James sat transfixed on the table, with the letter in front of him. The sound of water spinning over the stove shook him to reality. he got up and removed the hot kettle. He looked at the water spilled over the stove and sighed, then carried the prepared tray of tea to the dining table. the woman sitting at the table was drumming her nails on the table for the pure enjoyment of the sound they made. she raised her head the minute James walked in."Your tea Maam," he said as he put the tray down. her lips curled into a half smile and she noticed the white envelope next to the cups. her eyes twinkled with wonder at what surprise awaited her. despite her scheming, she wanted the relationship between her and Nickolas to work.James had retreated to the kitchen when he heard the breaking of China on the wall. he rushed out and found Amelia in a fitting rage. the tray he put on the table not long ago, what remained of it, was on the floor in pieces." That bastard!" she was livid. James k
[Four Months later]Rose Campbell walked briskly towards the brownstone house. she was late, although her neighbor didn't mind. she wasn't critical about such things, but Rose was a woman who liked to keep her promise. she never broke a promise and she hated being late. but more than her punctuality, what got Rose so worked up was the gossip she was carrying, the news was burning a hole in her chest. when she reached the front door, she was gasping for air. she put down the packet she was holding and poked around for the house keys in her small purse. when the door swung open. surprising her, she cried out, "Grace, darling I almost caught my heart in my hands" she walked inside the house. And once inside, she took off her Cardigan and hung it on the coat stand behind the door, together with her small purse. Then walked straight to the kitchen and threw herself on a bench by the French doors, getting an overview of the backyard."I saw you coming up the lane, like the devil's at your
When Grace came back in the evening from her outing with Neill, Rose was already gone, the house looked like a home again. She had done a fabulous job with it. She unpacked Neill's bag, it had been a great day outdoors but now they both needed a bath. she was feeling sticky from the heat and Neill was being fussy, which was associated with a need for a nap, which made him also irritable. After she was done putting Neill down for the night, grace sneaked into the guest bedroom, where her mini studio was set up. she had yearned for this time all day to be alone.And after years of planning. tonight she did not want to plan what she was going to paint, and she didn't want to know what the end product was, but she merely took a brush, and paint and started working on a clean canvas. She worked until her hands went numb. she labored on that canvas for six hours straight. for her, this was more than just painting. she bared her soul on that canvas. it was close to midnight by the time she
When Grace shared her tale with Nickolas, Rose was silent before she spoke up. "Oh, that sounds like a lover's fuss to me." Rose finally said after Grace told her how she knew Mr. Meyer."Let's just say I was in love with a man whose heart is linked to another.""And you got your heart broken." it was a statement than a question. "Maybe just a bit of it, not all of it." Grace still desired to have some of her pride intact."Well, the best way to heal a broken heart is not locking yourself away from the world, in an old town like Culmore. besides, I heard Mr. Meyer was asking about you down at the guesthouse.""Why am I not surprised?""Well. Luis mentioned it the other day in passing." she looked down in shame at being caught out."A man like Mr. Meyer who opened his home to you and took care of you seems to me like he was laying the groundwork for the future." "It seemed to me like he was protecting his image." "Uh.huh. I knew a man once who protected his image, I can tell you, gi
Long after Nickolas left her house, Grace went over the conversation they had. after a shaky start, things had gone easier than she could ever imagine. Yes, things were not yet smooth between them. but they were on the same page about one thing: they both wanted what was best for Neill.the conversation had not been just a conversation with words. talking to him had liberated her. they had gotten through the past with honesty and transparency. It was funny how things always turned out different from how she imagined them. in her mind she saw daggers flying mid-air when she thought of how things would go when the day came to meet Nicko again.There were no daggers.And Grace enjoyed the afternoon she spent with him, and when Nicko held up Neill for the first time, the image was overwhelming. Now the sun was setting and the sky already turning into a beautiful golden orange. for some reason, she felt good about herself, as she strolled through the French doors and sat on the steps of
The days that followed Nickolas's visit to Culmore, the hours and minutes dragged on by. Grace's head was in the clouds as she packed her bags yet again. she was moving back to London. Nicko had gone ahead of them. He wanted to sort out the 'jumble' as Grace had called it, with Amelia before she and Neill came into the Meyer Mansion. On her last Sunday in Culmore, Grace woke up to the smell of sausage and mushroom frying. experience told her that Rose had let herself in and the first feeling to hit her was embarrassment. she had wanted to cook something special for Rose, as a farewell note. and here was Rose already treating her to her special breakfast of sausage, mushroom, and soda bread. she knew It was going to be a feast. Rose only made that breakfast on special occasions. once when Neill was born and again when Nicko was in Culmore. Rolling out of bed, she willed herself to go shower and dress before Rose came bounding up the stairs.By the time she walked into the kitchen, Ne
