"A Castle Wedding for Christmas2" by Gratiana Lovelace (Done 2022)

Ch. 03: Navigating a father and son reunion, part 1: Stay the course

"A Castle Wedding for Christmas 2", Ch. 03: Navigating a father and son reunion, part 1: Stay the course, by Gratiana Lovelace, December 11, 2022

(An original Contemporary Romance fan fic story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2022;
All rights reserved) [(1) story cover above left] 

[Illustrations: I cast my stories as I write them. So from time to time, I will illustrate my story with actors and such, including the original cast of "A Castle for Christmas" (2021): Cary Elwes as Myles the 12th Scottish Duke of Dunbar and Castle Dun Dunbar, Brooke Shields as the American Sophie McGuinty, Vanessa Grasse as her daughter Lexi Brown, Dalmeny House as Castle Dun Dunbar, Lee Ross as Thomas the Castle Dun Dunbar caretaker, Andi Osho as Maisie the Dunbar Village Innkeeper, Eilidh Loan as Rhona the young pastry chef par excellence in Dunbar Village, Tina Gray as Helen the Dunbar Village knitters group leader, Kevin McKidd as Dr. Ewan/Scott Roxburgh, and others as noted.]

[Author's Note: This original Contemporary Romance fanfic is a work of fiction, and as such, any character names, scenes or other descriptions were made at the creative discretion of this author. And this is a gentle romance (G to PG-13), but with some frank discussions about love and marriage put to humorous effect. This is my disclaimer. And I came up with this story idea hoping for the creators of "A Castle for Christmas" (2021)—loved it--to give us a sequel! So if they see my fanfic story here, I hope that they consider this a suggestion for a possible continuing story for Duke Myles and Sophie and the Dunbar Village folks.]

Ch. 03: Navigating a father and son reunion, part 1: Stay the course

After Lexi found out on their Cotswold's romantic getaway week that her romantic partner of two months Dr. Ewan/Scott Roxburgh is the son of her Mom Sophie's fiancé Duke Myles, Lexi immediately wonders if they should warn/alert—or not--her Mom and Duke Myles about Myles' son Dr. Ewan/Scott Roxburgh coming with her to Castle Dun Dunbar for Christmas, and their wedding?

So after Dr. Ewan contacts the Cambridge Medical Center that same day of Wednesday, December 7th, he rearranges his schedule of medical consultations for next week to this week. Which means that he and Lexi have to head straight back to Cambridge so that Ewan can be working Thursday, Friday, & Saturday—with a December 11th Sunday morning flight from Cambridge to Edinburgh, Scotland. Happily, he did not have any surgeries planned for the upcoming week of Dec. 11th – 19th.

But with the [December] 25th Christmas and the Dec. 18th Hanukkah and other holidays approaching, he might need to return to Cambridge to work at the Medical Center on Dec. 17th--before returning to Castle Dun Dunbar for the [Christmas Eve] wedding and Christmas. That is, if he is still invited to them.  So Lexi and Ewan will have to return to the Cotswolds another time to finish their idyllic week of alone time with each other.

And secondly for Lexi, should she and Ewan ask to sleep together in the same Castle Dun Dunbar bed chamber? They have not spent a night apart since they met and fell in love—unless one of Ewan's on call rotations notified him to go in to the Cambridge Medical Center for an emergency consult or surgery. And they do not want to be parted from sleeping with each other now. Or she thinks that maybe they should book a room with Maisie at the Dunbar Village Inn, for privacy?

Eventually, Lexi and Ewan/Scott do decide to book a bedroom suite with a sitting room at the Dunbar Village Inn, and then to discuss with Maisie and Thomas whether to warn Duke Myles and her Mom Sophie of Ewan's presence, before they turn up at Castle Dun Dunbar to help with wedding planning. It is, perhaps, taking a chance on Lexi's and Ewan's part to bring Maisie and Thomas into their confidence, but they need to have someone on their side. And they know that Maisie and Thomas are good friends with her Mom and his Dad, respectively. So after they arrive at the Dunbar Village Inn, Lexi and Ewan will take a chance, and ask them if they will help re-introduce her romantic partner Dr. Ewan Roxburgh to his father Duke Myles.

After being dropped off at the Dunbar Village Inn on Sunday, December 11th by their Edinburgh airport shuttle taxi, Lexi and Dr. Ewan walk into the Inn to check-in to their bedroom suite, with Ewan being very nervous and agitated about being so close in proximity to his father again after nearly twenty years.

