“Aye, thanks to you it won’t.”
“It’s a privilege to be able to help two people get off to a good start, even just in a small way.”
“Sorry again that it’s such short notice.”
“That’s all right. It doesn’t leave you much time to arrange the reception, though.”
“That part of the wedding’s no problem. We’ll just have it in the croft.”
Kate had been in some of the crofters’ cottages the day before when she was arranging the meeting, and had seen how small the rooms were. “That’ll be a tight squeeze,” she said.
“We’ll put some tables and chairs out the back.”
“What if it rains?”
“Hector next door’ll help out and take some of the people in his place.”
On the spur of the moment—looking around the banquet hall and remembering what Finlay had said about the windows rattling, the floorboards shaking and the chandelier swinging as a Highland fling was danced—Kate said, “Why not hold the reception here?”
“That’s very kind of you, Lady Kate, but I wouldn’t dream of imposing on you like that.”
“Maybe I won’t be able to save the estate in the long run, Sandy, but I won’t feel quite so bad if I know I’ve helped out with some things like this in the short run.
“Besides, from what Finlay’s told me, my family owes the people of Glen Cranoch some happy days.”
“We couldn’t afford—”
“We could use food from the estate, and Miss Weir could do the cooking. I’ll help her, and no doubt learn a thing or two in the process.” The more Kate considered it, the better she thought it could be. Without realizing it, she was thinking out loud rather than talking to the man in front of her: “Finlay could be the piper, and I’m sure Cameron would agree to take some photos.”
For a few moments Sandy said nothing. When he finally spoke, it was to say, “God bless you, Lady Kate.”
Kate smiled, thinking it was probably a very long time since anyone from the glen had said that to a lord or lady of Greystane. She put a hand on the crofter’s shoulder and said, “It’ll be my pleasure, Sandy. I haven’t been to a wedding for ages, and I’ve never had a chance to organise a reception, except in my imagination.” She couldn’t keep the wistfulness out of her voice when she said that. “I’ve done it a hundred times in my mind, Sandy. I’d love to find out if it’s anything like as much fun as I imagined.
“Besides, it’ll be doing me a favour: a distraction from worrying about the estate, and the happiest kind of distraction, at that.”
Sandy Alexander reached for Kate’s free hand and took it in both his own, before saying, “You can’t imagine what this’ll mean to Pamela and her mum. You can’t imagine what it means to me. I thought I was going to have to disappoint her, and it was breaking my heart. I never dreamed I could delight her.”
“You’re most welcome Sandy. Just let me know how many people will be coming.”
“This is the guest list, Lady Kate,” Sandy told her, half turning to take in the assembled people with a sweep of his arm. After taking a deep breath, as if unable to believe it all, he said, “You are sure about this?”
“Completely certain. There’s just one condition.”
“Just name it, Lady Kate. In fact, you don’t even have to; I agree to whatever it is. I’d do anything to make Pamela happy.”
“It’s actually something I want Pamela to do: when she throws the bouquet over her shoulder, could you tell her to throw it in my direction?”
Sandy smiled and said, “I’ll do that, Lady Kate.” Barely able to conceal his excitement, he looked at his wife, daughter, and Ross, and said, “Can I tell them the good news?”
Kate nodded. “Tell the world, Sandy. I’d want everyone to know if I was getting married. In fact …” she stopped him as he was about to turn away “… why not make an announcement now, and invite everyone to the reception while you’re at it.”
“I wouldn’t like to invite people into a house that’s not my own.”
“Ask Finlay to make the announcement, then—if you can prise him away from the sandwiches for long enough. He’ll be glad to do it, especially with the thought of a wedding feast as a prospect.”
“If you’re sure …”
“Yes, Sandy, I’m sure.”
Sandy reached for her hand and kissed it in a spontaneous gesture.
Cameron turned away from Archibald Cunningham a moment too late to see that. All he saw was Sandy hurrying away, and Kate beaming.
“You look like you’ve just had some good news. Has someone come up with a bright idea?”
“Yes,” she told him, “me!”
“Something that might turn the estate around?”
“No, just something that’ll make a few of the people who live in it very happy. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve kind of roped you into it, too.” Seeing the puzzlement on Cameron’s face she said, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. All you have to do is take some photos.”
Before Cameron could ask any more questions the chime of silver teaspoon on crystal glass rang out three times. All eyes turned to the head of the table, where Finlay stood with Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and the little-and-large couple.
By the time the echoes of the third ring died out, Finlay had complete silence. “Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please,” he said. “It is my happy duty to inform you of a forthcoming wedding in the glen.” Gesturing to the small, raven-haired girl and the gangly young man, he said, “Miss Pamela Alexander, and Mr. Ross Anderson.”
There were a few wolf-whistles, some cheers and a round of applause. Then someone shouted out, “We’re going to have Pamela Anderson living in Glen Cranoch, then!”
When the laughter died down, Finlay continued. “Furthermore, I’ve been asked to invite one and all to the wedding ceremony, in Greystane’s chapel, a week on Saturday—and to a reception afterwards, here in the banquet hall.”