After a week at the Meyer, Mansion Grace was getting used to the lifestyle the Mansion had to offer. not once since her arrival did she hear about Amelia. she often wondered how Nickolas had handled that situation but she didn't want to rock the boat by bringing it up. Neill seemed unfazed by the new environment, even though he had every possible care he could dream up taken care of. He was now six months old and his baby teeth were showing. he was the cutest thing ever. even though he spent most of his town in the kitchen bubbling noises at James, he had two nannies that attended to him day and night. on each turn, he was being spoilt rotten.Regardless of the servants waiting on their back and calling, Grace preferred to do things herself when it came to Neill, but help was there, and she didn't have to ask for it. it was there. she had to admit, it had its benefits. she had more time to focus on herself and had dedicated time to her hobby and relaxation. One room downstairs next t
James Monrow was the butler of Meyer Mansion for as long as Meyer Mansion was around. at fifty years old, he was sharp, with the determination of a military commander, and he was very much the butler that Nickolas had met years ago. over the years his duties at the Mansion changed to accommodate Nickolas and his growing needs. Nicholas was against a house full of servants, and for years it was just him and James, with James overseeing everything inside the Mansion. but now he was more of Nickolas's right-hand man at home. with that added benefit, he left the cottage that he used to occupy outside the Mansion and moved inside the house to be closer to Nickolas. but he frequented his cottage for his leisurely activities. The cottage was located behind the Mansion. James had spent a lot of time over the years turning it to his taste. he planted trees all around it to enclose it. its entrance was neatly tugged behind tall shrubs away from prying eyes. it was the only place in the whole M
"Watch your step." Nickolas walked behind a blindfolded Grace."You know how much I don't like surprises. Are we there yet?" They had been walking for a while now and she was getting suspicious about the so-called surprise. "Almost. You gonna love this one." He was praying he hadn't gone off the mark. They took the last step and he stopped them both. Grace could smell the salt In the air. It reminded her of the smell that was a permanent fixture in their old basement. "Now you can open them." He let go of the cloth that was covering her eyes.When Grace opened her eyes, she couldn't stop blinking at the sight in front of her. "No!" She screamed in delight. "Yes." He couldn't stop grinning as he took in her happiness. The yacht had been an impulse purchase but he was glad he had bought it. "I thought since we met on a cruise ship, for our second honeymoon, we could recreate that experience on a more intimate scale." He was usually very confident but in the past months, he had be
Grace put a steaming cup of coffee before Nickolas on the kitchen island."You are starting to behave like the wife I was meant to have." He looked at the steaming cup and she raised her eyebrow and glared at him."I will take it back if you don't behave." She sat down on one of the high stools and looked at him, her face softening. "Can I ask you something?" She cleared her throat. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Nickolas raised his eyes and looked at her. "Anything." She shifted in her chair. "When we were clearing out the mansion, I saw a jewelry box in your study…" She let the sentence trail off. "What about it?" He took a sip from his coffee without looking at her. "Is it yours?" "Yes. Pretty much everything in the study was mine. Say what you mean and mean what you say kiddo." He eyed her suspiciously."There was a picture with a woman and a child inside.""And you wanted to know who the woman was, if you must know, she's not my woman.""Of course, I know that I'm your w
The following morning, Grace, Nickolas, and Luther walked into the Meyer mansion. The furniture on the first floor had been removed, giving the place an overly open feeling. As much as the light came through the big glass windows, the air inside was stifled and cold, giving the illusion that the house had been vacant for a while. The dust had started to settle on the marble floor, causing a scraping sound as their feet moved against the floor. Nickolas opened the door to his office, the only room on the first floor that had not been touched. Except for the mess that was on the floor, the room was intact. He also felt strange being there, given the fact that he hadn't been gone for over a week. Maybe the mansion had always carried a heavy presence without him realizing it, what was worse, he had gotten used to it. The office looked like someone had ransacked the place or the windows had been left open causing the papers to fly in all directions.He crossed the door threshold, insta
