Chapter 10
10
I t was the end of the week and Cally and Logan were on a train on their way to Scotland for the family weekend at the Scottish estate. Cally had decided to think about the job offer for a bit. In fact, Birdie had insisted on it until she came back from Scotland. It was a nice piece of news to travel with.
Similar to the races event Cally had attended with Logan, going to Scotland was a non-negotiable part of the Henry-Hicks family calendar. If Cally was being totally honest, which she wasn’t, she wasn’t that keen on the whole idea of the weekend at all. As her relationship with Logan had grown and settled, she had become more used to his family’s extensive social calendar and all that it entailed, but she still wasn’t all that enamoured with it. She kept that very quietly to herself.
However, there was now one major difference from when she’d first been going out with Logan; she no longer withered away with self-doubt about herself when she had to smooch with his family. She was now mostly okay with it and them. That wasn’t to say she liked it. A lot of the time, the social high jinks were just not her cup of tea in the slightest, but she put up and shut up. The Henry-Hicks family had been more than generous and accommodating to her, so she was prepared to play the game. Apart from the irritating Alastair and his badly timed comments, and even he wasn’t that bad, she had no reason not to feel fine about being part of the Henry-Hicks contingent. All the doubting, if there was, indeed, any left, was purely and simply her own.
The weekend away in Scotland, though, was a whole different kettle of fish, and it hadn’t taken her long to ascertain that being part of it was a big deal. As the preparations for the weekend and talk about it had started to circulate as it had got closer, she’d realised that being invited meant that her feet were now well and truly under the family table. She’d sat at worse tables in her life. She liked the nice gilded one she was at now.
The weekend involved various arms of the Henry-Hicks family decamping to their summer holiday estate to indulge in some good old rest and relaxation. As you do. Cally had heard all sorts about what the weekend entailed and wasn’t quite sure what to think. After doing a bit of secret investigating by way of her laptop, she had, though, decided that some parts of the Scottish estate were right up her street.
She’d been determined that she would not focus too much on hobnobbing with family members, but instead, she intended to revel in the wonderful scenery and nature and would do her darndest to enjoy a whole long weekend in the country. She’d always loved being out and about in nature and was going to jolly well make the most of it. She’d packed hiking trousers, was the proud new owner of a highfalutin suitcase, and she had a very nice and, to be quite frank, extremely fancy pair of wellies packed in the boot of Logan’s Aunt Cecilia’s car.
Sitting back in the first-class compartment of the train, Cally watched out the window as it trundled through the countryside. It then slowed to a snail’s pace, lowered down into a loch area and almost came to a stop as it waited at a signal. Since crossing into Scotland, the majority of the scenery had been beautiful as the train had snaked in and out of towns. But as it slowed on its approach to the town outside the estate, the view slowly morphed from beautiful to absolutely breathtaking. Logan put his hand on Cally’s leg as she sat glued to the window, looking out at the jaw-dropping scenery filtering past outside. Her eyes widened as the train wound its way through the increasingly dramatic Scottish landscape, and she became more and more pleased that she’d said yes to the weekend away. She exhaled as the rolling hills they’d first encountered became more rugged, and heather-covered moorland stretched as far as the eye could see. Laid out in front of her, a beautiful muted patchwork of purples and greens seemed to shimmer in the light. It was almost as if colours Cally had never seen before had decided they might like to get to know her and hug the side of the train. She couldn’t quite get enough.
With her nose practically pressed against the glass, she exclaimed. 'You totally undersold this! It's absolutely stunning. The scenery! What the heck, Logan? Why didn’t you say?'
Logan squeezed her leg. 'I knew you'd love it. Just wait until we get closer to the estate. You are not going to be disappointed.'
As if on cue, the train rounded a bend, and Cally gasped as the track ran alongside a pristine loch. Its surface was so still it looked like a mirror reflecting the hills around it. Cally blinked and shook her head. 'I don’t know what to say. I've never seen anything like it. It's like we’re in a book.'
Logan chuckled. 'It has that effect on people up here. I’d forgotten that. I remember feeling the same way the first time I came up here as a boy. You haven’t seen the half of it yet.'
Cally frowned. 'How old were you when you first came up here?'
'Tiny, I guess. But I first remember what you’re feeling when I was about seven or eight, I think. I remember being absolutely gobsmacked by it all. I spent the entire weekend running about like a wild thing. Alastair and I went nuts up here. I never get tired of this place, which is why I wanted you to come. I know you’ll like it.’
'I can just picture it. Logan gone feral.'
Logan laughed as the train passed a patch of dense forest. ‘Yeah, something like that.’
'Oh, wow,' Cally breathed at tall ancient Scots pines. 'Look at those trees. They must be hundreds of years old. This is stunning .'
Logan nodded. 'The estate has been working on a project to protect and expand the forest. It's one of the things Uncle Reg is most proud of. Honestly, though, fair warning: don’t even think about mentioning it to him because once he starts, he will chew your ear off about it. I’m surprised he hasn’t already.'
‘Actually, I’d quite like to hear about it.’
'I'm sure he’d be thrilled to enlighten you.'
Cally laughed. ‘I’m going to be in my element here. I’m glad my coat was ready.'
'You're going to absolutely love this weekend. There's so much to explore on the estate.'
All Cally’s doubts flew out the window. ‘I’m looking forward to it now we’re here.’
‘There are miles of walking trails and some easy strolls around the loch, others go up into the hills for some spectacular views. There's one trail that winds up through the pine forest and then opens out onto a highland clearing. The view from up there is breathtaking. You can see for miles in every direction.'
