Hollow Sight

by Kristie Pierce

  “I should warn you,” he says softly. “My mum is quite excited to meet you, and she can be a bit... friendly.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  Liam shrugs, but his expression is knowing. The nerves in my stomach intensify causing twists and nauseating gurgles to form, that can surely turn embarrassing later. I’m already worried about what his family will think of me and now I feel pressure pushing down on top of me like a dead weight. What if I disappoint and I’m not what they’re expecting? You only get one shot at a first impression, and I feel that I am nowhere near as eloquent and poised as his family must be. What if they didn't think I’m not good enough for their son? Unbidden, Evie pops into my head – I know they’ll probably compare me to her.

  “You okay?” he asks, taking in my panicked expression.

  “Yeah,” I respond, trying to calm my nerves. I compose my face as best I can and give Liam a small smile. “Let’s go.”

  Liam squeezes my hand and opens the door. It opens with a big clink noise, giving me the impression that it must be very heavy. Andrew must’ve already brought in our bags, because they have magically appeared sitting at the end of a great staircase to the right of the entryway. I silently soak up my surroundings and can’t help but to be in awe yet again.

  The stair case, like most of the walls, are dark wood and they climb and ascend openly in front of me. I can see up to the second floor, as it spreads out to a grand open hallway lined in the same wooden panel as that of the staircase. Another long hallway expands out in front of us leading to what I assume to be the back of the house. The floors are made of the same wood, however this particular hallway floor is covered in a long expensive looking throw rug. To the right of the entrance I see an elegant dining room with a mahogany table made to sit at least sixteen people, and on the far wall sits a very old, but expensive looking cabinet made of wood and glass. I note finely whittled designs in the wood framing the glass doors and inside are mounds of what I expect to be very fine china.

  To my left is a sitting room so extravagant that I’m afraid to walk into it. Very light, luscious carpet stretches out in front of me from the open entryway and the furniture looks formal and antique. Three couches with wooden legs and deep red, floral fabric sit around a very large and shiny wooden coffee table. Crystal lamps rest on top of end tables and a massive stoned fireplace with a crackling fire takes up almost the entire west wall. A thick and luscious, and mammoth Christmas tree decorates the corner of the formal sitting room, and I’m amazed at how many white twinkle lights illuminate its branches. Every inch of the vast spruce is covered and dripping in sparkling luminosity. I suddenly feel very slight in my surroundings.

  “Mother?” Liam calls out. “I’m home.”

  “Liam?” I hear a light voice call from the back of the house.

  My stomach flips and I stand rigid at Liam’s side as we wait for his mother to appear. I try to let go of his hand so we don't appear intimate in any way, but when he notices what I’m doing, he tightens his grip and pulls me closer to him. A few short seconds after I’d heard her soft voice, a petite woman appears with chocolate brown hair that is wrapped up in a sophisticated twist and the same aqua eyes I have come to love so much. She is dressed in a dark power suit that looks tailored to fit her thin frame and her shiny black heels click on the wooden floor beneath her as she walks. She smiles warmly as she approaches and instantly extends her arms out for an embrace.

  “Liam, my baby,” she coos as she takes Liam into her arms. “I’ve missed you so much. How are you sweetheart?”

  “I missed you too, Mum. I’ve been well. This is her,” he says gesturing to me with a smile. “Breckin, this is my mother, Elizabeth.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” she says stepping out of Liam’s arms. “It’s so good to finally be able to meet you,” she says then. I automatically step toward her and she wraps me up into a warm hug just as she’d done with her son. Some of the loose hair at the nape of her neck tickles my cheek and she smells like orchids. When she backs up to look at me, I see that she is absolutely beaming. “Liam, you have been far too modest when describing her. She’s absolutely breathtaking.”

  I blush and give her a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Francis. Thank you for allowing me to visit and thank you very much for the plane ticket. It was extremely generous of you.”

