Sunshine glittered off the river, almost dazzling me to the beauty of the building. “It’s so… old,” I breathed. Mr. Gallbraith had tried to tell me a little of the history. Hearing that the castle had been built in the time of Henry VII didn’t really mean anything to me.
It meant something now. I could see the history in every brick. The castle was older than my whole state .
It was huge, too. “Do I get a tour?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Rose. I knew I was annoying her, but she was just so pretty when she was trying to tell me off. A tour of the whole castle would take hours. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face at the prospect.
“Yes,” Rose answered. “I’ve already been instructed to show you around.” She made no effort at all to sound like she wanted to spend any more time with me, but that just made me grin. I was the duke, after all, so she had to . As much as a tour around the castle would be cool anyway , it was going to be much more fun if I had Rose explaining what I was seeing.
She pulled into... well, it wasn’t a parking lot. It was just the massive front of the castle. A courtyard? Maybe I needed to learn some ‘castle-speak’.
“Someone will bring your bags in,” she told me as she stopped the car.
“Yeah? What great service.” I couldn’t wait to see where I’d be staying. I had no real idea what a duke’s bedroom would look like. If it was anything like the outside of the castle then it was going to be something special.
I glanced down, watching Rose’s hand on the gearstick. She had lovely hands. Small and pale, but not so delicate that she didn’t look like she could work. “I’ve gotta say, it’s refreshing to meet a woman who can drive a stick,” I teased.
The look she gave me seemed confused. Rose glanced down to her hand. “Oh, yeah, American,” she said, shaking her head. It made me frown. “Most cars in the UK are manual transmission.”
She didn’t bother to say more than that. Instead, she just slid out of the car. Well. That obviously hadn’t been as great a compliment as I had hoped.
I was distracted from thinking about how weird it was that most of the cars in this country were manual transmission because there was a man waiting by the door. He gave me a look that seemed very judge-y. His face barely moved in response to the wide grin I shot him in return.
“Mark, this is Austin,” Rose introduced. “Austin,” she said turning to me. “This is Mark. He’s the head of household staff at Claxthorpe .”
“Welcome, Your Grace,” Mark greeted. I couldn’t help grinning. I could hardly imagine being called ‘your grace’ ever getting old. “I trust that your journey was a pleasant one?”
He sounded much more English than Rose. I couldn’t imagine Mark ever swearing at me. Or at anyone. “Yeah,” I confirmed. “It was great. Rose was especially good company.” If Mark doubted my sincerity, I couldn’t tell. His face didn’t even flicker.
“Someone will take your luggage up to your room,” he told me, repeating what Rose had already said. “Do you have any special instructions?”
I gave him a blank look. I didn’t know what kind of special instructions he expected me to have about my suitcase.
“If it will suit you,” Mark continued, “tea will be laid in the long library.”
I glanced at Rose, hoping she could translate.
“It will suit him just fine, thank you, Mark,” Rose said, not at all bothering to translate anything for me. Seeing as how my only question about it at that moment was related to what the short library was like, that was probably fair.
“Certainly, Ms. Eagleton-Bick,” Mark nodded. “I trust you will call for me if you require anything at all.” It didn’t sound like a question even if the words seemed like one. I suddenly felt like English in this country was a different sort of English than in America.
“Are we good to go?” I asked. I could almost see a flash of surprise in Mark’s eyes. He quickly turned his attention to the huge wooden door. He pulled it open, bending slightly at the waist as I walked through, followed by Rose.
I tipped my head back, looking at the ceiling that soared over our heads. I felt a little like I was walking through a museum. A fancier museum than I’d ever been to in the States.
A staircase swept up towards the upper floor, draped in a carpet that didn’t reach all the way to the edges of the steps.
“So,” I asked, turning to Rose. “Do we go up? I want to see everything!”
“Of course you do,” she said with a sigh. I was very quickly learning that Rose had a tone of voice that might be exclusively dedicated to dealing with me. I would have felt bad, but actually, it kind of made me feel special.
We didn’t go up. Instead, Rose took me through some smaller doors until we were walking down a huge corridor. “This is where the tourists start, so we might as well,” she commented as she stepped over to what looked like a currently unoccupied ticket box. “We are open to the public from Wednesdays through Sundays,” she explained before handing me an honest to God map .
“About half of the castle and about a third of the estate is open to the public,” she explained.
It seemed like a lot. Not for me, I was only going to be here for a few months. I didn’t care if the castle was open to tourists half the week. But for William, and whoever the duke had been before him. As far as I knew, they had really lived here.
I didn’t think I could live in a house that other people were allowed to just walk into. Even if they had to buy a ticket first.
“Doesn’t that get annoying, for the families?” I asked. I knew William hadn’t had kids, but he must have been a kid once. He’d probably grown up in Claxthorpe Castle.
“I don’t believe so, no,” she answered with a shrug. It wasn’t a particularly informative answer but before I could say as much, Rose carried on. “I grew up in this castle and it never bothered me,” she commented. “It’s how we can keep the place running. Besides, this castle wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for many people’s hard work.”
