Chapter 4
FOUR
PRESENT TIME
Willow
After dinner, Jack kisses me goodbye and heads into the office with Ruby.
His PA seems like a nice woman and made me feel at home but I did wonder why she sat at the table with us for dinner.
When I asked after the children, I discovered Noah and Ava would be spending the next few days with their grandparents, to allow me to settle in.
I’m hoping they’ll accept me into the family.
Deep down inside I have the strange feeling that there’s a reason I wasn’t introduced to them before we married.
They weren’t even at the wedding. It was a low-key event because I didn’t want a big wedding.
I married Jack in a hotel room with my parents and two of Jack’s business partners looking on.
After a perfect honeymoon, being left alone on my first night in this creepy old house seems so out of character for Jack.
I stand as a girl who tells me her name is Amy clears the table. “I’ll follow you to the kitchen.”
“Yes, of course, Mrs. Hunter.” Amy places the dishes onto a cart and pushes it into the hallway.
I follow the squeaking wheels, peeking into as many rooms as I can along the way.
I poke my head inside the library door and inhale the smell of books.
The bookcases almost reach the ceiling; leather-bound volumes fill one wall and another has various books of all shapes and sizes.
Two cozy leather chairs sit before a fireplace but although the evening is cool, the grate is empty.
I guess they leave the fires until winter.
The weather here is comfortably warm in the summer and from what Jack tells me the sea offers a fresh breeze.
I duck out of the room and run to catch up with the squeaky cart.
I enter the kitchen, noticing the doors are like a restaurant, as in two swinging doors with a metal strip halfway to allow carts to push through without damaging the surface.
I step inside and all eyes turn to me. One young woman is stacking plates into a wall cabinet above an impressive marble counter.
Like the rest of the house, everything is marble but in here, the high-end appliances are stainless steel.
I gape at the refrigerator; it takes up a huge space along one wall and has a glass front displaying the contents like in a supermarket.
Above a center island hang pots and pans from a rack.
“Mrs. Hunter.” Sue comes toward me wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Is there something you need?”
I smile at her. “Not right now. I’m exploring the house. Jack didn’t have time to show me around. He has an emergency at the office.”
“Do you want me to take you?” Sue folds the dishtowel and looks at me expectantly. “It’s easy to get lost.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. Are there any locked areas I’ll need keys to open?”
Furtive glances move through the staff and my stomach clenches. Are there secrets in this house no one wants me to know? I wait, glancing from one to the other. I clear my throat as the question remains hanging. “Another thing. Who decides the dinner menu?”
“That would be Ruby, she knows what Mr. Hunter likes.” The chef comes out of a walk-in pantry and smiles at me.
I nod to him. “Yes, maybe she does but I’d prefer to discuss the menus for the week with you from now on, Pierre. I’m sure you can advise me on Jack’s favorite meals, although after four weeks with him, I have a good idea of what he likes.” I turn to Sue.
I walk to the drinks area of the refrigerator and pull open the door.
It is like a store; with everything a person could desire.
I select a bottle of water and with a nod continue to explore the house.
It’s dark now and the drapes remain open with the night pressing against the windowpanes.
I admit, I’m scared of the dark and being in this house magnifies it a thousand times.
Just going and closing the blinds gives me the creeps.
I’ll need to tell Sue that I want the drapes closed at dusk.
I make my way to Jack’s office and take a pen from his desk.
I’ll make a list of the things to do and present it to Sue or George in the morning.
Where is George? I haven’t seen him since we arrived.
Maybe he goes to his room on the stroke of five or whatever.
I’ll need to know who is on duty and at what times.
I sit in Jack’s comfortable leather chair and inhale the scent of him.
How strange I could almost feel him the moment I entered the room.
I need a notepad and pull open the top drawer.
Inside are neatly stacked notepads and a bunch of keys.
I take a pad and lift the keys to inspect them.
Five keys, two large old ones, the other three look almost identical.
I push them into the pocket of my chinos, but I want copies of all the keys and head back to the kitchen.
As I walk past the stairs, the portrait of Laura stares at me as if daring me to invade her sanctum.
I keep my eyes averted and keep going. “Jack is mine now. Soon, you’ll have a new home in the loft and can keep your dirty looks for the mice and spiders. ”
In the kitchen, I go straight to Sue. “Now about those keys. I gather there’s more than one set for the house? Will you get me a set please?”
“There’s always someone here to answer the door, Mrs. Hunter.
” Sue lowers her eyes to the floor as if trying to hide her expression.
“The other keys are to keep the children from the cellar and the loft. There is, of course, the room on the first floor. None of us are allowed inside by Mr. Hunter’s orders.
I don’t have a key. I’ll ask Mr. Hunter if I can get copies of the others cut for you in the morning. ”
She’s refusing to give me a key to my own house? What the heck is going on here?