by Rachel Lacey
“Oh, but what about the grounds?” Elle asked.
“I trust that you can find your way around on your own.”
“But—”
“I really do need to get back to work.”
“Okay,” she said. “Well, thanks again for taking the time to show us around.”
“My pleasure. Please get in touch when you’ve made your decision about my offer.”
“Did anyone else catch Theo checking Elle out?” Megan asked with raised eyebrows as she leaned back against the soft bed of green grass beneath her. They’d walked to the far side of the garden and now sat, staring back at the castle.
“He did not.” Elle shook her head emphatically, even if she didn’t quite believe her own words. There’d been a few moments there in the library when she thought she’d sensed a vibe between her and Theo too. She was definitely attracted to him, but only in a superficial way. As sexy as he was, his determination to sell this castle when his grandfather had so plainly wanted him to keep it was a big turn-off for her.
“You ladies are missing the point,” Ruby said, tugging thoughtfully at her glasses. “The Queen of England has stayed here. I wonder which bedroom she stayed in?”
“Probably one in the back part of the castle where we’re not allowed to go,” Elle mused.
“Imagine sleeping in the same bed the queen has slept in? The queen’s bed!” Ruby flopped back on the grass next to Megan with a dreamy expression on her face.
“I think we need to focus on that fact that Theo is trying to buy us out of our contract.” Elle stared at her friends, both daydreaming about royalty in the warm grass. Why weren’t they as worried about this as she was?
“I knew this gig was too good to be true,” Megan said with a sigh.
“Ten grand each is nothing to thumb our noses at,” Ruby said. “Especially since we all quit our jobs to come here.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, a breeze whispering through the trees behind them, steady and restless as Elle’s resentment over Theo wanting to sell the castle.
“Maybe we can take our idea for the Fairy Tails program and put it into place somewhere else,” Ruby said finally.
Elle twirled a blade of grass between her fingers. “We could try, but a big part of the draw for me was being here.” The castle and its grounds spoke to her somehow. Being here felt a lot like finding the elusive “it” she’d been searching for her entire adult life.
“I think we should take the money,” Ruby said. “It doesn’t make any sense to get things up and running here in the castle and bring in all those adoptable pets, and then just shut it down and leave.”
“Not to mention, we’d be leaving empty-handed,” Megan said. “After working our butts off for six months.”
“Not empty-handed,” Elle said. “We get a pretty sweet salary if we stay. It’s a lot more than I was making as a theme park princess.”
“That’s true.” Ruby pursed her lips. “It’s more than all of us were making.”
“Having a dependable, well-paying job for six months is a definite plus.” Megan sat up, combing grass out of her hair with her fingers. “Although, if we took the payout, I could afford the equipment I need to start my photography business.”
“And I could upgrade my software and get that new computer monitor I’ve had my eye on.” Ruby rolled to her stomach, scuffing the toe of her sneaker in the grass.
But what would Elle do with her cut? She didn’t have a “thing.” She didn’t know what she wanted out of life. This. Living and working at the castle had become her dream over the past few weeks, however silly and irrational, and she was having an awfully hard time letting go of it. “We’d also have to look for new jobs and apartments back in Orlando. Ten grand wouldn’t last long when you take that into account.”
“We could start looking for those things while we’re still here,” Ruby said. “None of us left behind jobs we were very excited about so starting over isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
Megan nodded. “Exactly. Theo said we can stay here a few weeks. We’ll have a nice vacation and leave with enough money to get us back on our feet. It’s not quite what we had in mind, but this still doesn’t suck.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Elle agreed.
“And if we’re only here a few weeks, then I don’t see any reason for you not to go after that deliciously handsome pseudo-royal in there,” Megan said with a wicked smile.
“Megan!” Ruby looked scandalized. “He’s still our landlord.”
“He is,” Elle agreed, and while the idea of hooking up with Theo Langdon held a certain intrigue, she had absolutely no intention of doing so.
“Can you believe he’s an earl?” Megan asked as she typed something into her phone.
“Not really,” Elle answered. Honestly, she’d never been all that hung up on British royalty, but the title did sound impressive, and it definitely added to his appeal.
“Oh my God, you guys, look at this.” Megan held out her phone. The headline on the screen read “The Eligible Earl” with Theo’s photo accompanying the article. “According to this, Theo is one of the most sought-after bachelors in England right now.”
“Really?” Elle leaned in—maybe a little too quickly based on Megan’s smirk—for a closer look.
“Oh, this one is even better. ‘The Earl of Lure.’” Megan snorted as she continued to skim through headlines on her phone.
Ruby adjusted her glasses, peering at the article. “What does that even mean?”
“Apparently, he’s ‘luring’ in all the available ladies with his smoldering good looks,” Megan told her. “They’re lining up to date him.”
Elle felt her grin morph into a grimace. “No wonder he’s so anxious to get back to England.”
“Right? Well, now we officially know he’s available. If you don’t go after him, I just might,” Megan said as she stood from the grass.