It was hard to imagine a building so grand and ancient not being there . I didn’t know much about architecture, but I thought it would take a little more than some workers slacking off to vanish Claxthorpe Castle from the map.
“What do you mean, you grew up here?” I asked. I knew Rose wasn’t directly related to the old duke. Mr. Gallbraith had told me there was no one I’d be putting out of joint by claiming the inheritance.
Rose looked at me. I was pretty sure that was another ‘you should have read the papers’ stare. She didn’t say so. Not this time, anyway. “My family has been running the Claxthorpe estate for about a hundred years,” she informed me. “My parents were in charge until a few years ago when they retired. I took their place on the board.”
As we walked through the castle, each room seemed even more spectacular than the previous one. It took me a while to follow what Rose was saying. “There are about eight of us who currently permanently reside in the castle. Mark is one of them.”
That came as a surprise. I’d assumed I’d have the place to myself. I wasn’t used to sharing my house with anyone. Then again, I also wasn’t used to living in a castle . A whole fraternity could take up residence in the building and I probably wouldn’t notice unless I came upon them by accident.
“Even better,” I decided, smirking. “You and I can really get to know each other, since we’ll basically be living together.”
It was worth it for the glare Rose gave me. Her eyes sparkled like the sun off the water, making her look even more beautiful.
The rest of the tour was going to be a lot of fun.
Chapter Four
Rose
I have to admit that at first, I didn’t realize Austin was hitting on me. Maybe it was just his general bravado or, frankly, the fact that he was American. His comment about us living together couldn’t have been more clear. I needed to squish that right in the bud. I was not going to be doing this bullshit.
“It would be advisable, Your Grace , th
at you remember your place and act appropriately,” I advised. I would have to speak to the board about getting Austin some etiquette lessons anyway . He probably didn’t even know what a salad fork looked like. Certainly not when he seemed so unable to grasp general manners.
We walked through to one of the larger reading rooms. It was one of my favorites. The windows were wide and if you came in at just the right time of the day, you could see the way light bounced off the carefully selected tapestries.
Living in a castle had always been exciting, but it was these rooms, the ones that were history, that fascinated me so much.
“My place,” Austin echoed. “As the duke, you mean? It’s kinda hard to forget that.” It was almost impossible to tell if he was playing dumb or if he was actually so stupid he didn’t understand what I was getting at.
I thought I had better assume he needed clarity. It seemed the safer option. Him hitting on me didn’t do much more than annoy me. I didn’t want him doing it to anyone else on the staff.
“I don’t know what it is that you’re used to in America, but here you can’t just act willy nilly. There are things you need to consider. And yes, your place is one of them.” I really needed to get on to the board and get someone to come in to train Austin.
He was a PR disaster waiting to happen. I was damned if I was going to let the press get ahold of this narrative. It was bad enough that the new Duke of Claxthorpe was an American . They could hardly report that he was also an absolute idiot.
I had to make sure the reputation of the estate was protected. But the more I got to know Austin the more of a challenge it seemed to become.
Austin strode through the room, barely even glancing at the beautiful tapestries. It shouldn’t have surprised me. Nothing about him had so far suggested he would have an eye for culture.
“I don’t know what ‘willy nilly’, means,” he said, smirking at me like I’d told a great joke. “But I am used to acting like I’m my own person. I do what I want, when I want. I’m not going to change that just because you put me in a fancy castle.”
Without even glancing my way, Austin lifted one of the red ropes that kept people separated from the more fragile furniture. In one long stride, he made his way across to the window looking out on the gardens. “Does this thing open?” he asked. “It’s kind of stuffy in here.”
“What are you doing?!” I heard how high pitched my voice went at the question but... you didn’t just walk into restricted areas . “Get the fuck out of there right now .” He would break something and then I might have to kill him. If that happened, we would be all out of Claxthorpe dukes. The board would be furious.
Then again, maybe depending on what Austin broke, they’d thank me. After all, they hadn’t yet had the misfortune of meeting the 16th Duke of Claxthorpe who had no respect for anything.
“What?” Autin turned to look at me, but he didn’t move away from the window. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that I can’t open a window in my own castle? Because there’s a silly little red rope in the way?”
I grit my teeth. It wasn’t his castle. I was seriously going to have to get someone to sit him down and make him read the information pack we’d put together.
“I thought that was just to keep the tourists off the furniture,” he said.
“Can you please just step away from the window?” I asked. When he didn’t move, I sighed. “It’s alarmed, if you try to open it, the whole place will be filled with security guards.” Well, it would be filled with John who was the resident security guard and was about seventy-five, but that was not particularly important for Austin to find out right now.
When Austin finally moved away, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was even holding. “The silly little red rope is in the way to protect the objects and furniture. From everyone , including you.”
“But they’re my objects,” Austin argued, “and my furniture. What exactly are the security guards going to charge me with? Breaking and entering my own caste?”
He swept an arm through the air, a possessive gesture taking in the chairs and tables. “You’re telling me William never changed anything in here?” he asked. “He kept the whole building exactly as it was a hundred years ago?”
