Draw Me A Picture (61 page)

The airline released their luggage efficiently; William again had porters carry the bags; he felt a bit preoccupied with Michelle. Arm in arm, they strolled from the entrance doors. Freezing air enveloped them; William was mentally prepared for it, but Michelle shivered a good deal, infinitely glad she’d worn a wool coat. Her thin bridal gown, however, left like nothing at all. They quickly ducked into a shuttle –bus for a ride to a far corner of the airfield. A few charter-flight companies sat out there by large, separate hangars. The frigid air did not dampen Michelle’s spirits; she let William lead her around, speaking to his fellow countrymen in a more familiar manner than she’d seen him exude in New York.

A small, sleek-looking jet sat on the runway; Michelle gasped a little at it.

“It looks like the kind drug lords use to transport their coke,” she said, with a straight face. William burst out laughing.

“Drug lords? What old movie did you see that in?” he inquired, leading her towards the airplane. Michelle smiled sheepishly.

“TV series. Miami Vice,” she said, shrugging. William chuckled.

“You need a hobby,” he said, indicating a short flight of steps up to the jet’s entrance.

“I have several,” Michelle said, over her shoulder. William waited to pursue this line of conversation until the flight had taken off.

Michelle was surprised how loud the engines were compared to the EOS plane. As the jet took off, she saw the beautiful lights of London spread out all around them again, appearing like so many stars fallen from the sky. The pool of sparkling lights drifted slowly away as their jet raced northward.

“So... hobbies?” William said over the noise of the engines; he put an arm around his wife’s shoulders. Michelle smiled.

“Playing the piano perhaps, and let’s see...drawing?” she said, giving William a sideways look.

“... And being a general minx,” her man said, kissing her cheek. “Let’s not forget climbing trees.” He looked at Michelle, his eyes perusing her features; he wanted to memorize every detail of her face. “There is so much we get to learn about each other,” he continued. “I want to know all about you.” Michelle turned her face towards him.

“I have many mundane details to share,” she said, trying not to laugh. “But I’d rather know about you than relate things about myself.”

“I know,” William said, leaning his forehead on hers a little. “It’s far easier to ask than to tell, isn’t it?  Tell you what, I’ll go out on a limb for you, and you do the same and we’ll both dive into vulnerability, together.” Michelle smiled a little.

“OK,” said she. “You seem like you’re worth the risk.” William’s answer to that did not require words.

The flight lasted less than an hour. The sky looked quite dark by the time they couple disembarked from the little jet; no city lights illumined the night sky here. Michelle noticed the air was even more frigid, but wondered if it was merely the wind that made it feel so. William led her towards a waiting car; the warm exhaust from the engine showed up as plumes of white drifting across the car’s headlights. As cold as the air of Scotland felt, overhead was quite a sight to be seen. Stars sparkled everywhere; billions of them… more visible than any Michelle had ever seen. They looked like a tapestry of woven diamonds blanketing the sky. She stood for a moment outside the rumbling car, staring up with an awed smile on her face.

William saw her posture and looked up himself; he smiled.

“They are beautiful, are they not?” he asked, putting his arm around Michelle's shoulders. She nodded, speechless. William bent a little and kissed his bride’s ear. “Come on, love. You’re cold.” he said, gently guiding her into the car. Michelle sat down on the springy seat, looking out the window at the stars again.

“I’ve lived in the city so long I almost forgot what a sky full of stars looks like,” she said, once William climbed in beside her. He chuckled.

“Yes, well I’ve not looked at stars for some time myself,” he confessed. “Birkhill Castle, please,” he said to the cab driver.

“Right,” the cabbie said; the car moved away from the airline at a rapid speed.

Michelle looked over at William with wide eyes. Her fiancé grinned, and shrugged.

“Castle?” Michelle inquired. She looked at him narrowly. “I sure hope that’s a local colloquialism for cottage or hotel.” Her loving man chuckled.

“Well, perhaps it is,” William said, with infuriating calm. “Perhaps it means a really big cottage... made out of stone, with towers.” Michelle gasped, then smiled at him; before she thought better of it, she reached forward and jabbed William’s side a little. Her man bent over a little, before he caught himself. Michelle smiled with a great revelation, her eyes alight. William was ticklish. Her husband straightened up and pretended to be unaffected.

