Page 14

ChapterFourteen

T rying to appear calm and composed, Lucy opened the door. The two men before her smiled warmly, and Jack handed over an enormous bunch of roses.

“Hi, Lucy. Seb figured a bunch of flowers might make you see us as normal.” He grinned at her when she stepped aside to let him in.

Sebastian followed. “Hello, Lucy. I didn’t actually say that.”

“Hi...” Her voice strained as she continued, “Thanks for the roses.”

Sebastian grinned, then he looked past her to the grand central staircase.

It was the first thing guests saw when they entered through the huge front door.

“This looks like such an amazing house! The front staircase leading the way up onto the veranda is fantastic and that staircase!” He pointed. “That’s just ... wow.”

“Um ... I’ll give you the two-dollar tour later.”

“Two dollars? Gee, that’s cheap.”

Nervously, Lucy led the way down the hall toward the back parlor.

She gestured for the men to sit while she went into the kitchen to put the roses in a vase.

Wasting time, she arranged the flowers over and over.

Finally carrying the vase, she came back into the room and put it on the mantelpiece.

She knew she fiddled as she moved the vase back and forth.

Two hands touched her shoulders, turning her around.

“Relax, Lucy. You know us ... well, know us a little. Come sit down.” Sebastian led her to one of the sofas and pushed her down onto it. He walked over to the window and looked out. “Have you lived here long, Lucy?”

“Um ... I grew up here as a child, then moved out when I married. I came back when Mom got ill. The house has been in the family since 1899.” She took a deep breath.

“Originally, it belonged to my great-great-grandparents who bought it with money from their English ancestors. My grandfather inherited the house as the oldest son. Then when my father, who was an only child, married Mum, they moved in. Both took care of my grandparents until their deaths.”

“It’s huge. We could see it’s two-story and made from brick and sandstone. It’s still got the slate roof too.”

“The covered veranda goes around three sides and another around three sides of the second floor as well. Over the years, the land’s been sold off to provide money for maintenance and now less than half a hectare surrounds it.”

Oh heavens, listen to me! I’m rambling. Argh!

“That makes sense. These old places need a lot of attention.”

“The main house was built as a stock farm in 1881.”

Sebastian looked around the room then said, “Doesn’t look like a stock farmhouse, too rich looking.”

“I agree, but apparently its original owner wanted a grand mansion to show off his wealth but died about seventeen years later. He wanted it to look opulent and rich, hence all the woodwork and fancy ceilings. You’ll see all the intricate plaster work with ceiling roses, the oak grained woodwork, stained glass windows, and marble tiles throughout the house. ”

Calm down! You’re still waffling on.

Sebastian gave a whistle as he turned back to the others. “Wow! That makes sense. I must say it looks lovely. I love these old buildings, but they can be a money-pit.”

“Yep, the upkeep is the worst. Fortunately, my parents did a lot of major work on it. I just keep my fingers crossed that nothing breaks.”

“That’s for sure. Ask Jack what it was like when we were renovating the coach house.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t want to be reminded, Seb.” He looked at Lucy. “The roof had to be replaced, so did the wiring and the plumbing, as well as the renovations inside that we wanted.”

“This house was re-wired about twenty years ago, so I don’t have that worry, and the plumbing was done at the same time so those big expenses are off my list. But the roof ... argh.”

“What about the roof?”

“Shh. I don’t talk about it.” She grinned.

Sebastian sat down and looked over at her, obviously interested. “Why?”

“You don’t want to hear.” She giggled then sighed.

“It’s the slate, there are a lot of cracked ones.

Three huge trees were alongside the house and years ago one was struck by lightning, branches fell onto the roof and onto one of the other trees.

That one in turn also landed on the roof.

If you look from the back, you can see a large swath of rusted corrugated iron that my father fitted.

I’m worried about some the slate tiles around that area as well.

I’ve been told I’ll have to get the entire roof replaced because there is broken slate all over.

I’ve been hanging off as long as I can, but I’ve reached the point where I’ve been getting quotes.

It has to be done before there’s damage to the inside of the house.

There’s already a couple of small leaks upstairs when we get really heavy rain. ”

“Hell, Lucy, that’s a big job, bigger than the roof on the coach house.”

“Don’t worry, I know.” She gave a shiver. “And it has a price tag to match!”

“So you’ve had some quotes?”

“Yes, I’ve had three different companies so far, and I have one more coming next week.

A couple of them suggested replacing the slate with corrugated steel.

It would be cheaper and would still have an authentic look.

Apparently houses from the colonial days had corrugated as well as slate tiles, and wooden tiles. ”

“That’s true. The coach house roof was corrugated iron so we used steel when we replaced it, and it’s probably around the same age as this.”

“I’m lucky this house isn’t under heritage orders, thank goodness.”

“Oh yeah, that is lucky! The coach house is under a part-order. We aren’t allowed to change the outside.

Had reams of paperwork to fill out when we put in the walkways between the two buildings.

We can do whatever we like inside but the outside has to stay, hence the big green doors.

We needed approval when we replaced the roof. Had to be the same color as the old.”

