Just Say Yes, page 13
‘You’re such a—’
‘I have no doubt that I am whatever you’re about to call me,’ he interrupted as he took my hand. ‘Come on.’
‘Where?’
‘You want to see the view or not?’
‘It would be helpful, yes.’
‘But I thought you said I couldn’t take her?’ Calum said.
‘Only because she’s not supposed to be tramping about on that leg and if you did this, she might thump you, and I reckon she’s probably got a good left hook.’
‘Did what?’
‘This,’ Lorcan said, sweeping me up against his chest, this time without asking.
‘Lorcan! Put me down,’ I said, pushing at his shoulder and giving it a frustrated punch when he wouldn’t.
‘See what I mean?’ he stated, before turning his head to meet mine. Up at his level, our faces were suddenly close and I noticed the scar above his right eyebrow and a deeper one to the side of his mouth that was hidden when he smiled. Right now though, his face was serious and focused fully on mine. ‘Now, do you want to see the views or not?’
I glared at him in reply. ‘Put. Me. Down.’ My teeth were gritted but the words were clear.
‘If you do want to see them, I’ll take you. If you don’t, then I’ll put you down and we can go back to the pub, assuming your business here is concluded for the day.’
‘I’m not letting you carry me all the way out there!’
‘Jesus, woman. I’m not planning to! I’ll be needing to see the doc myself if I do that.’
‘Oi!’ I gave him another thump, this time with more feeling.
‘To be fair, you deserved that one,’ Calum said, his arms folded across his chest.
‘Look. We’re all getting older by the minute here. What do you want to do?’
What I wanted to do was walk out with some dignity, preferably over an unconscious Lorcan O’Malley, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen.
‘The views are beautiful,’ Calum added. ‘It’d be a shame to miss them as you’re here and it’s such a good day. Believe me, people have stayed for a fortnight and not had one day as beautiful as today.’
I took a deep breath and then nodded.
‘Was that a “yes, please, Lorcan”?’
I glared at him under my lashes.
‘I’ll take that.’
19
Five minutes later, I’d been deposited in a golf buggy with the name of the castle written on the front and Lorcan was driving us around the grounds.
‘How come you didn’t just suggest this to Calum? We could have taken our time and left you to your afternoon snooze and kept everyone happy.’
‘Who said I’m not happy?’
‘Without being rude, you rarely look happy when you’re in my company and it’s no secret you’d rather not have anything to do with this wedding for whatever reason. Calum, on the other hand, is enthusiastic about the plans, as it’s his job. And even if it wasn’t his job I get the feeling he still would be.’ I shifted in my seat. ‘I know Patrick gave you instructions about making choices by proxy, but I have a pretty good idea what they want and this is what I do for a living. I’m good at it. You really don’t need to shadow me around the whole time when it’s obvious you’d rather be anywhere else – and understandably so.’
‘Me being here has nothing to do with questioning how good a planner you are. Just because the last experience of one blew up in our faces doesn’t mean I think you’ll be the same or that I don’t trust you to do a great job for them.’
‘So why are you here?’
‘Maybe I enjoy it.’
‘I think we both know that’s not true.’
He turned briefly, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. There was something in that moment, a lowering of shields, even temporarily, that caused me to return the smile, his own widening as I did so.
‘Here we are. The best view is from down near that bench,’ he said as he came around to the side of the buggy. ‘I’d rather you were off that leg entirely but perhaps we can come to a compromise?’ He offered his arm.
The waves were crashing below, out of sight, and Lorcan had to raise his voice a little to make himself heard as the wind off the ocean whipped away some of his words, but I got the idea and nodded, taking his arm as I exited the vehicle, careful to put most of the weight on my good leg and Lorcan’s arm.
‘Ready?’
‘Yes, thank you.’
We headed a little closer to the edge before turning right and coming to three wide stone steps that led into a beautifully tended area of garden, a few late summer blooms still hanging on, surrounded by bursts of early autumn colour. A large oak tree stood sentinel over all of it, and a freshly white painted Lutyens-style bench was placed under it, facing out towards the sea.
‘This is beautiful,’ I said, navigating the steps carefully one at a time. As I lifted my head, I caught Lorcan’s anxious, studious face watching my feet with every step.
‘I’m fine.’
‘I know,’ he said, still watching.
‘You’re dying to do the romantic-hero thing again, aren’t you?’
The smile was wider this time when he looked at me, more on a level now as he was already a couple of steps below me.
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘I think it’s probably the setting. I’m sure you’ll come to your senses in a moment.’
‘I expect you’re right. I’m not sure I’m the romantic-hero type, to be honest.’
Tall, dark and solid as a rock with a face that was made for things most of the people in church this morning were regularly warned against, I was disinclined to agree.
‘I guess we each have our own definition of romance.’
Lorcan led me to the bench and waited while I sat before taking a spot next to me.
