Chapter Four #2
“Yes. My brother forced me to sign a contract that said I could not sell the house for seven years, but I intend to find a loophole and get myself back to London, where I belong. I have no idea how long that will take, but until then, you and your aunt are welcome to stay.”
“I don’t want your charity, Mr. Squires,” she said. “In fact, I wish to help you.”
“Help me?” He laughed. “And how do you propose to do that?”
“With this.” She strode toward him and handed him the book she’d held since entering the library.
He read the title. A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England, by William Wordsworth.
He smiled. “It’s funny you should give this to me.
A friend tried to force a copy upon me before I departed from London.
He thought it would cheer me up and make me ‘fall in love’ with my new home.
” He scoffed. “I didn’t bother bringing it with me because as I said, I don’t plan on staying here long.
So, thank you”—he held the book out to her—“but neither Wordsworth nor any other poet can turn me from a city to a country dweller.”
“I promise it never crossed my mind. That’s not why I gave you the book, Mr. Squires. But believe me when I tell you that this book is the answer to all your problems.”
Nate sighed. “I doubt that.”
She smiled and two tiny dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth. “Why don’t we take that tour of the garden, and I will explain exactly what I mean.”
“Certainly,” Nate said. He felt confident there was nothing anyone could say to him that would convince him to stay and make this his home, but he could think of no better way to while away his time than strolling in the garden with a charming young lady.
*
The garden was even more magnificent than Nate had first thought. As they strolled across the manicured lawn, he wondered how the bankrupted Mr. De Lacey had managed to pay for its upkeep.
“It must take a lot of work to keep the garden so spectacularly manicured,” he said casually.
“You’re wondering how my father managed its upkeep,” she said, perceptively.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing since—I mean, he kept his troubles quite well-hidden from me.
Although, I now realize that it was partly my fault.
Of course, I’d noticed that our furniture had grown a little shabby and that most of Mother’s jewelry had started disappearing, along with paintings from the walls, but I turned a blind eye.
Sometimes it’s easier to stay in denial than to face one’s harsh reality. ”
Nate nodded. “I can understand that.”
“As to the garden, most of that is down to our faithful gardener, Mr. Thomas, who has served Villa De Lacey since before I was born. He is a magician with plants and flowers and lives in the cottage behind the house. But the work has been getting more difficult for him, so Papa had been urging him to take on an apprentice. Still, he has yet to do so.” She smiled sadly.
“Papa would have done whatever was necessary to keep the garden maintained—whether it be selling our valuables or borrowing money and getting himself deeper into debt. The garden was his pride and joy because it lies open to the world. It’s easy to hide areas of neglect indoors but there’s no hiding one’s shame out in the open.
Papa always said that how a gentleman kept his garden could tell one a lot about how he lived his life. ”
“Well, judging from this garden, your father’s life would have been very orderly.” Nate could not help but point out the irony.
“And it was for most of his life, I think. But it seems he got into the bad habit of gambling these past few years, and I suppose his life spiraled into a continuous cycle of chaos. Gambling, winning, and then losing, over and over again, until things got completely out of control. That’s why I think he was so obsessive about his garden.
If he could maintain that facade, then he could believe all was well. I certainly did.”
Nate wondered how much responsibility Edward harbored for Mr. De Lacey’s downfall.
He knew his brother’s strategy of loaning money to drowning men—men like Mr. De Lacey who owned valuable properties but couldn’t stop themselves from gambling.
De Lacey would have become increasingly mired in debt, at which time, Edward would have artfully suggested that he gamble his home, shrewdly convincing the drowning man that he could expunge his debts with one lucky hand.
And to a man in the throes of despair, that would have sounded like a lifeline.
They strolled down to the viewing point secured by a magnificent balustrade at the garden’s edge.
There, the lake, a glassy sheet of blue that stretched on for miles, surrounded by mountain peaks and emerald-green fells dotted with a sea of oaks, yews, and brambles, worked its magic on Nate, who after a few minutes became quite mesmerized by Windermere’s sublime beauty.
