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

Ch. 08: Ewan learns about his Dunbar family heritage and gift of legacy

"A Castle Wedding for Christmas 2", Ch. 08: Ewan learns about his Dunbar family heritage and gift of legacy, by Gratiana Lovelace, December 27, 2022 (Post #1502) 

(An original Contemporary Romance fan fic story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2022;
All rights reserved) [(1) story cover top far 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 Fitzwalter the young pastry chef par excellence in Dunbar Village, Tina Gray as Helen Fitzwalter the elderly Dunbar Village knitters group leader, Kevin McKidd as Dr. Ewan Roxburgh, Lindsay Lohan as Isabel Fitzwalters 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. 08: Ewan learns about his Dunbar family heritage and gift of legacy

On Christmas Day [(2) top near left], the day after the wedding of Duke Myles Dunbar to his now wife Duchess Sophie McGuinty Dunbar, the newlyweds are not expected anywhere but their ducal bedchamber suite. And by previous arrangement between Sophie and her daughter Lexi, Lexi makes the newlyweds their morning breakfast to be taken up to their suite by 9am and left on the hall table for them, to insure their privacy.

And though Lexi had helped her Mom making meals a time or two in the Castle Dun Dunbar kitchen over the past year, the large cast iron wood burning stove was not used. So with an electric skillet and the microwave, Lexi cooks the bridal couple's breakfast of eggs and bacon—with scones made by Rhona the day before and left for this purpose.

But first, Lexi and Ewan have to deliver the breakfast foods to the hallway outside the newlyweds' ducal bedchamber suite up twenty steps of stairs to the second floor of Castle Dun Dunbar. Ewan carries the heavier gleamingly polished silver serving tray with a silver coffee pot and its smaller silver creamer pitcher and a silver sugar bowl with silver spoons for scooping and stirring and two fine china cups and saucers with the Dunbar crest on them. Whilst Lexi carries a smaller and less heavy gleamingly polished silver serving tray with two Dunbar crested china plated breakfasts with coverings to keep their food warm, with cutlery—and a separate Dunbar crested china serving plate of Rhona's delicious scones.

The hall table next to the ducal bedchamber suite had been cleared of mementos yesterday. So Ewan gratefully places the heavy silver tray with the coffee services down, and then Lexi follows suit with the smaller silver tray with the plated and covered breakfast meals. It is almost 9am on Christmas morning. So by prior arrangement, Lexi knocks twice on the ducal bedchamber suite door to let them know that their breakfasts have arrived. Then she and Ewan skitter back down the bedchamber suites hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen to make their own breakfasts.

Back down in the kitchen, Lexi and Ewan giggle for their subterfuge—them both knowing that their parents Sophie and Myles—are enjoying breakfast a deux, and then some. As Lexi cooks some sausage links in the electric skillet, instead of bacon for them--since she found out Ewan really liked sausage links when her mother cooked them for him last week—Lexi has a strangely nauseous reaction to the smell of the cooking sausages. And she plops herself down on a nearby stool.

Lexi: "Oh my!" She nearly swoons.

Ewan: "Lexi! Arrre ye alrrright, Love?" He asks her anxiously, as he checks her forehead for fever but finding none, and her pulse—him noting her slightly rapid heart beat. Well, he is a doctor, afterall.

Lexi: "I'll be fine." She tries to shake it off. But when she tries to stand up again, she feels very faint as the room begins to sway.

Ewan: "Ye are not fine!" Ewan scoops her up in his arms. "I'm taking you back to bed." A phrase that usually elicits loving thoughts in Lexi's mind, except for now when she feels so queasy.

Lexi: "At least turn off the electric skillet so your sausages don't burn up. Then just set me down in the nearby small sitting room—away from the sausages smell. I'm hungry. So we can eat in there."

Ewan: "Lass! Ha ha ha! Ye nearrrly faint while cooking—not a good thing with hot metal appliances arrround. And you'rrre still hungrrry?"

Lexi: "Well? Yes. I won't eat the sausages, just the eggs and scones--and some milk to drink." Lexi adds the milk uncharacteristically for her. Although she supposes that her usual morning lattes are mostly milk anyway.

So Ewan gently places Lexi on the nearby small sitting room's loveseat with a coffee table in front of it that they can use as their breakfast table. Lexi smiles at Ewan as he goes to fetch their breakfast foods from the kitchen. Then, Lexi lays back into the couch and dozes off. When he returns with their breakfasts, Ewan smiles at his love Lexi's serene countenance as she dozes. Well, it was a late night with the Christmas Eve wedding and then the party for the Dunbar Villagers at Castle Dun Dunbar that lasted until 2am. And then he and Lexi finally went to sleep an hour later, he smiles to himself.

Ewan: "Lexi, Love." Ewan tenderly kisses her forehead to gently awaken her. He has also grabbed his medical bag from the front hall closet and checks her heart with his stethoscope--and then he moves his stethoscope lower to her abdomen as she slowly awakens. He smiles knowingly and puts his stethoscope away.

