Charles climbed out of the driver’s seat and popped the trunk so we could grab our luggage. “Well, believe it. Only the best for my wifey.”
I wheeled one large suitcase behind me while Charles balanced two overstuffed duffle bags.“Look at this garden. It’s even more beautiful than my mom described. Is that hydrangea? Look how big and puffy!”
“We can eat your biscuits and gravy out here and watch the sunrise. Want to try for tomorrow?”
“That sounds great, honey, but tomorrow, I’m sleeping in. Let’s do it the day after, though, for sure.” When I turned back to look at Charles, I delighted in the enormous smile that decorated his handsome face.
“I can’t believe the size of this place,” he noted, eyeing the mansion. I turned back to study the domicile in all its refinement and grandeur. It appeared to be a mishmash of architectural styles, landing somewhere between a Scottish castle and a Colonial. Whoever had ordered this house to be built clearly had a very creative mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran across a few trap doors or secret passages during our stay. I couldn’t wait to explore.
We reached the doorstep and paused to collect ourselves. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I studied the bright green front door.“I guess we just knock? Or do we head right in? Mom didn’t have any information about a key exchange, and I couldn’t find this place on Airbnb when I looked.”
Charles stepped forward, cleared his throat, and thumped on the door.
And someone pulled it open almost immediately, a little old lady with blue hair and thick glasses. She smiled at us, then turned toward the interior of the house and shouted,“Billy, the honeymooners are here!”
A middle-aged man with a pot belly shuffled out and grabbed my suitcase, leaving Charles to handle his own duffle bags. I stood on tiptoe to kiss my husband’s cheek in excitement. “This is it! The place is all ours!”
“What was that, dearie?” the old lady shouted my way.
“Oh, sorry. We’re just excited to have free rein of this gorgeous house for the whole week,” I explained with an awkward smile.
“You don’t exactly have free rein,” the man whom she’d called Billy informed us. “The third floor and attic are off limits to guests, and obviously you’ll need to keep to your room or the communal places on the property.”
“Wait.Our room?” I squeaked, not knowing what else to say.
Charles immediately jumped into lawyer mode.“I think there may be some misunderstanding. This is our honeymoon, and my wife’s parents expressly reserved the entire property for the week as a gift to us.”
“There’s no misunderstanding on our end,” the old woman piped up, taking her glasses off to clean them on the hem of her shirt. “Costs a lot of money to maintain a place like this, especially since it belongs to the official register of historical homes in the area. And that garden? Qualitygardeners don’t come cheap, dearie.”
My heart sank as I filled in the blanks.“So you turned it into a B&B to help pay the bills?”
“About five years back now. Your mother hasn’t been for a while, I’m guessing. I can’t believe she assumed she was reserving the whole place for the cost of a single room. Ha!” She hunched over and slapped her knee.
“There are no refunds without at least two weeks’ notice, so you’re out of time. Do you want your room or not?” Billy sniffed indifferently.
I looked to Charles for a decision since we obviously weren’t going to be offered any privacy to discuss our options.
“We want it,” he said decisively, shooting me a meaningful look that I had a hard time deciphering just then.
Billy nodded and headed toward a narrow staircase.“Very well. Let me show you the way.”
We followed the man up the stairs to a locked door at the far end of the hall.“You only get the one room, but it’s our best room,” he offered almost apologetically as he turned a key in the lock and pushed the door open.
And immediately I gasped as I took in the oversized canopy bed and soft lace curtains. The entire room was something out of a time capsule, transporting us straight to the early days of our nation and showing how the one percent lived in ornate luxury. Blue flowered vines danced along the wallpaper, and the honey oak hardwood floors appeared to be original. Best of all, a stone fireplace sat opposite the bed with a gorgeous antique love seat positioned comfortably before it.
“Nice, huh?” Billy grunted as he tossed my suitcase onto the bed.
“I love it,” I confessed as I turned in a circle to take it all in.
“Thanks for your help,” Charles said, shaking our guide’s hand and probably slipping some money into it for a sly tip.
“Dinner’s at eight p.m. sharp. It’s included in the cost of your package, if you want to join us.”
This caught my attention.“What’s on the menu?”
“No menu. This isn’t a restaurant.” He narrowed his eyes at me, leaving no doubt the hospitality industry was not Billy’s first choice for a career. “We all eat the same, so if you’re gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, or meat-free, you’re free to go grab your grub elsewhere. If you’re not too fussy, then you’ll love Madame Blue’s cooking.”
I blinked back my surprise at the way he delivered this invitation.“Madame Blue? Is that…?”
“Yup, you already met her downstairs. She’s a much better cook than she is greeter. That’s why she keeps me around.”
Right, because Billy here was the paragon of hospitality.
“Okay, thanks again.” Charles moved toward the door.
Thankfully, the other man took the hint and followed.“The name’s Bill. If you need anything, just give a holler.”
I smiled and waved goodbye right before Bill took his leave and thumped the door closed behind him.
Charles turned toward me with a bemused expression.“So things are a little different than we expected,” he prompted with a sigh. “I figured we should at least take it for now, so we have a private place to discuss our options. I’d be happy to go somewhere else, if you’d rather.”
“Honestly, it’s fine. You wanted to spend most of our time in the room anyway, right?” I sank down onto the bed and patted the mattress beside me. “Now get over here, Mr. Longfellow.”
3
After a bit of time to ourselves, Charles and I decided to take a look around the garden. We headed outside hand in hand, swinging our arms between us as we strolled up to a pair of stone cupid statues that stood amid a bed of bright yellow roses.
“I should do more with our yard back home,” I said, stooping down to breathe in the sweet fragrance, startled when a fat bee buzzed out from between the petals. I jolted back, hoping I hadn’t already upset the creature.
“Oof, careful. I’m allergic to bees!” Charles cried, taking a giant step back and waving his arms about.
“Really? How did I not know that?” I cocked my head to the side as I studied him.
“Because we don’t have any gardens back home. Probably best to keep it that way too.”
“Better bees than shellfish, I guess. Octo-Cat would never forgive you if we had to stop getting his favorite lobster rolls from Little Dog Diner.” I smiled thinking of my crabby tabby back home. Darn it, I missed him already. “Do you want to go back inside?”
Charles shook his head.“I’m not deathly allergic. Well, not unless I get stung by a whole hive. My wife wants to enjoy the gardens, so let’s enjoy the gardens. I’ll just take some Benadryl when we go back inside, and worst case, I have an EpiPen tucked into the front pocket of my duffle.”
“An EpiPen?” I frowned as I looked up at him. “That sounds pretty serious.”
“Just a precaution. You know me, always prepared like some kind of overgrown Boy Scout.” Charles caught my look of horror and backtracked quickly. “I’m fine. I promise. Look, there are those hydrangeas you saw coming in.” He pointed and took off toward the puffy pink flower balls.