Leaning towards him a little, Michelle smiled sweetly.

“You’re ticklish?” she inquired, her voice very quiet. William heard each word, however; he cleared his throat.

“I don’t know what you are talking... gah!” Michelle’s fingers stealthily found another spot on William’s rib cage; twisting around, William captured her hands. He smiled down on his wife. “None of that, minx.” he warned; he could not stop a low chuckle at his wife’s expression. Michelle looked very happy indeed to have found his weak spot.

“A chink in the armor!” she said, giggling. “I’m so glad you have one...”

William made a face and released her hands.

“If you’re going to start a tickling war, my love, you should bear in mind that you are equally sensitive.” Finishing his threat, William bent down and kissed his bride fondly. Michelle reached up and touched his ear, with light, soft fingertips. William pulled quickly away from her.

“You play unfairly, love,” he said, smirking at her. “Those fingers of yours do strange things to me. No touching until we get to the... er, cottage, with the towers.” Michelle smiled to herself; merriment twinkled in her eyes.

“I wonder what other quirks he has...” she thought; she was suddenly curious to find out exactly how ticklish William really was. “Patience,” she silently told herself.

Birkhill Castle turned out to be a real castle, on an estate... a large estate. Michelle stared out the window as they approached the structure; light poured through the darkness from several windows, including one high up above the rest. She looked at William, and sat back against the seat.

“You rented a castle for us,” she said, quietly. “Wow.” Her husband laughed, mostly at her.

“I’m glad you like it,” William said. “Very private, lots of space to walk around, like you wanted...”

“But, a castle?” Michelle said, tempted to tickle the man again. “I certainly didn’t expect... it’s wonderful.” William smiled; affection shone in his eyes and Michelle felt every iota of it.

“Maybe I wanted you all to myself,” her man murmured “You can’t run from me in a castle, now can you?” Michelle saw William was teasing her but she felt tears start in her eyes.

“I don’t want to run from you,” she said, softly. “Never.” She slipped her arms around William’s neck and kissed his face several times. Closing his eyes, William was infinitely glad they were finally here; his bride had no idea what he’d suffered all day, and these little kisses from her soft lips were not helping. Not at all.

“Here we go, love,” he said as the car stopped under a grand breezeway.

William helped his bride from the car; her awed face was very satisfying to see. Even at night, the place looked spectacular. A thin man in a fine, black wool suit met that at the entrance; the man had a pleasant face but wore a serious expression as if he had much to do and not enough time to do it.

“Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery... I am very pleased to meet you,” the man said; his accent appeared barely Scottish, but he spoke with precise, excellent diction. William shook hands with the man; Michelle got a smile from the man by giving him a small curtsy

“My dear you are a lovely bride, if I may say so. I am Aidan Gainnes, the keeper of the Birkhill estate for the Earl and Countess of Dundee.”

“Earl?” Michelle repeated, softly. Mr. Gainnes smiled.

“The Earl and Countess live here, my dear,” he explained, gently. “They often rent it out when not present, especially during the colder months.”

“It’s breathtaking,” Michelle told him. Indeed it was. The foyer they stood in was literally swathed in beige and warm cream colors, tapestries, glinting lamps and light fixtures and long rugs on the highly polished floor.

“Thank you,” Mr. Gainnes said. “All the arrangements you asked for have been seen to. I know you are anxious to retire soon, so I’ll not take up too much for your time.” William nodded.

“Thank you, sir,” he said, smiling. “My wife and I are a bit tired from our trip.” Mr. Gainnes seemed to find this amusing and hid a small smile in a cough.

“Yes, well... I’ll be off then,” he said; Michelle thought she saw a slight twinkle in the man’s eye. She blushed, knowing full well William was not in the least tired. Neither was she. Mr. Gainnes had more to say; he handed William a little, paper book. “Here is a map of Birkhill and a pamphlet on its history. If you need anything, Allan is in the outbuilding, just to the right of the kitchen entrance; he’s steward here in my absence and walks the perimeter with the dogs at night. Keeps to himself, though. Marcie is taking your things to the master bedroom; she leaves at night, as does the cook, Anna. She comes in at 7am, and breakfast is at eight, sharp.”