He shook his head at me, but it didn’t wipe the stupid grin from his face. “That’s a museum, Rose, not somebody’s house. I thought you said you grew up here?”
“Not in this bit,” I snapped. “Do they even teach you history where you’re from?” Frankly, I would believe that Austin had never been to school if he told me as much. “This isn’t a hundred years old stuff. This,” and this time it was my turn to wave my hand, “is at least three hundred years old.” Some of it was slightly younger than that, but it certainly wasn’t only a hundred years old.
What kind of idiot assumed that gilding was popular during World War I?!
Finally , Austin walked back, climbing over the rope to give me another one of those stupid grins. “This stuff isn’t yours,” I told him bluntly. “ You have inherited the title. That’s yours, congratulations. And yes, certain things come with the title. The use of the estate is one of them. Not the ownership .”
He didn’t look as chastened as I’d hoped. If anything, his grin got wider as he gestured for me to lead the way into the next room.
“So, you’re telling me that the use of the estate doesn’t include opening windows, or sitting on the furniture?” he asked. “Come on. You seriously expect me to believe that you never explored the parts of the castle you weren’t supposed to go into when you were little? Where’s the fun in that?”
He definitely had me there. I had explored the castle as a kid. There wasn’t anywhere in this whole place that I didn’t know like the back of my hand. But the difference was that Austin wasn’t a child . And he had a lot less respect for the place than I had even as a kid.
I opted not to answer, instead focusing on getting Austin out of harm's way. Or at least into a room where he was less likely to fuck something up. “I’ll show you to your room, we can finish the tour later. I’m sure you’re desperate to have a rest.”
Whatever he might’ve tried to say as an objection, I proceeded to ignore. We walked through the castle. If there were places Austin wanted to stop and look at, well, he could join a guided tour. We had some very good tour guides. I was not one of them. I wanted to keep my nerves.
And probably not kill the new duke.
Three staircases and seven doors later, we were finally at the residential quarters. This was part of the castle that was renovated most recently. Elements of modernity had seeped in, but it still kept the historical feel.
“This is your bedroom,” I informed Austin once we reached it. His bags had already been brought up.
Austin pushed the door open, turning a full circle to take in the whole room. The views out across from the top of the hill were particularly stunning, especially on a day like today.
“I think I’ll be pretty comfortable here,” he informed me, as if I was supposed to care . “Will I see you again, Rose?” he asked. His grin was boyish. It could even have been handsome, if I hadn’t already decided that he was going to be a pain in my neck for the next several weeks.
“After all,” he added, “if you don’t come check on me, who’ll keep me from sitting on all the furniture like some kind of savage?”
It might have been a joke, but the look I gave him was definitely meant to imply that I agreed. He was a savage. Thankfully, there was very little that could be destroyed by him in this bedroom. The rest of the estate, I had more concerns for.
“I will see you at the dinner,” I answered. “I would advise you to read the information pack that we provided.” I wouldn’t hold my breath in hopes that Austin would .
“Dinner,” Austin echoed, clearly ignoring my suggestion. I could hardly say that came as a surprise , all things considered. “I’m looking forward to it.” It might have been charming. If it had been someone else.
&
nbsp; “And where will that be?” he asked, fishing the map I’d given him out of his pocket. “There seem to be at least three dining rooms on this thing.”
I blinked at him. Mark had been very clear about where we’d eat. But perhaps that was a little unfair. For as much as my initial reaction was to think of Austin as careless, he had spent a long time on a flight.
“The long library,” I reminded. “But someone will come to get you, we wouldn’t want you to get lost.” Which I was certain Austin would do if left to his own devices. “For now, perhaps rest.” I had already suggested he read the information pack. I wasn’t going to waste my breath on that again.
Finally able to leave, I headed to find Briony. As the head of Claxthorpe PR, she deserved a fair warning of what kind of trouble to prepare for.
Chapter Five
Austin
By the end of the first week, I’d learned the basic layout of my castle. I could find the rooms which were still in use without a guide. The thrill of striding around like I owned the place - because I did - hadn’t worn off. The more I got to know my way around, the more adventurous I became. I loved the rooms that were closed off - the ones that weren’t on the tour and weren’t being used by me or the staff. They were kept clean, but an air of mystery hung around them. Susie would love it, if I ever flew her over to visit.
Rose and the rest of her team kept their eyes on me as much as they could. I enjoyed slipping away from Mark up a staircase he assumed I didn’t know about. Of course, I never ran away from Rose. For a start, I didn’t think she’d chase me. Where would be the fun in that?
There were loads more people employed by the castle than I had anticipated. Because it was a tourist destination, we had an entire kitchen staff most days. They introduced me to the joys of crumpets and jam, but I couldn’t seem to get them to understand grits.
Apart from Rose, who I made sure to bump into several times a day, it was the guys working in the stable I spent the most time chatting with. I’d thought there would be horses, or something, but the stable team were mostly mechanics and drivers these days. Naturally, we had a lot to talk about.
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