Cally rubbed her hands together. 'Ooh, this is going to be such a good weekend. I can't wait to see it all.’
‘Have you done fly fishing before?'
Cally raised an eyebrow. Of course she hadn’t. There hadn’t been many opportunities for Cally to do fly fishing. Funny that. Sometimes she did wonder if Logan had any clue at all what her childhood had encompassed. 'Fly fishing? No, I haven’t. I'm not sure I'm posh enough for it,' Cally joked.
Logan laughed, shaking his head. 'Trust me, it's not about being posh. It's about patience and a lot of luck. There are some rare species of eagles, too.'
Cally's jaw dropped. 'Wow, eagles?'
Logan nodded. ‘If we're lucky, we might spot one.'
As Logan continued to describe the estate, Cally got excited about the weekend. Leading up to leaving for Scotland, she’d thought about the whole affair simply as a family obligation that she’d have to suffer through with gritted teeth. Now, though, as the train weaved its way through the countryside, she felt herself start to relax. From the train window, it was pretty clear that she was about to have the opportunity to immerse herself in some of the most beautiful wilderness she'd ever seen. Bring that right on.
'There's a sunken garden on the estate. It's been there for centuries, and it's absolutely gorgeous at this time of year. The poppies will be out soon, too. Honestly, Blackcurrant, they’ll take your breath away.'
‘Nice. I think I’m going to have a weekend to remember if that is anything to go by.’ Cally jerked her thumb at the scenery going past the window. The train passed through a glen and steep hills rose up on either side of the track. A small stream tumbled down a hillside and a little series of miniature waterfalls glinted in the sun. 'It's like every few metres it gets more beautiful.’
Logan nodded. 'I forget how nice it is. It was a good idea of Cecilia’s that we come on the train so that you would get to see this. It is pretty special up here.’
‘Mmm, you’re not wrong.’
‘There's a local legend that says the glen we're passing through now is home to fairies.'
Cally turned to him, eyebrows raised. 'Fairies?'
'The old folks in the town swear by it. They say if you leave a dish of milk out on a full moon night, you might catch a glimpse of them dancing.'
Cally laughed, shaking her head. 'Now you're pulling my leg.'
Logan held up his hands. 'It's a legend. Whether or not it's true is another matter.'
'I suppose we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for any mischievous fairies this weekend,' Cally said, playing along.
Logan joked, 'They're said to be fond of playing tricks on unsuspecting visitors.'
As they continued to chat and laugh, the train began to slow even further. Logan gestured out the window. 'We're nearly there now. You can just see the edge of the estate.'
Cally peered out. In the distance, she could make out a collection of buildings. A large, sprawling main house – if you could call such a grand structure a 'house' – built of grey stone that seemed to grow organically from the landscape. Turrets and chimneys rose against the sky, giving the whole place an air of old-money grandeur. 'It's enormous.’
Logan nodded. ‘We won't be staying in the main house. I didn’t want to bother with all that. I thought we’d be better off on our own. We'll be in one of the cottages on the estate.'
'Much more me, I think.'
'I just prefer it in one of the cottages.'
Cally gathered her phone and tucked it into the inside pocket of her Lovely coat, picked up her water bottle and put her handbag in the front pocket of her suitcase. As they rounded a final bend, an old white timber-clad Victorian station came into view. A platform stretched out before them, covered by a long, sloping roof supported by intricately detailed iron columns painted white. Cally squinted at the deep shade of green on the roof, its delicate wooden fretwork butted up to a central station building of grey stone and white-painted wood. Large, arched windows gleamed in the afternoon sun, an ornate clock tower rose from the centre of the building and little details here and there were painted in the same green as the roof.
Cally raised her eyebrows. ‘And I thought the station at Lovely was nice. Wow, it's like stepping back in time looking at that. I can see I am going to love it here. It's beautiful. Is this really where we're getting off?'
‘Yep. It used to be the royal station back in the day.’
‘As in, for the actual royal family?'
'The very same.’
As the train came to a stop alongside the platform, Cally looked at hanging baskets overflowing with flowers, an immaculately kept waiting area with smooth stone flagstones, and a row of benches painted the same crisp white as the iron columns, their backs featuring an intricate design. She heaved her tote bag over her shoulder and clicked the handle up on her cabin bag. Logan grabbed the rest of their stuff and they prepared to disembark. Cally peered out the door where an old-fashioned luggage cart stood at the end of the platform, its wooden slats weathered but well-maintained, a vintage weighing machine with brass fittings gleamed in the sunlight and a huge old sign for the waiting room swung back and forth in a strong, cool breeze.
'We've travelled through time,' Cally said as they stepped off the train onto the platform. She inhaled crisp, clean air full of the scent of pine.
'Welcome to Scotland,' Logan chuckled. ‘Let’s pray to the weather gods because we will surely need prayers. It gets cold up here any time of the year.’
As they made their way along the platform, Cally looked up at lovely old iron rafters, the timber roof, and a series of information boards mounted on the wall. Each one detailed a different aspect of the station's history, complete with black-and-white photographs showing royal visits of years gone by.
She whipped her phone out and took a photo. ‘I’ll send this to Nancy. It’ll make her laugh.’
'They certainly knew how to build things to last back then. This station must have weathered a lot of Scottish winters.'
Cally nodded at the thought of the Scottish winters. She loved winter, Christmas, and everything snow. She tried to imagine the whole scene sparkling in a dusting of white. From what she’d seen so far, she’d most definitely be coming back to see it in the flesh. She nodded to herself. This was going to be good. Really, really good. At least, that’s what she thought.