Absent in the Spring (The Shakespeare Sisters 3)

‘I couldn’t see you,’ he said, pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her back. ‘I started to worry.’

‘I was back here all along,’ she said, lifting her face for a kis

s. ‘I didn’t want to interrupt. And you were wonderful, by the way.’ She glanced down, smiling. ‘And the only man I’ve ever met who can make a kilt look sexy.’

Lachlan grinned, following her gaze down to his legs. ‘Let’s not go too far now.’

She reached for his arm, curling her hands around his wrist. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ she asked. ‘It must be difficult giving this place up.’

He looked around them, at the lodge and the loch, and at Alistair standing in front of a crowd of MacLeishes and Glencarraig residents. He was talking about his plans for the future, for the lodge and the estate, and the crowd were lapping it up.

‘I’m not giving it up,’ Lachlan said. ‘I still own forty-nine per cent of the place. Plus I’m investing in it, too. I’m just putting the right man in charge.’ He reached out, tracing his finger along her jaw. ‘We’ll still come here to visit whenever we want to, and I promised Alistair we’d always come to the gatherings. But look at them, they’re delighted. Nobody could be laird as well as Alistair could.’

Her lips broke out into a smile that lit up her face. ‘Then I’m happy too. Even if you are losing all your connection to Scotland.’

‘I don’t think so. My girlfriend still lives here.’ He traced her lips, curving up to her cheeks. ‘For now, at least.’

She laughed. ‘Lachlan, I thought we talked about this.’

‘We did. When are you moving to New York?’

‘When are you moving to Edinburgh?’ She arched an eyebrow.

‘Touché. I guess I’m going to have to make an honest woman out of you before you’ll obey me.’

‘I’ll never obey you.’ Her voice was light. ‘You know that.’

‘Not even if I use the belts again?’ He pushed his fingers into her hair, angling her head up until his lips met hers.’

‘Maybe then,’ she murmured, her words vibrating against his lips.

He’d settle for that. Not that she left him much choice.

If she’d thought Glencarraig Lodge was beautiful in the early spring, in late summer it was positively glowing. Lucy stood back, her glass of champagne in her hand, and admired the castle, taking in the rounded tower and the leafy green trees that surrounded it on three sides. Behind it, in the distance, rose the craggy hills of the Scottish Highlands. Dusk was falling, causing the thousands of tiny lights strung throughout the trees to twinkle on, making the lodge seem like the setting of a fairytale.

‘It’s beautiful.’ Cesca’s voice came from behind her. Lucy turned to see her walking alongside Kitty, the two of them resplendent in long, summer dresses, their hair curled, their eyes sparkling. Like Lucy, the two of them were carrying a glass of champagne each – taken from one of the waiters, no doubt.

‘And so are you,’ Kitty said, coming to a stop beside her. ‘I love your dress.’

Lucy smiled and ran her hands down the sides of her bodice. Had anybody ever given her such a thoughtful present as Lachlan? She didn’t think so.

The three of them stood together, looking up at the castle. The speeches were over, and the gathering had begun. Waiters were weaving among the crowd, passing out drinks and canapés.

‘So what are your plans now?’ Cesca asked. ‘Have you and Lachlan decided what you’re going to do?’

‘What do you mean?’ Lucy took a glass from a passing waiter, lifting it to her lips.

‘You can’t keep doing this transatlantic thing all the time,’ Cesca said. ‘You must be exhausted.’

‘That’ll explain why she and Lachlan spend so much time in bed,’ Kitty said, laughing.

‘I told you, we’re going to be throwing ourselves at each other in arrival halls when we’re using Zimmer frames,’ Lucy said. ‘We both have careers to think about.’

Lachlan walked up behind them and leaned down to kiss Lucy’s bare shoulder. ‘Don’t listen to her. We’re working it out. I can move some work over here, Lucy can shuffle some things to New York. We’ll be okay.’

She turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised up. ‘Is that right?’

Another kiss to her shoulder. ‘Yes it is. I don’t want our kids being brought up with parents on separate continents.’