  “Breckin dear, call me Beth. The name Mrs. Francis is designated for my mother-in-law. And you’re very welcome. I want you to know that you’re welcome here any time you like.”

  “Thank you… Beth.” My voice caught.

  “I’ll have Marjorie take your things to your room. Liam, why don’t you get Breckin settled and I’m just going to go take care of a few things in my office. I shouldn’t be long. I meant to have all of my work finished before you got here, but of course things never seem to go the way you want them to,” she laughs with a casual wave of her hand. “Dinner should be ready soon and then from there we can do whatever you like. I want to make sure your visit with us is pleasurable.”

  “Thanks, Mum.” Liam says as Beth heads back the same way in which she came. “Okay, would you like me to take you to your room first or do you want a tour of this ridiculous house?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s ridiculous,” I murmur quietly. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Well, this part of the house is more proper than the rest – more for presentation. C’mon, I’ll show you.” Liam wraps my hand up in his and we walk down the long hallway toward the back of the vast house.

  “This isn’t the type of home you’d want to live in? You know, when you grow up?” I smirk to the phrase when you grow up and look up to Liam’s beautiful face.

  He shakes his head. “No. I’d design something far less grandiose. To me, this house is too big. It lacks the feel of a home. You should be able to feel comfortable where you live. Not like you live in a museum.”

  “Design, huh? You want to plan out your own house?”

  “Yes,” he answers while matching my smirk. “I think it only makes sense to draw out your own designs for where you plan to live and spend your life. I also think your partner should have equal parts in planning it. If you’re going to spend your life there, you should be happy with all aspects of it.”

  “Oh,” I say surprised. “I guess it does make sense.”

  “The kitchen,” he says, pointing to the right. It’s big, like the rest of the house. Light granite countertops and warm red wooden cupboards line two long walls. A large island which contains numerous stove-top burners sits in the middle of the pale tiled floor and I notice two stainless-steel ovens mounted in another wall behind the spacious kitchen isle. To the back, rests a more modern looking dining table, only made to seat eight. A large square window which overlooks yards and yards of brown and yellow winter-deadened grass expanses behind the table and I notice stables and stalls to the far left of the lawn.

  “This is where we usually dine,” Liam explains. “The other dining room is for parties and when we have large family gatherings.”

  “Do you have horses?” I ask, distracted by the scene outside the huge window.

  Liam nods. “Several. My family breeds them. It’s been the family business ever since my great, great, great grandfather bought his first horses back in the late eighteen-hundreds.”

  This would make sense as to why Liam knew what to do on the Schumacher’s farm and what he had meant about “presentation” when referring to the front of the house. I never thought him to be much of a country boy, but I’m beginning to realize that there’s much I probably don’t know about him. I’m so glad that I might discover some of his secrets now that I’m in his world.

  “Would you like me to introduce you to some of them?” he asks while tucking my hair behind my ear.

  “Maybe later. I’m a little tired and I’d like to see the rest of the house if that’s okay.”

  “Of course,” he smiles.

  Liam shows me m
any more rooms. One, a library with rows upon rows of books and old family albums. This room has a fireplace also, but on a much smaller scale. I can imagine getting lost in a book very easily in here. It’s warm and far cozier than the first part of the house. He walks me through a friendly room with a large flat-screen television and dark-chocolate leather furniture. That room looks much more lived-in than the first sitting room I’d seen. When Liam heads me toward the stairs. I spot a door to our left that has been cracked halfway open, giving just the hint of a view into the room behind it.

  “What’s in there?” I ask, unconsciously stepping toward it.

  Liam follows my gaze. “That’s my mother’s office.”

  “Oh.”

  “Did you want to see?”

  “No, that’s okay. I don’t want to disturb her.”

