Lela had heardtales of the James family estate in New Canaan, Connecticut. By all accounts, it was pretty dang swanky—a fifteen-bedroom, twenty-bathroom mansion on more than fifty acres, with a pond, a pool, horse stables, and tennis courts. When Donovan had first told Lela about it back in college, it almost sounded like a confession, as if he wanted her to know where he’d come from, but only so he could illustrate that so much privilege had come at a cost. Before that, he’d never come across like a guy from a wealthy background, and it wasn’t because Lela had been tricked by the ratty jeans and dingy high-tops. He lived in an absurd apartment for an undergrad—Lela knew something was up. But the fact that he naturally drew attention, but never wanted any part of it, gave her pause. It seemed like such a humble instinct. When Lela later heard the story about how his dad took off when he was a baby, Lela’s view of him began to shift again. She’d started to wonder if his disconnect from the big fancy house he grew up in was more of a survival instinct.
Today, she would have her chance to gather information for herself. Donovan drove Lela, Echo, and Echo’s fiancé Lucius up to the estate on the Friday morning of the wedding weekend. Lela had asked why they weren’t going earlier, since most weddings demanded a lot of family time and preparation. Echo flatly admitted that there was only so much of her mother and grandmother she could take. Plus, work was crazy, as they all were well aware, and Donovan’s mom had a bizarro rule when family gathered—no phones, Internet, or TV. He said that it had always been like that, and the more plugged-in the world had become, the more his mother insisted that everyone not participate.
“Here’s your warning, Echo. Ten minutes and there will be no more email.” Donovan peered into the rear view mirror to look at his daughter, who was sitting in the backseat. She’d asked for a heads-up while she stole a few final minutes on her phone.
“Can you slow down a bit?” she asked.
“Only a little. Your grandmother is expecting us and she won’t want us to be late.” Donovan’s voice had an unsteady edge that was rarely there.
“Maybe it’s time to focus on what we’re about to do,” Lucius said sweetly. Born in Ireland, he’d moved to the states several years ago, but his brogue was still strong. He was tall and a bit skinny, with thick, nearly-black curly hair. A writer, his personality was far quieter than Echo’s, but the two made an incredible and beautiful pair.
Lela glanced in the backseat to see Lucius take Echo’s hand. Young love was such a sweet thing. Lela not only hoped it would last, she needed to believe it would.
“You’re so right,” Echo said in response, leaning in to kiss Lucius. “I’m powering down my phone right now.”
A few minutes later, Donovan turned in to a tree-lined driveway flanked by large stacked-stone columns. “We have reached the point of no return. Dun, dun, dun…” He sang, his voice gruff and deep.
“Dad…” Echo responded.
Lela peered out the passenger window as they inched along. All around was nothing but endless stretches of grass and landscaping. When they crested a hill, the house revealed itself ahead, cradled in a valley of rolling countryside and centuries-old oaks. As they closed in, the home seemed to go on forever, a three-level battleship of chalky white brick, dotted with dozens and dozens of lead-paned windows and topped with a swooping charcoal slate roof. The foundation was skirted by a riot of rose bushes in full bloom, and the corners armored with ivy-covered trellises.
And of course, there were the turrets. The house had freaking turrets.
“Wow,” Lela said, knocking her head against the passenger-side window.
“Don’t say wow,” Donovan said.
“It’s stunning. Am I not allowed to admire it?”
“Dad’s sensitive about how over-the-top it is,” Echo said from the backseat.
“It’s ridiculous and wasteful. Especially since she and her boyfriend of the moment are the only occupants. What’s his name again? Stuart?”
“Yes. Stuart. But don’t forget the dogs. And the cats. And the rabbits. And the emu,” Echo quipped.
Donovan blew out a breath through his nose, shaking his head. “How could I forget the emu? The thing pecked me on the forehead the last time we were here. I had a bruise for a week.”
“Things are never dull at Gram’s,” Echo said.
“Well, I think it’s a beautiful spot for a wedding.” Lela was determined to not let Donovan’s view of his family color her opinion. She’d decide for herself whether his mother truly was “detached from reality”. And whether his half-brother Austin was actually “a fun-loving narcissist”.
Donovan pulled off to the side and put the car in Park. Mere moments later, as they were climbing out, a pack of dogs escaped from the front door and scrambled out onto the lawn. “Oh, great.”
Trailing behind them was a woman Lela could only assume was Eileen, Donovan’s mother. Like Lela, she had long gray hair, although Eileen’s was more white than silver. It was piled on top of her head, held in place by black enamel chopsticks. She wore a shapeless linen dress in a color that could only be described as periwinkle. But that wasn’t what Lela was focused on right now. It was the dogs surrounding them and barking their heads off.
Eileen came to a halt, stuck her thumb and middle finger in her mouth, and unleashed an earsplitting whistle. The dogs scampered off and were at her heel in a flash, except for a Pomeranian that decided to pee on a rose bush instead.
Lela, Donovan, and Echo started up the walk with their suitcases while Lucius veered off, trying to coax the one stray dog to join the group. Eileen greeted Echo first, taking both of her granddaughter’s hands and peering up into her eyes. “I’m excited for you to marry Lucius, darling. He’s so handsome,” she muttered under her breath. “That’s important. If you ever want to kill him, it’ll make you think twice.”
“Grams…” Echo leaned down to hug her grandmother.
Donovan snorted, which caught his mother’s attention.
“My handsome son,” she embraced him warmly, making Lela doubt at least some of what he’d said about his mom.
“Hi, Mom. How are you?” The tone of his voice was quiet and resigned, but there was a glimmer of affection.
“I’m happy as a clam. I have my two boys here and my granddaughter is getting married. I can’t think of a single thing I might want. Except perhaps a gin and tonic.” She glanced over at Lela. “You must be Echo’s new business partner. And the makeup artist.”
