Rainey gazed out from her bedroom window. Shivering in the morning light she spied kisses from the sun as they pushed through the towering pine trees. The frost, like shiny pearls, clung to the tips of the grass. She pulled her silk kimono tighter around her narrow waist. Her blonde-grey hair, spiked short, from a recent haircut; she continued to focus on the winter scene through her pale eyes.

She wanted to call across to Finn who slept peacefully; ask him to stand with her. They could recall mornings, in their first flush of love, when they were carefree, and she didn’t give a damn. How she would run naked through the long thick grass to the edge of the lake and dive in. Screaming and kicking, her head would bob up as she caught her breath. The icy water invigorated every sinew in her young lithe body.

Laughing, Finn would appear with a long gown and a towel. He placed them on the ground by the lake and in waders stepped into the water. He lifted her into his arms and placed his lover on the dry robe. The towel became a turban on her head. They ran like naughty school children across the lawns until they reached the greenhouse doors.

For more years than she cared to remember her family lived on this estate and had grown rare tropical plants.

The warmth of the room lent its heat.

Finn would pour hot tea from a flask into two china cups. He brought the steaming liquid to her as she sat cross legged on a mattress on the terracotta tiled floor. They drank, and eventually lay down, clinging to each other’s bodies covered by soft blankets.

One morning, following her early swim, and later sipping hot tea with her beloved Finn, she gazed into his dark eyes, ‘I best get back before more questions are asked.’ She turned over and pulled on a fresh nightdress. She kissed Finn long and deep, then buried her face in his sleek black curls. Reluctantly she stood up and made to leave.

‘Rest assured dear Rainey, I will not implore you to choose, for that is your decision and yours alone.’ he called to her.

She blew her handsome Finn a kiss; ‘Without fail you shall know by tomorrow.’

She slipped barefoot out of the glass doors, into the chill of the October morning and ran towards the main house.

                                    ********************

Lily, the housekeeper tapped on the bedroom door and made her way to stand by the window. Patiently she waited for this wild child and had already laid out her clothes on the freshly made bed.

‘Oh, there you are, little miss rag doll. I won’t ask where you’ve been’ Lily made a face of disapproval as the dishevelled girl appeared in the doorway.

She ignored her loyal and trusted housekeeper.

‘I’m starving, is breakfast ready?’ She asked.

 Lily nodded and confirmed how Mr and Mrs Gregory H Stamp sat patiently in the conservatory waiting for her to join them.

Until today, her parents were most free with their only daughter’s flights of fancy. But life as she knew it was about to change. The grand family home would not be sold if their daughter kept her promise, one she made twelve months before.

She tiptoed into the dining room and smiled her most enchanting smile at her father. She lifted the lid of the steamy salamander and filled her plate with poached eggs and bacon. She sat halfway down the polished oak table. Lily appeared with fresh coffee.

‘You look rather flushed my dear. I do hope you have not changed your mind.’ Her father folded his napkin and shifted awkwardly in his chair. His wife refilled her husband’s china cup from the silver teapot. He sipped slowly, and stared at his beloved daughter and waited for her answer.

                                    *****************

Still radiant and filled with a zest for life, she turned away from the window. She climbed back into bed and pushed gently into the curve of Finn’s spine. She melded her body around his and fell into a peaceful sleep. She had broken many rules in the last twenty years, all in the quest to live her life as she saw fit.

For there had only ever been one true love.

Three months from today, she and Finn would open the doors, and grounds of this magnificent family home, ‘The Gleamings.’ 

For the first time in their history, the public could gaze, and view in pure delight on this her other love.