agenda. He keeps knocking you over.’ Red, no doubt hearing his name, barks again.
‘I’d run and get you ice if we weren’t locked in,’ he says with a curl of his lip.
‘W-what? W-what do you mean locked in?’ I stare at him.
‘Gate shut. We’re stuck. I don’t know another way to say it,’ Dan says.
‘Stuck? Stuck, how?’ Then, as my eyes start to adjust further, I see Dan is not wearing a top.
He is naked from the waist up. His dark chest hair and his well-defined biceps on full display.
The shine of sweat on his bare skin. He’s wearing his low-slung jeans held up with that leather belt with the brass buckle.
That feeling washes over me again, the one where I feel hot and dizzy and completely out of sorts.
All I need now is for ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift to start playing and I’ll start blubbing. I’m a walking cliché!
‘W-why are you half naked?’ I ask in shock at the closeness of his naked skin.
‘Well, I wasn’t expecting visitors. I took off my shirt as it’s the only clean one I have today and I’m on my belly trying to fix the under of the gate. I just went on into the cellar bar for a drink.’
‘What cellar bar?’ I ask.
‘Well, I call it a bar, it’s a tap. A water tap in the cellar.’
‘Oh, right, I’ll – can we call for help? Have you got your phone?’
‘I don’t. And even if I did it wouldn’t connect until we went up those stairs, no coverage down here.’
‘How do we get out?’ I pretend like I care, I really don’t.
The shock has subsided. We’ll get out soon, I know that much.
This might be the last real time I get to spend talking to Dan Delaney, and even though it’s absolutely none of my business, I still really want to know what happened to his engagement with Denise.
‘We don’t. We spend our lives here. Hallelujah! The fates have aligned. Told ya so.’ Dan claps his hands, and his muscles clench.
‘Stop messing,’ I say.
‘Don’t panic, Terry will be in soon to throw more turf on the fire in the Sweet Orange Room, he knows I’m down here. Follow me.’ Dan takes my hand.
‘What is this cellar used for anyway?’ I try to steady my heartbeat.
‘Nothing nowadays. Well, storing wine and beer kegs, that kinda thing. Years ago it was a gathering area for staff in service to relax in. I’ll show you properly, just need to get into the main room so I can put on the light.
We haven’t been able to access it for a few days as the gate keeps sticking.
Not ideal with a wedding on the other night and more wine needed!
Anyway, head down!’ He jerks my hand and Red barks as I drop my head and the floor underneath becomes much smoother.
The heat from Dan’s hand radiates and once again that feeling of being protected flows through me.
In all the dates I’ve been on, over two years with Cooper, this kind of chemistry has never happened to me.
His fingers flutter and move over mine. Ha, maybe I finally understand what Cooper meant when he said he never felt about me the way he did about Tanya.
I also have every intention of calling Cooper Dwight after Christmas and telling him what I think of how he treated me.
Then I finally will block his number! Just the thought fills me with strength!
‘Voila!’ Dan lets go of my hand and as he hits a button the sounds of a generator kick in and the lights start to flick on above.
‘Welcome to Castlemoon’s cellar. It’s my absolute favourite part of the castle, truth be told.’ Dan watches me as my eyes widen and I take it all in.
‘You have got to be kidding me!’ To say I cannot believe my eyes would be an understatement. Slowly, I turn three hundred and sixty degrees to take in the magnificence of what I’m seeing. ‘Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any better.’ I gasp, wildly.
The cellar is a perfect circle with unexpected height, exposed brick and nooks and crannies everywhere.
Inset into the wall are old steel antique candle holders and a wine-rack mounted on the wall is home to what appears to be hundreds of bottles lying flat.
Red tapestries hang on one half of the wall, and kegs and crates are scattered around.
There’s a huge open space in the centre where a cobblestone floor spreads out.
It’s like someplace the Knights of the Round Table might have gathered for their feasts.
‘Really? Oh, that’s great to hear, so glad you like authentic as much as I do.’ Dan is pleased, and still half naked!
‘Dan, who actually owns this place? I know it’s not my business but I need to speak to them because this is a gold mine!
This is where Kate and Jimmy should get married!
Feel how warm it is down here? This has romance seeping out of it and it’s smaller and easier to manage.
It’s so much more compact than the Heart Ballroom, yet you still get married in the castle and have all those blessings of a long-term marriage,’ I explode with elation.
Dan says nothing, just leans back against the brick wall. His mouth falls open, he scratches his stubble.
‘At your service,’ he says finally, extending his hand.
‘Huh?’ I crinkle my nose in confusion.
‘Lord Dan Delaney. Owner of Castlemoon. How can I be of service?’
My mouth drops open in shock. ‘Say what?’ I lean so far into him I almost fall over.
‘Watch yourself.’ He puts a strong arm out to steady me. ‘I mean I’d hoped you were falling for me but . . .’ But his eyes hold mine and I can see he’s curious to see my reaction to this bombshell. I mean I knew he worked here but I did not realise he was the owner!
‘Y-you own the castle? You own Castlemoon?’ I almost choke on the question.
‘I do.’ He nods.
‘Esther and Michael are . . .’
‘My parents, yes,’ Dan says, oh so matter-of-factly, watching me oh so carefully.
‘Oh my God,’ I gasp. ‘I love them so much!’ I clutch my heart.
‘I was going to tell you . . . in Heartwell Hall.’ The smallest flicker of a smile at the edge of his mouth. ‘But, well, ya know.’
‘Well . . .’ I compose myself. ‘You have a beautiful . . . castle.’ I laugh at the absurdity of my words.
‘And cellar by all accounts. Please, tell me more?’
I try to pretend that I’m not as shocked as I am. I am talking to a lord. I kissed a lord! He is so humble. I can hardly wait to get out of here and call Jill. But I turn to him and focus on his cellar.
‘Oh what I wouldn’t do to turn this cellar into a wedding venue.’ I watch him now reaching for his white shirt draped over a barrel, the sinew of muscles rippling down his bare arms as he slips an arm into each sleeve and pulls on his shirt. He lets it hangs open. Don’t button it up, I think.
‘How on earth would a bride and groom dance on a cobbled floor?’ he questions me.
‘Eh, we cover it with a parquet flooring.’
‘How much would that cost?’
‘Not that much.’ I know that for a fact. I had Jill’s barn floor in the outhouse covered for a very reasonable amount.
‘There’s feck all light?’ Dan’s still staring at me but I can see his mind is whirring, his eyes narrow, his brow furrows.
‘Oh this isn’t the place for some gawdy fluorescent light!
This is hundreds of white fairy lights all the way.
What says romance more than candlelight and roses?
This is a unique wedding venue, perhaps the most unique I’ve ever seen in all my years at the magazine.
This could be out of this world. Magical.
Affordable,’ I say fiercely with total belief in my words.
‘So let’s just say you did ever want to get married, which, by the way, I recall you saying you weren’t the marrying type.
Are you telling me you could see yourself getting married down here?
’ The way Dan asks me make me feel like he trusts my opinion – there is a respect in his voice I don’t hear often enough in my job back in New York.
‘Hypothetically, absolutely!’ I tell him with glee.
‘This is what you do, of course. No wonder you’re writing an article for a big New York publication, you’ve an amazing eye.’
‘It’s a gold mine, Dan.’ I glance up. Though we are underground, the roof is high. ‘It’s your gold mine!’ I shake my head still trying to register His Lordship’s news.