The flight from the U.S. had been fairly easy. The private plane had plenty of space for them to move around, the babies had slept much of the way, and the pilot had taken Andrew to the cockpit for a lengthy tour.
For Kayla, the problem was that the lack of distractions had left her eight hours to dwell on other things. Like the fact that this was the third anniversary of her first wedding to Steve and she was traveling to see another man. And that other man was behaving oddly, leaving her scared and nervous about what might be awaiting her once she arrived at Donovan Manor. Now they were in a limousine traveling from Oxford to Shane's home and those concerns remained at the forefront of her mind.
On the other side of the limo, Kim was pointing things out to Andrew - the church where Shane was baptized, the school he had attended before Eton, and other reminders that Kim knew Shane far better than Kayla did.
Looking out the window, Kayla had to admit it was beautiful here. The roads were lined with lush green bushes and trees. The homes, with their thatched roofs, looked like they had jumped out of a fairytale.
She smiled as she thought of Shane as a young boy walking along these country roads or, more likely, riding his horse across the countryside. How different his childhood must have been from hers.
She knew they were different and remembered a walk they had taken along the pier. Shane had talked about things he enjoyed that he hoped to show her, and just about each of them was something she did not enjoy.
That doesn't mean you aren't meant to be together, she thought. No, they still loved each other.
"There's Daddy's house," Kim said, as the limousine turned down a driveway.
Kayla swallowed hard. She had seen photos of Donovan Manor in Bo and Hope's wedding album, but they did not convey the sheer size of the place.
For some reason, Kayla's mind suddenly flashed back to the year that Pop had been sick and the Bradys had not been able to afford a turkey for Thanksgiving. Shane had probably never experienced anything like that. He never had to wear his siblings' old clothes or whatever mismatched outfits his mom found at the Goodwill.
Just another reminder of how different they were. Could that be the reason Shane had pulled away? Did coming home make him question whether they were suitable for one another? Suddenly the differences in their lives that seemed so easy to overcome in Salem felt much bigger.
The car pulled to a stop and they all got out. Kayla carried Stephanie and started to go to the trunk, but Kim stopped her.
"The driver will take care of the luggage."
Of course, Kayla thought. Kim knows her way around here. She understands how it works. With a sense of growing unease, Kayla followed her sister to the front door where the butler was waiting.
"Welcome, Madames," he said. "Master Donovan will be here momentarily."