Nickolas made a move to walk towards the bed. But Grace opened her mouth and shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to go there just yet." He stood next to the bed, hearing what she was saying but not understanding her. "What do you mean by that?""That I don't think I'm ready to share a bed with you just yet." It didn't get any louder than that.He gathered his wayward thoughts and mumbled something before walking into the ensuite bathroom, to take the longest cold shower of his life. Grace sighed with a smile on her face and changed for bed. She picked up the red dress from the floor, shook her head, and smirked at it. Nickolas looked at the two water taps and didn't understand how the cold tap could feel so hot against his skin. He needed it cold. Ice cold to freeze his bruised emotions. Grace was rejecting him. She had been ready to walk out through the front door with her chest barely covered to meet another man and do god knows what but she wasn't ready to share a bed with
Grace looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress looked, as though it had been sewn on her body. The neckline was too low, and the bodice that was supposed to cover her breast barely covered the whole breast. One mistake and they would be out on display for everyone to see. She put on her matching fuck me heels and did a final twirl in front of the mirror. Satisfied, she took her purse and carefully walked downstairs. She paused at the last step and looked around. With the furniture installed, the house looked more like the home she had envisioned. They had delivered everything she had ordered right to the T. Now all she had to do was to enjoy it. Starting this coming Saturday, with the get-together with her friends. She walked into an open plan that includes the lounge area and kitchen, next to it, the dining area. She walked to the kitchen and took out her wine glass. She needed to calm her nerves before she left the house. After pouring the wine, she gulped
The following morning after he spent a miserable night on the floor. Things seemed to be abuzz at the house. Grace was already up and having a merry time with Niells Nanny. "Good Morning. Hope you had a relaxing night, after all that work you and Luther did." She said when he approached them, moving to the kitchen, to take out two cups. The nanny disappeared at the same speed. Nickolas followed her to the open-plan kitchen h he had a miserable night. While She, on the other hand, looked as radiant as ever, liked someone who had a night's rest in a plump bed with supporting pillows. "It was okay. Not one of my finest. But it was okay, thank you for your concern." He thought his body would snap at the slightest movement. She busied herself in the massive kitchen and brought him a cup of coffee. After last night's events, he hoped it was not poisoned. He closed his eyes and took a sip. It tasted amazing. He looked at the cup in surprise. "What would you like for breakfast?" Grace wa
The following day, The Meyer mansion started getting cleaned and furniture wrapped. And other important items were put away into boxes for storage.By midweek, the undertaker had come to dig up the little coffin from the shallow grave by the pond to be moved to the new estate. Grace was home and they had already chosen a spot to lay her to rest.Nickolas now had two houses to sell. If Amelia ever left hers, he would also sell that house. "The house is in the process of being sold." He told Grace after the undertakers had put the coffin on the ground. "That means you will be homeless soon or are you not moving in with Amelia at her house?" He was taken aback by her question, he didn't think she would ever bring her up. He had a lot of repairing to do. "No. I thought you could spare a room for me. One room at the furthest side of the house. You won't even have to see me." He knew he was pushing his luck, but she looked at him as if considering his words. "I'm desperate here." He add
When Nickolas got home that evening. Stravos met him at the door. "Madam left with her luggage and the baby." Those were the first words that left the man's mouth. "Ok stravos, thank you for letting me know." He had known that it was inevitable, but he still felt a tug at his heart. He had been hoping that they would move across this hurdle unscorched. But maybe he had been right all along. It was too much for her. After all, it had been his cross to bear and not hers.He made his way to the master bedroom and started opening closets, she had taken everything. She wasn't only mad at him, this time she was done, and little Neill? Would they have to go to court and fight it out? It was his rotten luck. He sat at the edge of the bed and thought about his choices. To add salt to injury, Amelia had come out of their affair happier than him, and without a hair out of place. He laughed out loud. She had bagged a child with a man she loved and most of his money. He truly envied her. He got
When Nickolas got off the elevator, heads turned to look at him, some who were brave enough, whispered to their coworkers under their breath. It was clear that everyone was shocked just as Luther had been that morning, that they were going to work. He wondered what they must have been thinking all along. Did they think he was dying and the company was going down under? Lucky for them, he was back and ready to stir this ship to greater heights. As soon as Nickolas sat at his desk, his secretary came to his office and gave him a heap of messages that he needed to return. Soon enough he forgot all about Amelia and her drama, he had dodged a bullet there. Funny enough he thought he would lose his mind the day he found her with another man, but to his surprise he didn't feel a thing. Rather, his mind was preoccupied with Grace and the plans he had for them if she ever forgave him for his derailed ways. He wondered if it was too soon to ask for a second honeymoon.Luther knocked and peek