The car slowed as it reached the peak of the hill. As Nick looked down over the green fields into the valley below he exclaimed excitedly as he hung his head outside the car window. 'It's a castle, a real castle! Stop let me look at it.' The late evening sun bathed the weathered stone with a golden light warming the ancient walls with the last of the day's heat. The castle's reflection shimmered in the glassy surface of the water of the surrounding moat, as various species of bird life made their way up and down the water, and the occasional fish burst through the surface to snap at the odd fly that fluttered temptingly above them. A slight breeze stirred the air carrying sounds of the countryside across the valley. The car slowed to a halt so all inside it could take in the beauty of Jac's home.
'Nick what did you expect? Jac told us her home was a castle.' Brian laughed at his friend, shaking his head at him, but he too was impressed.
'Yeah I know she did, but I wasn't expecting that.' Nick pointed totally enthralled 'Look at the size of the thing. It's huge. Does all this land belong to Jac's family?'
'Yes it does, the Earl is a wealthy landowner, and that doesn't include the wealth from his financial empire either, he's been a terribly astute businessman. And Jac's a wealthy woman in her own right, she inherited her fortune from her mother.'
'Wow this is incredible, I've always dreamed of staying somewhere like this. What's it like inside?' Nick asked Sue enthusiastically.
Sue grinned indulgently. 'It's full of history, but the present Earl, Jac's father has spent a lot of money restoring Beauleigh, but he's not denied himself the creature comforts. You'll not find this a draughty pile of stone. And if you like to ride, Beauleigh has one of the best stables in England. The horseflesh alone is worth a fortune, and that's not including his racing stables. But the castle has tennis courts, a heated pool, all the modern mod cons not normally associated with these great houses. Shall we go on, we are expected for dinner, and I'm starving, I could eat a horse.'
Howie steered the car slowly through the tight country lanes, the bushes and the hedgerows bordering the side of the roads typical of the small roads that crisscrossed English countryside.
'I hope I've packed enough clothes.' Howie thought out loud.
Aj guffawed. ' Yeah D, how many bags in the trunk are yours. I think you've brought enough. Hey I brought my smoking jacket with me. I wanted to look the part of a true Englishman.'
'You didn't?' Howie asked. 'Tell me you didn't bring that Aj?'
'Of course I did, I wanted to fit in with the atmosphere of the place.'
'That's Sherlock Holmes you idiot, 22a Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes didn't live in a castle. You are not wearing that, I've been seen with you wearing some scary stuff, but no way I'm letting you wear that. What will Jac's father think? He's had enough shocks this week to last him a lifetime, he don't need to see you dressed in that.'
'Guys, guys.' Sue said. 'Loosen up.' But all of a sudden she cracked up laughing.
'What babe? What's so funny? Brian asked looking about him for the source of her laughter.
'Oh I just thought of Kev turning up to dinner in a skirt.' She giggled.
'God Sue, don't even think that will you. But I'd love to see his new father in law's face if he did though.' Nick grinned.
'We're there.' Howie slowed the car as they passed through two huge wrought iron gates that were emblazoned with the family coat of arms on each one. The high stone walls were originally part of the castles outer defence, but now they were covered in ivy, which cast it's green fingered tendrils over the ancient stone making it look like a living wall. A short drive through parkland where deer roomed about lazily grazing upon the grass brought them to a wide stone gatehouse that stood across from a stone bridge. Small arrow slits in the masonry were testament to the once martial past of the castle. As they drove over the bridge they realised that this was once the drawbridge but now it was a tarred and sealed road. They entered what was once the castle's inner bailey, but now manicured lawns and formal gardens created a sense of peace, here centuries before warhorses and Knights would have gathered here waiting to follow their Lord into battle. Howie parked next to a row of cars. 'Is it ok to park here?' he asked Sue.
'Yeah that's fine, Williams will be out to see to the removal of the luggage.'
'Who's Williams?' asked Aj craning his neck about as he looked for the unknown Williams to appear magically before them
'Williams is the butler. He's been with the family forever, as was his father before him.' Sue told them, she was a regular guest at Beauleigh and she knew the ropes. They got out of the car and stretched. The evening air of the summer's twilight was warm as they looked about. Hearing a shout, Sue turned and found Jac and Kevin standing on the steps waving to them.
'Hey guys, have a good run down? That blasted traffic on the M25 can be a pain can't it, but you made good time.'
I bounded down the steps enthusiastically, Kevin following more sedately behind as I enfolded my friend in a hug 'Sooz, it seems like forever since you were here last, but I know it's not. Hi guys welcome to Beauleigh, leave your stuff in the car, Williams will see to it. Come and have a drink before you freshen up, that drive from London can be horrible at this time of the day, and I bet you're all starving.' I linked arms with Sue and we chatted non stop, like we hadn't seen one another for weeks, as the others followed behind us. Brian sidled up to Kevin. 'So how did it go with Jac's father?' Kevin looked sideways at his cousin as they walked through the huge wooden oak doors of the castle's entrance. 'Well he was surprisingly good about it. Not impressed with the headlines we've generated of course, but what parent would be. Thank god I won't be seeing mum anytime soon.' He gave a wry smile 'Mum will take forever to forgive me I think. She ripped shreds off me, my ears are still ringing from her lecture. But Miles is a very indulgent father I think, and after his first initial rage, I really don't think he could stay mad at Jac for long. As long as she's happy he's happy.'
