Chapter Four: Taking Care of Business
Willa Mae swallowed and cleared her mind of every errant thought, most especially ones about the man who walked in behind her. She knew he was staring at her high bottom and wide hips…she could almost feel his intent gaze on them. She wanted to spin around and demand that he stop teasing her, stop trying to seduce her, stop being the distraction he was being. Instead, she forced herself to ignore him and walk in with head high.
“Good morning, everyone,” she said, refusing to acknowledge them individually. Good manners only required her to greet them, and she wasn’t really ready just yet to tackle their hostility on top of the attraction from hell that she was fighting. “I hope I’m not late.”
She smiled in a very general sort of way in the direction of the three people who were just about to take their seats at the table, plates full of food already in their place settings. They each made a general mumble by way of a response, none of them looking directly at her as they spoke. She looked around uncertainly and found her host at her side.
“You’re right on time,” he said, a barely leashed anger threading through his voice. “My family must be exceptionally hungry today if they’ve already served their plates without waiting for us to arrive.” A hand at her elbow, barely there, led her to the side board. “Please help yourself to whatever you’d like.”
Willa Mae glanced briefly at him, a tentative smile shifting her lips upward, and then she nodded and said, “Thank you.” Her voice was low, but she couldn’t manage to raise it any higher.
“Not at all,” he said, handing her a plate.
Willa Mae wasn’t sure she could eat much of anything, but she took some toast, a hard cooked egg and a sausage link, and added some fresh strawberries. As she stood wondering where to sit, Niall appeared again and led her to the table, to a seat directly across from his mother and next to him. Then he asked her what she’d like to drink.
“Orange juice, if there’s any, and coffee, please.”
She watched him pour and walk back with her drink choices, and watched his mother’s eyes widen in horror. Feeling more and more annoyed, Willa Mae smiled, choosing not to hide it behind the glass she raised to her lips. This time, she spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Thank you, your lordship. It’s so kind of you to serve me.”
The countess’s eyes snapped to her face, and Willa Mae kept her smile plastered on her face, while in her mind she was doing a little bitchy dance. Take that, your ladyship. She wasn't going to allow this woman or her other children to ruin her mood, or stop her from doing her job. The sooner the older woman realized who she was dealing with, the better it would be for everyone.
“My pleasure, Willa Mae,” he said, and dared to wink at her.
This time, she stifled the bubble of laughter that rose in her throat. There was bravado and then there was insanity. She wasn’t insane enough to believe she could get away with laughing at her fuming hostess. Even though she was still determined to resist Niall’s charm, and the kiss they had shared was still making her tingle, she was glad that his private coolness with her was not in evidence here. At least she could count on him to put his personal feelings aside to help her achieve their common professional goal.
So far, no one else had spoken, and it seemed no one would. She waited until Niall began to eat before putting any food into her mouth. No one spoke for about five minutes, though it felt like an eternity of painful silence. Then,
“Perhaps you’d like to share your ideas for the castle with us now, Ms. Jamison?” The countess’s voice was cold and haughty.
Willa Mae swallowed the egg she had just put into her mouth and wiped her lips on her napkin. Taking a heartening gulp of the coffee which was now blessedly lukewarm, she began her spiel.
“Bannock Castle is in an attractive location, and from what little I’ve seen, part of a charming community. Creative Legacies has done some research into the transformation of similar dwellings in Scotland, and have seen where there are certain things that can be done to make the castle a fully certified, fully functional, wholly competitive tourist destination.”
No one interrupted her, so she continued. “The earl has been in continuous consultation with our firm over the past few months, and he has decided, with our guidance, to make the following updates.”
She looked up at Niall as she spoke, and when he nodded faintly, she went into a detailed list of the things they had decided could be usefully done to make the estate a viable business. She hit the highest points first: refurbishing all the guest quarters, but leaving the family’s private quarters intact, unless they chose to participate in the upgrade. It would mean closing the house for the next six months, but as they weren’t doing much business to begin with, that would be no significant loss.
“While the renovations are ongoing, however, we would open the gardens to visitors, for a voluntary fee, the way they do at other venues.”
“Where else does anyone have access to private gardens for a voluntary fee?” Angus demanded. “It sounds to me like a giveaway, if the visitors don’t want to contribute anything at all. We’d still have to let them in.”
“That’s quite true,” she conceded, “but as you’re now not making any money from the gardens, anything you do make will be a bonus that you can continue to give yourself once the renovations are complete.” She paused before adding, “Even large organizations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City allow visitors to pay what they can afford for entrance. And for those who can’t afford to give anything, the museum is free of cost. So everyone who wants to will have a chance to enjoy the beauty of the art work it houses. Also, I think it will do wonders for the family’s reputation if the gardens were opened to the public in that way where those who can contribute will be paying it forward and helping you to pay for the upkeep of the grounds.”
No one spoke for a heartbeat, and then Alison said, “That sounds like a marvelous idea, doesn’t it, Mama? Our gardens are gorgeous! It can’t hurt to make some money from them, can it? And it’s not as though anyone will be trampling about the house.”
