Wyatt watched a movie and had something to eat, and the food was nowhere near as bad as Gerald had advertised. While his new assistant was sleeping, Wyatt took a moment to read the cue cards that he had filled out, answers to specific questions should someone in the media try to speak with him. The answers were pretty basic and diplomatic, and while they looked cheesy, he took a moment to read through them and go over the answers a few times. It wasn’t until a few hours into the flight that Wyatt decided to relax and try to sleep a few hours himself. Turns out he snoozed for the rest of the flight as he was jolted awake by turbulence that the plane experienced while in their decent to Dublin. After clearing the sleep from his eyes and stretching a bit, he turned to see a smiling Gerard looking back at him.
“We’re almost there?” Wyatt asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” He replied, “We should be on the ground shortly.”
“You’re never going to give up on this Lord thing, are you?” Wyatt asked.
“Never, my Lord.” Gerard said, smiling again. “I have too much respect for the position that signs the cheques. I also happen to believe it’s good to set an example for others to respect your title as well. A whole monkey see monkey do mentality.”
“Fair enough,” Wyatt conceded, as he didn’t feel like debating is any further.
As the departed the plane and entered the terminal Gerard had tried to take his passport again after Wyatt had filled out his information as they were landing, but this time Wyatt refused to hand it over.
“Is something wrong, my Lord?” Gerard asked.
“I am capable of checking myself through customs, thank you.” Wyatt said, “But if you want to be helpful, you can go through customs first and skip ahead to baggage to grab our stuff.”
“Very well, your grace.” Gerard said, as he took the spot in front of Wyatt.
They both waited for decent amount of time as the passengers ahead of them were being processed. Gerard was already through by the time Wyatt walked up to the counter and handed over has paperwork and his passport. The person looked at it, and then back at Wyatt.
“Reason for entering Ireland?” the man asked.
“Personal,” Wyatt answered, “Attending the funeral of a family member.”
“Sorry for your loss,” the man replied, “How long will you be staying here?”
“I’m honestly not sure,” Wyatt said, “But if it’s longer than a few weeks, I will file the proper paperwork to adjust my stay.”
“Fair enough,” the man said, stamping his papers before handing them over. “Welcome to Ireland.”
“Thank you,” Wyatt said, taking the papers back before walking away.
Wyatt followed the signs to walk towards baggage and while he was walking, he stopped a few times to quickly look at some gift shops. He had considered buying something for his mother but passed on them. As he walked up to the section of the baggage claims that had his flight listed, all the passengers were still standing there as their luggage hadn’t arrived yet. Wyatt wasn’t very surprised, as he expected international luggage to be just as timely as any other airports he visited. Gerard was there checking his watch as Wyatt walked up.
“We’re not late for anything, are we?” Wyatt asked as he came to a stop beside his personal assistant.
“No,” Gerard replied, “But I was hoping to have our bags by the time his lordship arrived so we could quickly leave.”
“Relax Gerard,” Wyatt said, “As long as none of our bags go missing, I don’t mind waiting a little extra time.”
“Understood,” Gerard said, taking a deep breath. “I just wanted to get on the road soon, as it will take us a few hours to drive to Loonsburg.”
“Excuse me,” an older lady said, as she turned away from the luggage carrier to face then, “Did you say you were going to Loonsburg?”
“Yes,” Gerard said, “We are.”
“Do you happen to have any room in your transport?” the lady asked, who looked to be around what Wyatt thought was his mom’s age. “I was going to take the bus from here but that will take double the time as it stops in a few towns on the way there. The bus can be rather tedious, especially when traveling alone.”
“If it’s just you,” Wyatt said as he spoke first, “Then we’d be happy to help you out, wouldn’t we Gerard?”
Gerard paused for a moment, but quickly realized his new Lordship wasn’t exactly asking for permission or approval. “Of course, we would. No trouble at all. We have plenty of space.”
“Why thank you!” the lady replied, happy to hear the news. “I only have one bag coming, so I won’t take up too much space. Can I at least chip in for gas?”
“Not necessary,” Wyatt insisted, “We’re happy to help out.”
“Thank you,” the lady said as she extended her hand, “I’m Margaret Coffey.”
“Wyatt Harris,” Wyatt said, as he softly shook her hard. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms. Coffey.”
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“That’s Mrs. Coffey actually,” the lady corrected him. “But it is a pleasure to meet you both.”
As she said that, the caravan started up and people’s luggage started to slowly file out of the wall for them to collect. Gerard was too quick as he managed to grab his and Wyatt’s bag before anyone else could get them. Wyatt didn’t mind as he used his free hands to grab Mrs. Coffey’s bag and the two of them followed Gerard out into the parking lot and to the big black car that was waiting for them. It wasn’t a limo, but it was very fancy looking town car that thankfully did have more than enough space as long as Gerard sat up front with the driver. As they approached the car, the driver stepped out and helped Gerard with the bags. Wyatt put the bag he was carrying down and opened the door for Mrs. Coffey. Just as Wyatt closed the door, he was about to walk around the car to get in on the other side when he bumped into the driver who was already bowing.
“A pleasure to meet his Lordship,” the driver said, “I am Eugene, and I will be taking care of your grace’s travel.”
“Nice to meet you Eugene,” Wyatt said, “Gerard will be sitting up front with you, we have an extra passenger who we will be helping get home to Loonsburg. We’ll be dropping her off first before heading to the manor.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Eugene said, bowing again.
Wyatt was going to say something but decided not to waste his time. For the time being he was going to have to get used to be called a Lord. He opened the door before Eugene and Gerard could do it for him and stepped into the car and sat down beside Mrs. Coffey. Once the luggage was backed and the two men were in the front seats, Eugene started the car and sped off away from the airport. It took them only a few minutes to find the road they were looking for and the highway they would use to drive out towards Loonsburg.
