“There is a small breakfast on the sideboard. Nothing fancy. I think you’ll get by on it.”
Harriet made her way to the sideboard and found a pot of tea, some toast, cheese, and jelly.
“I take it you did this while I slept?” Harriet inquired.
“I did.”
“You never said anything about being proficient in the kitchen. What other talents do you possess?”
“I’ll never tell,” he smirked and winked at her.
She sighed loudly. “I guess I’ll eat and take a bath afterwards.”
She couldn’t wait to get into a tub of hot water. Right now, her stomach ruled. She picked up a couple of pieces of toast, and spread butter, then strawberry preserves. Grabbing a piece of cheese, she put the plate down and prepared two cups of fairly hot tea.
Harriet placed the extra teacup on the edge of the desk Lucien worked from. She picked up her own plate and sat down at a small table next to the windows to enjoy her food. She found the preserves and cheese quite delightful. The cheese was Stilton. It was pungent and flavorful. She wondered how he knew she liked it, or if it was simply a guess on his part.
After bathing and brushing her hair out, Harriet chose a simple rose cotton day dress and a spare pair of black slippers. One of three she’d been able to bring when their plans changed. She’d have to find out from Lucien if the trunks going to the coast were being sent here.
Walking back into the sitting room, she found her husband poking the fire. He was barefoot, wearing an oversize white shirt and brown trousers. The sleeves on the shirt were folded up to his elbows. Harriet felt a strange tingling sensation run through her body at the sight of him.
He saw her and grinned. “Are you ready to explore the house?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent, let’s get started,” he replied putting the poker in its place.
As they walked out of the master suite, Harriet looked around at what she hadn’t seen when they arrived. “Does the estate have a name?” she asked.
“Highfall.”
“Has it always been that?”
Lucien nodded. “Yes, and would you like to know why?”
“Yes,” Harriet replied.
“I’ll have to show you in order for you to appreciate this, but there’s a waterfall at the highest point on the estate. Therefore, Highfall.”
“Then I can’t wait for the weather to clear up so you can show me.”
They came upon the staircase leading them downstairs. It was quite ornate now that Harriet saw it in daylight. Lucien led the way down to the main floor, where the public rooms were.
“Let’s start by going to the drawing room,” he said. He pointed to a pair of doors. “That leads down to the grand entry. We’ll go there shortly.”
The massive oak doors swung open easily when Lucien tried them. He escorted her inside the drawing room.
“It’s quite large, as you can see. I’ve done nothing to any of the rooms. I just left them as the previous owners had them.”
“You haven’t had it long enough to make changes,” she replied.
“You’re right, and I leave that to you.”
“Lucien, no,” she said. “I’ve never done that before.”
“You’ll learn,” he said.
The room was done in shades of blue, with one wall papered in what appeared to be a blue silk wall covering depicting various flowers. Gold accented the room in the various chairs. Ordinarily she loved blue, but there was something not right about the room.