Dr. EwanR: "Lexi Lass, I do na know what I am doing here in Dunbarrr. Meeting Duke Myles again afterrr nearrrly twenty yearrrs will na likely go well, cause upset forrr your motherrr's and his wedding, and be a colossal waste of time. I should leave and you can stay." If it were not Winter time, the poor man would be sweating due to his nervousness. Actually, he is sweating since Maisie keeps the Village Inn warm and cozy in the Winter.

Lexi: Rubbing his arm soothingly, Lexi whispers to Ewan to avoid being overheard by the Inn's other patrons [at] the pub in the next room. "Now Ewan, you don't know that Myles will be upset to see you. He might be overjoyed to see you." She puts a positive spin on the situation.

Dr. EwanR: "I grrreatly doubt that." Ewan scrunches up his face as if he just sucked on a lemon. "And I am not the prrrodigal son rrreturrrning to a once loved home. I have neverrr even been herrre beforrre!" His vocal volume raises, mostly out of his understandable agitation—and his fear of being rejected by his father, again.

Lexi puts a stop to Ewan's upset by ringing the counter bell for service.   And the warm and welcoming Dunbar Village Inn proprietor Maisie moves from the Inn's small pub area to the Inn's Registration Desk in the adjoining Village Inn foyer room. And Ewan stands still as a post, wondering if he can fade into the background of the busily decorated Village Inn.

Maisie: "Lexi!" Maisie [(2) above middle] squeals happily in greeting, and she and Lexi embrace each other as family friends. "We werrren't sure when you would get in today. Yourrr Mum Sophie has been calling me everrry half hourrr to see if you've arrrived yet."

Lexi: "Ah. About that, Maisie. May we go into your office and speak privately?" Lexi asks almost pleadingly.

Maisie: "Cerrrtainly." Maisie looks appraisingly at the tall reddish blond muscular looking Viking of a man standing next to Lexi, and Maisie smiles cordially at him. She approves of Lexi's choice in boyfriends—or man friend to be more accurate. Maisie motions for them to follow her into her office.

Lexi: "Thanks, Maisie! Come along, Dear." Lexi tugs on Ewan's elbow and he reluctantly follows her, with him rolling both of their suitcases behind him.

Maisie: "May I offerrr ye some tea, coffee, or something a bit strrrongerrr?" She asks as she waves a plate of Dunbar Village youngest knitter Rhona's freshly baked iced lemon cakes in their faces. They each take a small cake and sit down.

Lexi: "Coffee will be fine. Thank you, Maisie. Oh and Ewan, this is one of my Mom's best friends, Maisie, who owns and runs this Dunbar Village Inn. Maisie, this is my partner Dr. Ewan Roxburgh." Ewan and Maisie nod at each other in greeting. And Lexi looks but does not find any recognition in Maisie's eyes when she says his name.

Maisie: "Ooh! A doctorrr! Welcome, Dr. Rrroxburrrgh."

Maisie smiles broadly at the handsome Dr. Ewan Roxburgh—not the least of which is that the county could use a new medical doctor, since the old one retired to London, and even the nearest veterinarian for less serious human scrapes and sprains is an hour away by car.

And it is due to Duke Myles sponsorship that the county has a few [doctors] in training from Edinburgh University's Medical Center come in to see Dunbar Village and county patients [twice a month]—mostly for vaccinations, wellness checks, and to tend to chronic [health] conditions.  But the county's citizen's still have to drive over to Edinburgh's Medical Center Pharmacy to get their prescriptions refilled [right away]. Or they call their prescriptions  in and they are delivered [weekly] to Dunbar Village by an Edinburgh airport shuttle driver.

Dr. EwanR: "Thank you, Maisie. It is good to meet you. But your addressing me as Ewan will suffice, unless you need my medical serrrvices." He smiles, but still looks rather pale. So Maisie pours him some coffee, adds two lumps of sugar at Ewan's request, and he gulps it down gratefully—all the while noshing on his lemon cake.

Lexi: "Maisie? Is Thomas about?"

This is not an idle question, because since last Christmas Eve's party for the Dunbar Village held at Castle Dun Dunbar, Thomas and Maisie reconnected as a former romantic couple. So Thomas tends to find himself at the Village Inn to see Maisie quite often, on work breaks from the Castle, or buying supplies. And he spends the night with Maisie at the Village Inn now and then, too.

Maisie: "Aye. Thomas is just in the next rrroom in the Inn's pub." She looks puzzled at Lexi.

Lexi: "Would you ask him to join us, please?" Maisie nods and goes to fetch him.

DrEwanR: "Who is this [Thomas] perrrson?" Ewan [whispers while leaning] in close to Lexi, taking in her floral scent that always soothes him.

Lexi: "He's Duke Myles best friend and the Caretaker/Docent at Castle Dun Dunbar for the last twenty-five years.

Dr. EwanR: "Do you think he knows about me?"