Chapter 3 | Susan
THREE
Susan
Meeting the detestable Mr. Jeremy Baker, who would soon take possession of Selma Sanctuary was motivation enough for us to speed up our packing.
The thought of seeing him again while he tried to measure each wall and door of our home drove Holly, Mother, and I to pack as much as we could before the two weeks would be over.
“This is too much,” Mother said as she sat back in her wheelchair. “It’s all so overwhelming.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks, Mother,” I said. “I’ve already taken inventory of everything. All the valuable paintings have been packed, all your personal items have been taken care of. We only have a few more things to deal with.”
We were all in the den, going through the many filing cabinets my father had. Most of the documents were of little importance, but we wanted to be sure we didn’t do away with anything that could serve us at a later date.
“Hey,” Holly called out as she opened a file. “There’s a life insurance policy here.” She held it up. “Did you know about this, Mother?”
She nodded. “Look at the date. Your father took that out when you were a little girl. He stopped paying two or three years ago. It’s worth nothing now. I don’t know why your father didn’t throw it away.”
“There are many things here that should have been thrown out long ago,” I said.
I suddenly heard distant voices. “Did you guys hear that?”
They both looked at me with blank expressions.
“And this is the front foyer.”
I looked at my mother. “That is Mr. Baker’s voice,” I said as I tossed the file in my hand aside and stood up. “Shoot. That man cannot just simply show up any time he likes. This is untenable.”
I then heard a softer, gentler voice; younger and more measured.
“And he’s here with someone else again,” I whispered. “No. No. No. I can’t let this go on.”
I marched out of my father’s office and stomped my way to the front foyer. “Mr. Baker,” I said on seeing him. “Is it not within your capacity to give us word of your visit?”
He chuckled without answering. “Miss Susan. Always a pleasure seeing you.”
I grunted then noticed the younger man standing behind him by the window.
“Bradley,” Mr. Baker called out. “Come meet the elder Miss Selma.”
The elder? He was making me sound so much older than I was.
The younger man with wavy thick dark hair and the most brilliant blue eyes that were filled with kindness, came to us.
My breath grew shallow as I became self-conscious suddenly.
He looked so handsome and dashing like how I would picture Mr. Darcy or any of the gorgeous leading men in Jane Austen’s novels.
“This is my little brother, Brad,” Mr. Baker said.
I almost guffawed. I almost challenged him.
This good-looking, smart looking, genteel looking man could not possibly be related to the old, greasy and rude Jeremy Baker.
But my gaze shifted from one man to the other in an unmistakable display of disbelief.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Selma,” Brad said. His friendly smile instantly drew me in. He held his hand out to me.
“Nice to meet you.” I happily shook his hand and was surprised by its warmth as he held my hand a little longer than necessary.
“I do apologize for the unplanned visit.”
“Speaking of an unplanned visit,” Jeremy cut in.
“I was here with Walker a few days ago, but we didn’t have time to check everything.
I want to have a closer look at the kitchen.
I’m certain we’ll find a few surprises..
. you know... old and antiquated wiring and such.
” He marched off, talking to himself as he made his way.
“Please forgive my brother’s brash ways. I’ve suggested he take a bit more time with this project, but when he dives in, he dives in all the way. He’s always been that way.”
“I have no doubt.”
“To tell you the truth, I had no idea the place was currently occupied.”
“I’m not at all surprised to learn that he would omit that part. I would be more than happy to get out of his way, but we find ourselves in a very unfortunate circumstance and... well...”
He pressed a nervous smile, and I could see his discomfort. “Again, I must apologize for my brother. His ambitions often push him to be a little callous. Anything to reach his aims.”
“It’s commendable to be ambitious, but to throw a family out of their home is, well, as you say, callous.” I looked at him, his kind eyes and his genuine discomfort for my situation. “And yet you, his younger brother, seem a little more thoughtful.”
He laughed softly. “Yes. People do say that we’re complete opposites. Where he is loud and brash and crude, I’m a little more reserved, a little more careful, a little more....”
“Respectful,” I finished for him. Smiling, I added, “I know what it’s like to have a sibling who is so different. Should you meet my sister, you will find that she is nothing like me.”
“Brad!” Jeremy shouted from the kitchen. “Are you coming to check this out or are you just going to sip tea with the ladies?”
“I’m coming,” Brad called back. He looked at me. “Don’t judge him too harshly. He’s had it rough. Our parents died when he was only seventeen.”
“Oh,” I said, regretting my harsh condemnation of Jeremy. “I’m so sorry to hear that. And how old were you?”
“Six.”
“How awful. How tragic.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t easy for him to get on with his life all while taking care of a little kid. But that was twenty years ago. He’s had a lot of time to move on.”
“Looks like he did a decent job of raising you,” I said. “Even if it was twenty years ago. I still remembered how my life changed suddenly twenty years ago.”
“Oh?” Brad asked, his eyes twinkling.
“I was 4 years old.”
Brad smiled. “What happened then that a 4 year old would still remember vividly?”
“My little sister Holly was born, and I was no longer the baby in the family.”
Brad laughed. “That would definitely change your life.”
“Brad!” Jeremy shouted.
“I’d better get going,” he said with a crooked grin.
I nodded and just stood there as he walked away. As repulsive as his brother was, Brad was appealing, and I already looked forward to seeing him again.
