Chapter 45

They left Bermuda first thing the next morning without saying goodbye to Yasmin as Rachel had suggested. Derek had refused to set eyes on the woman again until he confirmed her story first.

Meanwhile, before they left their villa, he had woken up Rachel at dawn with a small cupcake in his hand while he sang the ‘happy birthday’ song to her in bed. They had eaten the cake together and made love afterward. It was by far the sweetest birthday gesture that Rachel had ever experienced in her adult life.

Now they were in his private jet with their bodyguards and new nanny, Elaine, flying to England to see Derek’s pseudo-dad who held the key to unlocking the mystery of Jeremy Fraser and Yolanda Fraser’s marriage as retold by Yasmin James. Rachel felt as if she was in the middle of a movie and she was learning about the scenes in real-time with the viewers. It was a ridiculous thought but that was how she felt.

“I feel as if we are always flying somewhere,” said Rachel.

“Ok, maybe we can sail to our next destination then,” replied Derek.

“Where would that be?”

“Where do you want to go next?”

She thought for a moment. “How about we sail to France?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said with a grin. “I know someone who runs a cruise business. We could get some VIP pass for their next trip to France. I’ll call and check when we land in England.”

“You know people everywhere,” she said.

“I know people sho matter everywhere,” he corrected.

A thought occurred to her and she asked, “Did you mean what you said yesterday about giving everything you own to Zoe?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “She is the next generation of Fraser and that makes her my heiress.”

That word sounded foreign to Rachel – it was a word that she associated with those highfalutin reality TV stars with rich parents who couldn’t even quantify just how much money they owned. It was an image of bratty young women who looked down their noses at everyone else because they were better than them in every way imaginable. It wasn’t a word that she wanted to associate with her sweet, adorable, little Zoe. She didn’t want her child to grow up and become a snob simply because she was born into so much wealth.

“What is it?” Derek asked her when he noticed the change in her expression. “You don’t look excited.”

“I know this might sound silly to you, but the thought of Zoe becoming an heiress scares me a lot,” she admitted. “I want my daughter to grow up like a normal kid.”

“What is normal?” Derek asked. “That word is relative. I grew up as a normal kid just as you did, but we still have different experiences. I think what you are trying to say is that you want Zoe to grow up poor because you think that is how she would learn humility.”

Rachel frowned. “I didn’t grow up poor, but yes, I want her to be a humble person and it is hard to be humble when you have the world at your feet.”

Derek sighed. “I thought we have gone past this argument. Rachel, wealth is not a bad thing. In my opinion, it’s how you use it that truly matters. My ideas and values combined with yours will mold our daughter into becoming the kind of person we want her to be. We don’t have to argue and fight about this upbringing issue at every turn.”

“Fine,” she said grudgingly. “I will remind you of all of these cute descriptions when I see you trying to spoil her.”

Derek grinned. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s enjoy this magnificent view and think about how we’re going to throw down at your birthday party.”

She laughed. “It was very kind of your uncle to agree to throw me a party even though he hasn’t met me yet. He’s a generous man.”

“Absolutely,” Derek agreed. “You’re going to love him, you’ll see.”

The pilot announced that they would be landing in the next four minutes, and Rachel could see Derek’s excitement increasing with every passing second.

“You’re about to see my second home,” he told her with a sparkle in his eyes. “Get ready to fall in love all over again.”

Rachel grinned in response but in her mind, she wondered if he was talking about falling in love with the place or with him. She had promised herself not to get mushy with him again because love was clearly not in the books for him, but now that his reason for hating love so much has been called to question, who knows, it just might change his views about that emotion altogether.

Don’t hold your breath, she told herself and looked out the window. She should be smart enough by now not to play dominoes with her heart. Love is not something Derek understands and she needs to make her peace with that truth and stop expecting him to change for her. She had to remind herself that her relationship with Derek was an adventure and it was better this way than setting herself up for a major disappointment.

