Page 25 of One Perfect Day in Lovely Bay
Morag nodded. 'Aye, that's it exactly. Medicine's come a long way, but there's still wisdom in these old ways, I reckon.’
‘For sure.’
Pointing to a large plant tucked in the corner, Morag smiled. 'This is my fave. A cutting from a plant that's been in the family for over two hundred years. Legend has it that it was a gift from a visiting member of royalty from faraway lands.’
Cally's eyes widened. 'What kind of plant is it?'
'A type of rose,' Morag explained. 'Doesn't look like much now, but when it blooms... Well, you've never seen anything like it. The flowers are a deep, deep red, almost black in some lights. And the scent is like nothing else on earth.'
'Ooh, how interesting. I'd love to see it in bloom.'
'Well, if you're lucky, you might just catch it. Keep your eyes peeled.'
As they made their way back towards the entrance, Cally loved it. The conservatory had caught her eye when they’d arrived, but now she’d been inside and chatted to Morag, it felt so much more than just a pretty glass building, almost as if it was breathing goodness, history and tradition. Helping her to spread her wings.
‘Nice job you have.’ Cally smiled.
‘I’ve had worse jobs in my life.’ Morag chuckled.
‘Oh really. So, you’ve not always worked here?’ Cally asked.
‘No, no. Gosh, no, I’ve done some dead-end jobs in my time.’
‘Oh right.’
‘I moved up here about twenty years ago. Best thing I ever did.’
‘Ahh. Where did you move from? I thought I heard a twang of a different accent.’
Morag sucked air in through her teeth. ‘No one can ever place me by my accent. I was born in London, then raised in Suffolk, then we moved to Cheshire, then Somerset and then via an ad in a magazine, I found myself here. And I’ve never looked back and I won’t be going back anytime soon. Not ever.’
‘Aww. Nice story.’
‘You?’
Cally chuckled. ‘Nothing quite as exciting as that. I’ve lived, worked and mostly stayed in the same county my whole life.’
Morag clucked. ‘Right you are. So the trip up here is a good place to start your travelling bug, eh?’
‘Indeed. I loved it from the moment the train crossed the border.’
‘It happens.’
'Thank you so much for showing me around. It's been fascinating.'
'My pleasure. Just pop in whenever. We’ll have a nice wee cup of tea, Scottish Breakfast, of course.' Morag pointed in the direction of the far corner. ‘That’s a little suntrap down there. Lovely to bring in a cup of tea and look out over the gardens while you toast your skin. Let me tell you, sometimes if you sit there it's so warm you might as well be in Marbella, or so I kid myself.’
‘Ha, I might have to take you up on that.’
Morag chuckled. ‘Be my guest.’
As Cally stepped back out into the crisp air, she looked up at the glass panes glinting in the sunlight and felt her wings spread. She’d be taking a nice cup of tea back to the conservatory to enjoy the little spot in greenhouse Marbella that she knew for sure.
15
Cally and Logan had been out for another long walk around the estate. In fact, since the moment they’d stepped out of the Land Rover when they’d arrived, they hadn’t left the grounds. Cally had seen little point in going anywhere when there was so much on her doorstep. As far as she was concerned, she was more than happy to stay put and spend her long weekend in Scotland doing nothing but taking in the beautiful scenery and drinking in the fresh, restorative air. Easy to please and all that. Cheap at half the price, too.
They were on their way to the main house, where Logan’s aunt Cecilia was having tea in the kitchen. Unlike the day before, which had been bright and sunny, the weather was overcast but not cold. Cally and Logan's tramp across the estate, around the loch and through the forest on the far side, had left both of them with their jumpers off and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.
