Fairytale Beginnings by Holly Martin Page B

change the subject. She was getting into trouble here and someone had to be the strong one. As he was in such a good mood, it seemed as good a time as any to bring up the subject of the Summer Solstice play.
    She picked up a red apple from the fruit bowl and turned it over absently in her hands as she tried to ignore that he was watching her. How was she going to broach this with him?
    ‘You can eat it, you know, it’s not poison,’ Cameron said.
    She laughed and took a big bite but she knew he could sense that she wanted to say something and was delaying. He stood patiently waiting for her to talk. ‘So, it’s the Summer Solstice on Friday.’
    He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, ‘Oh, don’t you start with that! I’ve had enough of that from the villagers; “ Will you be in the play, we need you in the play, you have to be in the play, please be in the play.” ’
    ‘Why won’t you be in the play? It’s just a bit of fun. Besides, you need to get the villagers on side, you’re not very popular down there at the moment.’
    ‘I know, I sacked them all and now they hate me.’
    ‘Well, this would be an easy way to get back in their favour. If it’s that important to them that you’re involved, just do it. Apparently you don’t have to do a lot.’
    ‘I’m not doing it.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘I’m just not.’
    ‘It’s only going to be half an hour of your time.’
    ‘I’m not making a fool of myself in front of the whole village.’
    ‘But they’re all in it too.’
    ‘I’m not doing it.’
    ‘Oh, go on.’
    ‘No, absolutely not.’
    ‘Don’t be a bore.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Look …’ Milly was about to protest some more and tell him that they were holding her beloved car ransom when Cameron’s phone rang on the table.
    He stared at her for a moment before he moved to answer it. ‘It’s my PA, Olivia, I’d better take the call.’
    ‘I’ve got some tests to do anyway, so I’ll catch you later.’
    He was smiling at her as she wheeled her bag out to the banquet hall. She needed something to distract herself and there was nothing better than spending a few hours conducting tests, especially in the old kitchen. And if Cameron continued to smile at her later, with that knowing look, she would just bore him with every little detail of the tests and everything that excited her, from flecks of paint to mortar that was hundreds of years old. That would most likely put him off her for good.

    C ameron lay in bed staring at the ceiling; insomnia was his faithful friend. He could never turn his mind off. Normally, he would be thinking about his latest story, the twists, the turns, the conversations his characters would have, so he never got a peaceful night. Lately though, his thoughts had been about the castle too, how he could save it – or even if he should. But now his head was full of Milly.
    She had spent the afternoon doing various tests and taking different samples. She had returned to the kitchen with a whole box filled with labelled test tubes all containing little flecks of what looked like dirt, but which Milly had explained were samples of paint, mortar and brick work. He had never seen anyone get quite so excited about test tubes of dirt before and he had spent over two hours listening to her as she explained the procedures for collecting the samples and testing them in the lab and what kind of results she expected to get and what it meant for the castle. He had hung on every word. For someone who had almost no interest in history, he found her completely and utterly fascinating. He had never met anyone who had so much passion and enthusiasm for their job and it was infectious.
    She had gone off to bed in her room in the tower very excitedly earlier. There was something about her exuberance and love for life that he found so endearing. Just being in the same room as her made him happy and hopeful. He liked having her here.
    Suddenly the light came on in the library window that overlooked