We pulled up to the front of the house, and a man and woman came outside to meet us. The man was probably in his fifties, the woman in her forties, and both were dressed conservatively in all black. “Georgia, this is Edgar, and this is Marjorie. Edgar, Marjorie, this is Georgia. John called ahead to explain to you what’s happened?”
“Yes sir, your…,” the man, Edgar, caught himself and looked at me. “Lucas, sir.” He turned back to me. “Ms. Graham, we will do everything we can to make you very comfortable.”
“Georgia. I’m just Georgia,” I said, smiling at each of them and putting my hand out for them to shake. They each cast their eyes nervously at Lucas and shook my hand gingerly.
“Please put her things in the blue room,” Lucas said. “Do you want to rest now, darling? You must be tired from traveling.”
“I want to see this gorgeous place,” I said, hooking my right hand through the crook of his arm. “Show me around?”
“On one condition – you’ll tell me if you’re getting too tired. We have plenty of time for you to poke around and explore.” He smiled sweetly, patted the hand tucked into his elbow, and took me inside.
I’ve been in lots of beautiful homes, especially since I started working in television. I even went to a party at the home of one of the biggest country music stars – the one with her own theme park. I had never been in any place that compared to Lucas’ home, though.
Walking in, there was a vast foyer with a curved staircase that led up to a second-floor landing. From there, there was a formal sitting room to one side, a sort of library or sitting room on the other, and a hallway in the back that connected the two and led to the kitchen, where another staircase led up to the second floor. The bedrooms were on the second floor, and there was a third floor with an office and some guest rooms, along with some rooms that Lucas said were used mainly as storage. It reminded me of that fancy house on the PBS show with the wealthy Lord’s family and their servants.
“This one,” Lucas said as he opened the door to an expansive room with a beautiful cherry wood canopied bed and pale blue wallpaper with a barely perceptible broad stripe, “will be yours. There’s a balcony that overlooks the back garden, and it has its own shower, tub, and toilet through there.” He pointed.
“So, this is your room?” I asked.
“No, my room is down the hall,” he replied.
“Then this isn’t mine. Mine’s down the hall.” I said decidedly.
“Georgia, you need rest,” he started to argue.
“Mine’s down the hall, or mine’s back home in Tennessee. Your choice.” I was firm. I wasn’t going to be under the same roof with the man I loved and not have his arms around me at night.
“Are you always this stubborn?” He replied with a grin.
“Yep! Get used to it,” I smiled back. “Show me our room.”
Lucas’ room was twice the size of the blue room with a sitting area, a dressing table, which looked completely unused, and a massive, luxurious bed. “Wow,” I said as I walked around the space. “It’s incredible!”
“You like it, then?” He asked suspiciously.
“Who in their right mind wouldn’t?” I replied. Lucas blinked, his eyes began to glisten, and a seemed unable to control a broad smile that drew across his face.
He walked over, carefully taking me in his arms. “The furniture has been here a very long time. I like the antiques, though. They feel like part of the house to me.” He kissed me on top of the head.
“I swear if you changed one thing it would feel…I don’t know…wrong somehow.” I replied. I thought for a moment and wondered if Simone had lived here with him. “When you…did she live here with you?” I asked cautiously.
He gave a half-chuckle. “God, no! I brought her here once and showed her the place. She absolutely hated it. We never spent a single night here together. She was with me in the flat in London – that’s why I have it on the market.”
“You’re selling your place in London?” I was shocked.
“Yeah, I thought we should pick a new place.” He replied nonchalantly.
“What…are you sayin’?” I asked.
“Well, when we’re in London, we need a place, and I didn’t think you’d want it to be a place where my ex-wife had lived. I would like to spend some time here in the country, though. It is home to me, after all.” He winked.
“Lucas…I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you’d do all that for me,” I kissed his jaw. “I love it here. But…I mean, my home is still very far away.”
“Right. Well, my home is wherever you are. We’ll sort that bit out. Nothing to worry about now. We still have a few months of filming when you’re back on your feet. We can talk about how to sort out our time in America later.” He kissed me sweetly. “For now, my main concern is getting you well.”
Our time in America. Our place in London. While I was lying in the hospital, somewhere between life and limbo, the man I loved was planning our lives together. He was thinking about how he could be with me in a way that would give me what I needed. My heart was so full, I could barely breathe.
CHAPTER 21
Georgia
After we toured the rest of the house, I wanted to get cleaned up. Lucas insisted on staying with me the whole time, not letting me out of his sight. I had changed into a robe while he drew the bath. I returned to the bathroom and sat on a little bench there as I waited for the water to get deeper. Marjorie lightly tapped the door frame. “Ma’am, I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I thought you’d like some scents for your bath - they’ll help with the bruising. I took the liberty of putting together some salts with St. John’s oil, lavender, and some rose petals, just for the scent. If you’d want them, of course, but they will help. Would you like me to leave them here?” She asked.
