The Hermit’s Castle
Ancient and Modern
Val McDermidAlan asked me to marry him right here, on the edge of the cliff. There was a glorious sunset at his back, smudged bars of scarlet and gold and bruised plum, the colours reflected in the ruffled surface of the gunmetal sea. I couldn’t see his face because of the radiance behind him and I wondered what he was up to, getting down on one knee on the uneven rock. I thought he’d dropped something. But the next thing I knew was, ‘Ellie, will you do me the honour of being my bride?’
I only hesitated because my mouth was too busy grinning. ‘You bet,’ I yelped. Then I yanked him to his feet and squeezed him so tight his breath exploded in a loud, ‘Oof!’
Of course, I never told Colin any of that.
Serendipity. The dictionary defines it as the ‘oc
