“Always are. I told you there was nothing to fear.”
“And the library is incredible.” She gazed up at the murals as theypassed through Myddleton’s main entrance-hall. “So is that ceiling. Goodness. Is Highfield Hall as grand as this?”
“No, not quite,” Julian replied. “Though it’s just as impressive in its own way. It’s been in my mother’s family for over six hundred years, though the house today bears little resemblance to the original castle.”
“It was acastle?”
“Once upon a time,” he replied. “Drawbridges and dungeons and all that. It was torn down a couple of hundred years ago, and the stones were reused to build the current house. There have been other changes made as well over the years, so it’s become something of a glorious hodge-podge. The medieval gatehouse is still standing and there’s a ruined watchtower on the moor road. The old chapel still exists in the house and a corner of the cellar is also original.”
“It sounds wonderful.”
“It is.” He stopped himself from suggesting she might see it for herself one day, though he dared to believe she would. There was plenty of time for that, however.
Annabelle appeared to ponder for a moment. Then, “Is it haunted?”
Julian groaned. “My dear Miss Fairfax, I cannot believe you asked that question. Ofcourseit’s haunted. A ghost or two is mandatory for any historically-burdened house.”
She gave him an amused glance. “Are you teasing me, Mr. Northcott?”
“Absolutely not.” Biting back a smile, he kept his gaze to the front. “And this is Myddleton’s conservatory.”
“Heavens,” she murmured as they paused at the entrance. “I could never have imagined anything like this. It’s extraordinary.”
“Yes, it is rather splendid,” Julian replied, frowning as he cast his gaze over the jungle of giant palms, exotic ferns, and sweet-scented flowers, searching for his parents. “Ah, there they are, look. Over by the pond.”
He felt Annabelle’s resistance on his arm. “Who is sitting with them?” she asked. “My goodness, those two young ladies are twins, surely.”
“Yes, my sisters, and they’re sitting beside my youngest brother. Arthur. The quiet one I told you about.”
“Should there not be two more?’
Impressed, Julian glanced at her. “You remembered.”
She gave a slight shrug. “I remember everything about that day, sir.”
Something stirred beneath Julian’s ribs. “As do I,” he replied, soberly, “and yes, you are correct. Louisa, my eldest sister, and Maxwell, her husband, are not here, and neither is Josiah. I believe I mentioned him to you already.”
“Yes, you did. Do I curtsey?”
“You don’t have to. My father should be addressed as ‘Captain Northcott’ initially and ‘sir’ after that, and my mother as ‘Mrs. Northcott’.”
“Right.” Annabelle heaved a sigh and smoothed her skirts. “I do believe I was less nervous meeting Lord and Lady Hutton.”
“You don’t need to be nervous,” Julian said. “Come on. I promise they won’t bite.”
Annabelle didn’t quite look convinced as she fell into step beside him.
“Ah, there you are!” Aldous, Julian’s father, got to his feet as they approached, prompting those seated with him to do the same. “We were about to send out a search party.”
“We were with Uncle Isaac and Aunt Eleanor. Aunt Eleanor told us where to find you.” Julian gave Annabelle a surreptitious wink. “Papa, Mama, everyone, may I present Miss Annabelle Fairfax, the young lady I met several weeks ago in London. I had assumed our meeting to be a singular event, but it seems fate has decided otherwise. It turns out Miss Fairfax is currently recuperating a few miles fromhere following the recent death of her father. Miss Fairfax, this is my father, Captain Aldous Northcott, and my mother, the Honorable Grace Northcott. These two young ladies are my sisters, Miss Evie and Miss Clara, and this young fellow is Master Arthur Northcott, my brother.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fairfax,” Aldous said, inclining his head. “And please accept our sincere condolences on the loss of your father.”
“Thank you, Captain Northcott,” Annabelle replied. “You’re very kind. I’m honored to meet you all, and perhaps a little overwhelmed as well, in truth.”
To Julian’s surprise and delight, Grace stepped forward and took Annabelle’s hand. “I’m not in the least surprised, my dear, under the circumstances. Come and sit beside me. Would you like a drink? There’s some lemonade left.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Northcott, but no,” Annabelle replied, a sweet blush on her cheeks as she settled onto the cushioned seat of the large lattice settee. “What a remarkable space this is. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