“Just gives me a major headache whenever I think about it,” Lucy said.

Jack gave her a look that spoke of sharing those worries. “Never ends, does it?”

By talking about the house, even her rambling, Lucy began to relax. Although she still wanted to put off the main conversation for a while, so she offered coffee. “Coffee or the two-dollar tour?”

Both men leapt to their feet, shouting as one. “Tour!”

Sebastian took one hand, tucking it under his arm, and Jack did the same with the other.

“Tour it is. So this is the main parlor or family room, whatever you want to call it.” She pointed out the spacious, well-appointed kitchen with butler’s pantry and it’s adjoining old-fashioned storage room. “The kitchen.”

Pointing to a wide hallway, she said, “That leads through the butler’s pantry and the outside rooms. There are garages and a work shed out there. Once they were bedrooms for the servants, but my grandfather converted them into garages and the workshop.”

She led them through the vast kitchen into another wide, light-filled hallway. Indicating a smaller hallway off to the right, she said, “That leads to two bedrooms. They have their own bathrooms and a small parlor each, as well as their own entrance.”

She took them back into the main foyer and up the grand staircase. Its beautiful old oak handrail had a rich, patina sheen to it, built up from years of hands rubbing over its grain. She led them down the long hall, pointing out the bedroom and taking them into it.

“Three bedrooms up here with two bathrooms, plus the suite.”

Sebastian blurted out. “My god, it’s huge!”

“Just wait until you see the master,” Lucy warned with an impish laugh. She led them through a vast parlor, opened the large double doors, and waved her hand to usher them into her private domain. “Ta da!”

They walked in and Jack stumbled into Sebastian, who had stopped mid-stride.

Jack turned back to a grinning Lucy. “All this for you? Wow, it’s ... hell, I’m lost for words.”

Lucy entered and walked over toward the door to the private sitting room.

Sebastian moved again, his dark eyes darting from one place to another as he tried to take it all in at once. He glanced at Lucy. “I don’t know what to say. Honestly, Lucy, this is the most fabulous room. Heck, the whole house is amazing!”

Lucy had figured they’d be impressed. The overpowering feature of the room was a vast oak four-poster bed.

It had been built by her great-great-grandfather.

Lucy always thought it would be something a person would find in a royal castle.

The downside was the huge mattress, as well as the linens and blankets—all had to be specially made.

The bed headboard was intricately carved with scenes of unicorns, castles, and flowers.

There were pixies and fairies hidden in its depths.

“When I was a child, I remember sitting on the bed with my grandfather and we’d search for elves and fairies.”

At the foot of the bed was a vast blanket box also carved with the same scrolls and flowers.

Two carved wooden antique chairs sat either side of an open fireplace on one wall.

Even though the chairs were large, they seemed small compared to the bed.

Still, the room itself was enormous so nothing seemed too big or out of place.

Lucy showed them the sitting room, a sun-filled room with a rocking chair, large sofa, and a low-slung cabinet. There were a set of stairs in one corner. They were both still opened mouthed as they looked at it.

She opened the door to the bathroom. “The bathroom. It’s above the conservatory, hence the shape.”

Its octagonal walls filled with stained-glass windows let in lots of light, a vast claw-footed bath held pride of place.

Sebastian glanced at her, then back at the tub. “My God, Lucy, even the bloody bathtub and shower are huge!”

Lucy couldn’t help her soft giggle. These two were bringing out her schoolgirl side. “My grandmother was in a wheelchair in her later years, and so the shower was enlarged to allow a chair access.”

She grinned as the three went down the back staircase in the private parlor, finishing at the conservatory with its one octagonal shaped end and large glass windows.

“So this is the conservatory and alongside is the study—I use it as my office—then there’s the big dining room, seats twenty-two, plus the formal living room. And then there’s the library.”

“A library! You’ve got a fucking library?”

Jack almost raced down the hallway ahead of the other two.

“The front room on the right, Jack!”

“We’ll lose Jack now. He loves books.”

“Oh dear, well, he’ll be in his element. There are thousands of books gathered from my great-great-grandparents right through to my parents and me.”

She and Sebastian reached the room and walked in. She was sure Jack purred in delight as he ran his hand along the spines of books, and his grey eyes appeared to glow with pleasure.

Sebastian nudged Lucy and nodded toward Jack. “See. I told you.”

Jack heard him and rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the same time.

Lucy heard Sebastian draw a noisy breath and when she looked at him, he was staring at Jack.

Lucy found it hard to describe the look—like a cross between passion and glee. She glanced at Jack.

He’d stilled as he gazed back at Sebastian. He raised one eyebrow and Sebastian shook his head with a come-hither grin, making Lucy excited without knowing why.

While she was wondering what had just happened between the two men, Sebastian finally turned away from Jack and looked at Lucy. She knew her own face betrayed her, knew it held a mix of excitement and puzzlement.

“Let’s sit down. I think this is the perfect time to talk.”

Her excitement took a nosedive. Never mind having somersaults or butterflies in her stomach—she had a flock of huge pterodactyls which took to the air in a panic flight. She gulped.