I stood and walked over to her. “Aw, you’re so sweet! Here, let me see,” I said, holding my hand out for the small wooden bowl, and inhaling the scent of the salts. “Mm! It smells amazin’! Thank you, Marjorie!” I immediately began sprinkling the salts under the running water. The tub started to foam up a little, and the rose petals danced on top of the water.
“I hope it helps, ma’am,” Marjorie said as she turned to leave. I saw Lucas give her a little nod before he closed and locked the bathroom door.
“That was so sweet of her,” I said. “And she is…who exactly?”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “She and Edgar take care of the house for me. They worked for Grandmother. I’m rarely here, but it’s nice to have someone to keep everything up.” He shrugged.
“So, they work here? Like, your maid and butler or something?” He shrugged.
“They take care of the house, that’s all,” he said dismissively. It was clear he was minimizing the experience of growing up with money and titles, let alone servants.
I turned off the water and opened my robe to step into the tub. Lucas’ mouth dropped open as he scanned my battered body.
“Oh, my darling!” He said, rushing to me. “Are they very painful?” He asked, his brow furrowing as he gingerly traced the outline of the swollen, black flesh on my left hip and thigh, his face wincing with pain at seeing me so battered and bruised.
“It’s not so bad,” I said, taking his hand and carefully stepping into the bathtub. As I sank into the warm, fragrant water, my body began to relax. The momentary sting of the warm, salty water on the small scrapes and cuts peppered across my body was a small price to pay for the weightless comfort the deep tub provided.
After my soak in the tub, I had Lucas help me put on a sundress. With the painful bruises and swelling on my side and hip, I didn’t wear a bra or underwear that could cut into the tender, swollen flesh. I took my next dose of medicine and asked Lucas to come to sit outside with me. I wanted the fresh air after being cooped up in the hospital. There were a table and chairs in the middle of the garden at the back of the house, and Edgar had set up an umbrella for me so I wouldn’t get too much sun.
&
nbsp; Lucas brought out his laptop and set it up so I could video chat with Daddy, Ro, and Celia.
“Hi, Daddy,” I said. His face looked worried when he came on camera, which made me feel terrible.
“Hi, darlin’,” he replied. “How you feelin’, baby girl?”
“I’m okay, Daddy. A little sore. Lucas is takin’ good care of me, though!” I smiled.
“Hello, Mr. Graham,” Lucas said, leaning over behind me. “Hi, Rome, Celia,” he waved at all of them and sat back down beside me.
“Daddy, I’m okay, really. I’m just a little bruised up. My wrist is sprained, which is going to take longer to heal than anything else. That’s gonna mean I have to film my cooking segments a little different. The rest is just bruises, really.” I glanced at Lucas who winced as I said this, having just seen the extent of the damage.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. You gave us quite a scare,” Daddy said.
“Where are ya’ll?” Celia asked.
“Oh, we’re at Luc’s house. His family is from about an hour outside of London. He brought me down here to relax. It’s nice! The countryside reminds me of home, kind of.” I smiled, looking over at him.
“You still comin’ home for our birthday, Geo?” Rome asked.
“Absolutely!” I smiled, “Nothin’ could keep me away, Ro. Celia, you think you’ll make it down?” I asked, knowing she’d probably say no.
“Well, I can try,” Celia said.
“Celia, you ain’t been home since Thanksgivin’. You’re comin’ home to see your brother and sister on their birthday. With what Georgia’s been through…we…we coulda lost her. You understand that, surely.” His face flushed with emotion. It made my heart swell.
“I know Daddy, I just…I…I’ll make it work. I’ll be there, I promise,” Celia said. “It’ll be good to see ya’ll.”
“Lucas,” Daddy said, and Lucas stood behind me, bending over to look into the camera again.
“Yes, sir?” He said nervously.
“You’re comin’ too, ain’t ya, son?” Daddy asked. I was mortified.
“Daddy! Lucas doesn’t want to fly halfway around the world just for dinner,” I objected, my cheeks turning crimson.
“I think it’d be cool,” Ro chimed in. “Besides, I’d kinda like to meet the guy whose picture is all over the news with yours,” he said.
“All over the news? What are you talkin’ about?” I asked.
“The local news reported on your accident, and Tasha released a statement. They said you’re recoverin’ with your boyfriend at an undisclosed location.” Rome said.
“Wow,” I looked up at Lucas, “Did you know about this?” I asked.
“No, I’d no idea. John’s been talking to Tasha and dealing with all of that.” He said. “But, can we get back to me coming to the States with you?” He smiled.
“You wanna come home with me? Really?” I asked, thrilled that he’d be interested.
“I’d love to!” He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “If it’s okay with your family, of course.” He looked back at the camera.
