The Chancellor Fairy Tales Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Poppy Lawless

  I nodded. “Mrs. Aster was a distant relative of mine. She left me the property. I’m going to reopen the shop.”

  Across the room, one of the carved brooms fell out of the closet onto the floor with a loud clatter.

  The three older women looked at one another then, after a moment, laughed out loud. They giggled until the third woman, dressed in a purple suit, wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Oh, we’re sorry. Julie, wasn’t it? Mrs. Aster was a very good friend of ours. I’m Tootie Row,” the woman in the rain coat introduced, sticking out her hand.

  “Violet McClellan,” the woman in the purple suit said, shaking my hand.

  “Betty Chanteuse,” the petite little woman introduced.

  The names immediately rang a bell. “One minute,” I said. Setting the broom aside, I rushed to the back living space. I returned a moment later with the old photograph. “This is you then, the three of you, with Mrs. Aster?”

  “Well, I’ll be,” Tootie said then, looking down at the image. “Was that ‘65?” she asked the others.

  They nodded.

  “Oh, look at Alberta,” Violet said softly, pointing to another woman in the photo. “Our other friend. She passed away a few years back.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “But I’m so pleased you stopped by. I was hoping someone could tell me about Mrs. Aster. She was a distant relative. I never knew her.”

  The three women looked at me, their eyes glimmering with excitement.

  “We’d be happy to, Julie,” Tootie said.

  “So happy,” Violet added.

  “Indeed, indeed. What a miracle. Emma Jane’s relation. Alberta and Emma Jane…they were part of our cov—” Betty started but Tootie raised a hand, cutting her off.

  “Not now,” Tootie said then, shooting her friend a knowing but friendly look. “Julie needs to get settled in first. What do you need, dear? What can we help you with? We know everyone in Chancellor. We can help you with just about anything.”

  “Well, at the moment, I need a handyman.”

  “Oh! I know just the one!” Violet said with a grin. “I’ll send someone over.”

  “What else, dear?” Tootie asked but her words were lost when a cement truck, followed by two utility trucks, pulled up across the street.

  We all turned to look. Across the street and half a block down was an old watermill that Horatio had mentioned. Looked like, even without Mrs. Aster’s property flattened, the Hunters were proceeding with their restaurant.

  “Ugh,” Tootie spat. “The land baron is hard at work, I see.”

  “He petitioned the chamber for The Grove again. We’ll need to be at the meeting Thursday night,” Violet said.

  “They tried to buy this property,” I said then. “They wanted to turn it into a parking lot.”

  The three women gasped.

  “No,” Tootie said.

  “Well, they tried. Horatio…he was inquiring.”

  “Oh, that poor boy,” Betty said then, shaking her head.

  “Poor? Why poor?” I hadn’t meant for it to show, but an odd tremor resonated in my voice, revealing my concern.

  Tootie, however, had heard. She smiled at me, took me by the arm, then led me to the window. Through the still-dirty glass, I saw a sleek white Mercedes park alongside the trucks. Horatio and an older man, apparently Horatio’s father, got out.

  “There he is, slick devil,” Tootie said, the other ladies crowding behind us. “And Horatio. He’s such a sweet boy.”

  “Kind heart,” Viola said.

  “His mother’s son,” Betty added.

  “She died just a year ago. We adored her, a true artist, a gem in this town. She ran the theater, even let the three of us dress up as extras in a play. Horatio and his sister, Viola, sweet children, are much like their mother. Too bad they were left to get along with the land baron.”

  “Here, Julie,” Tootie said then, positioning me so I could look out the window a bit better. “You can see better here. Look over there. You see that water wheel? There’s an old story about the stream that powers that wheel. They say that a fairy enchanted the water, so if you kiss your true love by the water wheel, your love will last forever. Isn’t that a sweet little story? Isn’t it enough to make you fall in love?”

  “Fall in love?” I asked, puzzled as I strained to look out the window at the unmoving wheel.

  “Fall in love,” the three ladies answered in unison. At the same moment, Horatio walked into my line of vision.

