The Attic (Completed)

Chapter 3

After Ian took off, Lily had nothing else to do but wander upstairs to her new quarters. At first she considered taking a tour of the mansion on her own but it seemed impertinent, so she decided to wait for Mike instead. There was no hurry after all.

When she reached her room, she looked through the mahogany chest of drawers next to the door and found it to be empty and clean. Someone—she guessed Hannah—had recently dusted and polished all the furniture in this room. She decided she might as well take this time to unpack her things and get settled in.

Next to the chest of drawers was a matching dome-top wardrobe; and upon finding it empty, she hung up her clothes and stored her suitcases. Everything else she organized in the chest of drawers. There was no clock in the room so she fished through her purse to find her watch. Noting it was four-thirty now, she glanced down at her torn stockings with a sigh and kicked off her pumps. She put on a fresh pair of leggings and took the time to straighten her hair and inspect her makeup in the oval Victorian mirror above the chest of drawers. Everything was fine except for a smudge of dirt across her left cheek. With a fresh wave of embarrassment, she rubbed it off with a Kleenex and let out a huff. Great first impression she'd made on Ian; he probably thought her a scruffy squatter come to take over his personal domain.

Realizing she didn't actually know where the dining room was, she decided to go hunting for it. The last thing she wanted to do was arrive late for her first meal with the "family." She still had no clue what Ian's relation to her grandfather was.

She stepped out into the hallway and nearly collided with Hannah, who had just ascended the staircase.

"Ms. Kline," she said with a smile, "I was looking for you. May I escort you to dinner?"

Lily accepted the offer gratefully and followed the old woman down the staircase.

"Were you able to find Mr. Hawke?" Hannah asked, glancing sidelong at Lily as they walked together down the vaulted corridor.

"Yes—though it was a bit of an ordeal. He was out at his work shed."

The housekeeper slowed her step down to a pause. "So you've seen it then?"

"The shed? Um, no—not really. I didn't even reach it. I—uh—" She let out a laugh and lowered her voice: "I tripped over a tree root and fell on my face. That's when Ian showed up." She laughed again. "Not my most flattering moment."

Hannah cast a furtive glance down the corridor and resumed eye contact, speaking in a hushed tone. "Was he angry with you? I had some words with Mike about letting you wander off into the forest on your own."

"He did seem a little angry, or annoyed. I'm not sure. He wasn't very friendly but I thought it might just be his personality?" She put her hands on her hips. "Why is everyone so concerned about me going out back alone in broad daylight?"

Another furtive glance down the corridor. "Ian doesn't like anyone going near his shed, is all. He goes there to be alone and we've all learned to respect his privacy and leave him be." A pertinent look. "But anyhoo"—she started off down the hall again—"let's get you off to the dining room then. It's just here on the left, before the library."

Hannah approached a set of wooden double-doors on the left side of the corridor and turned the brass knobs, pushing the doors inward. She entered the room with a breeze of authority and Lily followed close behind.

She clasped her hands together in delight as she stepped into an elaborate room with white trim work and a stamped-tin ceiling.

"Oh, this is beautiful," she gasped, awed by the many gilt-framed paintings covering the crimson walls. A Persian rug covered the entire floor space, save for the area of raised hearth on the right side of the room where stood a two-story mantel fireplace with white columns and an intricate keystone of a chimera. Beneath the keystone was an Arras tapestry featuring a landscape and a group of nymphs near a fountain. On the far side of the room was a door leading into a kitchen and Hannah took her leave through it, urging Lily to get comfortable. There was no one else in the room yet.