They walked slowly towards her home, enjoying each other's company. It had completely darkened. The moon was entirely hidden behind the clouds. Without getting too close to the castle, Derek embraced Megan, kissed her goodbye, and wished her a good night. She expected him to suggest meeting again or to set a date, but he remained silent. Apparently, he was the type of man who decided when and where the next meeting would occur before letting others know. Discussions and agreements were not his style.
“Good night, Derek,” said the girl, and walked away without looking back.
Closing the door behind her, she stole a quick glance at the spot where they had just said goodbye, but he was no longer there.
“Megan! We were looking for you, where did you go? I was so worried. We couldn't find you among the people at the celebration, so we thought you had returned home before us, but imagine our horror when we didn't find you here either.”
“Sorry, Glenn. I met a young man, we got to talking, and I lost track of time.”
“Well, that’s a pretty good reason,” Glenn said approvingly.
“What time is it?”
“Past one in the morning.”
“Oh, that’s late indeed.”
“It's okay, don't worry. I'll go calm Warren down. He went up to our room for his jacket and was about to go out looking for you.”
“Megan! Thank God you're back!” her cousin was already descending the staircase.
“I’m sorry; I really didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Everything’s fine. The main thing is you’re home and you’re safe. Now we can all sleep in peace.”
All three went upstairs and dispersed to their rooms. Megan was happy. She remembered Derek; his handsome face, his kisses, and realized that she didn't want to leave for London anymore. A light, dreamy smile appeared on her lips as she went to bed, full of anticipation for their future meetings. That night, the girl slept soundly and sweetly, without any dreams.
* * *
In the morning, Megan invited Gregor to Malcolm's office to discuss some points about the documents he had handed over to her a few days ago. The manager meticulously answered Megan’s questions and helped her analyze all aspects of the work. Pleased with the results of their brief meeting, she let him go.
Now that I have studied all the information, it's time to make a decision, she thought. There seemed to be only one decision to make – appoint Warren as the head of the factory, leave him in charge of Castle Mal, and head back to London. The castle, in any case, needed to stay in reliable hands. Someone had to live in it to prevent it from falling into disrepair. But Megan had no desire to leave at the moment; after all, Derek had come into her life. She pondered for a long time on what to do. The family meeting was scheduled in three days, and she would have to announce her decision. First of all, it was necessary to talk to Warren, offer him management responsibility with a fifty-fifty profit split. She had no desire to manage the work personally, as the restaurant business required her full commitment.
She could stay a few more weeks at Castle Mal to see how events would unfold. Extending her stay in her historical homeland would not be too bad. The only thing left was to make arrangements with her cousin. Leaving the office, she went down to the hall.
“Glenn, do you know where Warren is?”
“He left for the distillery this morning.”
