Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 126850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Grace frowned. “At all? That seems a shame.”
“Not really. Dad would spend a week or so up here every year with me to keep up to date on the estate.”
“That must have been hard.”
“As a kid, yeah. I hated it. That changed when I got older, and I started to fully understand the weight of the family history. This place,” I said, looking around. “Is my future. I get it now.”
“Wow.” Grace slowly nodded her head, and she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I guess that’s true. You’ll move here, right?”
I rocked my head from one side to the other in uncertainty. “I don’t know if my parents will move here when the inevitable happens, so I haven’t even thought that far ahead for myself. Times are different now, especially since it’s not like I grew up in Scotland. I’m part English by blood, and I’m extremely proud of both parts of my heritage, but I’m sure there would be many who wouldn’t be pleased to have an outwardly English man holding a Scottish title and living here. Maybe things will be different when it’s my turn, but who knows.”
“I suppose,” she said softly. “What would you do with the castle then? And the rest of the estate?”
“It would remain under our control, of course, but if I didn’t live here, I’d probably open it up to the public fully. There’s plenty to see here, and it would create both tourism and jobs for the local communities.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No, not really. It’s just one of those ‘what if’ scenarios that must be considered.”
“You’re right. And here I am just trying to figure out which pens are best for note taking in my research,” she replied with a light chuckle.
“Have you thought about what you’ll do when you’ve completed your PhD?”
She took a deep breath and sighed it out. “No.”
I dropped my chin, laughing, and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “Have you considered teaching?”
“I’d rather gauge my eyeballs out with a knitting needle and use a nuclear bomb on my eardrums,” she replied without batting an eyelid. “No, I will not teach.”
“Don’t you have to with your PhD?”
“Thankfully, no. It wasn’t a requirement for me. Only optional. I opted for absolutely frigging not.”
I could hardly blame her. Teaching wasn’t something that appealed to me, either. God bless those who had the patience for it, but I wasn’t one of them.
Especially if it was teaching children and teenagers. I was both, once upon a time. I knew how dreadful those little blighters could be.
“This path is a lot longer than I tho—Oooooh!” Grace slid as the gravel gave way under her, and my body moved before my brain had caught up to the situation.
I grabbed her arm, stopping her from falling any further, and wrapped my arm around her waist for more stability. Short, quick breaths escaped her parted lips, and her right hand gripped onto my coat so tightly I could feel her tugging the material down all over my upper body.
“That was quite the fright,” I joked, looking down at her.
She turned to looked at me, meeting my eyes. They widened ever so slightly, and something inside me pinged into action—into life, almost.
Her eyes were breathtaking.
They were the most beautiful bright blue, but her pupils were surrounded by a darker shade that was opalescent, almost changing depending on how the light hit her face.
And familiar.
Weirdly so, like I’d looked into them like this before.
I hadn’t, of course. I knew I’d remember Grace if we’d ever met, so all I could assume was that our paths had crossed during our university days. Through mutual friends or a similar situation.
Then again, maybe I’d just passed her in the supermarket.
But I didn’t think so.
I could swear I knew her. It was like an itch, a little bug I couldn’t quite squash. The feeling that I knew her somehow crept through me and took up residence in the very back of my mind, just waiting.
For what, I wasn’t sure.
Perhaps neon lights to appear on the hillside telling me why I recognised her or a meteor carrying an alien lifeform to make me remember.
Either would work.
Grace cleared her throat and shifted away from me slightly. “The gravel hates me apparently.”
“Are you all right?” Mum’s voice echoed up the hill from the direction of the cottage, and I looked over in its general direction.
“Oh no, did she see that?” Grace whispered.
“I think she might have been waiting for us,” I replied vaguely.
“That’s a yes, then.”
Laughing, I released her with a sceptical look. “You sure you won’t fall over again?”
“Oh, my gosh. It was one little slip.”
“That almost resulted with you ending up on your arse.”
She pouted, glaring at me. “Let’s get this over and done with, shall we?”