The Secrets of Clover Castle

by Martin, Holly

  Milly giggled. ‘You make it sound so romantic.’

  ‘But we will have hot sex every night.’

  ‘Still not romantic.’

  ‘And candle lit picnics on the beach under the stars.’

  ‘Getting better.’

  ‘But despite all our problems, I know we are supposed to be together, I know you are my soul mate.’

  Milly opened her mouth to protest, but Cameron closed it gently with his fingers over her lips.

  ‘Not because of some silly family curse that’s been hanging over the castle for the last thousand years, not because you broke the stone heart or have the dragon tattoo or because of the cameo. I know we are soul mates because I can feel it in here, because I was drawn to you from the first moment that I saw you, not because you are beautiful, but because …’ he struggled to find the words and Milly decided to help him out.

  ‘Because it felt like we had known each our whole life. We weren’t getting to know each other, we were becoming reacquainted.’

  ‘Yes. Your tattoo about true love’s kiss. That’s how I feel about you. Before, I was sleeping but now with you I’m awake.’

  Milly choked back the tears. ‘I feel like that too.’

  ‘Then come back with me to the castle and we can start our not so perfect life together.’

  Milly stared at him and he leaned in to kiss her but she leapt back at the sound of a roar of a sports car. She watched Olivia drive out the village, her hair plastered to her head, and what looked like baked bean stains on her blouse. She didn’t even seem to see them.

  Milly looked back at Cameron. What was she doing, could she forgive him so quickly? She glanced over his shoulder at Igor, loading Cameron’s car onto his tow truck.

  ‘Your car’s getting towed.’

  ‘I don’t care.’

  Milly sighed, leaning her head against his chest. ‘I’m so tired. I’ve lost my job, I’m humiliated in the national press and I’ve cried more tears than I even knew I had in the last twenty-four hours.’

  ‘I’m tired too baby, but don’t make the same mistake that I did and make a decision on our future based on exhaustion and emotions. Come back to the castle, have a sleep, I’ll make you dinner and if you still want to leave, I’ll drive you home myself.’

  She reached up and kissed him, just briefly on the lips. ‘I’ve already made my decision.’

  Tears filled his eyes.

  ‘I don’t want that perfect future with you. I want the real one, the one that you just described.’

  ‘With the farts and the arguing?’

  Milly giggled. ‘Yes, I want my future to be with you, in all its glorious and gory details. I love you, all of you and your stupidity hasn’t changed that.’

  He bent his head to kiss her, she wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him back.

  Eventually they pulled apart. ‘So what happens now, shall I carry you off into the sunset, or is that too clichéd?’

  ‘No, but as the sun won’t set for hours yet, how about we settle for you carrying me over the threshold instead?’

  Cameron scooped her up and carried her towards the castle. ‘Let’s go home, Mrs Heartstone.’

  Milly rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. This was where she belonged.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  ‘Hurry, they’re all waiting for us,’ Milly said, shoving her feet into a pair of silver sparkly heels.

  ‘They can’t start without us,’ Cameron said, fiddling with his tie.

  ‘The first wedding in the castle, I am so frigging excited.’

  ‘Yes, and Jamie says we have five more booked for this year and seventeen for next year. He thinks we’ll get full really quickly once word spreads.’

  ‘And no one is half-naked,’ Milly said, straightening his tie.

  ‘Yeah, the villagers aren’t happy about that but it makes sense to do it properly. No one is going to want to get married here if it might not even be legal.’

  ‘Sshhh don’t let the villagers hear you say that, you know how protective they are of their little ceremony. I’m surprised that they have changed their Summer Solstice celebrations to come to this. The first time in nearly a thousand years that they haven’t acted out the play, or so Gladys tells me.’

  ‘They wanted to be here to support us. They know how important it is to us. Besides, opening the castle to visitors and offering weddings here is going to be a massive part of our business.’

  ‘It looks beautiful out there, like a proper fairy tale wedding.’

  Cameron smiled down at her. ‘I wanted it to be perfect. I’d better go, I’m sure they all know what we’ve been doing.’

  Milly blushed.

  He turned to leave but Milly caught his arm. ‘I have something I need to tell you.’

  He smiled, hugely. ‘I already know.’

  She gaped at him. ‘How? Because Lavender predicted it?’

  ‘Because I found the pregnancy test in the bathroom … but the morning sickness was sort of a big clue, too.’

  ‘You are going to be a marvellous dad.’

  ‘I couldn’t be happier,’ Cameron kissed her. ‘I love you Mrs Heartstone.’

  ‘I love you too.’

  Cameron looked at his watch, ‘We’d really better go, I’ll see you out there.’

  He ducked out the door.

  Milly looked around the honeymoon suite and smiled. It was the last room in the castle to be finished and Cameron had kept it a complete secret from her throughout all the renovations over the last year, only surprising her with it the night before. It was a perfect combination of the traditional and the modern. White curtains billowed around the four poster bed, caught in a gentle breeze from the large open windows. There was a tangle of pink fairy lights wrapped around the wooden branches of the headboard and above the white marble fireplace. One of her favourite parts was the gold silk chaise longue placed in front of the windows with views over the sea. Even now, as the sun had just disappeared beneath the waves, the moon tipped sea could still be seen. The en-suite bathroom was heavenly, with a step down jacuzzi surrounded by Greek style marble columns. She and Cameron had spent several hours last night enjoying that.