  He turned and looked toward me.

  Gasping, I stepped away. Great, just what I needed, for him to see me gawking. As I stepped back, however, my head felt dizzy. Too much cleaning. I cast a quick glance outside. To my surprise, Horatio had turned away from the restaurant and was crossing the street. Oh no, I was a total mess.

  I looked from my rumpled and dirty clothes to the three women. They were smiling at me.

  They turned then, nodded to one another, then Violet said, “Well, Julie, it was very nice to meet you. Will you be staying here from now on?”

  “Yes. I think so.” Why did my head feel so weird?

  “Great! Well, we’ll be sure to stop by and visit you again soon,” Tootie said. “And we’ll send all the right people your way. Don’t worry, you’ll feel at home in Chancellor in no time.”

  “Okay, sure. Sounds great. Thank you for stopping by.”

  Tootie smiled. “Anything you need, just call us!” she said and with a wave, she and her friends headed back out onto the porch. I followed behind them just in time to find Horatio headed down the sidewalk toward the shop, a sheepish look on his face.

  “Ladies,” he said, smiling awkwardly.

  “Good morning, Horatio! Lovely weather. You come to try to buy the shop from Julie again? You do know she’s Mrs. Aster’s relative,” Tootie said.

  I suddenly wished I hadn’t divulged so much information. While it seemed like the three women had now officially adopted me as Mrs. Aster’s kin, I had never even met the woman.

  “Um, well, no…actually,” he began, then turned to me, “I came to apologize.”

  “Oh, well, now that sounds like something a gentleman would do. I hear your father is after The Grove again,” Violet said, motioning to the park across the street from the shop.

  “Yeah, Viola mentioned it,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

  “Hum,” Violet said, tapping her foot. “Well, he won’t get far.”

  “Not if we have anything to say about it,” Betty added. “Your father can’t snatch up all of Chancellor’s historic sites.”

  “Girls, girls,” Tootie chided them. “Horatio and his father are not of the same mind, are you, dear boy?” she said, reaching out to jiggle his chin. “Tell your sister hello for us,” she added, then grabbing her friends by the arms, she maneuvered them off the porch. Before she was out of earshot, she called back to me. “Nice to meet you, Julie! We’ll be in touch.”

  “Nice to meet you too,” I replied with a wave. I grinned at the three of them as they headed across the street to the small park. As they walked, they huddled together like football players plotting their next move. Suddenly, I wondered if Horatio and I were in their sights. I laughed, shook my head, and turned back to him.

  “Julie, I wanted to come by to apologize. I think I acted like a jerk yesterday.”

  “You think?”

  “No, I did. I wanted to say I was sorry. My dad puts a lot of pressure on me. But that doesn’t matter. I was out of line. I wanted to make it up to you.”

  “Then make it up to me,” I said with a grin.

  Relaxing, Horatio smiled. “Any preferences?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Horatio grinned. “Challenge accepted.” He shot a glance back over his shoulder at the mill. “All right,” he said then, “I need to get back, but I’m going to see you soon.”

  I smiled. “Then see me soon.”

  Horatio grinned, inclined his head, then tu
rned and left.

  Kismet once more. Why hadn’t I come to Chancellor sooner?

  Chapter 10: Horatio

  Grinning like a fool as I headed back from Julie’s shop to Falling Waters, I plotted the right move. What would a girl like her appreciate? What would be the right way to make it up? An idea started to form in my head as I grabbed a hardhat and entered the old mill. Inside, workers were stringing electric lines, knocking down walls, and maneuvering a massive timber to support the wall on the side of the old water wheel.

  “Where did you go?” Dad asked, sounding annoyed.

  About fifty lies popped into my mind, but I was getting pretty sick of being fake. “Across the street to talk to Miss Dayton.”

  “So you let the property slip through your fingers because the new owner is pretty, did you?”

  “No. And I didn’t let anything slip through my fingers. I told you already, Miss Dayton inherited the property. It was a family matter, not a business matter.”

