Part 3

The other day after breakfast I climbed into the coach. Golly had taken the open coach caus it was a sunny day. I was holding a parasol above me to protect myself against the sun.

'Also a fashion of those days that I hated. You never saw a lady with a tanned skin'

Elisabeth was living in a castle in a village a little bit further. When the coach stopped she came outside to say welcome. She was very delighted to see me.

" Lexie ! "

'Lexie, was that how she called me ? '

She ran to me and hugged me. It was already hard for me to take a breath in those clothes, now I couldn't breath anymore.

" Hello Lizzie, how's life ? And how was your trip to France ? " A little girl came outside in a beauty of a dress. She's just like a little doll. " Hello Martha " I said and hugged her.

" Well we're all fine. Gerald is still in France for business, but I wanted to come back. But how is it with you ? You must feel very lonely now William died in that awful accident, or... is there yet another man in your life ? "

I became a little bit red in my face.

'Things are coming always more clear to me, so William was the name of my belated husband'

We spend the whole morning while walking and sitting in the garden. Little Martha was proudly walking behind her doll's pram and stopped sometimes to take the doll out of it to cuddle her.

Lizzie and I were talking about the trip to France. She has been in Paris and we were chatting about all the churches and famous things we both have visited in that big city. Afterwards Lizzie has been to the Cote d'Azur where Martha has been ill and Lizzie decided to come back home with her. Gerald, Lizzie's husband was still in France for business.

At noon at the moment we decided to go inside for having lunch we saw someone arrived on a horse.

"That's my brother Archie ! " Lizzie shouted.

'Archie ? oh yes of course a cuddle name for Archibald '

I was blushing. She saw it and said " Lexie, Lexie, don't tell me you're falling in love with my brother "

" Why ? I don't say anything, but...he's a very gorgeous man " I said.

Lizzie started smiling " Oh sure he is and he's very nice too " We didn't talk longer about him cause he was coming closer and opened his arms to catch up his little cousin who was running to him. He threw her a little bit in the air and caught her up again while he was cuddling her. Martha was giggling and talking a lot to him.

Then he put her down and came to Lizzie to kiss and say hello to her. With a hesitation then he gave me also a kiss on my cheek. I can't tell how I was feeling on that moment, but it was a happy feeling that I got from the top of my head to my toes.

He stayed with us for lunch and then said goodbye. We should met him in the evening for the ceilidh.

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That evening it was very crowdy at Glenbogle. Paul and Isobel where the sparkling couple. Everyone was dancing. I was watching at Archibald and his sister Elisabeth who were dancing together a reel. They were dancing in my direction and stopped right before me.

"So now it's your turn Lexie, I'm tired " Lizzie said while she was falling down in a chair and kicked of her shoes. I was looking in his eyes and started trembling when he took my hand into his.

The reel music stopped and the band started playing a slowwaltz.

"Shall we ? " he asked me, and I nodded yes. I got a feeling of being in heaven when we were dancing together. We didn't stop looking eachother in the eyes. It was like he was my dance partner forever. Not even one time we made a mistake in the waltz.

When the music stopped everyone was clapping hands for us. I saw that even the old Laird Hector was clapping with a smile on his face. My heart was beating very fast.

Archibald was holding his arm before me and I put my hand on it. "Shall we go for a walk outside ? " he whispered to me. I didn't say no to that.

Outside we were sitting on a bench and looked out over the loch. We were sitting very close, I could feel the warmth of his body next to me. At first we didn't say a word to eachother. Then he started telling me about his former fiancé Justina. How he met her in London and took her with him to his home. How awful she found the cold Scottish climate and missed the city life. Then she told him that she didn´t love him at all and only wanted him for the title he should inherit after his father should die. From that moment it was all over between them and he send her back to London.

During the whole time he was telling me this he was holding my hand into his. At once I started shivering a bit.

"Are you feeling cold ? " he asked and wrapped his arm around me. His head was very close to mine. I looked in his dark eyes and then to his mouth. He did the same. We were coming closer and closer and then he gave me a light kiss on my mouth. And again. And again. Then he kissed me very passionately.

Together we walked hand in hand back to the house were the party was coming to an end.

That night I was falling asleep with still the feeling of his lips on mine and in my dreams he was laying next to me with his arms around me.

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We spend a lot of time together during the next week.

At the day I had to go back to Glasgow he wasn't there. I was feeling very sad that he didn't say goodbye to me.

I climbed in the coach.

'How quickly I got used to those long dresses. I could almost run at the end on the stairs with them and climb into the coach without falling !'

My mood was the same as the weather, sad and grey, caus it was a rainy day. Duncan helped with the suitcases. I said goodbye to him. Even Katrina the housekeeper made a curtsy.

It seemed the last days Duncan and Katrina were falling in love. I saw at a certain moment he was giving her a pat on her back and she didn't push him away. She turned around and smiled to him, threating him to give him a pat back with the saucepan.

Golly climbed on the box and clacked with his tongue to spur on the horses. I waved to Molly, Hector and the others but the sad feeling didn't go over.

After a while I saw a horse approaching from far away. Should it be him ? I couldn't see it. My heart was beating faster.

At the other side I saw there was something coming closer to us in full speed. Our horses were galloping and Golly didn't say anything to them or didn't do anything to change them from direction. Didn't he see it at all ?

I would scream but my throat was very dry. There came no sound out of it.

I looked if I could see the man on the horse but he was disappeared. Then it wasn't him.

At once there was a crash. I thought I gave a loud scream and it became all dark before me.

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I was waking up, didn't know where I was. My whole body was hurting. I heard a voice from far away.

" Hello ! Are you allright ? " it was a mans' voice.

I tried to open my eyes and saw I was still in my car. I tried to move myself. My arms were hurting. But I could move my feet and legs.Thanks God for it !

" Hello ! Are you allright ?" the man tried to open the door of my car and succeeded in it after a while.

Then I looked in the most wonderful brown eyes I've ever seen. To be saved by such a handsome man, it happens only in dreams. Or was I dreaming ?

He took my hand. " Can you come out of the car or do I have to call an ambulance ? "

" No, I don't think so. If you help me to come out of it." He helped me to get out of the car. Standing on the ground my legs were trembling. Was it of the shock I got when he touched me or was it of the shock of the accident ?

" Wrap your arms around my neck then I take you to my car and bring you to my home "
I was feeling in heaven to be close in his arms. I could smell his aftershave. He put me down in his car and walked to the other side to step into it.

"Oh sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Archie MacDonald and I live overthere in that castle, it's called Glenbogle. And who are you ? "

" My name is Lexie " I said and then he smiled to me. " Hello Lexie, welcome to Glenbogle "

When we were arrived at the castle it was just like I was coming home.

THE END.