She was in the dining room when I got back. I found her sitting there waiting for me.

“Hi,” she said when I walked in.

“Want to get out of here?” I asked.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Let’s go.”

I took her hand and helped her up from her chair. She leaned on my shoulder as we walked together into the hall. I liked the feel of her body against mine. With my arm around her, I got her into the Bath chair which was still sitting near the back door. Then I wheeled her outside and around to the front of the castle. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“How about Hedley’s?” I replied, heading down towards Nipper.

“How are we getting there?”

I pulled open the door of the boat shed. Nipper was right where I left her. She’d not been idle over the years. My mother must have sailed her a few times. She was in pretty good shape considering her age.

“In you get,” I said.

“You know how to sail?”

“The wind does the work.”

“As long as I don’t have to stand up.”

I lifted her into Nipper and then climbed in myself, leaving the Bath chair behind. “Ready?” I asked as I untied the ropes holding Nipper in place.

“What made you suddenly decide to do this?”

“I need to think and I thought you might like to come.”

“Oh, okay.”

We were out on the water a minute later. I was a bit rusty but soon we were cutting through the waves, heading across to the lights of Doon, the sun just starting to disappear behind the mountains.

I thought about the meeting at the bank as we sailed. All those contracts signed by my mother, all those investments in a company I’d never heard of, that the bank had never heard of.

“How did you allow this?” I had asked Seabert.

“I didn’t allow anything. It was up to her,” he replied.

“But the money’s just vanished. What the hell is Short Enterprises?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Can you at least try and find out? At least give me someone’s name?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I was there for hours while he looked into it, me pacing up and down the floor while he went from one phone call to another. Then the bombshell.

“I don’t think you’re going to like it, Mr King.”

“Just tell me.”

“Sit down first.”

“Damn it, Seabert, tell me.”

“Short Enterprises is interested in buying the castle. In fact, I’m led to believe they’ve already made an offer through Mr Dacre of half a million.”

“So the company my mother invested in now wants to buy the castle from me? What’s going on?”

He pushed his computer screen towards me. “Read for yourself. This is their brochure. They want to turn it into a live events venue, concerts, campsite, hen nights, stag parties, paintballing around the island.”

“Why have they got a website when they haven’t bought it yet?”

He shrugged. “Getting investors onboard? Making advance sales? Who knows.”

“Did you find a name?”

“I did but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“You’ve already said that. Just tell me.”

“Angela Granville.”

My hands gripped the ropes tighter, the boat creaking as we tacked to starboard. Angela. The woman I trusted. The paperwork started to make sense once I knew that. She had persuaded my mother to sign, to invest, to pump money into her business. It was a clever plan in its own cunning way. Let the place run out of money then force her to sell.

Death had only stalled her, she’d just moved onto me. Make a low offer, knowing I wanted to get back to Italy, then she’d have the place to herself, bought with money she’d sucked in from my mother. The place was only in debt because Mom had invested in a phantom.

Not only that but to turn the place into some kind of theme park, somehow that made it so much worse.

“How much would you pay to film at the castle?” I asked Tilly.

She turned to look at me. “I’m supposed to negotiate but I’m not going to. We can go up to half a million.”

I thought for a moment. I had a choice. I could take her money and let them film their movie. The debts would be cleared but I’d have to stay and sort out the mess, get rid of Angela, settle into life in Doon.

Or I could let Angela buy it. That would be less hassle. I could just go back to Italy and forget about the place entirely.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked.

“My career is over.”

“And if I say yes?”

“Then I’ll be the most in demand location scout in L.A. And I’d kiss you.”

“How about I make you a deal?”

“What kind of deal?”

“I’ll let you shoot your movie here if you agree to spend one night with me. What do you say?”

She looked at me for a second as if she thought she might have misheard me. “Sorry, what?”

“I’m too old to beat around the bush. I want a night with you and you want to make your movie.”

She again fell silent but then a flicker of a smile appeared on her lips. “Screw it, okay let’s do it.”

“Then we have a deal.”

She stood, hand outstretched. We shook.

“Hey,” I said. “You’re standing on your ankle.”

“So I am.” She looked down, testing it gingerly. “I hadn’t noticed. I was too busy thinking about something else.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Nowhere near as much. I’m guessing the meds he gave me are kicking in.”

She looked up at me, her eyes twinkling as she smiled.

