“I’m not married,” Elisa snapped, though she wasn’t sure why. And she refused to look at Mr. Grimwood’s expression. He didn’t want her here, obviously. So, she’d have to make the best of her situation and try to stay out of his way. “But I do need to call my family and let them know what’s happened.”
She stood again and moved toward Mrs. Gladstone, indicating that she was ready to go to her room. Any place was better than here where the beastly man kept glaring at her. Elisa gathered her bag. “Should I leave the blanket here, Mrs. Gladstone?”
“No, dear. And call me Margaret.” She grabbed the plate of cookies, sending her employer an annoyed look. “Come along, Ms. Lucken, I’ll show you to your room and help you get comfortable.”
Mr. Grimwood stated in a deadpan voice. “Don’t forget my rules, Margaret. Please be sure to explain to Ms. Lucken what’s expected of her while she’s here. She stays in her quarters. Soon as the storm clears, we’ll call for someone to retrieve her.”
A cold shiver ran down Elisa’s spine and not from the frigid temperatures outside or her damp clothes.
Margaret’s lips pressed tightly together. “Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir.” Sliding her arm around Elisa’s back, she guided her toward a side door. “Come along, kitten. I’ll get you all settled in and comfortable.”
Elisa followed her through a side door that led into a narrow corridor. They entered another set of double French doors into the largest kitchen Elisa had ever seen.
Once they were back inside the grand house, Margaret’s shoulders seemed to relax. “I beg your pardon, Ms. Lucken. Our Duncan isn’t normally this…well, it’s not my place to say anything. But I don’t want you to be frightened while you’re here. He’s not normally like this. I hope you’ll not take anything he’s said personally. It’s been a rough past six months since his accident, you see. Some things, it seems, takes a little longer to get over.”
“Please call me Elisa.” She looked around the kitchen, finding it reminded her of something she’d find at a restaurant. “Are you the only ones who work here?”
Margaret smiled as she stopped before a sliding door and pushed it open, revealing a set of narrow stairs. “No, there’s a skeleton staff, but Duncan gave them all the week off. They aren’t to return until Monday. I’m not sure why he did that. He simply said that he wished to be left alone to work on a few projects. So, Sam and I planned to respect his wishes. Since you’re here, please feel free to come down to our place if you’re lonesome for company. But, do try to stay in this part of the house, dear. Duncan Grimwood is a private man and expects everyone to respect his personal space.”
Elisa followed her up the narrow steps. “I fear we’ve already gotten off to a bad start. Aside from not leaving when everyone else did, he did catch me on the second-floor landing while I was trying to get the banister decorated. There was no other way to hang all those wreaths.” She actually thought the man was horribly unreasonable but didn’t say so.
“He’ll get over it. Elisa is such a pretty name. It fits you perfectly, too.” She chuckled as she headed for a door on the first landing. “Now, if you continue up those steps, you’ll come to the family game room. Mainly, it’s a library with a few puzzles, games and a pool table. Nobody has used it in years. Through the next door is a gym. You are more than welcome to use both rooms, but do not venture any further. As I said, Mr. Duncan is a private man.”
Margaret took out a key and opened the door, revealing the largest bedroom that Elisa had ever seen in her life. “On the other hand, we love the company and don’t get enough of it. Especially with everyone being gone this week. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to find us.”
“Wow,” was all Elisa managed to say. The walls were cream-colored with gold trim and molding. A canopy bed sat along one wall between two large windows that overlooked the back of the estate. Elisa went to peer out, but all she could make out was shadowed trees behind a wall of falling white. Already the snow had piled up over the porch and railing.
“Miss Suzette left a whole closet full of clothing behind after she moved out. You are welcome to whatever you find that fits you. And there’s a phone on the nightstand. If you get hungry, come on downstairs. The refrigerator has been stocked. You are welcome to whatever you find. Please, do make yourself at home.”
