The Unquiet - J. D. Robb [116]
“I may still be forced to do so. But I think I have a solution that could spare me the pain of selling this beautiful place.” Bree took a deep breath, thinking of the furious reaction from Jamie Kerr, and wondering if her next words would have the same effect on these two. “I’m thinking of turning Ravenswood into an inn.”
FOUR
“Why the smile, lass?” Jamie fell into step beside Bree as she followed the path from the manor house to the cottage.
“It’s no thanks to you.” She shot him a sideways glance.
“You didn’t care for my jokes while you whiled away your time in the big house?”
“Whiled away? I was working. Which is more than I can say for you.”
“Aye. I was playing. And having a grand time of it, I might add.”
Playing. The very thought had her smile fading, just as Jamie’s image faded from view yet again.
She’d spent hours touring the house and taking dozens of photographs of the rooms, which she hoped to share later with a local firm she’d contacted about making the changes needed to transform Ravenswood from a private dwelling to a charming inn.
Afterward, over a lovely lunch with Gwynn and Duncan in their quarters, she’d talked about her plans for the inn, and was buoyed by their enthusiasm. Having the two of them on board with this transition meant the world to her. After all, these two old people knew this place better than anyone, and loved it. They knew its history, its pride, its sorrows. If they could share her vision for its future, she felt one step closer to making her dream a reality.
She’d felt comfortable enough to share her concerns that the initial cost would be great, both in labor and material. Each suite of rooms would have to be brought up to local code, and to have modern amenities while keeping the original flavor of the ancient manor house. When the two old people realized that she wasn’t the wealthy heiress they’d expected, but rather burdened with debt, they became genuinely concerned. It was Duncan who had proposed hiring unemployed workmen in the village to help with the remodel, while Gwynn volunteered to locate as many ambitious young women as were needed to help scrub everything to a high shine.
There had been one terrible moment over lunch, when Bree had seen Jamie standing between the two, scowling at her. She’d lost her train of thought, glancing from Gwynn to Duncan, until she realized that neither of them could see what she was seeing.
How did Jamie do that?
She’d had to put him out of her mind and concentrate on the task at hand. But it hadn’t been easy. Throughout the long day she’d seen him at the windows, standing by the hearth, even reclining on one of the upstairs beds, and each time looking smug, knowing that he was playing havoc with her senses.
“Stop that,” she’d muttered at one point.
The housekeeper paused to glance over at her. “I beg your pardon? Did you say, ‘Top hat’?”
Bree flushed and pointed, grateful for the chance to cover that little slip of the tongue. “There in the closet.”
“Oh. That.” The older woman smiled. “Her ladyship insisted upon formal attire for her garden parties. That belonged to Master Barclay.”
“Did he attend many garden parties?”
“One or two during his university days.” As Gwynn was closing the closet door, Bree saw Jamie smash the top hat between his hands before glowering at her.
Fortunately, the housekeeper saw none of it.
Bree was sorry that the things she was planning on doing to Jamie’s ancestral home would cause him pain, but she didn’t see that she had any choice. She needed to move ahead, or she would surely be beaten down by the shambles of her life. The creditors were snapping at her heels. Creditors she hadn’t even known about until she’d been left alone to deal with them.
Jamie’s presence had come very close to ruining her day. Despite his disapproval of her plans, he had no right to torment her this way, showing up when she least expected it, throwing her off stride when she was trying so hard to get on with her future.
Bree was determined to put aside her