Lexi: "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Ewan. I'm sorry to be such a bother this morning. But it was a long and tiring day yesterday." Lexi [(3) top middle left] sheepishly shrugs her shoulders.

Ewan: "Of courrrse. Now eat what ye can, to build up yourrr strrrength." Ewan smiles again. "We can always returrrn to bed afterrr we eat. I've alrrready set the cooking pans to soak with waterrr in the sink."

Lexi: "Hmmm." Lexi nods as she hungrily bites into one of Rhona's delicious scones with pastry so fluffy and moist they could have been made this morning. Then she notices that Ewan is only eating eggs too. "You don't have to miss out on your sausages for me, Ewan Dear."

Ewan: "Oh I didn't. I ate them in the kitchen beforrre I came in herrre with our brrreakfasts. And I was surrre to cleanse me mouth with some coffee so me brrreath would na affect ye." He smiles.

Lexi: "Ohhh! Thank you, Ewan! I love you so!" Lexi leans forward to test his mouth cleansing with a sweet kiss. Ewan obliges her.

Ewan: "I love you so. How was that?" Ewan [(4) top middle] asks huskily, him eager to get his love Lexi rested in their bed--in the hope of him lovingly not letting her rest a bit later on.

Lexi: "Very nice." She smiles, with a wince. "But maybe you should brush your teeth with the minty toothpaste—and floss--before you try to kiss me again."

Ewan: Feeling mirthful, Ewan rocks his head back in laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! As you wish, My Love. As you wish."

Lexi: Lexi smiles curiously at him. "You know? As you wish is my favorite line from The Princess Bride movie."

Ewan: Ewan looks at her quizzically. "Oh? I do na think I've seen that one."

Lexi: "Never mind." She smiles impishly at him.

They eat in companionable silence as they consume their breakfasts a deux. Then as Lexi dozes off again in the small sitting room, Ewan takes their plates and mugs to the kitchen and washes up their dishes quite tidily--leaving them to air dry on the kitchen sink counter's drying rack.

Then he returns to the small sitting room and gently lifts the still dozing Lexi into his arms again and carries her upstairs to their bedroom suite. Lexi cutely curls up into a ball when he places her into their bed and covers her up with the soft and warm sheets and their satin down comforter. Then he joins her in their bed, wrapping his loving arms about her as he also falls asleep, dreaming of their future together.

And Ewan privately vows, that when they have their first child together in the new year—be it a boy or a girl child—he or she will know both their mother's and their father's love.

***

And the day after Christmas, Lexi feels a bit more rested—though still with some morning faintness—her having not exerted herself at all after her making their and their parents' Christmas Day breakfasts. Ewan let Lexi sleep as much as she wanted in their bed Christmas Day and the next day. And he brought her food when she mentioned she was hungry again around lunch time. Then they had loving afternoons in their bed before Ewan made sandwiches for them for dinner.

They do not see the Bridal couple of Myles and Sophie until around midday for luncheon the second day after Christmas, on Tuesday, December 27th. Lexi and Ewan converge on the Castle Dun Dunbar kitchen only to find their parents already there.

Sophie: "There you are, you sleepy heads." Sophie sneaks a glance at her new husband Myles, he smiles back at her.

Lexi: "Well Mom, we could say the same for you and Myles." Lexi yawns, still feeling a bit tired. But her hunger is winning out. Ewan embraces her from behind as Lexi leans back into him.

Myles: "Ewan and Lexi. Good Afterrrnoon." Duke Myles smiles warmly at their adult children, then he gazes lovingly at his new wife, Sophie.

Ewan: "And Good Afternoon to you, Yourrr Grrraces." Ewan smiles teasingly.

Ewan's joyful spirits this day cannot be contained. It is just that before he and Lexi can tell their parents their wonderful news, Ewan needs to let Lexi know as well.

But first things first. Ewan wants to propose to Lexi, but he does not have an engagement ring for her.

Lexi: "Myles? I promised Ewan I would take him on a tour of the castle, may we borrow one of the guidebooks from the Castle Dun Dunbar gift shop to help with my memory of castle history?"

Myles: "Cerrrtainly! I'll fetch it forrr you. Ewan, walk with me?" Duke Myles gazes knowingly at his son and tips his head, beckoning for his son to follow him.

Ewan: "Of courrrse!" Ewan hopes that he can ask his father if there are any heirloom rings in the Castle that he might use to propose to Lexi with.

Duke Myles quickly finds the guide book in the gift shop and hands it to Ewan.

Myles: "Herrre ye go, Ewan. Keep it. Thomas wrrrote this guidebook, he even uncoverrred some Castle Dun Dunbarrr historrry that I did na know about." Then noticing Ewan's expectant look on his face, he asks him. "Did ye have a question, Laddie?"

Of course at thirty years old, Ewan is long past being a laddie. But then, his father Duke Myles and he did not interact with each other when Ewan was a young laddie. So Ewan thinks amusingly that his Da is trying to make up for lost time.