There was more applause.
Miss Weir appeared at Finlay’s side, holding a bottle of whisky in each hand.
Finlay said, “Now, if you’ll bear with us while we charge the glasses, I think a toast is in order.” That got even louder applause.
Miss Weir worked her way down the crowd on the left of the table with one of the bottles, while Finlay used the other one to fill the glasses on the right. He poured a couple extra, and brought them over to Kate and Cameron. “You’ve done a fine thing, Kate Brodie,” he said. “A fine thing, indeed.”
Finlay turned and walked back to Sandy Alexander, whispered something in his ear, then rang teaspoon on glass for silence again.
Sandy looked down at the floor for a few moments. Then, in a voice that was close to breaking, he turned to his daughter and son-in-law to be, raised his glass to them, and said, “To Pamela and Ross.”
“Pamela and Ross!” echoed around the room.
Sandy next raised his glass to Kate in a quiet salute.
Kate raised hers in return. Turning to Cameron she said, “You don’t mind taking the wedding photos, do you.”
“No,” Cameron said, smiling at her and looking like he was trying not to laugh.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You’re glowing.”
“It’s just great to think about doing something that’ll make people happy, rather than worrying about having to do something that’ll make them sad. And besides, I’ll get to arrange a wedding. Even if it isn’t my own.”
“Now it’s my turn to say I hear the sound of distant violins.”
“A whole string orchestra,” Kate said, laughing at herself as she said it.
“Are you sure you can afford to do all this?” Cameron asked.
“It won’t cost much. The more I thought about it, the more I realized we already have pretty much everything we need. We can put on a pretty fantastic meal with food from the estate—salmon and venison and the like. Finlay plays the pipes, so we’ll have music; and we�
�ve got a great venue right here in the banquet hall. It’s exactly the sort of thing it was built for, after all.” Thinking about the wild flowers Cameron had given her, she said, “We’ve even got flowers for the bouquets.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all thought out.”
“Not the details, but I’m excited at the thought of working them out, too.”
“You seem to be a bit of a natural at this,” Cameron told her.
“What?”
“Planning weddings.”
“It’s not that, it’s just that everything we’ll need is right here in the glen …” Kate’s voice trailed away after she said that, and her expression changed from one of excitement to a much more thoughtful look.
“Just thought of a snag?” Cameron asked.
She shook her head.
Cameron couldn’t work out what she was thinking of, so finally he had to ask. “What is it, Kate?”
The excitement returned to her face, and there was even more of it than there had been before. “I think it could be the bright idea I was looking for. The one that just might save Greystane and Glen Cranoch and the people in this banquet hall.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Weddings, Cameron! Think about everything you need for a wedding, and we’ve got it in Greystane and The Cranoch. We’ve got a chapel for the service; a banquet hall you can hold a dance in; flowers; food; a dozen fantastic places for taking the most romantic of photos …” She was so excited that the words weren’t coming out in any particular order. “It’s all here, Cameron, right here.”
Cameron thought about it, then said, “I don’t want to put a damper on things like Archie Cunningham was doing all night, but unfortunately ‘here’ is the middle of nowhere. It’s an ideal, convenient location for people who live in the glen, but beyond that—”
“You’ve obviously never read a wedding magazine.”
“You’ve got me there.”
“People get married in Mauritius, the Seychelles, the Maldives—they want somewhere remote and romantic. And let’s face it, where are you going to find anywhere more romantic than a Highland glen with a castle on a crag?” She was on a roll. “It’s like that crofter shouted out from the back of the hall: us Yanks love places like this. Everybody laughed at him, but he’s right. We are suckers for this sort of thing. In the States our idea of history starts about 200 years ago, and an old building is one that dates to 1900. Millions of us can trace our roots to this part of the world, and we’re curious about what it’s like, about where we come from. We long to see it for ourselves, get in touch with the romance of it, the wild beauty, the pride and passion—to feel that those things are part of where we came from, and so a part of who we are. All those things are here, Cameron, in spades and for real, not in some made-up, theme park version.
“And besides, it really is the best of both worlds. It looks remote, like it belongs to another time, but there’s an airport not even an hour’s drive away.”
“Sorry to play the part of Archie Cunningham again, but what he said about the problems that stop it being any good as a hotel still follow for what you have in mind. You’re right about the banquet hall being designed for things like weddings and dances, but back then the guests were locals who could walk back to their cottages at the end of the night. You couldn’t offer to put dozens of wedding guests up in Greystane, because there’s nowhere for them to go.”
Kate thought about that for a few moments, and a smile crossed her face. “The answer’s in what you just said about how the guests would go back to their cottages after parties in the old days. I’m guessing the crofters of The Cranoch are always looking for ways of making money—they’d be glad to offer bed and breakfast. And can you imagine how American wedding guests would feel at the thought of being able to say they’d stayed in a Highland croft rather than in some bland, chain hotel? Maybe we could even renovate some of the old township crofts around the lochan, Cameron.”
Archibald Cunningham chose that moment to came over and say goodnight. Before he could open his mouth, Kate said, “Ah, Archie, just the man.”