'Well that's a start I suppose not having the father in law gunning for your blood?' Brian said with a grin.
'Well I think Miles thought it was all Jac's doing, but Brian I'm just as much to blame for this as she is. No one is pillorising me over us getting married like we did. But she's the one coping the flack.'
'Well she's seems tough enough to handle it.' Brian said not unkindly.
'That's the trouble Brian, she's not. It's all a front with her, I've seen that already. Her public face is all an act, albeit a convincing one.' They stopped and let the others pass them by. 'She is not what she seems that's for sure.'
'That's what Sue says, she won't hear a word against her.'
'They are pretty tight those three girls, they're very close that's for sure.' The others disappeared from view ' We better find the others, this place is so huge I just know I'm gonna get lost.'
'Pretty amazing place isn't it. Nick's so impressed and excited to be here.'
'Wait to you all see your rooms. There's one for every king and queen England's ever had.' Kevin joked " Jac and I are in the Queen Elizabeth room. This place is like living history.'
Kevin rounded a corner and said ' Well there is the drawing room I think, everyone should be in there' Kevin pushed open the door to the drawing room and found everyone chatting with Miles and Jac. Seeing him enter she looked up from her conversation with Aj and Kerry, and she gave him a wide smile, which Kevin couldn't help but return as he drew Brian over to meet his new father in law.
The week at Beauleigh by idyllically. The weather was kind to us, and we indulged in outdoor activities making the most of the dry hot days. Then we would spend hours lingering over dinner talking and eating, arguing, laughing, discussing music, arts anything that took our fancy, all the while sampling my father's excellent wine cellar. Kevin, my father and I rode every morning before breakfast, much to the other's amusement. Brian informed me that Kevin wasn't a noted early riser, so I supposed the temptations of riding good horseflesh, had enticed him into getting out of bed early. He looked really good in jodhpurs lent from my father, and his long, well muscled legs were encased in gleaming riding boots also borrowed from my father, and I teased him about looking every bit the aristocrat. Kevin and my father had stuck up a budding friendship and their mutual love of horses had provided them with some common ground. Kerry sometimes joined us, but I suspected a certain brown eyed band member had claimed her attention. Aj made full use of my father's billiard table, and was often found instructing Kerry in the finer arts of using a pool cue. And from the amount of time they spent together in the billiard room, I joked to Kevin that, she was this time an unusually slow learner. The tennis court and pool were used frequently as we relaxed around both, acting like we had no pressures or cares in the world. Nick was totally engrossed in Beauleigh's history, and I often found him and my father deep in conversation in the most unexpected places, as my father took it upon himself to be Nick's personal tour guide around the castle. My father had taken a shine to Nick, and one day they both fronted up dusty and dirty to the dinner table, after Nick had talked my father into exploring the dungeons with him and explaining their history which was at times a gruesome story. Sue and Brian made use of the down time to spend as much quality time together as they could, and Howie, the sweetheart he was, had the staff eating out of his hand. I laughed outright one day when I caught Williams, pressing all of Howie's clothes.
'Mr Dorough is a thorough gentleman Lady Jacqueline, he has such fine taste.' Was his excuse, and shaking my head at him with a laugh, I left him to his task. And hours later when Howie came down for dinner, dressed in the most immaculately pressed trousers, and not quite sure how they came to be that way, I suppressed a smile and wink at Williams who was handing out pre dinner drinks.
Kevin and I on the other hand, found ourselves in close proximity to each other. And we in turn were comfortable, on edge, relaxed, and uptight with each other .All the while knowing that for appearance's sake we had to try and look the part of the happily married couple. When we forgot about the pretence, we relaxed enough to enjoy each other's company, we found that despite our attraction for each other, which was still as strong as ever, we actually got on well. But then reality would intrude, and we would both remember that this was all pretend, and we would both retreat behind our barriers, frightened of overstepping the imaginary line that stopped us from getting closer. We both knew that one day in the future, we would have to walk away from each other, and that it needed to be as emotionally painless as possible. And despite the intense chemistry we shared, we couldn't explore it further without feeling that we were getting too close, to attached to one another. Because of one moment's madness, we had possibly killed off all chance of exploring our feelings for each other and taking them a step further. I likened my life to that of a play, I was on centre stage and I had won the staring role. And for once I wished it otherwise. This was one role that I was beginning to be loath to play, suddenly it was all consuming and I had a great deal to lose, and for the first time in my life I was unsure of myself and my feelings. For Kevin was the first man that I could honestly say of him, maybe I could fall in love with him or had I already, and the thought scared me.