  “Everyone has a price. You didn’t try hard enough.”

  “They weren’t selling.”

  My dad shrugged as he leaned over the blueprints, his sharp eyes taking in the scope of the construction. “Larry, where is the stoneworker?” he called to the foreman.

  “Out. His kid has the flu. Single dad.”

  “Fire him and get someone else.”

  Larry looked shocked. “He’s the best mason around, Mr. Hunter. He’ll be back in tomorrow for sure.”

  My dad frowned. “If he’s not here by six tomorrow morning, hire someone else. And tell him to get a babysitter.” My dad motioned for me to follow him as he turned and headed outside.

  Behind us, I could hear the slew of names the workers called my father. And honestly, I didn’t blame them. All our lives, our mother had sheltered us from Dad. He came home in time every night to tell us sweet dreams then would work all weekend at the office. Mom, on the other hand, would have me and Viola out playing in the vineyards or on set at the theater dressing up and acting in the background, learning lines to plays far beyond our understanding. No wonder Viola had become so good at playing the part of wine heiress. Very few people understood it was all an act, saw how she really felt under her well-made-up smiles and designer clothes. With Mom gone, we now took the brunt of Dad full-on. It was more than a sane—or decent or kind—person could handle.

  “How is it coming, Billy?” my dad asked a worker outside.

  “Well,” the man said, pulling off his cap to wipe sweat off his brow, “Fish and Wildlife folks were by and gave us the go-ahead.”

  “Good,” my Dad said, then turned to go.

  “Only problem is,” the man continued, not realizing he’d been dismissed, “the part we need is delayed. The mold for the pins broke. Gonna take another week.”

  “Another week!” My father’s face started to turn red, the angry blush creeping from the neck up.

  “They have to remake the mold, Mister Hunter.”

  “Jesus Christ, why is everyone so incompetent? What have you men been doing? I told you we need this place open before Thanksgiving...” my dad started and then he just let it rip. His voice became fuzzy as I tuned him out. I gazed back across the street at the little shop.

  Through the dusty window, I could just catch glimpses of Julie’s red hair and light blue shirt. She was dancing inside the shop as she worked. I closed my eyes and caught the sound of her voice on the wind. It blew across the space like a chiming undertone, a sweet bell ringing under the gong of my father’s voice.

  “Horatio! Do you even hear me?”

  I looked back at my dad who was red-faced and angry. “I told you to get in the car and head over to Sweet Water. Take the address from this man, and go see what you can do to get that part immediately.”

  The man he called Billy handed me a crumpled business card with a shaking hand. I also noticed he’d gone absolutely pale.

  “I have a meeting with the theater this afternoon to begin planning for the renaming ceremony,” I replied.

  “I’m not worried about your pet projects.”

  “Pet projects? That’s for Mom.”

  “You can just hire a caterer, Horatio. Call and cancel.”

  Ignoring him, I added, “And Billy just explained that the mold needed to be recast. That takes time. What should I do, go blow on the mold to make it dry faster?”

  Billy laughed, but then hid his laughter behind his hand when my dad glared at him.

  Dad shoved his car keys at me. “You’ll find a way to make it work.”

  Shaking my head, I stuffed the keys in my pocket and turned to go.

  “And Horatio, don’t come back a failure again,” my dad called after me.

  As I walked back to the car, I thought about my mom. “Follow your bliss,” she would tell Viola and me. “Follow your bliss. The grapes will grow without you.”

  I looked over at the shop once more, and suddenly I felt my resolve stiffen. Enough of this. Enough. If Julie could be brave, why couldn’t I?

  Chapter 11: Julie

  Later that afternoon, I heard a knock on the front door.

  “Excuse me?” someone called.

  I was in the living area opening windows and investigating my new oven. “Be right there,” I called.

  Dusting off my dirty apron, I came around the corner to find a well-dressed man in his late fifties eyeing the room skeptically. His well-pressed suit, cornflower blue tie, and silver hair exuded the air of money. Though I’d caught just a glimpse of him earlier that morning, it didn’t take more than a second to realize that Mr. Hunter was paying me a visit.