“What?” Elle’s voice sounded more like a screech. She slapped a hand over her mouth, embarrassed.
“See, I knew you liked him,” Megan said with a smug smile.
“I do like him, but he’s our landlord.” She stood, dusting stray blades of grass from the back of her skirt. “And an earl.”
“The Earl of Lure,” Ruby interjected.
“If we go back to Florida without any of us having kissed that man, it will be such a shame,” Megan said as she led the way along the path further into the garden. With her tall, willowy frame, dark hair, and bronzed complexion, Megan had a sort of a supermodel vibe about her that, combined with her ready smile and bubbly personality, meant she never had trouble finding a man of her own to kiss.
“I thought you were taking a break from men, anyway?” Elle said, turning the tables on her friend.
Megan shrugged. “I am, which is why I’m encouraging you to go after him.”
“Enough about men.” Ruby bent to smell one of the many roses lining their path. “The longer we’re here, the more I appreciate how awesome this place is.”
“It really is,” Megan agreed. “Although I can see what Theo means about how much it must cost to maintain, especially when you think about all the people who work here. And if no one actually lives here…”
“We’d be living here, though,” Elle protested.
“We’re just more employees they have to pay, though, aren’t we?” Megan said. “No one from the Langdon family lives here anymore so you can hardly blame them for wanting to sell the place.”
Elle bit her tongue, but the more she thought about it, the more hurt and disappointed she felt about leaving. Megan and Ruby both had dreams they could chase with the money from the payout, but Elle didn’t. This had become her dream, and she wasn’t ready to give up on it just yet. An idea was simmering in her mind, something that might help them all get what they wanted, but she didn’t want to broach it with her friends until she’d had more of a chance to think it through.
They spent the next half hour wander
ing through the gardens admiring the flowers. For a house that hadn’t known a woman’s touch in years, the gardens sure were impressive. Then again, the credit for that fact probably went to the gardener.
Beyond the gardens, rolling green hills beckoned. Some of them were fenced off like pastures with pristine white-painted fences, but no animals grazed in them that she could see. She, Megan, and Ruby walked along a mulched path between the fields, taking it all in.
“Can you imagine horseback riding through here?” Megan said.
“I’ve never ridden a horse.” Ruby gazed out over the perfect green field in front of them.
“I think I see a barn,” Elle said as a wooden building came into view peeking through the trees.
They kept walking, and sure enough, a barn came into view further down the path. It was fairly small but looked well-maintained. They walked inside and found six horse stalls plus a tack room and a hay loft. Everything was empty and clean except for a thin coat of dust. A small farmhouse was visible at the other end of the field.
“Seems like such a shame to have a nice stable like this and no horses in it,” Megan said.
“Imagine how much income we could generate for Rosemont Castle if we rented this place out?” Elle mused as she stared out the end of the barn toward the farmhouse.
“No point thinking about it now,” Ruby said.
Elle turned to face them. “Well, maybe there is. I’ve been thinking. What if we offer Theo a compromise?”
3
Theo walked through the front doors of the castle the next morning and stopped short. The sound of piano music drifted out of the parlor. For a moment, he thought the women had brought in some kind of sound system, but then he spotted Elle seated at the piano. He’d always thought piano music to be rather sad, but the song she was playing felt different. Its tune and tempo made the whole room feel lighter and brighter.
He lingered in the doorway, listening.
After a few moments, something seemed to alert her to his presence because she glanced over her shoulder, and their gazes locked. His pulse quickened as he stepped inside the room. She flashed him a quick smile, her hands never faltering in their endless dance over the keys.
It was beautiful, nearly as beautiful as Elle herself.
The song ended with several high, staccato notes, and she turned on the piano bench to face him. “Colin told me no one’s played this piano in over thirty years.”
“He’s right,” Theo told her. “I’m surprised it’s still in tune.”
“It wasn’t,” Elle said. “Colin lent me a set of tools, and I downloaded an app onto my phone that helped me tune it myself, although a few of the keys are still tricky.”
Resourceful. He liked that about her. Or maybe he just liked her. “That’s not easy to do, or so I’m told.”
Elle trailed her fingers lightly over the keys. “My piano teacher taught me the basics years ago. He thought we ought to understand how they worked as well as how to play them.”
“You play beautifully.”
She blushed, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Thank you. I’ve been playing since I was a little girl, but it’s been ages since I’ve had a piano as nice as this one to play on. Such a shame no one uses it.”
“Precisely why I’m selling the place.” He raised his eyebrows for emphasis.
“I’d like to talk to you about that.” She stood from the piano bench. Today, she wore a purple and green patterned top with a long, flowing skirt. Automatically, his eyes tracked to her feet to see if her shoes were as fuck-me-hot as yesterday’s, but they were hidden within the folds of her skirt.
“You’ve made your decision?” He raised his gaze to her eyes.
“Sort of. Do you have a minute?”
“I do, but only a few. I have to jump on a conference call with London at nine thirty.”
“I’ll be quick.” Elle scooped up a handful of papers from the top of the piano, and that’s when he realized she’d been waiting for him.