Elisa sighed, clutching her bag to her chest. She’d pulled off the blanket, wanting to make sure Margaret took it back with her. “So long as I stay in my area, right?”
The woman gave a nod. She wrote down a number on a notepad on the vanity table. “Here’s my personal cell number. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call. I’ll return soon with your dinner. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable dining up here where you can rest.” She showed her how to work the television that was attached to the wall in an area of the room where a small couch and two chairs were gathered in a circle. There was a large art table in a nook of the room beside a neat desk. Dust covered all the furniture, but it wasn’t so thick that the room felt neglected.
Margaret had found a rag and was wiping down some of the flat surfaces as she gave out her instructions. Opening a glass door that led out to the balcony, Margaret flipped the dust from the rag, then quickly shut it again with a shiver. “My, but the temperatures are really dropping. I also wrote down the Internet password. Now, I’m going to finish dinner and I’ll be back soon to check on you. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Elisa dug her dying phone from her bag. “I don’t suppose there are extra chargers around here, are there?”
“In the game room, there are several we keep in a basket on the large table. Perhaps one of them will work with your phone.”
Elisa thanked the kind woman. At least someone here knew how to treat people. Sam seemed nice, but Elisa was sure that he’d follow whatever his boss told him to do.
Soon as Margaret left, Elisa went to the nightstand phone and called her mother, the only phone number that she knew by heart.
“Please pick up, please?” Elisa prayed after three rings.
On the fifth, her mother’s voice came on the line. “Lilly Lucken, of Smithfield and Associates Law Firm speaking. How may I help you today?”
“Mom! It’s me, Elisa.” She clutched the phone as if it were her lifeline.
“Lissy! Why are you not calling from your phone, baby? Is everything all right?”
Elisa took a deep breath and explained her situation as quickly as possible. “I’m stuck here, Mom. I ran the Jeep off the road, but I’m okay. I wasn’t going fast or anything. This—”
“What were you thinking of driving in that blizzard? You should know better.”
She didn’t want to tell her mother about the awful man who owned the house. Mr. Grimwood probably didn’t want the word spread over how awful he was, and Elisa wasn’t one to gossip. “I wasn’t supposed to stay at this job as long as I did. Time got away from me. I thought my Jeep would handle it. I didn’t even realize we were under blizzard advisory.”
“Are you somewhere safe?” Mom asked.
Elisa bit at her bottom lip. Was she? The House Managers seemed nice enough, but she wasn’t sure about Duncan. Well, if she stayed away from him, and locked her doors at night, she should be safe. “Yes. I’m actually stuck in a mansion. I’m staying in a room that’s big enough to fit our living room and kitchen if you believe that.”
Mom gasped on the other end. “Well, look at you living the high life.” She laughed while Elisa rolled her eyes. If only that were the case.
“Mom, it looks like I’ll be stuck here through Thanksgiving. And my Jeep might not be in any condition to drive, even when the roads clear up.”
“As long as your safe, baby. You stay put until that storm passes. We’ll miss you, terribly, but you enjoy where you’re at. We always try to make the most of whatever opportunity we find ourselves in, right?”
Elisa cringed, wondering how she’d make anything good come out of being imprisoned in
this cold room, even if the house was luxurious. Truth be told, she would spend the holiday locked away in this room if Mr. Grimwood had his way.
Well, perhaps Mr. Grimwood needed to lighten up.
Chapter Four
“I don’t want to be in here, Sam.” Duncan had little choice, as Sam was dragging him along the back hallway toward his father’s old rooms.
Father had been so sick during his final year, they’d hired around-the-clock nurses and a live-in physician to care for their dying father. Whatever Marcus Grimwood the third needed was at his disposal.
Duncan planted his shaky hand against the door jam, gripping it with every last bit of his strength He’d really done a number on his leg. His fault for not leaving his room with the brace he was supposed to wear when out walking. The cumbersome thing was more of an annoyance than a help. “Wait, Sam. I’ll get up to my room and rest there.”