He looked taken aback—he’d seen Kate crying and dejected; he’d never seen her looking anything like this.
“I think I might have an idea for saving The Cranoch,” she told him.
The lawyer raised his eyebrows, and before he could ask what the idea was, Kate was telling him. The words were the same as the ones she’d used to explain things to Cameron, but again they came out in a jumble rather than in any particular order. Archibald Cunningham didn’t interrupt her, sensing that he wouldn’t have had a chance of getting a word in edgeways no matter how hard he tried.
Once Kate finished, the lawyer thought over what she’d said.
“What do you think?” Kate asked him. When he didn’t answer right away she said, “Come on, Archie, what do you think?”
“I think it might work …”
Kate was almost jumping up and down.
“But—”
“Don’t dare make this a big ‘but,’ Archibald Cunningham.”
“It’s not a small one, but it’s not insurmountable. It’ll just take some thought to get around it, that’s all.”
“What is it, Archie?”
“Your product is a winner, I’m sure of that. It’s just that it’s a niche product, and to sell enough of it you’d really have to get your act together when it comes to putting it out there in the marketplace.”
Kate took some deep breaths, trying to get her head together. “There are ways to do it. There have to be.”
“Aye, well, remember that people plan weddings a fair while in advance.”
“But they also pay deposits well in advance,” she pointed out.
“You’re determined to make this work, aren’t you?” Archibald Cunningham said.
“Yes, I am.”
“I hope I made it clear that the estate can’t keep going much longer. You don’t have much time, Lady Kate.”
“I’ll buy as much time as I can. I’d sell my share in Kate’s Crafts without a second thought if I believed there was a realistic chance to make The Cranoch a going concern, rather than just keep it staggering along on its last legs for another few months.”
“If you feel that strongly, it might just be worth giving it a go.”
“It is worth it, Archie. More worth it than anything else I’ve ever tried to do.”
“Well, let me know how I can help,” he told her. “And let them know, too.” He pointed at the crofters, who were enjoying the food that had earlier lain untouched. “They’re resourceful and they have skills and talents you might not expect.”
Kate smiled, shook his hand, and then gave him a parting peck on the cheek.
When Archie had gone she turned to Cameron and said, “You could be a big part of this, too. You said you thought being a freelancer might not pay. Well, how about doing the wedding photos—not just for this marriage, but for all the others that, with a bit of luck, will follow. It might help you to stay in the glen, rather than have to look for a dull job and a flat in Inverness.”
Cameron didn’t say anything.
“Somehow I get the impression you’re not completely sold on the idea,” Kate said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.
“I think your idea’s great, and there’s a chance it could work. It’s just my part in it that I’m not so sure about.”
“Why?”
“It’s like you were saying last night, about not being able to do sculptures any more; that’s what I’m like with taking photographs of people.”
“You’ll mellow out once you have a few of these inside you,” Kate said, holding up her glass.
“And besides,” she smiled demurely, “maybe if you fall in love yourself you’ll have a greater empathy with your subjects. I’ll have to see what I can do about that.”
Sandy Alexander and his family came over before Cameron could respond to that. Gesturing to Pamela and Ross
, Sandy said, “They’ve got something they want to say to you, Lady Kate.”
“We want to thank you, Lady Kate,” Ross said.
“You’re most welcome,” Kate told him. Looking at Pamela as well, she added, “Don’t ask me how I know this, but something tells me you’re going to be very happy together.”
The young couple blushed and turned to leave. Sandy hung back to say, “Once again, Lady Kate, my heartfelt thanks.”
“Actually, Sandy, it’s me who should be thanking you,” Kate told him.
KATE AND CAMERON STARTED BECOMING MORE THAN simply friends in the days that followed, and Glen Cranoch became their home. There were times when they forgot about the world outside the glen, and there were moments when they forgot about everyone else in the world except each other.
Cameron phoned the various contractors who’d given estimates for renovating Jamie’s Cottage, picked one who could start doing the work immediately, and helped out as an extra laborer.
Meanwhile Kate set about her new role as a wedding planner with enthusiasm and excitement, using the forthcoming marriage of Pamela and Ross to gain experience of putting together the kind of package that would be her product. With help from Miss Weir—whose inspired suggestions revealed unfulfilled dreams of love and marriage and a hitherto well-concealed romantic side—Kate set about compiling a list of all the ingredients for a fairytale wedding. The next stage involved Finlay as well as Miss Weir—the three of them went through the list, working out what the estate and its people could provide, and what would have to be sourced from further afield.
Their lives soon fell into a pattern. They got up early and breakfasted together in the kitchen. Finlay found an extra couple of stools, and Miss Weir took it upon herself to feed Cameron up as he was obviously “another sufferer of that dyslexia nervosa”.
After that Cameron walked to Waterfall Bridge with Kate at his side and Hamish scampering along just ahead of them, setting the pace. It was a slow pace but they didn’t mind because there was so much to enjoy in the surroundings and each other that they didn’t want to hurry.
Waterfall Glen Page 17