The House (Armstrong House Series Book 1)

by A. O'Connor

  He jumped out of his Range Rover and walked towards them. As he reached Janet she was waving the couple off.

  “I’m putting them down as a definite maybe,” she said, making a note on her clipboard with her pen.

  “Is that not a contradiction – putting the words ‘definite’ and ‘maybe’ together like that?”

  Janet ignored him. “All my appointments have shown up today, ten so far.” She looked at her watch. “I’m waiting for my eleventh now.” She peered down the driveway to watch for any approaching vehicle. “I’m quite excited about the next viewing – it’s Tony and Kate Fallon.” Janet had a cat-who-got-the-cream look about her. “A bit of a coup to even get them to make a viewing – it will set tongues wagging.”

  “Tony and Kate Fallon?” He looked unimpressed.

  “Yes, you know, the shopping-centre magnate and his actress wife –”

  “I know who they are!” he said quickly. “They’re very brash and flash, aren’t they?”

  “Brash and flash usually equals cash in my experience, so what’s your problem with that?”

  He looked up at the house. A lot of the windows on the front were boarded up. It was very rundown and dilapidated.

  “I just didn’t think they’d be the type to be interested in a house like this,” he said.

  “They are just the type, Nico. All my clients in the country-house market are nouveau-riche businessmen intent on playing lord of the manor.”

  “Tacky,” he said.

  “Nico!” She was annoyed. “Have you any idea how much money these kind of people are worth? They are the chance of you getting your asking price, paying off your debts, paying off your ex-wife and riding off into the sunset. If you’re relying on the local farmers to pay your asking price, you’ll be waiting a long time, I can tell you.”

  He looked up at the house. “It’s been in my family for nearly a hundred and seventy years – I’d like to see it go to a good home.”

  “It’s not an unwanted pet, Nico, it’s a house – and it will take somebody with the Fallons’ money to turnit into a good home.”

  The peace of the countryside was suddenly disturbed by the thundering engine of a helicopter.

  “Oh, here we go!” moaned Nico as he looked up at the helicopter circulate in the air above the house and he saw the words ‘Fallon Enterprises’ printed on the side of it.

  “What an entrance!” declared Janet excitedly.

  Kate and Tony peered down at the house as the pilot continued to circle above it.

  “It’s fabulous!” squealed Kate.

  “It’s a fucking dump!” declared Tony. “One of the fucking chimneys is collapsed, from what I can see.”

  “Fabulous!” repeated Kate excitedly.

  Nico and Janet looked on as the helicopter descended and landed in what used to be the gardens of the house.

  “Come on,” said Janet as she rushed towards them. “You can meet them, and help show them around.”

  “I don’t really want to,” he objected. “I just wanted to have a look – possibly a last look – at the house.”

  She grabbed the sleeve of his Barbour coat and pulled him along with her. “Yes, you do! There’s nothing like the personal touch.”

  As the blades of the helicopter slowed to a halt, the doors opened and the Fallons climbed out and walked quickly towards Janet and Nico.

  “Mr and Mrs Fallon, a pleasure!” Janet put out her hand and they both shook it. Nico thought for a second that Janet might make a curtsey.

  “Sorry, I think we’re a bit late,” apologised Kate.

  “Not at all! Not at all!” gushed Janet.

  “Was the traffic a bit heavy coming out of Dublin then?” smirked Nico as he nodded over to the helicopter.

  “Well, it was a bit heavy getting to the heliport,” said Tony.

  “You should get him to put one in your back garden then,” smirked Nico to Kate.

  “I’m working on it,” nodded Kate with a smile.

  Janet looked at them, not enjoying the banter. “May I introduce Nicholas Armstrong-Collins, the seller, who made the journey all the way from Dublin to help show you around.”

  Nico threw Janet a disbelieving look at her usage of a non-existent double-barrelled name and the fib about his presence, then shook both their hands. “Please call me Nico.”

  The four walked away from the helicopter and to the front of the house.

  “The view is amazing!” said Kate as she looked down the hill to the lake.

  “It is until you look that way,” said Tony, pointing up at the house.

  “How much land is going with it?” asked Kate.

  “Fifteen acres, a boutique farm!” said Janet. “Including the land going down to the lake and the property has its own lake frontage.”

  Kate walked over to the balustrade of the forecourt and looked down.

  “Those used to be fabulous gardens, believe it or not,” said Nico as he followed her over.

  Kate looked at the terrace walls that had collapsed in places, with the ornamental bowls and statues knocked over.

  “Sad how it was left to get into this state,” she said.

  Nico looked at her, somewhat affronted. “Well, no doubt somebody like you will manage to restore it.”

  “Will we go inside?” Kate glanced at him momentarily as she walked past him.

  They all walked up the steps to the metal door that had been placed there.

