Chapter 47
47
T here was no disputing that the estate was pretty in its veil of pure brilliant white. It looked as if someone had taken a paintbrush, dipped it in sparkly paint complete with glitter and iridescent particles, and dabbed it liberally over the whole scene. Snow sparkles glinted from just about everywhere. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that along with being astonishingly pretty, it was also absolutely freezing .
Cally strode along beside Eloise on a walk into the local town. Both Birdie and Nina had been emphatic in their responses, saying that they were staying tucked up by the fire in the warmth. Not only that, Birdie was in her element in the drawing room in the main house, soaking up the atmosphere and no doubt envisaging herself as lady of the manor.
Cally pulled her beanie further down over her ears, tucked her chin in her tartan scarf, and shoved her hands deep down in her pockets. 'Well, it’s certainly cold,' she noted.
Eloise signalled agreement. 'Yes. Didn’t you say Doreen said it would be a lot colder than the forecast said?’
'She did. How can the cold be colder up here? If you see what I mean?'
'No. What? What do you mean?'
'I don’t know, but it just seems very cold. Like colder than Lovely cold. I think my toes are starting to go numb.’
‘I suppose that’s because it is.’
Cally swept her hand around at the woods doused in snow and pointed up to the snow-laden branches of the trees in front of them. ‘The branches take on a whole new look when they’re white, don’t they?’
'Yes and the bushes. I’m so pleased you invited me. I’ll be coming back.’ Eloise joked. ‘You really feel like you get away from it all on the estate. I didn’t quite understand what you meant when you told me before. Now I get it.’
'Yeah, it was a good idea of Logan’s to come here at this time of year. I suppose he knows what he’s doing. He’s been coming here long enough.'
'Definitely,' Eloise nodded. 'How nice to be able to just come up here whenever you want. Oh, to be stinking rich. You have to keep hold of him.’
'I know,' Cally sighed. 'Just a little estate to go to whenever you want, fully staffed with food, and everything at your disposal. Homemade shortbread on tap.'
‘I’ll be ordering one for my next life.’
Cally smiled as she walked along, thinking about what a lovely weekend she’d had in Scotland. They’d not done much but loads at the same time. Mostly they’d stayed on the estate, hunkering down by the fires and going out for walks. They’d also been to the pub, had a beautiful dinner with Birdie, Robby, and Nina, and one night, they’d just sat around the fire, playing cards and then simply putting the world to rights late into the night fuelled by a whisky or two. All of it had done wonders for Cally’s soul.
As they trudged through the snow-covered woods, their boots crunching along, they chatted about what Cally had found at the Peaceton store and how she was putting her flat hunting on hold. Crisp winter air nipped at their cheeks and as they got deeper into the woods, the more magical the scenery became. The woods were still and quiet; the only sounds a soft crunch of snow beneath their feet and the occasional chirp of a bird braving the chill. Cally inhaled a sharp, clean scent of pine and icy air.
'I know I keep saying it but I can't get over how beautiful it is.' Cally’s breath formed little puffs of vapour in the cold air.
Eloise agreed. 'It's like we've stepped into a Christmas card. Better than.’
'It's so peaceful.’
‘It almost feels like a different world. It’s sort of muffled . I think the snow does that.'
‘I have to admit, I had some reservations about this trip. Reservations and expectations, actually.'
Eloise glanced sideways. 'Oh? What kind of expectations?'
Cally hesitated for a second. 'It's silly, really. But, as I said before, I thought Logan might have been planning something. He was really cagey and acting a bit weird when he was arranging it. Remember I said that I thought he might have wanted to come up here because of Alastair and do some sort of a wake thing.'
Eloise’s tone was careful. 'And now?'
'Now, I realise I was just letting my imagination run wild,' Cally admitted. 'It's been a great, normal weekend. And honestly, that's just what I needed. No surprises. I’ve had enough of them these past few years. I want a nice steady life…'
A shower of snow fell from one of the branches above them and little snowflakes glittered in the weak sunlight. 'The dinner with Birdie and Nina was fantastic. I don't think I've laughed as much in ages.'
Cally grinned. ‘When Birdie started telling that story about the mix-up with the prescription labels. I thought Nina was going to choke on her wine!'
‘I know.’
Cally chuckled and smiled. She was well pleased with how the weekend had turned out and very happy that Logan had not pulled any surprises out of the hat. She’d finally got to a point in her life where things were stable and on an even keel. She nodded to herself as they stomped along in the snow with the cold whipping around her head. She wanted it to stay that way and never, ever change. She hoped there were no more surprises in store. She’d had enough of those for a while.