  The other three rooms at the top of the towers had each been converted into themed family suites. The Lion King suite was probably her favourite, with bold, African style coloured walls, animal print bedspreads and cushions in the main bedroom, wooden furniture and a stone rustic looking bathroom, whilst the twin bedded room for the children had more of a cartoony feel with large brightly coloured lamps made to look like flower heads, rainforest style curtains and prints and murals from the film itself.

  There was an Under The Sea Suite, themed around Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid which saw lots of blue tones, and a Pirate themed room with beds made to look like pirate ships, treasure map blankets and treasure chest style tables and drawers.

  Jamie had asked for a lot of their input when redesigning the inside of the castle. He wanted it to be something they were proud of and loved, especially as it had now become their home. So the themed rooms had been Milly’s project while Jamie had helped oversee the other renovations. The other four rooms in the towers had each been split into two smaller, separate rooms, again combining the contemporary with the traditional. Brightly coloured bed covers and curtains had been added, but they had kept the traditional stone walls and four poster beds. Cold stone floors had given way to the luxury of carpets, open fireplaces had been replaced with gas log fires which were much safer, and the windows were made much bigger, affording stunning views over the fields, village or the sea for all the rooms and lending them much more light.

  The secret passageways from each tower had been converted into proper fire escapes. Ensuring that the castle was safe had been the most expensive aspect of the renovations. The secret passageways and dungeons especially had to be reinforced and rebuilt in parts. And there were now fire exits in almost all parts of
the building, ruining the traditional castle feel slightly but Jamie had ensured that it looked as natural as possible, especially from the outside.

  The banquet hall had been pretty much left exactly as it was, which Milly felt was important considering all its history. Jamie had installed radiators though to make it a lot warmer, especially in the cold winter months, although they were hidden behind more traditional wooden panels so they weren’t obtrusive. The guests would eat their breakfast and dinner in there, or, as today, the room would be used for weddings and parties.

  Most of the parts of the castle that the customers would see had remained the same, apart from a lot of repairs. It was the behind the scenes stuff that had greatly been updated. The old courtyard had gone and the old kitchen had been vastly extended and modernised with proper fridges and cookers. A team of highly skilled chefs had recently joined the ranks of the ever growing staff. Jamie had been happy to hire most of the villagers for the smaller jobs, like gardening, cleaning and maintenance, whilst bringing in his own team of managers to oversee the day to day running of the place.

  They had two more weeks before the castle was going to be officially opened for business and each of the bedrooms were already booked almost every night for the first two months.

  Everyone had worked hard to make it perfect and Milly knew Jamie had enjoyed the project, both working alongside her and the challenge of keeping with the traditions of the castle while making it modern and exciting enough to get people interested enough to come.

  Suddenly remembering the time, Milly quickly put on a pair of simple pearl earrings and the blue cameo which she had converted into a choker. She checked her appearance in the mirror one more time, trying to straighten her hair which Cameron had messed up a few moments before. But as she turned to go she caught Sophia smiling at her with approval in her reflection. She whirled round to look at her but she was gone. Neither she nor Cameron had seen Sophia since the treasure had been lost in the sea, as if somehow her spirit had been released with the treasure, so it was a surprise to see her now. Or maybe not, considering what day it was.

  The moon glinted off her engagement ring for a moment. The tiny pale pink diamond was the only thing left of the treasure when they had returned to the cave. Milly wasn’t sure if it was real or not, but the significance of it was so much more important when Cameron had converted it into a ring and officially asked her to marry him with it.

  ‘I’m going to take really good care of him,’ Milly promised the empty room, hoping that Sophia could hear her. A gentle breeze scented with flowers rushed past her towards the staircase and Milly followed it out.

  She descended the staircase, feeling grand in her medieval style silvery dress, but as she stepped into the banquet hall, she was surprised to find it empty. Candles flickered over the dark surfaces and the delicate scent of the hundreds of white roses filled the room. The log fire was dying, the last embers glowing in the fireplace.

  Where was everyone? A discreet cough from the side of the room drew her attention and she looked over at Jamie, looking stunning in a suit.

  ‘You look beautiful, little sister,’ he said as he passed her a bouquet of pink flowers interspersed with tiny crystals.

  ‘Where’s everyone?’

  ‘Your wedding isn’t taking place here, silly.’

  ‘It’s not?’

  ‘Cameron wanted it to be perfect for you.’

  Jamie offered her his arm and she took it in confusion. ‘Thank you for giving me away today.’

  ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Well, I did miss the first wedding but I can let you off for that as you didn’t know you were getting married.’

  ‘And I don’t think it was a real wedding but don’t tell anyone I said that,’ Milly whispered.

