Page 45 of The Wedding Engagement

“Aha. Nico called me.”

“So it’s the same mission?”

“Indeed it is. I figured two heads are better than one? Although it’ll actually be three heads. Well, perhaps two and a half, because the third is small.”

A smile spread across her face. “Jayce is coming with us?”

“Yeah. That okay?”

“Perfect,” she said, heading toward the tills.

“Excellent. We’ll pick you up at one p.m.”

—

They pulled up on thedriveway at the address supplied by Elise, and Liv turned round to Jayce. “Here we go, buddy. Ready to look at some photos?”

Jayce looked at her with those big brown eyes. “I want to play.”

“Sure we can, pal.” Liv thought she felt Arran’s gaze on her, but as she turned her head he looked away. They exited the car and she got Jayce out of the back, taking his hand to walk up the drive.

As they headed for the front door, Arran put his hand out to take Jayce from her, but the wee one grasped her hand with both of his, pressing his face into her arm. “I want to hold Lib’s hand.”

“Charming,” Arran said in a mock-hurt voice, but there was a soft smile on his face.

Arran rang the doorbell, and a tall silver-haired man answered. He was smartly dressed in checked trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, and a waistcoat. “Hello there. You must be Elise and Nico.”

Liv shook her head. “I’m afraid we’re stand-ins. Both of them are unwell today.”

“I see,” he replied, casting an eye over the three of them with an air of interest.

“I’m Arran,” Arran told him, holding his hand out for a shake. “And this is Liv, and Jayce.”

“I’mLordJayce, of the fort,” Jayce piped up, a serious expression on his little face.

“And I’m Henry,” the man replied with a smile. “Delighted to meet you. Please do come in.”

Henry had a refined kind of voice and Liv imagined it was because he mixed in cultured circles. As he took them down the bright, white-walled hallway, her eyes were drawn to the beautiful photographs of Highland scenery lining the walls.

“Wow,” Arran said, his voice full of awe. “Are these all your work?”

“Yes,” Henry replied. “The scenic shots are my other passion, outside of my wedding photography business.”

“Have you taken any pictures of dragons?” Jayce asked, eyeing the photos with an air of disappointment.

“I’m afraid not, young man,” Henry said with a smile in his voice. “They are indeed very difficult to capture on camera.” He opened a doorway at the end of the hallway and showed them into a large modern extension that housed his studio. There was a comfy sitting area to the left as they walked in, where they settled in while he prepared some coffees from a machine sitting between the squashy leather sofas.

Liv admired the large white-walled studio beyond, with camera equipment set up between them and the space. A big skylight cast a soft, natural light over the area. “This is amazing. Have you had the studio for long?”

“A few years,” Henry said. “I had the extension built so that I could enhance my business with portrait work.”

Jayce wriggled on Liv’s lap, keen to get down. She let him onto his feet and kept an eagle eye while he investigated the leather-bound folders on the coffee table in front of them. She didn’t quite have the heart to tell him that there would, more than likely, be a paucity of dragons in the folders too.

“Feel free to look through those,” Henry said. “They’re examples of weddings I’ve done.”

Arran lifted a folder and Liv scooted up next to him so that they could both leaf through the shots, Jayce opening another folder on the table and scouring it with a determined look on his face.

“These are beautiful,” Liv murmured, taking in various shots displaying natural poses between smartly kilted grooms and beautifully gowned brides. Henry had captured the background scenery in each one perfectly—rolling hills and glassy lochs.

---