Romance Month – Clair de Lune

Today we have Clair de Lune on Romance Month! Her valentines story is … You have to read it 😉

My Perfect Valentine’s Day Date.

I’d choose a couple of days away with the love of my life.

Arriving at Waverley station we follow the sound of the pipes until we reach our platform, where a piper, in full Highland dress, struts up down the platform, kilt swinging and pipes skirling, welcoming us to our train, the Belmont Royal Scot. There are only 36 passengers and the service is designed to make us feel very special.

We leave our luggage in the small private stateroom, where a maid will unpack for us. He looks around until he notices the masses of golden-yellow roses in a couple of vases, and then he smiles and lifts my hand to his lips. The look of love in his eyes makes my heart skip several beats.

There is a small, en-suite, and everything has been thought of for our comfort, from tissues, to bathrobe & slippers. The cars are old, panelled in wood and redolent of beeswax. They were specially rebuilt for the Royal Scotsman from 1960s Pullman seating cars. When the train leaves the station we head to the lounge-observation car. The lounge has deep, comfortable armchairs, sofas, and coffee tables. With a sigh of satisfaction we sit down and enjoy a pot of tea with scones, jam and cream. As we sit and look out of the windows at the sights of the city of Edinburgh the train starts to gather speed.

When the light begins to fade, a bell rings and a change of clothes is in order, a dinner jacket for him and a long, slinky dress for me. Then we take our places at our table in the Victory dining car. This dates from 1945 making it the oldest car on the train. It’s a conventional dining car and the places are set for two, with beautiful, crisp, white table linen, silver cutlery with sparkling crystal glasses. The small vase with two perfect golden-yellow blooms is perfect. We choose Lauderdale cream soup, followed by Aberdeen Angus steak, thin, crispy French fries and fine green beans, served with a bottle of Rioja. Desert is a tall knickerbocker glory. We enjoy the layers of delicious ice-cream, fresh raspberries, strawberries and cream.

We move to the lounge for coffee and a wee dram. The bar offers 30 different types of Scottish whisky, from the stronger west coast whiskies like Lagavulin, Talisker or Oban to the smoother eastern malts like Dalwhinnie, a delight to sample later on. After coffee, we consult the menus for the next day and the list of activities. Should we choose clay pigeon shooting on an estate, a visit to a distillery or a woollen mill? Tomorrow we plan to sit in the observation car with a pot of tea and watch the magnificent scenery roll by, holding hands as we plan the rest of the trip.

The train pulls into a quiet siding for the night.

The rest I leave to your imagination.

Author bio

I live in Dumfries and Galloway in Southern Scotland, although I was born in South Yorkshire. I spent many happy years teaching, and when I retired, I became bored with just the domestic routine.

My youngest son challenged me to write a novel of my own, and I wrote Initiation, book one in the Prometheus in Chains series. I don’t think it was quite the sort of book he had in mind, but all my family have been very supportive and encouraged me to carry on writing. Writing has become an important part of my life. It’s been like a roller-coaster ride, and a very pleasurable one at that. When I sent off my first book to Siren, I had no idea what I was setting in motion. I joined Facebook, something I never dreamed I’d do, but I have made many good friends on there, some readers and some fellow authors. Writing has certainly changed my life.

I have many interests including reading, knitting, cooking, sewing and appliqué. My family is the light of my life, and I am a proud grandmother. There’s nothing I love more than to spend time with them. We meet up for birthdays and Christmas and spend our summer holidays together.

Buy links and Social Media..

http://www.bookstrand.com/clair-de-lune

http://www.amazon.com/Clair-de-Lune/e/B009EWZF6Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clair-de-Lune/e/B009EWZF6Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/clair-de-lune

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/Search?Query=Clair+de+lune

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=clair%20de%20lune&c=books&hl=enfor

for the Red is for…. Series as well as Amazon they are for sale on ARE and Bookrix