‘I guess,’ he said after a while. His eyes focused out on the ocean, but his mind seemed to be somewhere completely different. Part of me wanted to ask him about it but something stopped me. I’d have liked to have said it was my professionalism – don’t get involved, don’t get personal – but sometimes you had to get personal. Marriage was a personal thing, it was full of emotions and sometimes those spilled out and it was up to me to try and contain them in a way that kept things on track. I’d worked for a corporate planning company before setting up on my own and I’d always felt as though there was something missing. One day, an hour before the ceremony, with a bride sobbing on my shoulder that she couldn’t do this because her mum wasn’t there to see her or hold her hand, I threw out the company rule book and the sensible, scripted responses I’d been taught and just talked to her, telling her that her mum would always be with her in her heart. That I understood it wasn’t the same, not even close, to having her here to see how beautiful her daughter looked, how proud she would have been to see this bright, funny, wonderful woman preparing to make a commitment to a man who supported her and believed in her as much as she had. And that, whether she chose to believe it or not, I believed that her mum was with her today. We’d both mopped up our tears, called in the make-up artist for emergency repairs and I’d watched as the woman walked up that aisle, still missing her mum, but with a sense of reassurance she hadn’t had before and that, if I’d stuck to the rule book, she still wouldn’t have. Sometimes rules had to be broken.
I’d handed in my resignation a week later, and set about building up my own company where I made my own decisions and my own rules. Every bride, every groom was different and therefore I tailored my approach individually, and my skills in the way I felt was best for each couple.
But Lorcan O’Malley wasn’t like anyone I’d come across before. He was sometimes spiky but incredibly kind, occasionally overbearing but thoughtful, closed-off but looked out for everyone. It was a confusing mix and I was still trying, not only to work him out, but also to work out the best way to deal with him that would result in the lowest amount of stress for both of us. At times I felt as if the most successful approach was going to be the one that involved keeping the greatest distance between us, but just as I thought that was the best idea he’d go and throw a spanner in the works and there would be times when the man hiding beneath all those complicated layers showed himself. There was something intriguing about that man. Something that made me—
‘Maddie?’
‘Oh! Yes, sorry. Miles away.’
Kind of…
‘You OK?’
‘Yes. I was just thinking how beautiful this is. It’s like a secret garden.’
‘I believe that was the idea behind it.’
‘Then the designer completely nailed it.’
‘There’s been weddings held here, in the summer obviously.’
‘Yes. I imagine the weather can definitely get pretty wild here,’ I said, pushing myself up.
‘You could say that,’ he said, standing too and offering his arm once again. ‘Humour me,’ he said as he watched me hesitating.
‘Thank you.’ I took a step and then stopped, lifting my head to meet his eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to have come across as rude. I’m just used to doing things for myself, and have been for a long time.’
‘I can see that. And I’m used to being the eldest brother with three sisters and a brother who often needed scooping up and taking care of and I guess that’s also a habit that’s hard to break.’ He gave a shrug that wasn’t exactly apologetic, more that it was just the way he was wired, which I could understand.
‘That explains a lot.’
‘It certainly does.’
I took his arm and we walked towards the edge of the garden. Beyond a small willow fence, itself host to plants scrambling up and over it, including a jasmine that was releasing the most divine scent, the sea stretched out into the distance. White caps danced on deep blue mixed with slate grey as the weakening sunlight glittered over the surface. Below, the waves rushed on into the solid cliffs, breaking with a crash, booming against the rock before being drawn back into the sea to be swept up and sent forth again.
‘This is amazing. I could stand here all day,’ I said, hearing the unusually wistful tone in my voice.
Lorcan said nothing but for a moment the muscles in his arm tensed against mine and I knew he understood.
‘Do you want to see the other views?’ he asked eventually. ‘This is the most spectacular one but the others are still stunning and you can see them from the buggy.’
‘Do you have time?’
‘All the time in the world.’ His smile was as fleeting as one of those dancing horses out on the wild ocean.
‘That would be great, then, thank you.’
With his assistance, we headed back to the buggy. My leg was actually pretty painful again now and I was glad of being able to see the rest without having to walk too far.
‘This really is the most incredible place,’ I said, taking in the view of the grand stone edifice from across the lawns, the lush landscape stretching out far beyond behind it. ‘Has it always been kept like this?’
‘Ah, no, unfortunately. It was well on the road to rack and ruin, left to crumble. Once places like this get past a certain point, it gets harder and harder to restore them. It was sad to watch that happening here.’
‘I can imagine. But something stopped it?’
‘An investor. Someone who didn’t want that to happen. Money and a lot of hard work got poured in and thankfully the castle turned a profit by becoming a destination and event venue. Luckily there was enough in the coffers to enable it to weather the most recent storm of the pandemic and bookings are steady again now.’
‘That’s great. I’m so pleased. We’ve lost so many beautiful houses over the decades, certainly in England. It’s such a shame. It would have been so sad if the castle had been left to rot. It’s magnificent in itself, but in these grounds, and this location, it’s just… wow.’ I laughed. ‘I’m out of adjectives.’
Lorcan flicked a glance at me. ‘I know what you mean. It’s a pretty special place. Means a lot to the village too.’
‘They must have been pleased that it was bought by someone sympathetic to creating a purpose for the original building rather than demolishing it and building on the land.’