  Jamie escorted her past the staircase, down the corridor and over the drawbridge and Milly gasped when she saw what was waiting for her. A glittering silver round pumpkin carriage sat outside, and a white horse stood proudly at the front with a plume of pink feathers bursting from his head. The carriage sparkled in the moonlight, making it look magical and enchanted, as if it might change back into a pumpkin at any moment.

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Milly squealed.

  Jamie shook his head. ‘Cameron has covered all the bases.’

  He helped her aboard and then sat next to her. The horse and carriage swung into motion and they trundled slowly down the driveway towards the village.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  Jamie smiled. ‘You’ll see.’

  Milly peered out the windows for some clue to what was going on. Were they going to get married on the village green again?

  ‘Hey, don’t spoil the surprise. Tell me about your new job.’

  He was trying to distract her but she let him.

  ‘I love it, I know it’s only been a few weeks but I love being able to share my passion for history with people. I love teaching them about dendrochronology and historic architecture. I see these people come into the classroom with some vague interest in the topic and they leave all excited and passionate about it all. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that I’ve had that effect on them.’

  ‘I can imagine what your lectures are like, you have such an engaging way about you. I wish my history teacher at school had as much passion as you.’

  Milly smiled. ‘And the best part is that the university where I’m lecturing is really close, so I don’t have too far to travel every day.’

  She suddenly leaned forward as out on the dark sea, a glint of gold caught her attention before the sea vanished behind the trees.

  The village sat in complete darkness, even the lights at Igor’s pub that never seemed to go out weren’t on this time. So she was surprised when the carriage stopped in front of the pub doors.

  Jamie stepped down from the carriage and helped her down. She followed him up the tiny path and into the pub. It was completely empty and only a few candle filled lanterns lit the way towards the cellar door. Jamie pushed the door open and helped her down the stairs. He went straight to the hole in the wall and she scooped up her silvery dress so it wouldn’t get too dirty in the cave, but the floor had been lined with a red carpet. The walls glowed with more lanterns. Cameron really had pulled out all the stops.

  They reached the end of the cave and thudded out onto the little wooden jetty. Waiting at the end was a small wooden boat that looked like a gondola with its curved prow head rising high out of the water. Jamie helped her into the boat and she sat down next to him. It rocked gently in the water as they settled themselves. To her surprise, instead of being punted out to sea as the gondola shape of the boat suggested, the driver switched on a small engine at the back and the boat purred quietly as the man drove them slowly out into the waves. As they rounded the rocks that jutted out into the water and neared their secret cove, Milly gasped. There were at least thirty other boats on the water, each with several occupants. What made her smile most was the sea of gold Chinese lanterns they were all holding.

  It was just as she had described to Cameron the year before.

  The boat drifted out deeper, where she could see Cameron standing on a much bigger wooden boat.

  As she passed the other boats she could see some of her friends and all the villagers that she had come to know over the last few months. They started chanting ‘Oogie’ as she passed but she knew it wasn’t a summons to eat her but to keep her safe on her journey at sea.

  She couldn’t stop smiling as her little boat pulled up alongside Cameron’s. He bent over and helped her step aboard his boat.

  ‘You are so silly, you didn’t have to do all of this.’

  ‘I love you, of course I did.’

  Milly smiled at all the people in the boats that bobbed nearby. Belinda was grinning hugely on the nearest boat, standing with Lavender, Constance and Gladys. Even Gregory was with them, wearing a pink bow tie. He barked when he saw Milly and tried to jump over onto their boat but Gladys managed to hold
him back.

  The vicar that had married them the year before in that bizarre ceremony on the village green was standing in the boat with them, but thankfully this time the whole ceremony was in English.

  Milly’s heart was thundering against her chest for the whole time but finally the vicar pronounced them officially man and wife, and Cameron swept her into his arms and kissed her. Milly giggled against his lips and their guests cheered and clapped, releasing their golden lanterns into the night sky. Milly looked up at the wonderful light show as they floated out over the sea, it was beautiful and she couldn’t quite believe that Cameron had done all this for her.

  She undid her star bracelet and let it slip into the sea. Every wish, everything her heart desired had come true that day. She wouldn’t be needing it again.

  Gregory barked, obviously keen to put his seal of approval on the event and leapt across onto their boat, which toppled and quickly pitched both her and Cameron into the cool water.

  They surfaced, spluttering and coughing and gasping at the cold and Cameron wrapped his hands round her waist, pulling her against him.

  Gregory seemed to be grinning at them from the boat.

  ‘Bloody stupid dog,’ Cameron growled. ‘I’m so sorry. I wanted it all to be perfect for you and … why are you laughing?’

  Milly wrapped her arms and legs round him and kissed him hard, silencing any more of his protests. Eventually she pulled back.

  ‘It is perfect. I just married my soul mate, it doesn’t get any more perfect than that.’

  He smiled, his face lit up by a hundred golden glowing lanterns floating above them and kissed her.

  ‘And they all lived happily ever after,’ she whispered against his lips.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed The Secrets of Clover Castle, you’ll love my next gorgeously romantic story, Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake, out in October. You can pre-order your copy here