He liked being back in the English countryside, though. It was familiar to him after all his years in England. The estate in Sussex had never been as beautiful and dignified as the Cheshire homes, nor as well kept, but he thought he could make something of it and restore some of its original dignity.
“What do you think?” Halsey Mount-Williams asked him after Joachim had walked around the houses and property for two hours. He had left him alone until then, and he had been impressed by Joachim’s credentials. They were flawless, unlike his own.
“I think there’s great potential here, sir,” Joachim said cheerfully.
“We don’t want to spend too much money maintaining it, mind,” Mount-Williams reminded him, “except what the tourists see.”
“I’m quite resourceful and can do a lot of it myself. A bit of paint, a hammer and nails, a good scrub and you might even be able to charge more for the tours.” His future employer clearly liked that idea. “And your horses are magnificent.” Mount-Williams beamed at that.
“Beauties, aren’t they? We have a breeding program and have had some very promising results with our racehorses. No huge successes so far, but we’re getting there.”
“I’m sure you will,” Joachim said quietly.
“So do you want the job?” He hoped he would. He couldn’t manage the place himself and didn’t want to.
“Very much, sir.”
“Excellent! When can you start?”
“Tomorrow,” Joachim said with a smile. All he had to do was notify the agency, lock up his flat, and drive back to Sussex. “May I stay in a bedroom in the main house for a night while I get the butler’s cottage in order?” he inquired politely.
“Take any one you like, except mine.” He laughed heartily, and went back to the stables a moment later. Joachim thought he’d be an easy man to work for and wouldn’t interfere. On his way back to London, he thought about what he wanted to do, and the next day he drove back to Pembroke Manor, his new home. There would be lots to do, to keep him busy. He was looking forward to it. He had a job and could turn his mind to that instead of his recent losses, his dead brother, and the job he had given up to come here. But at least his mother and Olivia would be safe now, with him away. And cleaning up the house and property would be a challenge. It wasn’t as grand as the chateau, but it was enough for him. He was relieved to be employed again, and as a proper butler. He’d never been a butler at a tourist attraction before, which seemed a little undignified. But why not? The key to life was being flexible and taking on new challenges. It was going to be an adventure.
Chapter 16
Anatole, the assistant Olivia had hired, was a lovely, gentle person. He was polite to everyone on the phone and was sweet to Fatima. He was kind and helpful and showed up at work every day with some delicious pastry he had made earlier that morning, or croissants, and whenever she was at home at lunchtime, he made Olivia a delicious lunch. He kept her desk and his own impeccable, but he was terrified of the workmen, who bullied him and followed none of his instructions at the chateau. He was useless to her there.
What it took in the end was Olivia getting as tough as the workmen were, threatening to fire them in her basic French, checking their bills diligently and calling them on it when they cheated her, and occasionally replacing them. She was determined to complete the chateau on schedule for the employer. The checks from him were continuing to come in regularly, but he called her less often and she didn’t want to disappoint him. She wanted the chateau to be a showplace for him, and an accomplishment she could be proud of, so she could do another one if she wanted to. Joachim leaving her had almost made the task impossible, but she refused to be defeated by it, and she did his job and her own after he left.
Anatole was virtually useless as an assistant. She was basically paying him to bring her croissants for breakfast, and make her lunch, which she didn’t have time to eat. She needed to be at the chateau every day now, getting each aspect of the work completed. The floors were perfectly polished, all the bulletproof windows were in, and replaced where necessary, most of the carpentry had been done, the plumbing was still in progress, the electricity seemed to be solid now. The technology was being handled by a subcontractor. The painting was almost finished, and she was storing the furniture and art she bought, rugs, and electrical fixtures in a warehouse set up for storage. It was coming together, and she was spending every waking hour on it.
It was far more stressful than the project had been when she had Joachim to rely on. But she no longer did, so she made the best of it, determined not to be daunted. She tried to give Anatole a little more backbone, but it was hopeless. He hated going to the chateau. All he cared about was cooking, and all he could think about were the two weddings he was going to do. He spent so much time on it, that when he left a week early to prepare the first one, Olivia gave him a month’s salary and let him go. He looked relieved when she told him. He said he didn’t know how she dealt with the workmen, they were so rude, and many of them were dishonest. It had grown familiar to her, and she didn’t waste time being gentle with them anymore. She met them on their own turf, and was as tough as they were, and then they did what she wanted. It had taught her a lot about human nature and how strong you had to be sometimes, but she was proud of what she was accomplishing. And she didn’t bother trying to find another assistant. It was too late now and the project was almost finished. They were coming in on schedule. She wanted the owner of the chateau to be thrilled with it, and was continuing to give him reports, although he hadn’t responded to her last three emails. He was probably busy. He was continuing to feed the account she paid the expenses from. Her bookkeeping was meticulous too.