  “Are you Miss Dayton?” he asked.

  “I am. Mister Hunter, I presume?” I replied, reaching out to shake his hand.

  He smiled weakly then gave me a firm handshake. “Yes. Aaron Hunter. I understand my son spoke to you about my company’s interest in this property?”

  “Yes. I explained to Horatio that I inherited the property from my relative. I’m planning to reopen the shop.”

  “I understand,” Mr. Hunter said then pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “You see, the proximity of this shop to my new restaurant is very desirable. We had hoped to use the spot for parking. I will definitely make the sale worth your while,” he said, then motioned to the envelope.

  I opened the envelope. Inside, I found a check written out to me for the value of the property plus twenty thousand.

  “More than enough for a young entrepreneur to rent a suitable shopfront closer to town square and stock her store without going into debt. There are several places along Main Street for rent. I know a number of property owners who would rent to you at a good price. I can make sure you get a deal.”

  I looked him over. Aside from the color of their eyes, he and Horatio looked nothing alike. The eye color was nearly the same, but the spirit behind those eyes was very different. Yet, as I fixed Mr. Hunter with my gaze, I caught a brief glimpse of deep sadness behind his hungry stare. For his wife?

  I handed him the check. “No. Thank you.”

  The paper flapped in the air between us. He didn’t take it.

  “Miss Dayton, you’re making a mistake. It’s always difficult to get a new business off the ground. With the right support, you’ll be able to make things go very well here in Chancellor, but starting off with…tension…is not a good way to begin. It is an especially poor way to begin when that tension is between yourself and a well-established business.”

  “Tension? I’m not tense. The lovely ladies who were by this morning didn’t seem tense. In fact, the only person around here who seems tense is you. You can’t buy me out of a property that belongs to my family. And last I checked, you can’t even accuse me of witchcraft to take my lands,” I said with a chuckle as I folded up the check and slid it into the lapel pocket of his suit. What I hoped he didn’t notice, however, was how badly my hands were shaking. A fit of adrenaline had taken over my body. I was trembling with both fear and rage. My hea
rt was slamming in my chest. “I don’t have to sell you anything. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m very busy,” I said firmly.

  “You’re making a huge mistake,” Mr. Hunter said then, his voice turning icy and hostile. He took a step closer toward me. “I have powerful connections. I’ll bury this business before it even—”

  “What the hell is going on here?” a voice interrupted from the doorway.

  We both turned to see Horatio standing there. He was carrying a box full of cleaning supplies.

  “I told you to go to Sweet Water. What are you doing here?” Mr. Hunter asked his son.

  “I didn’t go.”

  “What?”

  “It didn’t make sense. Me breathing down someone’s neck to ‘make a mold faster’ was ridiculous. I didn’t go.”

  “Maybe we should step outside,” Mr. Hunter said then.

  Horatio crossed the room and set the boxes on the counter.

  “From the sounds of it, you need to step outside,” he retorted. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re alone in this building with this young woman, raising your voice at her? What the hell, Dad?”

  “Step outside,” Mr. Hunter said through gritted teeth.

  Horatio pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it on the box. “No,” he said.

  “Horatio, I swear to God, step outside right now or I’ll fire you.”

  “You don’t have to. I quit.”

  “Quit?”

  “Quit. Yes, I quit. I quit the business, quit dragging around behind you, watching you twist into some unrecognizable human being with no heart, no empathy. Mom…Mom would be so sad to see you like this. I can’t stop you, but I won’t stand by you. Now, I think Miss Dayton asked you to leave.”

  “That I did,” I said firmly, motioning toward the door. In that moment, I wanted to wrap my arms around Horatio and plaster a huge kiss on his lips. But before that, it was taking all my will not to deck Aaron Hunter in the nose.

  Surprising us both, without another word, Mr. Hunter turned and stormed out the door, almost knocking down a little man walking down the sidewalk. The little man turned and watched Mr. Hunter go then turned and looked back at me.