  Liam playfully rolls his eyes and we start climbing the grand staircase to the next floor. As we approach the top, I hesitate so that I’m able look out over the landing. Above the front door inlays a beautiful stained glass window big enough to be placed in a cathedral. The sun has broken through the clouds and is beginning to set, casting every color of the rainbow out in front of us through the church-like pane of glass. Some of the colorful rays reach my skin, and I lift my hand trying to caress the colorful light. Liam comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

  “I love you,” he whispers in my ear. I envy the way Liam can tell me that he loves me at any moment without needing reason to.

  I turn my head to better see him. “I love you, too.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too. I should call my mom, though. I haven’t yet and I’m surprised she hasn’t been blowing up my phone by now.” Liam already has his phone out of his pocket and dialing by the time I’ve finished. “Thanks,” I say, taking the phone.

  Elly picks up on the first ring and sounds both anxious and relieved as I talk about the long flight I’d slept through. She asks a few questions pertaining to weather and did we pack the right kind of clothes, was I having a good time, and what did we plan to do and what would I get to see? I talk with her for a few minutes and Liam waits patiently for me to finish as he draws small circles on the back of my hand and trails his fingertips up and down the length of my arm causing goose bumps to rise. When I’m through, I hand Liam back his cell phone and tangle my arm through his.

  “Where to now?”

  “This way,” he answers, taking me to the long hallway in front of us.

  We don’t stop in each room this time; he instead rattles off whatever is behind the door. His parent’s room, his sister’s room, his brother’s room, his room – which piques my interest probably more than it should. When he points out his father’s den, I notice him stiffen slightly but decide not to acknowledge it. The third floor holds the one live-in maid’s quarters, Marjorie, and also a large game room complete with darts, pinball machines, and a billiards table. Then, on the south side of the house, a very big room that looks like a miniature movie theater. Liam laughed at my surprised reaction to that one. I couldn’t help but gape at the handful of rows of plush reclining chairs and the massive screen that sat in front of them. After the introductory tour, he heads us back to the second floor. We pass a couple of the rooms I remembered him pointing out and then he stops in front of a door I don’t remember seeing before. When he opens it, I silently gasp at the sight in front of me.

  “This is where you’ll be staying,” he murmurs.

  Directly in front of me lays a wooden, four-poster bed complete with a white lace canopy and bedding to match. A fireplace is in line with the foot of the bed and it has a low crackling fire burning already waiting for me. I walk over to the mantle and let my hand trail against the glossy aged wood – it’s like silk against my skin. I wonder how many fireplaces are in this house. Very expensive glass knick-knacks are placed strategically about and also a few cranberry scented candles that are already lit as well. A lead crystal vase sets to the right of the mantel with deep red roses and evergreens. Not a combination of flowers I would ever have thought to place together, but it’s exquisite. My suitcase lays on top of the window seat nestled against the large bay window looking out over the backyard. I turn around to face Liam with astonished eyes.

  “This is my room?” It reminds me of what I imagine a princess’s room might look like.

  “Yes, ma’am. And through here is your washroom.”

  I walk to the door Liam gestured to and peek inside. It’s small but light with an old-fashioned claw footed, white ceramic bathtub and sink to match, and I’m happy to know that I won’t have to bother anyone by taking up too much time in a shared bathroom.

  Liam stays and helps unpack my bag. He gets that same smirk to his beautiful face – the same one I noticed before we left for the airport – when he starts sifting through my clothes and placing them in the antique dresser next to the closet.

  “What are you smirking about?” I ask then.

  “Nothing.” He says in a playful tone. “I was just noticing what you’d packed.”

  “What’s so funny about what I packed?” I say, gazing over my clothes. Then I see what he’s talking about. On top of the cluttered mess my mother and I had hastily thrown into my suitcase, lies a pair of pajamas meant for warmer weather and a much different atmosphere. Pink, silk-like material lined with lace for a top and tiny shorts to match lay resting with everything else, sticking out like a sore thumb. I gulp. What was my mother thinking throwing that in there? She probably hadn’t noticed that was what she’d grabbed out of my pajama drawer in our rush to get my things put together so fast. I will stick to the modest nun-like pajama flannel pants and T-shirt I’ve packed for sleeping.