“Who was that?” Holly said as she came up behind me. “He’s cute.”
Did she notice how my shoulders suddenly fell? Pretty, angelic Holly. Witty, pretty and outgoing Holly. Once Brad saw her, surely, he’d never glance at me again.
“His name is Bradley,” I said softly. “Bradley Baker.”
“Baker? You mean Mr. Baker’s son?”
I shook my head. “His brother.”
“Brother? Wow. Talk about polar opposites.”
“Right.”
“Anyway,” she went on. “Mum wanted a bowl of strawberries and cream.”
She took off to go to the kitchen and I quickly stepped in behind her. I couldn’t put a name to what I felt, but I had to follow her. I had to be witness to Brad’s reaction to her feminine wiles.
Expecting to find Jeremy and Brad there, I was surprised to find an empty kitchen.
“What are you doing, Susan?” Holly said. “Checking up on me? I’m still capable of doing things, you know. I can bring Mum strawberries and cream.”
I shrugged. “Just yesterday you couldn’t be bothered to get up to get your own blueberry syrup.”
She looked up to the ceiling with an exasperated huff.
Before she could respond, I noticed Bradley out in the garden walking around... alone.
“I do hope you’ll be a little more present today.” I quickly walked off.
Going through the informal dining room, I walked out to the patio and down to the garden.
“Mr. Baker,” I said, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
“Ah,” he said with a welcoming smile. “Miss Selma. Just the person I wanted to see.”
“Oh?”
“I was curious about this garden. While it’s been neglected somewhat, it’s easy to see that it was once quite magnificent.”
Clasping my hands behind my back, I took to the path and, as I expected, Bradley fell in beside me.
“My father was once very proud of the rose bushes he’d had planted. A bad storm had destroyed a portion of the gardens a few years prior and there was a time when we thought we’d never have a garden again. But he started bringing in these rose bushes, then more, then more, and...”
“He sounds like a very hard-working and resourceful man.”
I laughed softly. “My father was a loving man. Generous and caring.”
Brad nodded.
“But...” I went on, not sure how much I should share. “Well, it appears he may not have made the wisest decisions when it came to managing the family finances. There was a secretive side to him. Of course, that became all too clear when he died, and we learned of our fate.”
“I am truly sorry about that. I have to admit that I am deeply troubled by my brother’s actions.
Don’t get me wrong; I know my brother. This is not the first time he’s shown himself to be callous and cold.
But I feel he is going too far this time.
His actions against your family are uncalled for. I’ll try to talk to him.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I doubt there’s much you could do.” I glanced at him. “You really shouldn’t feel guilty for your brother’s actions, no more than I can feel responsible for my father’s.”
We walked in silence for a while and there was an ease that enveloped us. We reached the end of the rose garden, and I turned to face the back of my home.
“It’s a remarkable home,” Brad said. “Marvelous stonework. The architecture in those days... I often wonder why we don’t build things like this anymore. This really is a special place.”
“I’ve always thought so. My great great grandfather built it.”
Brad’s face winced, “your ancestral home, then.”
“Yes, my father grew up in this house as well as my grandfather, and of course his father before him. It’s pretty much all we’ve known.”
“I’m sorry about all this,” Brad said. “I truly am.”
I led the way back to the house, but turned right to skirt around the rose garden and then approach the house through what had once been a vegetable garden.
“Where has your brother gone off to?” I asked.
“I couldn’t really tell you. He got a call and simply abandoned me.”
I laughed. “In that case, would you like a bit of a tour inside? I could show you a few of the rooms that are already empty.”
“I think I’d like that very much,” he said.
The glint in his eyes enchanted me, and I had to smile.
*****
“WE HAVEN’T USED THIS wing of the house for a number of years,” I said as I led him to the third room of the second floor.
“It’s such a huge house,” he said. “What was this portion of the house used for?”
I looked at him and laughed. “You’re right. It is a big house. Come to think of it, this part of the house was only used once or twice a year when we had guests stay overnight.”
He looked around the room. “It’s interesting how much effort was put into the décor of every room. The colors, the trim, the wallpaper. It must have been spectacular when furnished.”
I nodded. “My mother has always enjoyed interior decoration. She could spend hours choosing the right color, then more hours finding the perfect wallpaper, then pairing that with the right fabric for the drapes and bedcovers.”
I led him out of the yellow room and down the hall to the red room. “I remember her spending over a week looking for the perfect paintings to hang on the walls of this room. She wanted Gauguin, but my father didn’t really like his work. He preferred Van Gogh.”
“Who won?”
“Neither,” I said with a chuckle. “She put a Monet on that wall and a Renoir on that one.”
“I can picture it,” he said as he looked around. He walked to the window of the empty room and peered down into the garden. “I can see why you must be heartbroken having to leave this place. You must have incredible memories here.”
I pointed to my temple. “They’re all in here. Whether we stay here or elsewhere, those memories will always be with me.”
We went on to the green room, the blue room and finally the gray room at the end of the hall.
“Charming,” he said on entering the smaller room. “There’s something rather regal about this room, despite its modest size.”
“When I was a little girl, Grandma Selma would sleep here. I never understood why, but she liked this room. I think she enjoyed how small and cozy it was.”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes warming me. “There is a definite appeal... small and cozy.”