“Where are your friends?” he asked.
“Sunning it up by the pool.” She brushed past him, walking briskly toward his office.
“And why aren’t you with them?” he asked as he followed.
“Because I was waiting for you,” she told him with a backward glance, confirming his suspicion.
“Because you’ve ‘sort of’ made a decision about my offer.” He eyed the paperwork in her hands as he allowed himself to be led to his own office by this whirlwind of a woman.
She walked to the table where he’d sat with them yesterday, smoothing her fingers over the papers. “Actually, we’d like to propose a compromise.”
“A compromise?” He rested his hands on the seat back before him.
She nodded.
“You want more money?” He’d already made them a generous offer, but the truth was, it would cost a pretty penny to keep this place sitting around for another six months, so if they wanted more money, he might not have any choice but to pay them.
“No.” She squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze. “We want a chance to prove ourselves.”
He shook his head. “Look, none of this was about you in the first place. It’s just business. I need to sell Rosemont Castle whether you take the deal I offered or not, so it seems to be in everyone’s best interest if we wrap things up sooner rather than later.”
“But it’s not just business.” Elle lifted her chin. “This castle is a part of your family’s heritage, and we can help you save it.”
He sighed, drumming his fingers against the chair. “There’s nothing to save.”
“That’s ridiculous. How could you even say such a thing?”
“Excuse me?”
She rested her knuckles on the table, leaning toward him. “In case you haven’t noticed, this castle is one of a kind. Your grandfather built it out of love, and he thought it was important enough to save.”
“What makes you say that?” He leaned in too, his face mere inches from hers, his frustration dueling with his desire to kiss her.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Her gaze dropped to his lips for a moment before returning to his eyes. “That’s why he reached out to Modern Home and Gardens. He wanted to find someone to manage the property for him and breathe new life into it.”
“Or he was an overindulgent old man who never stopped to think about the financial ramifications of his decisions.”
Elle looked so affronted that, for a moment, he thought she might slap him. “What a terrible thing to say about your grandfather!”
“You’re right.” He straightened, returning some space between them. “I have nothing but the utmost regard for my grandfather. However, he was rather more attached to this place than any of the rest of us.”
“But I still think—”
He held up a hand to silence her. “Look, the truth is that this castle should never have been built. It was an expensive, unnecessary indulgence when the family already has a sizeable estate and several other residences in England. My grandfather was fond of grand gestures, and this was his gesture of love for Rose, but it is utterly impractical to keep Rosemont Castle in the family now that he’s gone.”
“But this castle meant something to him, something he wanted to preserve, and isn’t that alone worth at least trying to save it?” She clasped her hands in front of herself.
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “You didn’t even know him. Why are we arguing about this?”
“Because I think you’re making a mistake. And I want a chance to stay. Maybe Rosemont Castle shouldn’t have been built, but it was, and now it’s part of your family’s legacy, whether you like it or not.” She reached for the papers she’d set down on the table. “So will you at least hear me out?”
He drew a deep breath and blew it out. “No.”
Elle froze, an expression of disbelief on her face. “No?”
“My mind’s not going to change so there’s no point dragging this out any further.”
“I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” With a look that could have frozen hell itself, she stormed out of the room.
Elle’s lungs burned as she jogged along the mulched path that curved around behind the stables. After her meeting with Theo, she’d let Megan and Ruby know the outcome and then gone upstairs to change into her running gear. And maybe she’d set a blistering pace for herself, but dammit she was furious. And disappointed. And hurt. And ugh. She’d fancied Theo as some sort of modern day Prince Charming when they first met, but he was turning out to be more of a beast.
She ran until she was too out of breath to think about anything but dragging enough oxygen into her lungs. At the far end of the property, she came across a pond with an adorable gazebo in the middle, connected to the shore by a wooden walkway. She slowed down, jogging the perimeter of the pond to take it in. Absolutely everything about Rosemont Castle was beautiful and picturesque, and it was so unfair that she wouldn’t get the chance to stay.
Ruby and Megan both wanted to take Theo’s payout now that he’d refused to even hear her compromise. So that was that. Elle would just have to pack up her dreams and hope that her next venture—whatever that might be—turned into something fabulous.
Her cell phone rang through her earbuds, interrupting the lively Rihanna tune that had set the tempo for the last few minutes of her jog. She glanced down at her armband and saw her dad’s name on the cell phone’s display. And then she almost let it go to voicemail, because she was in no mood for a chat with her dad, but she hadn’t talked to him since she arrived at Rosemont Castle.
She paused for a moment to catch her breath and connected the call.
“Hi, Elle. It’s Dad.”
She smiled in spite of herself. Her father always started phone conversations this way, as if she wouldn’t have recognized his voice even if she didn’t have caller ID. “I know. Hi, Dad.”
“How are you? All settled in at the castle?”
“Yes, although it looks like I won’t be staying as long as I thought.” She swiped at a flyaway strand of hair as she walked out to the gazebo in the middle of the pond, explaining everything that had happened since she arrived.