“You’re welcome here any time, son,” my Dad said, giving Lucas a little smile. Celia, Rome, and I all looked at each other, eyes big. Son. I couldn’t believe my ears. He had never called any of me or Celia’s boyfriends that before. It was clear that they had gotten more familiar while I was in the hospital.
“Thanks, Daddy,” I said, patting Lucas’ hand on my shoulder as I smiled at him.
“Oh, and Georgia, one more thing. I got some good news today. Real good news, as a matter of fact,” Daddy said. “Lucas, this is family business, son. I’m sure you won’t mind givin’ me just a minute with my daughter in private,” he said.
“No sir, of course not. Thank you for the invitation. I cannot wait to meet all of you. I’ll take good care of Georgia, and see you all soon,” he waved at the camera, kissed the top of my head, and walked into the house.
“What’s up, Daddy?” I asked.
“Well, you ain’t gonna believe, cause I didn’t. I went down to First Tennessee Bank and checked it out with Tommy, and it turns out it’s legit,” Daddy said.
“What are you talkin’ about, Daddy?” I was confused.
“Well, a courier come around early this morning. Turns out we got some sorta grant based on the how long the farm’s been in the family. Anyhow, we got a check from some historical foundation for two-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars. Must be something to do with farmin’, cattle and such. The foundation was called the Hereford Foundation.”
“Really?!” I said, thinking the name of the foundation was familiar, but I didn’t make the connection right away. “Daddy, that’s amazin’! That will cover the whole tax lien!”
“Yep, it sure will. So I was thinkin’, if you wanna just stay home when you come back in a coupla weeks, you could. You don’t have to feel like you gotta keep workin’, darlin’.” Daddy replied.
“Daddy, we been through this. The money is a real blessing, but that doesn’t change anything. It’s my career – it’s what I wanna do. I’m comin’ home for a visit, then I’m gonna finish filmin’. It’s what I want, Daddy.” I replied, frustrated at his attempt to control my choices, though I knew he was just tryin’ to look out for me.
“Okay, darlin’, whatever you say. I just wanted you to know you don’t have to keep workin’ on our account, that’s all. We’re gonna let you get some rest now. Love you, Georgia,” he said.
“Love ya’ll too. I’ll call ya’ll in a couple of days.” I replied, ending the call.
I went back in and found Lucas. “Everything alright?” He asked.
“Yeah, we had a good chat,” I replied. “Daddy had some crazy news, though,” I said.
“Oh, what was that, then?” He asked.
“He said he got a grant to pay off the tax lien,” I said.
“Oh, really? That’s lucky then, eh?” Lucas replied nervously.
“Yeah, and he said that it was from the Hereford Foundation. Sounds kinda familiar for some reason,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Not to me…is that some local thing where you’re from?” Lucas said, never meeting my eye.
The look on his face told me he was holding something back. “Lucas, what did you do?” I said, growing frustrated.
“What do you mean?” He shrugged, clearly lying.
“I mean, did you send that money?” I asked.
“Georgia, my family has many charitable organizations. I can’t possibly know what all of them do,” he said evasively.
“Lucas! I want the truth!” I was growing frustrated.
“Okay, truth,” he said walking toward me and putting his hands on my waist. “When you were in the hospital, and you were still unconscious…I didn’t know how long you’d be there – how bad your injuries might be. Tasha mentioned trying to work with the network, and I remembered that you were on a time limit to get the taxes paid to keep your property. I worked with my father to award a grant for your family through one of our charities.” He scanned my face for a reaction. “Please don’t be angry. You just don’t know, Georgia…I was beside myself with worry, and didn’t want you to have to contend with the financial issue while you were recovering.”
Tears began to well in my eyes. “Luc, it’s too much! I can never repay you!” I said, tears breaching my lashes as I looked at the man I had grown to love.
“You aren’t going to. It went through the foundation – it was a charitable award. Your family’s property is historic – it needs to be preserved. And Georgia, this is important, your father can never, ever know.” He said, pushing a loose curl away from my face and tucking it behind my ear. “It would devastate him, you realize, if he thought we had helped him at all.”
I just nodded. “It’s just so much…It…I can’t begin to tell you what it means to me,” I said. I was crying, my chest heaving and tears streamed down my face.
“No tears, darling,” he kissed the tears from my cheeks, then pulled me
to his chest. “Truly, the foundation will never even feel it. Besides, I just wanted you to be free from worry. Georgia, when you were in the hospital…there’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for you to be well. I felt like I couldn’t even breathe until I knew you were going to be alright,” he said.
We stood for a moment, embracing, then heard someone clearing their throat behind us. We turned around to find Edgar standing behind us.
“Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt. Lady Lucas is here. She’s in the drawing room,” he said.
“Damn it!” Lucas said, looking up at the ceiling. “Thank you, Edgar. Please take her some tea and let her know we’re on our way.”
Sweet Promise (The Grahams Book 1) Page 16