Page 90 of Death on a Scottish Train

But that didn’t keep me from blushing every time he asked me to dance.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was well after two a.m. when the last of the party-goers finally left. My friends had departed much earlier. I had hugged Mara and the others goodbye, but I felt since I was with a family member, I needed to stay up and finish out the party.

But I was dead on my feet. As soon as the last guest slipped out the double doors, I took off my heels. I didn’t care what anyone thought, my feet couldn’t take one second more.

I had danced with my friends, and with Ewan, all night.

And yes, I was the first to admit it had been fun.

“You must be exhausted,” he said, as he left his mother to talk to the orchestra leader. The musicians were packing up their instruments.

“It was fun,” I said. “Thank you for the invite. Are you sure we aren’t over-staying our welcome by sleeping here tonight?”

“Not at all. Mom just told me she expects us at breakfast tomorrow morning at ten. I hope that’s OK. It means we’ll be getting back to town a bit later than expected.”

“It’s the weekend, and I don’t have any patients scheduled,” I said. “Sleeping in sounds good to me.”

“I’ll show you to your room.”

We climbed the center staircase up a floor and turned down a long hallway.

There was what had to be a fifteen-foot tapestry with scenes of war, partying, and unicorns on it. “Does your family have a thing forunicorns?” I remembered unicorns on a tapestry in the castle where our friend Angie had been married.

He chuckled. “Unicorns have long been the national animal of Scotland,” he said. He held up a hand. “I know, it may seem silly to an outsider. But we are known for our folklore and myths. Unicorns are a part of all of that.”

I smiled. “I think it’s fun. When I was a kid, I wanted a unicorn for a pet. For some reason, that never worked out.”

We laughed.

“It must be incredible knowing your family’s history and having these homes that express that.”

He sighed. “Aye, but I’ll be honest, sometimes it can feel a burden.”

“Why is that?”

“It is a great deal of responsibility keeping the homes up, and making certain the legacy continues. It has only been in the last decade I was able to talk the family into using the castles and estates for nights like we just experienced. It helps to cover the costs of the upkeep.”

I remembered him telling me that before.

“Does it all fall on your shoulders? What about your father?” While he often spoke of his mother, and I’d met her earlier, he never spoke of his dad. “Did he retire?”

He cleared his throat. “A long time ago, he passed over the family business and accounts. Dad loves nature and his books. He is a writer and avoids crowds at all costs. I was surprised he was here tonight.”

“I can relate to the problem with crowds.”

He chuckled.

“You said he didn’t usually come to the events your mother holds, but he was here tonight.”

“That’s because his family was the one who funded the children’s charity that was the recipient of tonight’s donations. Mum likes to joke that the secret to a happy marriage is they live apart most of the year. She has charities and boards she sits on. Dad has his nature preserves and books to write. We usually get together for the odd holiday or birthday, but otherwise they live apart.”

I shrugged. “I’m the last person to judge a relationship. If it works for them, that’s a good thing.”

“It does and has for years. Like I said, Da handed over everything to do with the businesses and the properties when I was twenty-one, including the lairdship.”

“That is very young to take on that kind of responsibility.”