“Is Loonsburg right off the highway?” Wyatt asked, curious about the trip.
“I’m afraid not,” Eugene answered, “We will have a short ride on the backroads off the highway; about two thirds of the way there.”
“He’s right,” Mrs. Coffey confirmed, “But the scenic trip is quite wonderful. The sites are very beautiful, like they’re right out of a post card.”
“I look forward to seeing it,” Wyatt said as he sat back and relaxed.
Everyone relaxed as the car quietly sped along and made its way towards their eventual destination. About a half hour into their trip, Wyatt sat back and rested his head and even fell asleep. When he came to, Wyatt looked at his watch to realize almost two hours had passed, so they had to be closing in on Loonsburg, since they were now off the highway. He shifted a bit in his seat and rubbed his eyes to focus on the new backdrop.
“Welcome back,” Eugene said from the front.
“Thank you,” Wyatt replied. “It is very beautiful. Just like a postcard.”
“Since you’ve never seen it before,” Mrs. Coffey presumed, “I take it this is your first trip to Loonsburg?”
“First time in Ireland,” Wyatt answered, “I wish it was under better circumstances, as I’m here to attend a funeral.”
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Coffey said, surprised to hear that. “I’ve been away for a few weeks visiting my sister. Who passed away?”
“I’m afraid it was his Lordship,” Gerard answered, “Lord Robert Crawford.”
“Oh my,” Mrs. Coffey said as she hadn’t heard the news, “And how do you know the dearly departed?”
“I’m his nephew,” Wyatt replied, “Great nephew, to be precise.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about your loss,” Mrs. Coffey said, before looking over at Gerard, “I thought you looked for familiar, you used to work for his Lordship.”
“I still do,” Gerard corrected her. “I’m working for the new Lord now.”
“There’s a new lord already?” Mrs. Coffey asked.
“The lordship was transferred by inheritance.” Gerard informed her, “It was delivered early this morning.”
“How was it received?” Mrs. Coffey asked.
“You could ask him yourself,” Gerard said with a smile, “His Lordship is sitting right beside you.”
Mrs. Coffey turned to face Wyatt with a shocked look on his face. “You?”
“I’m afraid so,” Wyatt replied, smiling back at her.
“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Coffey softly apologized, taking a deep breath to compose herself. “I didn’t mean to act so surprised.”
“It’s alright,” Wyatt said, “I was just as surprised to hear the news myself.”
“I’d say you were,” Mrs. Coffey agreed, “Especially since you’re not used to such formalities where you’re from.”
“I am not,” Wyatt confirmed, “Just hearing people call me by the title is going to take some getting used to.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Mrs. Coffey said, “Robert never liked it too, but he understood how cherished traditions are in Loonsburg.”
“Are you still on Forest Lane, Mrs. Coffey?” Eugene called from the front.
“I am,” the old lady confirmed. “Good memory.”
“We’ll be there in a few moments.” Eugene informed her, “We’re just getting into town now.”
Moments later, they pulled over to a street that was just on the outskirts of town to drop off Mrs. Coffey. Gerald got out and fetched her bag from the trunk while Wyatt helped her out of the car.
“It was a pleasure to meet his lordship.” Mrs. Coffey said with a smile, “And thank you for the lift.”
“It was our pleasure,” Wyatt said, “Have a nice day, ma’am.”
They watched the old lady walked back into her house before getting back into the car and resuming their ride into town. Wyatt was about to ask Gerald something about his uncle when there was a loud popping sound, and the car veered from side to side for a moment. Eugene managed to regain control and slowly puttered to the correct side of the road. Eugene had considered pulling right over but noticed a lot right up ahead. So, he puttered on for just a few seconds more before pulling into the lot to get them completely off the road. Everyone stepped out of the car to survey the damage which was one of the back wheels being completely flat.
“Well, we’ll just grab the spare.” Gerald said.
“There is no spare,” Eugene said, “I left it behind because I thought you were going to bring a lot of luggage with you.”
“Really?” Gerald said, sounds a tad frustrated. “We’re stuck out here?”
“Calm down, mate.” Eugene said, “I’ll call someone on the mobile and they’ll be out here in two shakes. No biggie.”
“He’s right,” Wyatt said, “No need to get all worked up. We’ll be fine.”
“It’s just that we’re so close.” Gerald said.
“How close are we talking?” Wyatt asked.
“You see that trail?” Gerald said, pointing at a path that started at the end of the lot. “That’s the hiking trail and it leads right back into town.”
“How long does it take to walk back into town?” Wyatt asked.
“About twenty or thirty minutes,” Eugene answered, “Depending on how fast or slow a person walks it.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Wyatt said, looking at the path. “I could use a nice walk to stretch my legs. After the long flight and drive, I wouldn’t mind a chance to walk off the stiffness.”
“We’re going for a hike?” Gerald asked.
“No, Gerald.” Wyatt corrected him, “I’m going for a hike. You and Eugene can stay here and wait for the wheel to get fixed. I should be in town but the time you get there, and we’ll meet up.”
“Alone?” Gerald said, “Are you sure, my lord?”
“Quite,” Wyatt said, as he reached up to the car to grab his coat and a bottle of water. “You guys take care of this and I’m going to take a walk to clear my mind.”
“Yes, my lord.” Gerald said, bowing again. “Enjoy your hike.”
Eugene and Gerald watched as Wyatt walked away and started to trek on the path that led out to the trail.
“He’s a stubborn one, I can tell.” Eugene said.
“It appears so,” Gerald agreed.
“He’s kinda like the old man,” Eugene also added. “This should be fun.”
“Indeed.” Gerald again concurred, yet fun wasn’t the exact word he would choose to detail the situation.