  Tony knocked on the metal door. “I’m guessing early Victorian?” he said and laughed mockingly.

  “The original door was destroyed as were most of the front windows in the fire,” explained Nico.

  “And when was that?” asked Kate.

  “Ninety odd years ago. The War of Independence or the Civil War, I can’t remember which,” said Nico.

  “Yes, there was a small fire,” said Janet as she pushed the door open.

  “Small fire! That’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it?” said Tony as they walked through the hallway, seeing the rooms at the front of the house were badly burned.

  “The fire damage is only to the front of the house, the rest is fine,” said Janet quickly. “Luckily the fire went out or was put out before it gutted the place, as was often the case in those days. The arsonists must have been stopped or had to leave for some reason before they finished the job.” Janet was improvising. She had no idea what had actually happened, nor had Nico as there had been no family lore on the matter.

  Tony looked up and saw a part of the floor above his head was missing and he could see through to the sky through the missing roof. He looked at Kate and shook his head in dismay.

  “Nico has owned the house for nearly a hundred and seventy years,” said Janet as they walked into the drawing room which again was burnt out.

  “Not personally, may I say,” said Nico.

  “I was going to say – you’re wearing well!” said Kate with smirk.

  They moved to the back of the house and went into the ballroom. All the French windows were boarded up apart from the arches at the top that let in the light.

  The room was filled with old furniture and boxes.

  “As you can see most of this room escaped any fire damage, and the attention to detail is amazing,” said Janet as she pointed out the elaborate carved roof.

  “The trouble is – the ceiling looks as if it’s about to fall down,” said Tony.

  “No, I’m an architect, and I can assure you that ceiling is quite safe. Can’t say the same for the rest of the house though,” said Nico and Janet gave him a warning look.

  Kate started examining the furniture and boxes.

  “That’s family stuff and is not included in the sale,” said Nico.

  “Thank heaven for that!” said Tony.

  “I have to sift through it. But I’ll have it all removed before I do.”

  “I mean, if there’s anything that takes your eye, I’m sure Nico will include it in the sale,” said Janet quic
kly. “It would be nice to have some original furniture in the house when it’s restored. It could be a treasure trove!”

  Tony looked at the furniture in disgust. “One man’s treasure is another man’s junk. No, thanks! And no offence, Nico.”

  Nico shrugged.

  “Shall we move on?” suggested Janet.

  They looked around the rest of the rooms downstairs.

  Then, as Kate went to walk up the main staircase Janet shouted, “Stop! I’m sorry, but it’s not safe. We have to use the servants’ stairs around the back.”

  She led them around to the back of the stairs and through a door that led down a passageway to the kitchens and sculleries. These were in a semi-basement with only the top halves of their windows on a level with the back yard and what used to be the walled kitchen gardens. Kate frowned when she realised the room was half below ground level. Tony spent a lot of his leisure time in the kitchen as he loved to cook and entertain while he did so. Yes, this room would need serious renovation . . . perhaps the level of the back yard could be lowered . . . then it could form a patio outside . . .

  “A lot of the servants’ quarters is remarkably well preserved,” said Janet, startling Kate out of her reverie.

  “Pity it’s just basic rooms though, isn’t it? All the ornate detail was obviously in the main part of the house,” said Kate.

  Janet then led them outside to the back yard and showed them the stables and carriage houses which she presented as an exciting extra opportunity for renovation. Tony looked incredulous but Kate was enthusiastic.

  Back inside, they went up the servants’ stairs and exited onto the first floor of the house. As they viewed some of the rooms at that end of the house they observed they were smoke-damaged and in a dilapidated state.

  “I’m sorry we can’t go any further,” said Janet. “Health and Safety. The floors to the front of the house are fragile and might not take the weight.”

  “You trying to say I’m fat?” said Tony accusingly.

  “No, Mr, Fallon! Of course not!”

  Tony roared with the laughter. “I’m only joking ya!”

  “I see!” Janet smiled and tried to laugh. “Very funny!”

  They came out of the front door and looked up at the house.

  “Well, thank you for showing us around,” said Kate.

  “So what do you think?” asked Janet.

  “It’s certainly interesting,” said Tony, looking unimpressed.

  “Will we see you at the auction next week?” pushed Janet.

  “We’ve a lot to discuss,” said Kate, smiling at Tony. She looked at Nico. “You’ll miss the house when it’s gone?”

  “I guess. I still own Hunter’s Farm – it’s a small house down the road. The family has always used it as a holiday home since the main house was fire-damaged.”

  “So there will still be an Armstrong presence in the area,” said Kate.

  “We’d better fly! Literally!” said Tony. “I’ve a shopping centre to build. Thanks for everything!” He shook their hands quickly. Then he and Kate held hands and headed back to the helicopter.

