Fairytale Beginnings Read Online Free PDF Page B

slightly, a pink blush colouring her pale cheeks. ‘I meant you.’
    He pulled a face. ‘I’m not really a people person. I like solitude.’
    ‘People need company, Cameron, we can’t be anti-social all of the time. You can be a hermit during the week and grit your teeth and smile at the tourists at the weekend. Besides, if Castle Heritage take it on, there’ll be tourists teeming over this place.’
    ‘But I won’t actually be living here if that happens, I can go back to my house in London and write books all day and not have to speak to anyone ever.’
    ‘Really? If I lived here, I don’t think I’d ever leave. I’d swish around in big gowns all day, just because I could …’
    He smiled at this.
    ‘… That view is spectacular. I can imagine walking Gregory over the cliffs and on the beaches. I could chat to all the villagers every day.’
    ‘In your big gowns?’
    She laughed. ‘Yes, why not? No one speaks to anyone where I live and I bet it’s the same for you too.’
    ‘That’s the way I like it.’
    ‘Wow, you really are a grumpy sod. You really wouldn’t want to live here?’
    He looked around. The castle needed so much work and he’d inherited so much debt because of the place it was hard to find any appreciation for it at the moment. But Milly was right. Most people would give their left arm to live in a place like this. It was impressive and in many ways beautiful. Could he really stay?
    ‘Can you imagine writing your stories here? What better place to inspire you than a fantastic castle that has real ghosts? There’s something incredible about this place, something magnetic, it draws you in,’ Milly said.
    He smiled at her as she looked around with such enthusiasm. He had never met anyone like her before, she lived in a permanently rose-tinted world.
    ‘As lovely as that picture postcard life sounds, I won’t even be able to keep the castle unless Castle Heritage can help me. Do you think they will?’
    A tiny spark faded from her eyes. ‘What about your house in London? If you really do want to live here, you could sell that. How much would you get for it?’
    He hated talking about money with anyone, but somehow Milly was different.
    ‘Maybe half a million.’
    ‘And do you owe any mortgage on that or do you own it outright?’
    ‘It’s mine, I paid for it with the proceeds from my books. Maybe I could sell my car too.’
    She pulled a face. ‘You might get a few thousand for that.’
    ‘It’s a Vanquish.’ He waited for her eyes to light up, like girls’ eyes normally did when they heard what car he drove but she stared at him blankly.
    ‘Aston Martin,’ he clarified, but still she showed no sign of recognition.
    ‘Second hand I could probably get two hundred thousand for it.’
    ‘Wow, you are doing well if you can afford to buy your own house and a car like that.’
    He stiffened, suddenly regretting telling her anything. He’d had these sorts of conversations before.
    ‘That money wouldn’t last long, it’d just about cover the rest of the debts and do a tiny bit of maintenance. I’m not sure what I would do then.’
    ‘At least it would take a lot of your worries away. There’s no point having two properties if you only intend to live in one.’
    He sighed. ‘I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Castle Heritage is my last hope. I hadn’t really thought beyond what I would do if you don’t help me. Do you think it’s a project that you could take on?’
    She stared down at her tea and cleared her throat. ‘I’d need to do all my tests and surveys first. There’s a lot of work to do, it will take me a while to cover all the rooms. I’ll let you know in a few days.’
    ‘Of course,’ he nodded, disappointed. Although Milly had originally said it might take her one or two weeks to complete her tests, he had hoped she might give him some indication once she’d seen it.
    ‘I’m going to go for a walk around the grounds, get an idea of the size and