IT HAD been a long, seemingly endless journeyâthe most ambitious drive Georgia had undertaken in ages. Her saving grace was that she adored driving and prided herself at being quite good at it. With her Labrador Hamish in the back behind her she had the best companion she could wish for, next to her brother Noah. Now, well into the summer evening, she drove silently, with the radio off, her gaze lapping up the extraordinarily beautiful landscape of the Scottish Glens, tiredness banished by what had to be one of the most heavenly sights on earth.
Everywhere she looked she was treated to the most incredible beautyâsunlit lochs, mountain peaks and shimmering green fields. Even Hamish seemed to perk up as he looked out of the window, as if silently contemplating the large open spaces in which to romp and run free with eager relish. It was a far cry from the overcrowded London suburb where Georgia lived.
Already she sensed the accumulated knots and kinks of tension in her back start to unravel a little.
They had made quite a few stops during the long journey, for food and drink, but they had still made very good time. Now, Georgia knew, by the map opened on the seat beside her, as well as her new bossâs very precise e-mail directions, that there was not too much further to go before they reached Glenteignâthe large country estate of which he was Laird.
âNo wonder Noah loved working here!â she declared out loud, and Hamish wagged his tail enthusiastically as if to agree.
Her brother had assured her that she would grow to love Glenteign too. Heâd recently spent six months there, in his capacity as a freelance garden designer hired to help work on the formal gardens. It was a place where a person could really breathe, heâd told her, his passion for nature and beauty spilling over into his voice. And in his opinion Georgia wouldnât regret leaving London behind for a while, with its continual gridlocked traffic and polluted air. Working as the Lairdâs temporary secretary, while his permanent secretary recovered from a bad fall, she would have some breathing space from the grinding commute into the City every day. She would find out what a different way of life it was up hereâa much more relaxed, âsaneâ way of life.
She had accepted the job because she wanted so much to believe him, but Georgia still had some reservations about her decision. What would it be like working for a man who had probably never had to worry about where the next meal was coming from in his life? A man who, because of his status, epitomised the old feudal system of âLord of the Manorâ while those around him were mere serfs?
She didnât exactly have a problem with the concept of inherited wealthâshe begrudged nobody their comfortable circumstancesâit was just that she was so weary sometimes of her own struggle to keep the wolf from the door, and the idea that somebody could just be born into such good fortune and not have to do anything to earn it was apt to rub salt into the wound. Still, no doubt the wealthy Laird of Glenteign had his own problemsâ¦they just didnât come in the same shape as Georgiaâs. Butâproblems or noâsurely he couldnât fail to take solace in so much wonderful scenery?
When her reliable but old Renault finally drew into the grounds of Glenteign, Georgia switched off the engine, leaned her elbow on the windowâs ledge and considered her surroundings with a flare of wonderment in the pit of her stomach.
The house immediately proclaimed its historic pastâits impressive edifice of Pictish stone, with its turrets reaching towards the presently cloudless azure sky, reminding Georgia of an ancient impenetrable fortress that had survived every onslaught both nature and man could throw at it and still there it stood, proud and inviolable, with an almost defiant grace. Turning her head, Georgia viewed the lushness of emerald lawns rolling out into the distance like an expansive glittering carpet, and over to the right a high stone wall that perhaps led to the formal gardens that her brother had been working on for the past half-year.
She couldnât deny she was eager to see themânot just because of the work Noah had done there, but because heâd told her they were incredibly beautiful. Moving her gaze further afield, a grove of tall firs captured her attention, stretching endlessly beyond the exquisite perfection of the immaculate lawns. There was just so much land! It didnât seem feasible that one person could own all of this. She began to realise what a prestigious opportunity this was for Noah, coming to work here. And now, because of the success he had achieved, he was working at another large estate in the Highlandsâa commission he had secured on the Lairdâs recommendation because he had been so impressed with what heâd done at Glenteign.