Sam had his other arm draped over his shoulder. “I can’t keep an eye on you up there as easily as I can down here. Where are your pain meds, Dunc?”
“Down the toilet, that’s where. I’ve been off them for the past three weeks. Don’t look at me like that.”
Sam shook his gray head. “That’s why you’ve been such a bear, isn’t it? Please tell me you let a doctor help you get off of them. You didn’t—”
“I did what I felt I needed to do in order to clear my head. I have no regrets. It was rough going at first, but I’m over it now. Mostly.”
Sam gave him a hard yank, dislodging Duncan’s hold on the door frame and dragging him toward Father’s bed. Setting him down on the edge, he tossed the bag of ice down beside him. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll find you a pair of pajamas. How long have you been wearing these clothes?”
Duncan bristled and sniffed at his rumpled shirt. “Not that long. I’ve been busy, okay? And who cares how I look? Up until that interloper invaded my space, I’ve not had to answer to or impress anybody. It’s been a nice change. I like it.”
Sam opened the dresser drawers, finding each one empty. All of Father’s clothes had been donated to a charity, per Suzette’s orders. She saw no reason to hang onto everything. Father’s death seemed to pain her the most, but she was his “treasure,” as he often called her. The rest of the brothers were his boys or his little men. Right.
Duncan, the third child in line, had never measured up to his father’s expectations of what a Grimwood was born to be.
“I—I should have stayed in my room, I suppose. Except that I’d expected my wishes to be carried out. I wanted everyone out of here. She probably stayed, hoping to snoop around for some story to feed the tabloids with. I heard they’re paying big bucks to find out what I’ve been up to these past few months.”
“Stop,” Sam ordered, tossing a robe still in the plastic wrapping. “Put that on. Looks like I’ll have to go upstairs, after all. Make yourself comfortable and let’s get that knee iced down. A bath will do you and your leg a world of good. Should I get one started?”
Duncan shook his head but placed the cold bag on his knee. “You don’t have to coddle me, Sam. I never wished to employ a butler and don’t need one now. I can take care of myself.”
Sam grumbled something as he headed for the bathroom. Duncan was sure it wasn’t words of agreement.
Father had passed away at the local hospital. They’d care-flighted him in, hoping to stabilize his heart, but it gave out before they even reached the landing pad. Up until that fated day, Duncan had watched his fortress of a father diminish into a pile of rubble. Duncan rested his head against the headboard and closed his eyes.
The pain in his leg eased as the ice numbed the swollen joint. Despite his protest of staying in this neglected room, Duncan knew that climbing the stairs to his room was honestly out of the question for now.
The sound of water filling the sunk-in tub filled the quiet space. The tub was also a small jacuzzi. Perhaps soaking for a little while would do him some good. He didn’t want to be any trouble.
Sam returned with a towel draped over his arm along with a look of mock sophistication draped over his usually jovial face. “Your bath is drawn, sir.” He said with a lofty air.
Duncan finally smiled, the first one he’d felt on his face in several months. “Very well, Sam, I’ll behave. Just promise that the medicine closet door is locked. I still…well, I’m not out of the woods yet, I fear. I’ll stay here so long as there’s no mischief for me to get into.”
“So that’s why you’ve hidden in the far end of the house?” Sam leaned against the doorway.
“I know I could take one of the larger rooms, but I’ve had extra security added to upstairs where I keep my designs. I can do my work without worry. And I have to get some pieces made before this infernal party Barbara talked me into hosting. She seems under the illusion that I’m ready to show my work. Unbeknown to her, I have nothing finished. At least, nothing worth showing to anyone.”
Sam pulled the desk chair beside the bed and carefully removed Duncan’s shoes. “Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself. I think she’s right about trying to get you back into the real world. You’ve been licking your wounds for too long now.”
Duncan hated living at the family manor, but he’d been stuck. Especially after the accident between recuperating and going through physical therapy. Then he’d let himself get too dependent on the painkillers until realizing what a fog his life had become about a month ago. Against his assistant’s better judgment, he’d stopped them cold turkey. She’d been right, that had been a very bad choice.