**********

Alfred Rickman’s estate in the English countryside reminded Rachel of Downtown Abbey. The ginormous manor house was surrounded by lush greenery, woods, and many hills in the distance. The lawn was trimmed to perfection and the two fountains in front of the house were reminiscent of those exquisite marble statues in Rome. The place looked like something out of a Beatrix Potter storybook.

Their host had sent a helicopter to pick them up, while their bodyguards would join them later in a rental car that they’d gotten at the airport. It was Rachel’s first helicopter ride and she couldn’t hide her excitement. Zoe kept giggling and pointing at everything in sight, and Derek gladly indulged her playfulness.

When they landed, a butler showed up to lead them into the house.

“Welcome, Mr. Fraser,” the man greeted Derek politely. “It is good to see you again.”

“Thank you, Connor. It’s good to see you too,” replied Derek. “This is my family; Rachel, my girlfriend, Zoe, my daughter, and this is Elaine, my daughter’s nanny. Our bodyguards will be joining us shortly. They’re driving up here from the airport.”

“That is good to know. Welcome, ladies. I present to you, Rickman Manor.”

The women murmured their gratitude and followed Connor’s lead into the house. The helicopter took off just then, leaving in a wake of heavy winds coming from its blades. Inside, the main hall was styled to look as if they had been transported to the middle ages featuring vintage furnishings, Persian rugs, intricate candle holders, a grandfather clock with a swinging pendulum, and two knights' armors on either side of the hall.

“Oh my god…” Elaine gasped. Rachel was too blown away to even utter a word.

“Mr. Rickman is expecting you in the great room. Please, follow me,” said Connor with his English nose in the air.

“After you,” Derek said with a grand bow to Rachel.

“I feel as if I have just traveled back in time. This place is amazing!”

Derek laughed. Her childlike awe always excites him. It was one of the things he loved about her – the way she doesn’t hide her emotions but simply wears them on her sleeves. It was the one thing that made her unique from every other woman he had ever dated in his life.

The great room was even more enthralling than the hall. An elderly man was sitting on a wingbacked chair in front of the fireplace, reading a book. When he heard them coming in, he got to his feet and dropped the book on a low stool beside his chair.

“Welcome!” He greeted them with open arms and a huge smile. Alfred Rickman was a tall, slender man with silver grey hair and a smiley face.

“Thank you for allowing me and my gang to intrude on your peaceful retirement,” said Derek, hugging him. “It’s so good to see you again, Uncle Alfred.”

“Aw, don’t be silly my boy. You know this is your home and you are welcome to visit any time you want,” said Alfred, happily.

“This is Rachel, my girlfriend,” said Derek, beaming.

“Hi,” said Rachel.

“Come here, darling,” said Alfred happily, wrapping her in a warm hug. “I finally get to see you. What a pleasure it is!”

“And this is Zoe, my daughter,” said Derek with pride.

“Oh, my world!” Alfred exclaimed. “She is your spitting image!”

He scooped up Zoe from Elaine’s arms and did a little twirl with her, eliciting some giggles from the happy toddler.

“She is adorable,” said Alfred. “I know I shouldn’t say this, Derek, but I never thought that I would live to see the day that you would declare a child to be yours.”

Derek laughed. “People can change, Uncle Alfred. I have.”

“So, I see,” said Alfred. “And who might this be?”

“That’s Elaine, Zoe’s nanny,” Derek replied.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” said Elaine.

“Same here, Elaine. Welcome to my home.”

“Shall I ask Cook to serve lunch now, sir?” Asked Connor.

“Why, yes. I am sure my guests are positively starving by now after that long flight,” said Alfred. To Derek and Rachel, he said, “I asked my cook to prepare a hefty meal for us. I assumed you would need some delicious homecooked meals to warm you up after eating loads of junk food during your vacation.”

“We barely ate any junk food,” said Derek. “You know me, I’m still a preacher of healthy eating. Gotta keep my gut clean always.”

“That’s good to hear. Come, sit down and let’s get acquainted before we go to the dining room,” he said to Rachel.