“The gardener will be overrun with work,” her mother replied in a strained voice.
“I’m sure we can find someone to help him a few days a week,” Niall said. “I don’t see that as a concern.”
Willa Mae ate some more of her breakfast while they went back and forth about her idea, glad that no one seemed ready to tackle her about the big item, which was the renovation of the inside of the house. But her elation was short-lived, for Angus chimed in, staring at her meaningfully.
“How drastic will the changes to the interior be, Ms. Jamison? Will they detract from the authenticity of the house?”
“I’m sure that his lordship will not allow the history of the house to be lost by any renovations we will agree on.”
Willa Mae knew she needed to be diplomatic, and to acknowledge the huge role that Niall would play in any decisions made going forward. She wanted to assure his family that she would faithfully execute any plans agreed upon, and respect his wishes as the lord of the manor.
Draining her coffee cup, she closed the knife and fork on her plate and continued. “Does anyone else have any further questions about the inside plans?”
She already knew the answer. Everyone had looked at Niall when she had answered Angus, and the look on his face had said they had better be silent. She grinned, making sure to keep it behind her lips, which she gave something to do by taking a drink from her orange juice.
“Regarding the other plans, the earl wanted to know how to set up and maintain a website which would handle bookings and sales from the souvenir and tea shops that he also wants to open in the section of the house downstairs. As I understand it, the butler is the only person serving the household who lives on premises, and the earl has plans which he will discuss with you regarding Mr. Andrews’ future living arrangements.”
Again, all eyes were turned to Niall, who sipped his second cup of tea tranquilly, as though nothing was amiss. Willa Mae had to hand it to him…he sure as hell knew how to handle his family. No one said a word.
“After today’s tour, I’ll be in a better position to advise the earl on the shop idea. Anything that we discuss he will share with you.”
The rest of the briefing concerned new staff, tours, connections with the village, and publicity. Once she was done, she finished her juice and waited for Niall to speak.
“Would you like some more coffee, Willa Mae?” The question wasn’t what she had expected him to say after her presentation, but she ran with it, trusting him to deal with the fallout.
“No, thank you, your lordship. In fact, if you don’t mind, I’m eager to begin the tour.”
He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and she wondered what she had done to piss him off this time. Then, as she looked at him trying to puzzle out his mood, she remembered the warning he had issued at the top of the stairs. She also remembered the punishment she had received for ignoring it. Instantly, she was back there, her lips crushed beneath his, her body trembling in reaction to his nearness and his touch and her uninhibited response to him. She looked down at her hands, wishing she had something to hold, to ground her until he made his next move.
“We’ll be out all day, once the tour is complete, Mother,” he announced after a heartbeat. “Don’t wait dinner for us. We’ll most likely be eating out again. I’ll discuss everything with you once all the plans are in place.”
He stood up, pushing his chair back under the table as he spoke, and went to stand behind Willa Mae’s chair. She stood and he pulled it out for her, waiting until she picked up her bag before pushing it under as well.
“Have a good day, everyone,” he said and turned away, his arm once again extended to her.
“Please excuse me,” she said, and turned away to take his arm. “Enjoy your day,” she added, thinking I’m gonna do my best to enjoy mine.
Out in the hallway, Niall pierced her with a fierce look. “I am keeping count, Willa Mae.”
Some daredevil in her wanted release, especially after that rather strained breakfast meeting. She couldn’t seem to control her runaway tongue.
“And how much punishment have I racked up, your lordship?” She even went so far as to smile coyly at him.
“Enough to make it impossible for you to continue to ignore me. Enough to make you wish you weren’t being so brave now. Enough to satisfy my curiosity.”
Her whole body shivered at the sensual threat in his words, and at the smoldering look he scorched her with. He turned, giving her a chance to take a deep, calming breath, and led her along to the end of the hallway to begin the tour.
“We’ve just left the breakfast room,” he told her. “The larger dining room is through here. As this will be something of a bed and breakfast, I’d like this to be the dining room used by the family for all meals, so that the breakfast room may be used exclusively for guests. It’s smaller, more intimate, and we ought to be able to put in four tables once we remove the one currently there.”
He walked her into the imposing dining room and she took in the large table, noting that there were currently twelve chairs around it.
“Does the table fold out?” she wondered.
“It does. I hired an expert craftsman to upgrade the table so that it would retain the authentic feel of the house but still be functional for large sit-down dinners.”
Willa Mae ran her hand over the dark wood. “It’s pretty impressive,” she said. “I imagine that no one can tell where the addition is when it’s fully unfolded.”
Next came the library, which would remain closed to the public. A large piano room next to it would become the family’s private sitting room, so that the smaller drawing room where she had been received the previous afternoon would become the guests’ sitting room.
“Where will guests sleep?” she wondered.
“We’ll go there next, and then on to the downstairs section. That will likely be the place where most of the alterations will need to be made.”
He led her up the stairs. “The second floor will remain the family’s quarters. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a small one added to the master suite.”
“How many guest rooms are there?”