* * *
—
Joachim’s victories in Sussex were more human scale than Olivia’s. In his first weeks there, he had managed to clean up the part of the house included on the tour. He got the two tour guides to help him, and the silver and antique furniture gleamed, with some help from the maids. Joachim had them put fresh flowers on the tables every day. He had done some minor repairs, improved the lighting, pulled back the curtains and let more sunlight in, moved some of the furniture, and rehung some paintings. It was housekeeper’s work, but he didn’t mind doing it, and the results were quite good.
And then he had turned his attention to the part of the manor that his employer lived in. Some of it was beyond redemption. He put what was too damaged to use in one of the outbuildings and moved things around to compensate for it. He had the maids wax all the furniture and the floors, turned some rugs around, and switched the curtains so the frayed edges didn’t show. By the time he finished, the place had a distinct charm and polished look, rather than the threadbare, filthy appearance when he’d arrived. He put the gardeners to work night and day, and brought three more in to help them, first in front and then all around the property. By the time Joachim had been there a month, it looked like a different home, and Halsey Mount-Williams noticed it and complimented him.
“You’ve got a magician’s touch. I hardly recognize the place. I think you’re right, and we should raise the tour prices.” Joachim didn’t think they were quite there yet, but the place was looking better than when he’d arrived. And he had spent two days cleaning and repainting his own quarters and they were quite pleasant now. He was very satisfied with the way it all looked. And Joachim had borrowed a horse from the stables a few times to ride around the property. He liked the area and his life there. His mother was pleased for him. She missed him more than she admitted to him. He could hear it in her voice. Her only real pleasure was her work now, which was still rewarding, but with one son dead and the other living far away again, there was a sadness to her life that she couldn’t escape. She had nothing to hope for except the joy she gave others by returning their paintings to them.
Joachim decided to surprise her when he had a weekend off. Mount-Williams was going to a hors
e auction with friends and told him he was free to go.
He drove to Paris on Friday morning, was comforted to see the same police guard in plainclothes still there, and rang the doorbell when she came home from work. She screamed with delight when she saw him and threw her arms around his neck.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to spend the weekend with you. Get your coat, I’m taking you out to dinner.” She was shaking when he helped her put it on, and he took her to a bistro he knew she liked in the neighborhood, and then they walked home arm in arm, and he told her about his job in Sussex. “It’s a mess, but it’s rewarding putting it to rights again. I have to be resourceful. I think the owner is mostly out of money, and he only spends what he has on his horses, or women. He gambles. He makes a little money from the tours of the house to support the place. It’s not a job I’d have wanted ten years ago, but it’s fine for now. I can do whatever I want, as long as it doesn’t cost him any money.” She looked at him seriously then.
“He might lose the house one day,” she warned him.
“I don’t care. It’s fun for now, and it’s a decent wage. He’s not a bad man. He’s just irresponsible.”
She thought about something else then and looked at him. “Did you ever put it right with Olivia?” She hadn’t wanted to ask him before on the phone. He shook his head as they walked home after dinner.
“It was too late. I did it badly when I left. What can I say now? We’ve both moved on. I’m sure she has a new assistant, and she’s busy too.”
“It would be nice for her to know you’re not as callous as you must have sounded when you left.”
“I was upset about Javier.”
“That’s no excuse. ‘I’m sorry’ goes a long way, even if you’ve both moved on. Or you could drop her a note.” It was a boundary he didn’t want to cross, but his mother’s words haunted him that night. He stood looking out the window in the morning, while his mother was still asleep, and with a sigh, he picked up the phone and called her. Maybe his mother was right. She often was. And the drama over Javier had begun to fade a little. He had been dead to them before, and now he was again.
Olivia saw Joachim’s name appear on her cellphone and was surprised. She was at her desk, going over her weekly accounts for Petrov, and answered her phone, wondering why Joachim was calling her. She had thought of him often in the last month, angrily at times, but as he had said, it was just a job, she had no reason to contact him. Their time was past. She had figured out for herself how to manage at the chateau alone. It was hard, but she’d learned a lot in the process.
He heard her voice and felt a pang of guilt again, like a knife in his stomach, and he was sorry he had called her. It was going to be uncomfortable for both of them, and there was no purpose to it, except to apologize.
“How are you, Olivia?” It seemed like a good place to start. He couldn’t think of any other.
“I’m fine. And you?” She was always polite, even when she was angry. He couldn’t tell if she still was. Her tone was neutral, and she was keeping him at a safe distance.
“I’m fine too.” It was as awkward as he had feared.
“Where are you?” she asked him.
“I’m in Paris, visiting my mother for the weekend.”
“Are you working?” She was curious about him.
“I took a job in Sussex. The house is a combination of Downton Abbey and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ mostly the latter. They charge money for tours, and the place is falling apart. Mostly, I’ve been scrubbing floors, waxing furniture, and polishing silver.” She laughed at the way he described it. “What about you? Did you find an assistant?” He cringed when he asked her, fearing the response, if she was doing it all herself.
“I did. He was a chef in wolf’s clothing. Or actually a very sweet mouse. I fired him. He made delicious croissants and was terrified of the workmen. He wants to be a chef when he grows up. It’s easier alone now. I wind myself up to be a bitch every day, and it actually works very well. We’re almost finished.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and genuinely meant it, and it soothed her heart, although she wouldn’t admit it to him.