  They climbed in, the pilot started the engine and the blades began to swirl.

  “‘I’ve a shopping centre to build’!” Nico mimicked Tony’s voice.

  “I don’t know if you were more of a hindrance than a help with the house viewing,” said Janet as they watched the helicopter take off.

  “Come on, Janet! They aren’t serious buyers. He hated the place.”

  “Hmmm, but she didn’t,” said Janet.

  Nico had got back to Dublin by the early evening and had just opened the door to his rented apartment in the Docklands when the intercom rang. He knew it was his ex-wife Susan dropping in their daughter Alex for the weekend. He pressed the button and let them in.

  A minute later, eleven-year-old Alex came bounding in and gave him a hug, followed by Susan.

  “Janet told me you met her down at the house,” said Susan.

  “She’s quite the little spy, isn’t she? She was busy showing lots of prospective buyers around, you’ll be glad to know.” He couldn’t leave the bitterness out of his voice.

  Alex had gone running off to her room.

  “Janet said Tony and Kate Fallon were down looking at it,” she said brightly.

  “Hmmm, my mother would be turning in her grave at the thought of that type living in Armstrong House.”

  “Jacqueline would be turning in her grave twice as fast at the thought of what would happen to her precious son and granddaughter if we didn’t sell it – rented flat for you, selling Alex’s home –”

  “I know, I know, we’ve been through all this before,” he said crossly. “You’ve got what you want – we’re selling it, aren’t we?”

  She sighed, looking at his upset face. “I thought you agreed this was the best thing for us all.”

  “I have. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though.”

  Alex came out of the bedroom and Susan gave her a kiss and a hug. “Right, I’ll leave you to it. See you Sunday.”

  89

  It was approaching midnight when Tony pulled into the gateway of their house in Dublin. He pressed a zapper and the electric gates opened. He drove in and parked outside the white modern house. He glanced at Kate beside him. They had been at a function all night.

  They both got out of the car and walked in silence to the front door and let themselves in. Tony pressed the code into the alarm panel to turn it off while Kate walked upstairs to their bedroom where she changed into a silk nightdress, got into bed and started leafing through a magazine. She stopped to scrutinise a photo of herself in the society pages. A few minutes later, Tony came in.

  “You were quiet tonight,” he said as he took off his tie.

  “Was I?” she said.

  “Anything the matter?” He sat down on the bed beside her.

  “No.”

  “I thought you said if I went to see that house you’d be happy?”

  She put down the magazine. “I would have been happy if you hadn’t made up your mind you disliked it before you had even seen it.”

  “Disliked it? I hated it! I’d like to take a big sweeping brush and sweep it into the lake!”

  “Well, I love it!”

  “But why?”

  “I just do!” She jumped out of the bed and started to pace the floor. “Look, we need a place like that.”

  “Why? We have a beautiful house here that has almost everything we need.”

  “No, Tony, everything you need. I’ve been trying to tell you for a long time. I want a fresh start somewhere.”

  He looked at her as if she were mad. “A fresh start! What more do you want? Most people would kill for the life you have.”

  “Oh, yes, we have all the material things we could ever want. And our life is a whirl of parties and travel. But I want more than just that . . . I feel life is passing us by. Monday, New York. Friday, London. Sunday, Rome. We’ve no time for ourselves any more. You’re always in meetings. I’m always following you around to meetings. I want somewhere for us, just us. Somewhere that can be our home, just for us.”

  “This is our home!”

  “This is a place we pass through to on our way to the next meeting or event. It’s no better than a hotel.”

  He sat in silence for a while. “I didn’t realise you felt so strongly about that damned house.”

  She sat down beside him. “I feel that strongly about our lives. There has to be more to life than the next deal, the next shopping centre. We’re living our lives for other people, not for us. I want us to find a place where we can just relax and get to know each other again.”

  “I thought we did know each other.”

  “When was the last time we talked? I mean really talked about anything else other than business and what party we’re going to? And there are always so many people around. Every time I come back the house is filled with your work people. We need somewhere like that house. Somew
here we can be alone and see where we really want to go in life.”

  “And why that house? Out of all the houses we could buy?”

  “I grew up in the town near there, Castlewest, before we emigrated to New York. I spent a lot of time playing around that house growing up. We used to cycle there. We weren’t supposed to be on the property, but we went in anyway. Nobody was there to spot us. I’ve always loved it, and I would love to own it and restore it.”

  He looked at her for a long while. “Okay – you can buy it. Go to the auction next week and buy the house, doesn’t matter how much it costs.”

  Kate suddenly screamed with delight and jumped on top of him.

  “Will you stop!” he said laughing loudly as she hugged him tightly. “Now listen to me! This is on condition that you take care of the whole rebuilding. Do you understand me?”