By now they had arrived on the third floor. “Six up here. The largest used to be the schoolroom. It comes with a sitting area and an ensuite bathroom. The other five will share three bathrooms — there’s another bedroom with its own shower bathroom, and the four remaining ones will have a bathroom between each pair of them. The bedrooms up here are smaller, because they were once the servants’ quarters. The schoolroom had an attached bedroom and sitting area for the governess so it was larger. They can be made comfortable enough with a few updates, I’m sure. We’ll need to spend a lot on the shared bathrooms to make them equally as comfortable for guests.”
He paused, opening a door to what turned out to be the largest of the guest spaces. “We could install water closets and sinks in each bedroom, at least, so the shared bathrooms can have a full bath and shower. But it will still be a tight squeeze.”
Willa Mae took in the small but luxurious bathroom in the suite they stood in, and the queen-sized bed that filled up most of the bedroom itself. A blanket chest at the foot of the bed, a side table and an old fashioned wardrobe added to the appointments in the room. A Queen Anne secretary’s desk had been opened to be used as a dresser, with an oval mirror hanging above it to complete the furnishings.
“This is a pretty space. I’m sure you realize that you’ll have to charge more for this room.”
“Indeed, as well as any room with its own WC and sink will also cost more.”
“I’d like to have a look at them. Maybe I have an idea…”
They walked into the first of the smaller rooms, and Willa Mae did some fast figuring. Then she asked, “Are the other small bedrooms the same size as this one?”
“Niall nodded. “Yes, why?”
“I’m just thinking that perhaps we need to reconfigure the spaces up here completely. Instead of these five smallish bedrooms, why not four larger ones, complete with their own WCs, and a sitting area for the guests instead of a third bathroom? The remaining two bathrooms can then be shared by your guests and can be more luxuriously appointed with a separate shower, tub, and sink.”
She looked over at him as she spoke. “I know you’ll lose the potential for two extra customers, but in the end, your business won’t suffer for it. Great reviews that extol the elegance and size of your living quarters will go a long way to bringing you new as well as repeat business going forward.”
Niall nodded again. “That’s at least one thing my family will approve of,” he said with a chuckle. “The fewer people in the house, the better they will feel.”
“Is there any access from this floor to the roof?” she asked next. “Is it safe to be up there, and could any visitor who wanted that experience potentially to get it?”
Niall’s eyes caught hers for a moment before he answered. “I used to go up there as a boy, against my parents’ wishes, all the time. We’ve had it secured, though, to avoid accidents.”
She looked at him sharply, a question in her eyes. “You say that as though there was at least one accident. Is it a deep, dark family secret?”
Niall chuckled. “It’s dark, for sure, but not very deep. An ancestor of mine took his paramour up there to hide her when his wife returned home unexpectedly. The woman slipped and fell to her death.” He paused, adding after a breath, “Though some believe she was pushed.”
Willa Mae’s eyes widened. “I’ll bet there’s a ghost story in there somewhere.”
“Not really,” he replied. “By the time the story came down to my grandparents’ generation, it was being ruthlessly suppressed. No one wanted to acknowledge the randy ancestor whose lover fell from the roof. They were as proper as my mother is. No damn fun at all!”
Willa Mae laughed, and he joined her. The rich sound of their merriment fell all around them in the room. Something in the twinkle in his eyes made her ask,
“Did you take someone up there as well, Niall? Is that why they closed it off?”
“Why do you ask?” He didn’t deny it, just smirked at her.
“If you were a…difficult child, I can see your mother doing all she could to keep you out of too much trouble. Including making it impossible for you to get back up there.”
“Do I give you the impression that I was a troublemaker?” He chuckled amusedly.
“You do have a certain way about you,” she retorted. “I have cousins like you. They gave my aunt and uncle nightmares. One still does.”
“I plead the fifth…isn’t that what you Americans say when you don’t wish to incriminate yourself?”
Willa Mae laughed again. “If your family weren’t so…fastidious about what they wanted done here, that story might actually also be a great PR byte, a way to get more visitors. Even if they can’t get up there, they’ll take pictures, which will put the face of your home out there, especially on the web.”
He regarded her quietly for a moment, as though he was looking for something in her expression, before he finally spoke. “Let’s go down, shall we?” he invited her without responding to her suggestion.
They made their way down to the basement level of the house, where Andrews was just emerging from what appeared to be an office.
“Ah, Mr. Niall, you’ve finished the upstairs.”
“Yes. Are you ready for me down here, Andrews?” Niall asked him.
“Yes indeed we are, sir. Mrs. Reid has also already prepared the picnic basket. I assume you’ll be using the Range Rover today?”
“Yes, thank you, Andrews.” Niall turned to Willa Mae. “The plan down here is to completely reconfigure the space, which is still pretty much the way it was a hundred years ago. There’ll be two single bedrooms down here with a shared bathroom between them, the shop, the restaurant, the kitchen and Andrews’ quarters. Have a look around and tell me what you think.”
“I’ll be happy to,” she replied, smiling at him. His eyes lit up, and the searching expression returned to them, but he only nodded and began the tour.