“Being a bitch is actually a very useful skill. It works incredibly well,” she said with laughter in her voice. She sounded pleased to hear from him, and she was being nice about it, which made him feel even guiltier.
“I find that hard to believe. You’re never a bitch, even when you should be.”
“I’ll be better at it now,” she said, and he smiled. “In two languages. My French has improved immensely.”
“I owe you an apology. I’m sorry about the things I said when I left. I was upset about my brother, and what I said wasn’t true. It was never just a job, I cared about it, and about you. I felt terrible about leaving, and we were friends. I just didn’t know how to leave, and I was worried about you and my mother.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s nice to hear. I thought you were right about it just being a job when I didn’t hear from you.”
“I didn’t know what to say, and I was sure you were angry at me, and you had a right to be. I didn’t know how to clean it up.”
“It’s okay. I’m doing fine. I think we’ll even come in on time if I keep threatening them.”
“That’s a miracle. I don’t think even I could have done that. Would you ever do it again?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’d like to. Maybe a smaller home, and less time pressure. I’m trying to figure out if I want to extend my lease and stay. I love it here.”
“I hope you do extend. Maybe we could have coffee sometime,” he suggested cautiously, not sure what she’d say.
“Sure. I’ll send you pictures of the chateau when we finish. It’s going to be pretty spectacular. I hope Petrov loves it.”
“He will. I’m glad you’re all right, and that you don’t hate me.”
“Actually, I curse you a lot when something goes wrong I don’t know how to do, and then I figure it out.” He laughed. “You taught me a lot,” she said in a serious tone. “About being brave, and going on no matter what, and having the courage to do what you believe in. I was brought up by cowards, courage has never been my strong suit, until I came here.”
“That’s not true. You’re braver than you think, braver than I am at times. Actually, my mother is the bravest woman I know.”
“So I gather. I’m glad you called.”
He had opened a door, he didn’t know if he would ever walk through it again, but it was nice to know he could. He realized that that was what his mother meant when she told him to leave nicely.
“So am I. Take good care of yourself and send me those photos of the chateau when it’s finished.”
“Good luck with the House of Usher,” she said, and he laughed. They both hung up feeling better, and surprised by how easy the call was.
He told his mother about it when she got up and he made her breakfast. She listened quietly, and then looked pensive for a minute.
“You did the right thing. And she sounds very gracious. She didn’t have to answer your call.” And then she looked hard at Joachim. “I’d like to meet her.” She sounded matter of fact about it.
“Maybe you will sometime,” he said vaguely. He didn’t feel ready to see Olivia again. The call had been enough, probably for her too. It had been a big step for him.
“I mean now,” Liese said with a determined expression. “ ‘Sometime’ is fine at your age. Not at mine.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he scolded her.
“Don’t be such a coward. She sounds like a nice woman. I want to meet her. For a cup of tea.”
“Why?”
“Why not? It’s always interesting to meet new people. I have questions in my mind about her. I want to see why you like her.”
“She was a good employer and she paid me well.”
“Nonsense. She was more than that. Please invite her to tea,” she said, sitting up straight, and he could tell that she wasn’t going to give up until he agreed. He felt foolish calling her again, but he did. It was easier than arguing with his mother.
Olivia answered his call again. “What’s up?” She sounded busy and he was embarrassed to bother her.
“My mother wants to have tea with you,” he said bluntly.
“That’s why you called?” She thought he was kidding at first.
“Yes. She’ll drive me crazy if I don’t at least ask.”
“Actually, I’d like to meet her…Sure…Why not?…When?”
“Today apparently,” he said with a grin. “Name your time. Our schedule is free.”
“My place?”
“That’s too much trouble for you, and you don’t have a butler anymore,” he reminded her and she laughed. “Why don’t you come here at four o’clock? Jeans are fine. Don’t get dressed up.”
“Perfect, and tell her thank you.” He did, and his mother smiled from ear to ear.
“What are you scheming about?” he asked her, suspicious.
“I am not scheming. I want to meet your friend. I always did when you were young.”
“I know. I hated it. I felt like you were checking up on me.”
“I was. I still am.” She laughed, and he shook his head, but he was happy to be able to see Olivia again, and grateful to his mother, although he didn’t admit it to her.
* * *
—
Olivia arrived promptly at four, with a small bouquet of white roses and a box of chocolate éclairs, which she knew he liked and hoped his mother did too. Joachim thought she looked beautiful. Thinner, but healthy and energized and her eyes were bright. He thanked her for the éclairs, and walked her into the living room, where his mother was sitting on the couch. She smiled and stood up when Olivia walked into the room, and Olivia greeted her warmly, and sat down next to her. The two women never stopped talking for the whole hour Olivia was there. Liese told her about the Monet she had found, and how the process worked, and Olivia was fascinated. She told her stories about Joachim as a boy too, and some of the sweet things he did, and a mischievous story or two.
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