“It’s majestic, isn’t it?” Bridget said.
“It certainly is powerful,” Nate replied. He’d known about the Lake District’s reputation for its natural beauty, but he’d had no idea how awe-inspiring it would be.
“I find it quite interesting that your friend gave you a copy of Wordsworth’s guidebook before you left London. I don’t think he did so merely to make you feel better about the move.”
“What do you mean?” Nate asked.
“When Papa gave me this book, he said that all the ladies and gentlemen in London were buying copies, and he believed it would make our little part of the world quite famous.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Nate said. In truth, he’d dismissed his friend’s gesture as a bit of a joke, and then he’d forgotten all about it and ended up leaving the book in London.
Come to think of it, Edward too had made some remark about the Lake District becoming increasingly popular, but he’d made it a rule several years ago to ignore most of what Edward had to say.
“Think about it. Imagine if you owned an exclusive inn right on Lake Windermere for wealthy patrons who wanted to escape the stressors of London. You could make a lot of money.”
“Own an inn? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about this house.” She turned and gestured to the magnificent French-styled villa. “Ladies and gentlemen of the ton would feel like royalty coming here. It would be like a trip to Versailles,” she said.
“Versailles?” Nate raised his eyebrows. “I think that’s a little far-fetched.”
“Perhaps,” she said, “but with a little sprucing Villa De Lacey could again become the luxurious French villa it once was. And in that respect, it would be quite different from the other inns in this area. The ton love anything that is exclusive—or so Papa always used to say.”
Nate shook his head. “Gentlemen of the ton don’t run inns. My brother would explode if I did something like that.” He paused, as he realized the brilliance of his last statement.
A mischievous grin appeared on Bridget’s face. “Isn’t that the perfect revenge?”
Nate looked at her, and a swell of admiration and attraction rose within him.
He smiled, put his hands in his pockets, and ambled forward, analyzing the villa.
It truly was magnificent. He envisioned ladies and gentlemen of the ton arriving in their carriages for an exclusive stay at Villa De Lacey on the shores of Lake Windermere.
“There are eleven rooms in this house that are currently not being used. Those could be turned into bedrooms for the guests. That’s in addition to the rooms you have already seen.
There’s also a large space on the ground floor that can be used as a ballroom or for other forms of entertainment.
That’s not counting the kitchen and servants’ quarters below the stairs along with the stables and carriage houses behind the main villa.
They are certainly big enough to accommodate the horses for a substantial number of guests. ”
“That is impressive,” Nate said. “But I don’t know.” He shook his head. “The idea seems rather far-fetched. I don’t know anything about running an inn—exclusive or not.”
“That’s why you need me to act as your hostess and manager. My cook, housekeeper, scullery maid, gardener, and stable boy, combined with your staff should be enough to get us started. All you would need to do is invest a little money to repair the furniture.”
“My staff?” Nate laughed. “I have a valet, that’s all. The rest of the staff remained in London on my brother’s payroll.”
“Well, we could make do until we—you—start seeing a profit, and then you can hire more people. We have but a few servants. Nevertheless, they are fine, hardworking people. You would need to retain them anyway to run the household. A home like this cannot keep itself. And I would be happy to take on the role of hostess to your guests, in exchange for my and my aunt’s board and lodging. ”
Nate could not help but smile at Bridget’s enthusiasm. And he certainly liked the idea of outwitting Edward, though the scheme seemed a bit outlandish. Still, he couldn’t deny his interest. At the very least, it would detract from the boredom he’d otherwise face.
Of course, he’d have to consider the cost and the consequences. His allowance was substantial and would be enough to cover the initial repair costs, but if Edward got wind of what he was doing and became displeased with him, he’d cut off his allowance for good.
On the other hand, turning Villa De Lacey into an inn would mortify Edward, and if Nate stood his ground, Edward would likely beg him to sell. His brother would be forced to scrap the seven-year clause, faster than he could blink.
“I’d have to think about it. And investigate what expenses would be involved,” Nate said.