“Thank you Mr. Gainnes,” William said, looking at the map for the tower entrance. He didn’t see it right away and looked up again. Mr. Gainnes pointed discreetly to his right, with a smile. William grinned and said goodnight to the man. Once the man left, no sounds could be heard in the large hall, save the popping of a crackling fire somewhere close.

Feeling a sudden tide of nervousness come upon her, Michelle bit her lip and looked around.

“It’s just beautiful in here,” she said, smiling a little. “It feels cozy, even though it is a castle.” William
smiled.
 

“Yes, they didn’t overdo it on the decor, thank God,” William commented. They walked forward a little, pausing to look at a few things. William felt Michelle’s hesitancy now that they were alone; just beyond a particularly large grandfather clock stood a slender door partially receded into the stone wall. Glancing down at the map William grinned.

“Almost,” he thought, looking over at his lovely bride.

“Look, it says they even have a tower,” he said, in an off-handed fashion. Michelle looked up at him, her face alight.

“No way...” she said, smiling very wide. “I love towers.” William buried his laughter with a great effort.

“Really? Let’s go up and look at it, shall we? Then we’ll try to locate our room.” His suggestion met with universal approval on Michelle’s part. They ducked into the door and found a set of circular stone steps heading upward. Instead of torches, little electrical, candle-shaped lights lit the stair.

Taking Michelle’s hand, William led her up the steps; both bride and groom smiled, looking ahead around the never-ending corner.

“This is so cool,” Michelle said, breathlessly. “Pardon the juvenile word, but my vocabulary is on hiatus.” William laughed, glancing back at her in the dim light.

“Silly girl,” he said, fondly. “You made up for ‘cool’ with ‘hiatus’...” Laughing softly, Michelle followed her man blithely onward. William stopped at another small, wooden door. He tried the handle; it opened without a sound. He stepped into the room, drawing Michelle in after him.

Michelle stared at the room, her mouth open a little. She was expecting piles of boxes, or an empty room with a museum-like display... or something. This room was round and small, though larger by far than her hotel room; lit candles in little lantern boxes here and there winked at her from shelves. Their luggage sat on the floor, right by a cozy-looking bed. The bed itself was on the floor, with many colored pillows on it; it reminded the bride very much of the reading nook in Vermont. Michelle put her hand up to her face, smiling beneath it.

“I thought you’d like this better,” came William’s voice. “More than, well, one of the huge rooms downstairs.” Turning, Michelle encountered his blue eyes looking back at her; his face and voice held something like uncertainty. He stood with his hands in his pockets, but very close to her.

“I do liked it,” she said, biting her lip. “Very much.” Her voice was merely a whisper. William thought he saw a tear glimmer in Michelle’s eyes; he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, allowing himself the kind of kiss he’d been avoiding all day. He broke away a minute later, going immediately to the door. Closing the door, William locked it securely.

“No interruptions,” he thought, grinning.

Turning, he found a chair and took off his jacket and tie, laying them over the back of the chair. He felt Michelle’s hand on his arm and looked down at her; though her face was flushed, she seemed very calm.

“Do you want help with that?” she asked, quietly. William grinned.

“I can undress myself, you know,” he said, amused. Michelle bit her lip and smiled.

“I’m aware of that.” she said. Her eyes held something other than laughter, William noticed. “I didn’t ask if you needed help. I asked if you, uh... wanted... help...” Her courage failed and she glanced at the floor.

“I see,” William said; his low tone of voice made Michelle look back up. The look in his eyes brought her bravery rushing back. He leaned down and kissed her, though gently. He did not pull back, however and Michelle felt an overwhelming desire to help him off with his shirt. William broke away and stripped off his shirt, himself. Michelle felt momentarily tongue-tied at the sight. Oh, yes she remembered those muscles. Definitely.

William felt her appreciative scrutiny and grinned. His smile took Michelle’s breath from her lungs.

“I hope most sincerely that your dress has a zipper, and not a million, tiny buttons...” her loving man whispered, his voice a little strained. Michelle felt herself pressed in William’s strong embrace; he kissed her soft, bare neck. “Ah, Michelle... what you do to me!” An emotion stronger than Michelle had ever heard lingered in William’s words; she felt him shudder a little against her.