  “I didn’t pack that,” I say quickly. I feel my face and ears turning red. “My mom must’ve grabbed it on accident.”

  Liam reaches in to the suitcase and holds up the scanty material, allowing his eyes to scan over it slowly and suggestively. I stalk over and snatch them out of his hands and hurriedly shove the less-than-there pajamas back into the bag. He laughs at my embarrassment and I scowl.

  “Well, I think they’re nice,” Liam says, wrapping his arms around me.

  “I’ve never worn them,” I admit, cheeks turning beet red now.

  “We should get ready for dinner,” he says then, gratefully changing the subject. “I’ll leave you alone to get cleaned up. I’m assuming you’d like to bathe?”

  “Why, do I smell?” After a long night and day of travel I’m certainly feeling less than appealing.

  He bursts out into laughter. “No, ninny. I just thought you’d like to freshen up after the long flight.”

  “You’re right. I would.”

  Liam shuts my door behind him, but not without leaving me breathless from his all-too-good kissing skills, and I gather some clothes and head toward my personal bathroom. The shower is tricky to figure out at first. The tub is older and the water temperature is fiddly to discern. Too much adjusting though and I’ll scald myself. After I get it perfect, I step in and pull the curtain behind me to turn on the shower. There are small bottles of scented bath salts and bath bubbles resting in a wire basket that’s perched across the width of the tub. Washcloths and loofah sponges sit to the side and next to those are the same shampoos and conditioners I use at home. I shake my head in amazement.

  I don’t take as long a shower as I’d wanted to being I don’t want to be late for dinner. I have no idea how proper Liam’s family is when it comes to the eating schedule, and I’m still set on impressing them in some way. If my polite manner and impeccable ability to be on time is all I have to work with, I’ll use to my benefit.

  I dry my hair quickly and run the straight iron though it. I brush my teeth and apply my usual mascara and chapstick. I see that my mom has thrown in my pale pink blusher with my toiletries, so I use it to add some color to my cheeks. Taking in my reflection, I realize how much I miss my summer glow. I decide to go with jeans – as
that is the only type of pants I packed – and a dark green cardigan over a white cami. I glance down to my sneakers and boots, trying to decide between the two, and wished that I had packed a nicer pair of shoes. The sneakers will just have to do. I’m not sure whether to wait in my room for Liam to reappear or wander downstairs by myself. I decide to go downstairs. If he’s not waiting for me there, I’ll just wander into the library and look for a good book to pass time. After all, I should expand my reading horizons.

  I open the bedroom door slowly and peer around the door frame. I don’t know why, but I am overcome with the need to be very quiet in this grand old house. I walk toward the stairs, but then I see that the door is open to Liam’s room. I haven’t seen his corner of the house yet and I have to admit that I am morbidly curious. I stop just in front of the cracked door, lightly putting my hand to it and give it a tiny shove. I don’t see Liam, but I figure he won’t mind me going in. His room is big, but not as big as the other rooms he’s shown me today. It has the same wooden floors as the rest of the house, only in a much lighter shade. His floor isn’t shiny with wax or lacquer either, but dull and faded with age. I decide I like it; it gives it a less tidy and proper appearance. The walls only have wooden panels half way up from the floor though, not matching the downstairs walls. The rest of the walls however, have been painted in a dark-blue hue, contrasting the light of the wood and darkness of the paint quite effectively. It’s black outside now, but his room is on the same side of the house as mine so I can picture what kind of scenery the large window illustrates out in front of me. His bed is neatly made with varying shades of blue blankets and a thick down comforter that has a unique silky light and dark blue design weaved throughout, there’s also white thrown into the mix of swirled fabric. To either side of the bed is a nightstand with lamps and picture frames. I stroll over so that I can get a better look at the photos.