Grace thought about that. “Well…yes. You’re quite right. But sometimes, it’s pleasant to look around and see a home you know your great-great whatevers lived in. To touch a fireplace that has warmed rooms for centuries…that sort of thing.”
“Mowbray House?”
She nodded. “Yes…and other places too, of course.”
“So tell me,” He shifted his position so that he could look at her. “Are the fires warmer because they are contained within an ancient hearth? Are the stairs easier to climb because thousands of feet have used them before?”
“Umm,” she frowned. “No. No, of course not. Not physically, anyway.”
“So it’s the sense of history you find appealing?”
“I suppose so.” She shrugged. “I can’t help but wonder whose hands dusted the Mowbray House mantelpiece five hundred years ago. Or whose feet first trod up the steps of the great staircase. What amazing or terrible secrets do the walls hold?”
She looked at him, her eyes flashing with the ardency of her argument, so beautiful in that moment she took his breath away.
“It’s all there, Perry. Can you imagine? Centuries of living absorbed into the woodwork.”
“Along with mice, woodworm, the smell of smoke from ancient siege fires—not to mention buckets of blood from the many more unpleasant incidents…”
“You’re a cynic, Sir Peregrine. A confirmed cynic.” Her eyes softened into a smile. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
He took her gloved hand and raised it to his lips, dropping a light kiss on her knuckles. “Keep looking at me like that, and I will be.”
She blinked, blushed and then jerked forward as the carriage came to a halt. “Oh.” Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a breath. “We’ve arrived.”
Just in time, too.
*~~*~~*
Pulling her errant emotions back together, Grace welcomed their arrival. It distracted her from the unexpectedly sharp pangs of curiosity that Perry’s simple words had engendered. Places low in her body she had thought long-dead proved they had only been dormant…warming, sending out tendrils of excitement that might have transformed into a shiver of sensual interest had she not been busy stepping out of the carriage.
She’d known him for some time, and always enjoyed his company. Now perhaps her body was letting her know exactly how much—and why.
Mentally rebuking herself, she let the postilion assist her to the ground as she tugged her muffler up around her face, hiding her scars. It was a reflex action; one she barely realised she made.
Mounds of snow covered the edges of the steps and some of the shrubs were no more than white lumps in the landscape. She glanced up at the sky as tiny pellets peppered her bonnet and shoulders. With a grimace she recognised icy sleet, frozen bits of rain that boded for a rough period of weather, and she gave thanks they’d arrived before the worst of it.
It was hard to see the roof and exterior design of the house from where they stood; her eyes roamed over the warm brick and the few vines of ivy that were still green. There were other climbing branches here and there, bare at the moment, but she wondered if they might be wisteria, one of her favourite flowers. Overall, the aspect of the house, from this angle, was attractive.
She said as much to Perry when he arrived at her side. “It has a lot of charm,” she volunteered, glancing at the tall windows and the clearly defined stonework surrounding them.
“Hmm.”
It was difficult to decide if that was an agreement or not, so she let it pass. He took her arm and together they walked in to be greeted by a young man in servant’s clothing.
“Good morning, sir, madam,” he bowed correctly. “I’m Edward, the first footman.”
“No butler?” asked Perry, handing the lad their outer garments.
“Not at the moment, sir. It was felt that the new owners would wish to fill that position with someone of their choosing.”
“So who is keeping the house in order?” Grace was curious.
“We have a few servants here at present, Ma’am. There is a cook, a limited kitchen staff, two maids and one under-footman. Plus myself.”
“You have supplies? Food and firewood? That sort of thing?”
Grace appreciated Perry’s question. It would not do for anyone to go without at this time of year.