But he’d managed to get through that horrible first couple of weeks. And yes, he’d let himself sink to an all-time new low. Barb was also right that it was time for him to finally dig his way out of the rut he’d fallen into. Scheduling the gala had been the catalyst that started to draw him out of his cave.
“Sam, I’ve made a terrible mess of things.” Duncan pulled himself up to change out of his overly worn clothes. The soft flannel housecoat was welcome against his skin. “I’m beginning to think that maybe we need to sell this old house. Nobody else wants to live here.” He looked up at his old friend and family caretaker who’d stood to offer a bit of support in case he needed it. “I’d make sure to find a nice place for you and Margaret. Anywhere you want, just name your heart’s desire.”
A look of concern crossed his friend’s face. Sam and Margaret had worked for his family for as long as Duncan could remember. He was sure Father hired them before he was even born. They would always hold an important place in his heart. In a way, they were like surrogate grandparents to him. And most likely to all the Grimwood children.
“Let’s focus on one thing at a time, Dunc. A nice hot bath for you. I’ll run upstairs and find you a change of clothes. Then we’ll get you rested. Tomorrow is another day. Whatever you decide, we’ll work along with you, I promise.” Sam patted his shoulder.
Yet, the hard lines on the old man’s face made Duncan wonder. He’d always been rash in his decisions. Look where that had gotten him. The family jewelry stores were floundering and in danger of failing completely. Duncan had to get his mind in gear and get himself back in the game.
Selling the Manor that had been in his family for the past four generations along with the jewelry stores he’d inherited, as well, was not something he should make a snap decision on.
“Thank you, Sam. You’re right, as usual. Barb wanted to let you in on my plans, but I forbade her. I didn’t want to cause any more trouble or worry then I already have.” He let the old man lead him into the bathroom. Duncan removed his clothes and slowly scooted himself into the tub. The warm jet-powered water was instant relief.
Sam clicked on the small television built into the wall over the tub and set the remote within reach, along with the towel and housecoat.
Duncan sank below the water surface. “I so wanted you and Margaret to enjoy a peaceful holiday.”
Sam laughed and shook his head. “Foolish boy. We’d rather spend
it with people we care about. And, don’t you worry about our guest. I’ll have a little chat with her in the morning. I think she’ll be discrete about what she’s seen. Better to put our best foot forward, then to give her sordid stories to share, don’t you think? She’s going to be here a few days, from what the weathermen are saying. There’s still time for you to play nice and show her the real Duncan Grimwood.”
Duncan leaned his head back against the tub with a sigh. He wasn’t even sure who the real Duncan Grimwood was anymore.
Chapter Five
Elisa woke too early the next morning. To her dismay, the snow still fell steadily. Nothing but white was visible from the upstairs windows.
At first, she tried to entertain herself with checking her email, but the Internet seemed to be out, or Mrs. Gladstone had given her the wrong password. Instead, she set out to explore the other rooms. There was a smaller bedroom nextdoor to hers, but all the furniture was covered in sheets and the bed stripped clean.
Mrs. Gladstone said that Suzette was known to stop in periodically while she traveled so her suites were kept ready and the bed made with fresh sheets. None of the other Grimwood children seemed interested in their family home.
The house manager hadn’t explained her theory on why that might be, though Elisa wondered out loud. The question was dismissed as Mrs. Gladstone hurried away with her dinner dishes, wishing her a good night.
Elisa found the game room, along with the spare chargers. To her relief, one of them worked. She returned to her room and plugged in her phone. Soon as it had a little bit of a charge, a couple of messages came in from her family. Her brother teased that this year he’d get both turkey legs, sorry for her loss. Her sister, the only one who knew where she was working, wanted to know everything about Mr. Grimwood.
My Beastly Billionaire (The Grimwood Legacy Series Book 1) Page 5
