“No, we never saw them,” Cathryn said.
“To clarify something—you two can stay in that wing as long as you want. This is a family home, and family is always welcome.”
“We appreciate that,” Charles said.
“Yes, we do. We just didn’t want to be in the way,” Cathryn echoed.
“Neither of you would be a burden. It might help Charles continue to transition to normal living,” Arthur said.
“You’re too kind, Arthur,” Charles replied.
“If you decide this isn’t for you, I do know of an estate for sale in Gloucestershire. The house is magnificent. It was built in the last century and is Georgian in design. The gardens are something to behold but since the current owner died, they need some work.”
Charles and Cathryn locked eyes for a moment. “We would be remiss to not at least go look at it. If the owner died, who is looking after it?” Cathryn asked.
“The estate sits in trust until a new owner is found,” Arthur replied.
“We’d like to see it if you can arrange it. It doesn’t have to be right away. Just check with the trustee for us.”
“I will do that in the morning,” Arthur said. “How did you like York? I haven’t been there in over a year. I need to make a trip and go over things with the estate manager.”
“Your man does a good job keeping it up, but I must admit the house needs some redecorating and renovation,” Charles said.
“I need to make a visit. If it wasn’t entailed, I might think of splitting the land up, selling the house and keeping the mine.”
“But you can’t do that, can you?” Charles asked.
“No, I can’t.”
“If I may change the subject, but were my parents rude when they came here?” Cathryn asked.
“Under the circumstances, I think they were fairly well behaved. By the time they arrived, they realized there was nothing they could do and if they did try something, it would play out badly for them,” Daphne said with a faint smile.
“Good.”
“By the way, Charles, I almost forgot. A letter came yesterday for you from Oxford,” Arthur said.
“Oxford? I wonder what they might want?” Charles mused.
“Let me go get it and you can find out.” Arthur left the room to retrieve the letter.
Charles began to pace the room. Getting a letter from the prestigious university was nothing new. Since his first book was published, he’d been invited to speak at various universities. He’d accepted one or two, but Oxford, that was indeed the most famous.
He heard the two women talking amongst themselves as he walked. It sounded like buzzing to him, nothing more. His mind was elsewhere. He kept turning his head and glancing at the door. Arthur should surely be on his way back.
A moment later, his twin came through the door, waving an envelope above his head. “Here it is.”
Charles accepted it and took a deep breath before proceeding. Taking the correspondence from its envelope, he began reading. “It seems they want me to come talk to them about perhaps doing lectures on a more regular basis.”
“What have you lectured on in the past?” Cathryn asked.
“Overcoming a mental ailment to become an author, among other things.”
Arthur arched an eyebrow. “Do they say what they want you to speak about this time?”
“They don’t say. Only that they wish to discuss the matter of my lecturing more.”
“You’re going to accept, aren’t you?” Cathryn asked.
