One Bride Required!

Turning his head, he slowly examined her exquisite profile, and, resisting the almost overwhelming impulse to touch that thick dark hair, he murmured, ‘Is it worth restoring, do you think?’

‘I don’t know.’

Unable to take his eyes off her, he put one hand over hers, and she jumped nervously. ‘I am sorry, Phoenix.’

Finally turning her head, she looked at him, and it was as if a shutter came down over her eyes, hiding her thoughts, her feelings from him. ‘Are you?’

‘Yes.’

‘For what?’

‘The deception.’

She nodded, made an obvious effort to pull herself together, and returned her attention to the house.

‘So, what do you think?’

‘I don’t know. You’d need a structural engineer to tell you that. All I can tell you is what things are.’

‘Then tell me what they are.’

‘Why?’ she demanded raggedly. ‘Why now?’

‘Because I saw an article about you, and I suddenly found that I wanted to see you again.’

She gave a bitter smile. ‘And never mind that I might not have wanted to be seen?’

‘Didn’t you?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said helplessly.

‘It would be a lucrative commission...’

‘That isn’t why you invited me.’

‘No, I was curious. Didn’t you know that curiosity was my besetting sin? And you’re even more beautiful now than you were then.’

‘Thank you,’ she said without inflexion. With an abrupt movement away from him, she announced baldly, ‘I’m going home.’

Halting her, he asked, ‘Not even a little bit curious to see what’s inside? The article said it was your passion...’

‘So were you,’ she retorted without thinking, ‘and look what that got me.’

‘A degree,’ he answered. ‘A life. It wouldn’t have worked, Phoenix. Not then.’

‘No,’ she agreed.

‘And I never meant to hurt you.’

‘I know you didn’t.’

They both stared at the house in silence.

‘The article said you were making quite a name for yourself,’ he finally murmured. ‘I’m glad.’

‘Thank you.’

Such a flat little voice, devoid of meaning, but he could feel the tension in her. Feel it in himself.

‘Shall we go in?’ Leading the way up the weed-choked path, hoping she would follow, he pushed open the heavy front door. ‘Will you at least look round? Give me your honest opinion?’

She looked suddenly helpless and distracted. ‘Don’t come with me.’

‘All right. Don’t go in the bedrooms in the east wing,’ he cautioned. ‘One of the ceilings is down and the roof is unsafe.’

Without answering, she walked quickly away to the left of the grand staircase. He wanted to follow, unobserved, wanted to see what she was doing, how she was behaving now that he was no longer beside her.

Long after she was out of sight, with only the sound of her high heels tapping on the bare boards, he remained where he was, his feelings ambivalent. He hadn’t been quite prepared for the sensations he’d experienced when she’d stepped from the car. Wasn’t entirely prepared for them now. An overwhelming feeling of belonging. But what was she like now? After her initial shock, she had given nothing away of her personality. At eighteen she had been vivacious, laughing, loving. What was she now? Never one to rush his fences, even if his feelings were urging action, he would allow her time and space to make up her own mind. If he could.

In the meantime, he thought with a rather twisted smile, he would make his own tour, maybe go and look at his very own entablature. Not that he was entirely sure what it was, only that the executor had assured him that he had one. He’d looked it up, but being told that it was the top part of an architectural order, which consisted of horizontal mouldings, hadn’t been very enlightening.

But his mind was on Phoenix as he slowly climbed the grand staircase. Remembering not to grasp the handrail, which had a tendency to wobble alarmingly, he turned left at the small landing where the staircase divided, climbed the further five steps that led to the landing proper, and which ran on either side to the front of the house, and ambled aimlessly through the warren of bedrooms and one antiquated bathroom. He took a brief look into the east wing to make sure no further damage had occurred, then found the small back staircase that went down to the rabbit warren of rooms that had once presumably housed the scullery, dairy and kitchen, and which would definitely need major remodification.

Returning to the top of the staircase, he headed in the opposite direction, into rooms that interconnected. Perhaps they’d once been the nursery. One room for Nanny, one for the child and one for playing in, or taking tea in front of a roaring fire. No sign of it now, of course—even the fire surround had been removed. By whom? he wondered. But it was only an absent thought because his mind was still on Phoenix.

As he walked into the room at the front, a small smile tugged at his mouth as he stared up at the ornate cornice. ‘Behold,’ he murmured softly, ‘one entablature. I probably have several others, of course... And talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. Or is it the second?’ But then, he was mad, wasn’t he? To take on this monstrosity. Some of the rooms were damp. Most were inhabitable... He should have sold. It was going to cost an absolute fortune to restore. But the view had to be almost worth it, he decided as he stared from the window. Open fields, hedgerows, coppices, and, in the foreground, the quaint and rather delightful village of Mincott Oddly. Crooked cottages around an ancient green.

What was she doing now? He could hear no sounds from the rest of the house. Was she thinking about him? A small conceit, he thought wryly; she might not be thinking about him at all. But he wanted her to be. Wanted her to feel as he was feeling. An ache in the loins, a heady feeling of adventure.

Fool, he scolded himself. But wasn’t it allowed to be a fool just once in your life? Twice, he mentally corrected. He’d been a fool ten years ago.

Shaking off his introspection, because thinking about it did him absolutely no good at all, and intending to go and look for Mike, he was momentarily distracted by the sight of a small door on his right. He’d always assumed it was a cupboard, but, opening it, he found a short flight of stairs, which of course had to be investigated. Climbing carefully, on treads that felt decidedly rickety beneath his weight, he opened the door at the top and peered into the cavernous space beneath the roof. Too dark to see anything clearly, and probably infested by spiders. He carefully retreated and made his way back to the landing.

Hearing minuscule scratching sounds, he looked over the banister and saw Phoenix, delicately picking plaster from his walls. For a long, long moment he watched her, unobserved. Her face was intent, but rather sad, he thought.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked softly.

Startled, she looked up guiltily, and, cursing himself for a fool, knowing what was about to happen, he swung himself over the railing, dropped lightly down to the half-landing, and was just in time to prevent her stumbling backwards down the staircase.

‘Sorry,’ he apologised, his breathing barely altered. ‘I didn’t mean to frighten you.’

‘No. I mean, it’s all right. No damage done.’

‘Except to the plaster,’ he said drily. ‘I thought the whole idea was to put plaster on the walls, not take it off.’

‘Yes. It was already cracked,’ she excused hastily. ‘I mean, I didn’t... You could have broken your neck jumping like that.’

‘Nonsense, I’m incredibly fit,’ he boasted mockingly. ‘So, what were you doing?’