Ewan: "I did, I mean, I do, actually." Myles looks at his son patiently, before Ewan continues. "I would like to prrropose to Lexi and suggest to herrr that we get marrried herrre at the Castle beforrre the new yearrr."

Myles: "Ewan! Laddie! Congrrratulations!" The two men, father and son, hug and clap each other's backs in a manly way.

Ewan: "The thing is, everrrything has been so busy lately with our hospital worrrk, yourrr wedding, Gran Helen's medical crrrisis, and Chrrristmas that I haven't had a chance to visit a jewelerrrs to buy an engagement rrring forrr Lexi." Ewan gazes at his father meaningfully.

Myles; "Ah! Well, ye know, Ewan, therrre are severrral Dunbarrr heirrrloom engagement and wedding rrring sets that ye may choose frrrom rrright herrre in the Castle. Would ye like that?"

Ewan: "Aye, I would." Ewan sighs in relief. He and has father are getting along well and he hopes that also bodes well for he and Lexi as they build their life and family together.

***

Lexi having visited her mother Sophie at Castle Dun Dunbar several times over the past year, gives her love Ewan the 10 shilling tour at Castle Dun Dunbar this very afternoon, the second day after Christmas. Lexi and Ewan both find the Castle Dun Dunbar guidebook that Duke Myles gave them from the gift shop most helpful in relating the Dunbar family history and legacy.

They end up their tour at the family portraits gallery—where more than just Ducal portraits are displayed. And there they find Ewan's late Mother Isabel's smiling portrait [(5) top middle near right] as a newly married Marchioness alongside her Marquess husband Myles. A younger looking Myles is sitting wearing his full Scottish kit regalia, with Isabel standing next to him, her wearing a flowing indigo blue gown that nicely complemented Isabel's reddish hair. And because she was so petite, them both standing would not be pleasing composition wise, due to the great gap between their relative heights.

Ewan: "My parrrents look happy, don't they?" Ewan gazes curiously at the images of his parents, together, and seemingly happy.

Lexi: "They do." She has many questions for Ewan about his Mum, but she stays silent, letting him reveal what he wants to reveal. "The date on the brass plate on the bottom frame indicates that this was painted in the first year of their marriage, two years before you were born."

Ewan: "And fifteen months beforrre she left me Da, Myles."

Ewan realizes that when his late Mum Isabel asked his Da Duke Myles for a divorce, she might not have known yet that she was pregnant with him. And though Ewan still does not understand why his Mum didn't tell him about his father in the first 10 years of his life, with Lexi's soothing presence and support he is gradually coming to terms with that and forgiving his Mum.

Ewan and his father Duke Myles pre-arranged that Ewan will allow Lexi to take him on a tour of Castle Dun Dunbar this afternoon, with the two of them ending up at the family portrait gallery. Where Duke Myles and Duchess Sophie now happen to turn up—noticing that Ewan is transfixed with his late Mum's portrait.

Duke Myles: "That is a lovely picturrre of yourrr Motherrr, Ewan." Duke Myles states warmly, with his Duchess Sophie by his side squeezing his hand to encourage him.

Ewan: "It is. I have neverrr seen herrr look so young and carrrefrrree." Ewan notes in wonder. Because though his Mum was wonderful to him—her having found doctors who diagnosed her correctly and prescribed calming medicine for her as Ewan was growing up—Ewan still noticed that his Mum was sad from time to time, however much she tried to hide it from him.

Duchess Sophie: "And your Grandmother Helen should have some family photographs of your Mother's childhood years to share with you as well." Sophie adds caringly.

Ewan: "Aye. I had na thought about that. I will ask Grrran when I next visit herrr."

And Ewan's Gran Helen Fitzwalter was Ewan's mother Isabel's mother—his grandmother. With the Fitzwalter Family also being descendants of the Stewarts of Scotland [(6)]. And Helen's paternal Atholl ancestors mean that Ewan also has Duke ancestors on his mother's family side.

Duke Myles: Then Myles offers delicately. "And Ewan, Sophie and I werrre wonderrring if ye would like to brrring yourrr late Motherrr to rrrest in the family crrrypt here, next to the Castle Chapel. She would be close by then, forrr rrremembrrrance and rrreflection. Her fatherrr, your grrrandfatherrr Ferrrgus Fitzwalterrr, is alrrready interrred therrre."

Lexi: "Oh Ewan!" She lovingly gazes at Ewan and then at Myles and her Mother Sophie for this warmly comforting gesture. And she embraces her love. Ewan. "Would you like that Ewan? To bring your Mum's ashes to the Castle?"

Ewan: Ewan's eyes are also full of tears. Then he says softly, humbly. "Aye. I don't know what to say. But thank you, Da!" The two men embrace warmly, Father and Son. Both Sophie and Lexi have tears in their eyes for the growing relationship between their two men, Father and son, Myles and Ewan.