He gave me the briefest of grins. ‘There are benefits to being in the middle of nowhere. It’s less likely to be developed.’
‘Then, I, for one, am very glad it’s in the middle of nowhere.’
‘Apart from the fact you’re stuck here with me.’
‘Well, yes, but, as you said earlier, nothing’s perfect.’
‘Touché,’ he said, a low rumble of laughter sending ripples of warmth through my body. I gave myself a mental kick and concentrated on what he was saying.
‘It’s worked out so far. It’s brought trade in but without making the village a tourist trap where locals can’t afford to live any more.’
‘Sounds like the ideal compromise – saving a beautiful building and restoring it sympathetically for events, which brings in trade and employment for the local community but without destroying the essence of the village.’
‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’
‘Can I ask something?’
‘Sure.’
‘How come it was available for Patrick and Peyton at such late notice? I know myself that a lot of the best places are booked up years ahead, let alone with just weeks to go.’
‘Patrick’s a local boy. Strings sometimes have to be pulled when it’s important.’
‘So is there a bride and groom out there who got bumped?’
He shook his head. ‘No.’ His laugh was deep and warm and once again wrapped itself around me, taking the chill off the air that now had a hint of bite in it from a building northerly wind. ‘Stop worrying.’
‘OK.’
‘Is it playing on your mind?’
‘No.’
‘Liar.’
Was there something in the air here that gave its inhabitants special mind-reading powers? I’d noticed the same talent a couple of times with Brighid.
I remained silent but evidently my face was having a whole conversation with Lorcan of its own volition. He slowed the buggy down and pulled it to a stop, his eyes still focused out on the vista in front of us.
‘Can you keep a secret?’
‘Yes,’ I answered without hesitation.
‘When Peyton started talking about getting married in Ireland and set the date, I had a chat with Calum and they put a reserve on the castle. Just in case they decided they wanted to marry in the village after all.’
‘But I thought the wedding was all set for Dublin initially?’
‘It was. But I think that was more to do with feeling Dublin would be easier for other people, especially Peyton’s side. Travel arrangements and so on. They might be loaded but, even with first-class flights to Ireland, there’s still a certain amount of faff involved in getting here, finding accommodation, that kind of thing. Paddy and I both felt she was compromising as she’d seen the castle on visits to his family and always raved about it. Of course, she denied that she was.’
‘She’s very sweet and I suppose thinking of others’ travel plans is sensible.’ Personally, I didn’t think that was a good enough reason not to have the wedding you wanted but I kept that thought to myself.
‘True,’ he agreed. ‘And sensible is all well and good but not when it comes to a wedding. With that, you have to go with what your heart wants.’
I looked round at him as he once again appeared to read my mind.
‘Within budget,’ I added as a way to distract myself from the discomforting thought that Lorcan O’Malley might be able to read any of my thoughts at all.
He tipped his head back and the laugh burst from him, transforming the sharply chiselled, hard-edged features. ‘And you accuse me of not being romantic.’ When he turned, the smiling eyes seemed to look deep into my soul.
‘I’m romantic!’ I protested.
‘Within budget,’ he replied, laughter still resonating in his voice.
I shrugged, feeling the blush tinge my cheeks, hoping that he would mistake that for the chill and the breeze rather than a reaction to the teasing in his voice that, when he spoke softly like that, was like warm, melting chocolate.
‘Fair enough. Within budget,’ he continued. ‘But there was something about that original plan that seemed… not right. Patrick’s happy to go along with whatever Peyton wants. All he wants is for her to be happy.’
‘Yes, I can see that. It’s lovely.’
‘She’s got a good man there.’
‘She’s very sweet too.’
He turned back to face me. ‘She is. She’s very lovely. Too much of a princess for me but her and Patrick are made for each other. She’s like another sister, really. Not that I need any more!’
‘You did give her a bit of a hard time about the whole Irish ancestry thing.’
He dragged his hand across his jaw. ‘I know. I guess… Roísín had just finished the genealogy search and turned up nothing. I was disappointed for Peyton, and I didn’t want her to get this idea in her head that she had all these roots here when, in truth, she doesn’t.’
‘But being sarcastic about it probably isn’t the best way to go about it, or put her off.’
‘No, you’re right. It hadn’t been the best day. I know that’s not an excuse. She’s great but occasionally things rub me up the wrong way. It’s a culture thing, I guess, and, Jesus, she’s just so full of bloody energy, it feels a bit overwhelming at times. She’s like a Duracell bunny on steroids. I couldn’t cope with that all the time. But she makes Paddy happy and that’s all that matters.’
‘But you arranged this place, just in case?’
‘She’s insisted on me being involved from the beginning. Paddy and I are like brothers and I think she hoped it would be a chance for her and I to get to know each other better. Although, as it turns out, I’m spending more time with you than either of them.’
‘And you said there was no upside.’
He laughed that laugh again, looking up through envy-inducing thick lashes, and gave me a smile that did funny things to my tummy – and a couple of other places. I put it down to after-effects of the painkillers. Something that strong was bound to have some brain-addling hangover effect. That was the only explanation. Well, the only one I was prepared to entertain anyway.
