Instant Attraction

Chapter 13

Wolverleigh Castle

            “Oh my,” Cheyenne said as they stood outside the coach on the side of the road for her first glimpse of the castle not far from the Scottish border. “I feel as if I’ve gone back in time. It’s…it’s magnificent, Tony.”

            Tony and Oliver were standing on either side of her and it was Olivers’s first look at Wolverleigh Castle as well. “I agree,” he said. “I almost expect to see men in armor on trusty steeds come riding out to greet us.”

            “Are you warm enough, sweetheart?” Tony asked his wife putting an arm around her shoulders.

            “Yes,” she replied. They traveled most of the way by train but the last part of their trip was by coach. The countryside was beautiful with a new dusting of snow that had fallen the night before. Keeping her warm was a new cape lined with ermine along with a matching muff and hat which Madame Benoit finished just in time for her journey to the castle.

            Where they stopped, they could see the castle at an angle from the front corner to the back corner. Built in a huge square and surrounded by water. A moat spanned the front of the castle with a  large lake at the back. The drawbridge was down allowing entry from the long bridge that ran over the moat at the front of the castle. Large banners and flags were flying from the front two huge square towers. There were two more tall square towers of the same size in the back corners of the castle.

            They were the first to arrive for the Christmas party with the other guests coming in about a week before Christmas which would allow Cheyenne enough time to get acquainted with the castle and it’s staff. The family members, Tony’s brothers and aunts, arrivals would take place over the next several days with the first guest’s arrival a few days after the family had settled in.

            Smoke rose above the castle from the many fireplaces and Cheyenne knew she would welcome the warmth even though she felt warm enough in her cape. She was tired from the trip and wanted time to rest before the evening meal. “The view from here is outstanding,” she said. “I cannot wait to see what the inside looks like.”

            “Well, sweetheart, shall we finish our trip so you can see?”

            The three returned to their coach. In a short time, she could hear the different sounds of the horses hooves and coach wheels as they rolled across the bridge before entering through the castle archway into an open grassy area. Tony informed her it was called the inner ward. The inner ward consisted of part grassed and part garden areas, with a road running down the middle of it, leading toward the back of the castle where the main living areas were located.

            Before the coach came to a halt, the huge double doors opened and the staff came pouring out to greet them. Tony forewarned her that since they were so close to the Scottish border many of the staff was Scottish. Many too, were decedents of families that had served the prior Dukes of Wolverleigh.

            First Oliver then Tony descended from the coach before Tony turned to help her down. “MacDuff,” Tony said once Cheyenne’s feet were firmly planted on the ground, “this is your new Duchess of Wolverleigh and Lord Wainwright.”

            “Welcome to Wolverleigh Castle, Yer Grace’s, my lord,” the gray haired man said. “Tis a bonny lassie you brought hame to the castle, Wolverleigh.”

            “I think so,” Tony replied smiling at the old gray haired man who should have retired years ago. “Introduce my Duchess to the rest of this rag-tag bunch of Scots if you would, please.”