I leaned down, my arms wrapping around her, pressing her body to mine as I kissed her soft lips. My tongue nudged into her mouth as the boat suddenly dipped to port.

“Whoops,” I said, grabbing hold of the nearest rope. “Wasn’t paying attention.”

“I shouldn’t distract you,” she said, her hand on my thigh as I got us back on course. The jetty was getting near.

“We’re here,” I replied. “Let’s go get some food before I end up just eating you.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad,” she replied.

Hedley welcomed us both as we walked inside, nodding to me and managing a smile for Tilly. “It's a chill night to be out.”

“Is it?” Tilly replied. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Can you do us something decent?” I asked. “Something suitable for an American?”

“Bacon?” he suggested after rummaging below the counter.

“That’ll do fine,” Tilly said, taking the seat by the window.

There were a few other people in the cafe but I ignored them, I only had eyes for Tilly.

Under the table, I let my hand move to her knee, stroking it softly out of sight, watching as she stared back at me, her cheeks flushing pink.

My fingers traced a line up her leg as the smell of cooking filled the air. No one was looking our way but she still looked anxious. I couldn’t keep my hand off her. From the moment she’d kissed me on the boat, I needed her, I needed to be inside her.

The food couldn’t arrive quick enough. I wanted to take her back onto the boat and fuck her but I was patient, letting my hand move higher until it was stroking her inner thigh.

“Here you go,” Hedley said, dumping two plates in front of us. “Hopefully won’t kill you.”

I wolfed mine down. Tilly hardly ate a thing. “Not hungry?” I asked.

“Oh, I am,” she replied. “Just not for this.”

I felt something between my legs and realised a second later that it was her foot. She’d slipped it out of her shoe and was gently stroking around my thighs. My cock started to throb with desire and I almost threw money on the table to get out of there with her.

She was giggling as I grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the door, heading back down to the jetty. “Hold on,” she said. “I can’t run.”

I remembered her ankle and turned to see her limping slightly. I slowed, walking beside her as she sighed happily. “It looks beautiful,” she said.

The sun had set while we were in the cafe and as we sailed back out onto the water, the stars began to twinkle in the sky.

“I envy you,” she said. “You’ll get to see this every day.”

“If I stay.”

“Would it be so bad if you stayed?”

“Let’s not talk about that now.”

“What should we talk about?”

“How about you getting on your knees?”

“What?”

I let go of the rope. The wind had slowed and we were slowly drifting towards the middle of the loch.

“I said get on your knees.”

“Why?”

“You teased me in there. What did you think would happen?”

“I don’t know.” As she said it, she slipped from her seat, kneeling in front of me, her hand on my thigh. “No idea at all.”

“Take it out,” I said, nodding downwards.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide. Then she looked down, fumbling for my zip, reaching inside, finding my cock already rock hard. Her touch felt icy cold, cooling the burning heat of my shaft as she pulled it out into the night air. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, still holding it, her fingers tight around its girth.

“Open your mouth.”

She did as I asked, sticking her tongue out, her hands still on me.

I took hold of the back of her head, pulling her onto my length, easing along her tongue, past her soft lips and then into her mouth.

Her hands remained in place, gently stroking my shaft as she flicked her tongue along my length. She was teasing me as much as in the cafe but I was too turned on to let her do it for long.

I flicked her hands away impatiently, grabbing her head again and thrusting all the way in, looking down at the beautiful sight of her facefucking my cock. She drove onto it so far she almost choking, gagging on it as I slid back and forth, moving her head, not letting her get away.

“This is what you get for teasing me,” I said, feeling my shaft twitch in her mouth.

Her tongue continued to move, her hands teasing my balls gently as I thrust faster and faster, feeling myself getting close. “Oh fuck,” I muttered, slamming home and from nowhere reaching a climax so powerful, I nearly fell over. I held her in place as I came in her mouth, only sliding free when she had squeezed every last drop from me.

She gasped for breath as I slid my cock away, looking around to see we had drifted too far, Doon island looming in front of us. I took hold of the rope as she stood up, looking at me in a daze. “Did that just happen?” she asked, sitting on her seat once again.

“Did what just happen?” I replied, my voice innocent as I turned us towards the boat shed.

“Did you just fuck my face?”

“I might have done.”

“Oh good. For a minute I thought I’d dreamed it.”

I leaned towards her and kissed her. “No dream,” I said quietly. “This is what it means to have one night with me.”