Merger By Matrimony

‘If not more.’ He pulled out of the enclosed cul-de-sac, and reached over to hand her an envelope. ‘One or two photos of your little house,’ he said drily. ‘Thought you might be interested.’

The bundle of twenty-odd photos, rescued from Stephanie’s photo album from the times she had gone there years previously, before her mother had joined the line of ex-Felts, showed a sprawling mansion with a series of outbuildings, curling around a swimming pool. From the front seat, Stephanie craned backwards to explain the photos. The outbuildings had apparently been used for stabling horses but were now empty and the swimming pool had been put in at the insistence of her mother, who had seen it as adequate compensation for being deprived of living full-time in the city. The grounds were extensive and included a wood, a stream and orchards of fruit trees.

‘Who looks after it now?’ Destiny asked, still puzzled by the need her uncle had felt to possess a house of that size in which people could lose each other without a great deal of trouble.

‘Derek kept on a skeleton staff,’ Callum said from the front. ‘He assumed that you’d probably want to sell but, if you didn’t, I suppose he thought that you might want the retainers to stay. I have no idea how many people he’s kept or what they’re doing there for that matter. We haven’t been to the place for months. They could have hijacked the silver and cleared off for all I know.’

‘I thought you said that the contents were willed to…lots of other people?’

‘Certain of the contents, yes. Which would still leave quite a bit in situ.’

‘So is there anyone there now?’ She had visions of arriving at an inhospitable mansion, stone-walled and freezing cold.

‘Stephanie got in touch with Harold and his wife to open up and get the place ready. Or, should I say, get a small part of the place ready. A lot of the rooms have never been used.’

‘What a waste.’

She noticed that they were now leaving London and was heartened by the sight of greenery. It must be easy to forget the existence of open land when you were constantly surrounded by buildings.

‘What would you do with the house if…I decided to go ahead with your proposal?’

‘Convert it into something, I expect.’

‘Convert it into what?’

‘A hotel.’

‘You’d convert this beautiful old mansion into a hotel?’

‘I would convert a beautiful old mansion into a beautiful old hotel,’ he said, with a trace of impatience in his voice. ‘At least it would be used. What difference would it make to you, anyway? Do you intend staying in England?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘This is all premature speculation anyway. Let’s just get to the damned place and see how you feel about it then.’ He accelerated as they cleared the outskirts of London and hit the motorway, and Destiny lapsed into silence, watching the scenery flash by. Summer was still holding its own and the blue, cloudless skies made everything seem crisp and fresh.

They were at the village before eleven, and Stephanie, who appeared to have drifted off into a light sleep, was revived at the sight of a few shops and the prospect of getting out of the car and stretching her legs. She launched into an animated conversation about what she’d used to do when she went to stay at the country manor, interrupting herself frequently to remark on the dullness of country life.

‘It must be an awful lot more peaceful than living in London, though,’ Destiny pointed out, liking the feeling of space and calm around her. The small village, with its pubs and little stone shops and parish church, had none of the threatening claustrophobia of London. And the air was much fresher. She had rolled down her window, ignoring Callum’s comment about the air conditioning in the car, and closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the breeze through the window.

‘Stephanie isn’t enamoured of peace,’ he said drily, speaking about her as though she wasn’t sitting next to him—and, in all fairness, Stephanie didn’t object.

‘And are you?’ Destiny asked, looking around her now with interest as the car slowed on the narrow lane and turned left up an avenue lined with trees. Ahead of them, a pair of massive wrought-iron gates were open, and beyond them lay fields and pastures. ‘Or do you prefer living in the fast lane, where you can stride around, giving orders to everyone and enjoying having the world bow down to you?’

Stephanie uttered an incoherent squeak of horror and looked around at Destiny, who grinned airily back at her.

‘Sorry,’ she said politely. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’