Page 5 of Take My Place

As he pulls up outside the steps leading up to the house, a butler comes out to greet us. Well, I guess a butler from his clothing.

“Welcome, Miss Archaic.” He bows as I stand awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to him. “Are your bags in the car?”

“Ivy will need some overnight things for today, Johnson,” Romy tells him. “She’ll be going shopping tomorrow. We thought it prudent for her to be here sooner rather than later, so didn’t want to go on a detour to collect her stuff. If I am able to find her, it is only a matter of time before her father did, so I wanted to bring her under Navarre protection as quickly as possible.”

“Very wise, Master Romy,” Johnson says. “In that case, Miss Archaic, let me show you to your suite.”

I glance nervously at Romy, who gestures to me to follow Johnson.

“I need to tell my parents you’re here,” he explains. “Once you’ve freshened up, Johnson will bring you to meet us, won’t you Johnson?”

“Of course, Master Romy.”

I don’t have much of a choice. I follow the butler inside to be greeted by a lavishly large reception room. There are a number of doors and corridors leading away from the reception area, no doubt creating a rabbit warren of a house I’d quickly lose myself in. This looks even more complicated than my father’s house.

Stairs wind down either side of the room, leading up to the first floor. Johnson takes the left hand set, turning right at the top. We walk down a long, straight corridor, going past other corridors leading into the depths of the house until we stop outside some double doors. Johnson pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the doors. He pushes them open and steps to one side, gesturing to me to go first.

I shake my head, getting flashbacks to being locked in my room by Isabella.

“Oh, of course. My apologies, Miss Archaic.” Johnson hands me the key. “These are your rooms to do with as you will. You are the only person with a key to this door. Master Romy thought you would feel safer if you had control over who can get in. Please, come in.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I walk into the apartment I will be calling home for the foreseeable future.

“Let me talk you through the features of your suite,” Johnson suggests. “If you look on the wall here, you will see an intercom. This will allow you to see outside your room should you have any guests. In addition, you will note that there are a number of locations clearly marked next to different numbers. Simply dial that number and you will be able to speak to someone in those rooms.

“Should you require food to be served in your rooms, call the kitchen and they will prepare whatever you desire, although I should warn you that Mr and Mrs Navarre will expect you to join them for dinner every evening unless you have excused yourself by prior arrangement. In addition, you have your own kitchen, so should you wish to prepare your own food, all you need to do is tell me what supplies you need.”

I follow as he walks to one of the doors in my suite. “Your bathroom is through there. You will find everything you need in the cabinet, but should you prefer different products, simply prepare a list and I will arrange for them to be delivered. Your living area is at the end of this hall with the bedroom through the door on the right. You’ll find everything you need for an overnight stay in your rooms.

“While Master Romy has said you’ll be shopping tomorrow, do please let me know if there’s anything I can do to make your time with us more comfortable. If you dial nine-eight on the intercom, you’ll be diverted straight to me regardless of where I am in the house. Of course, you are also free to come and go as you will. Should you need any assistance while you are out and about, you’ll find intercoms mounted in all the rooms and any member of staff will be more than happy to help you.”

I smile at his kind demeanor, and a little surprised he isn’t out of breath.

“Finally, although the cleaning staff usually maintain the chambers, out of respect for your situation, they will not enter your rooms unless explicitly invited. If you prefer to clean your rooms yourself, we can provide you with appropriate supplies, as well as bedding to change your bed. If you have any laundry you would like us to deal with, place it outside your door and it will be collected and returned to you the next day. Alternatively, if you’d like the staff to attend to you, simply let us know when is convenient and someone will come and freshen up your room for you.”

“Thank you, Johnson.”

“I will leave you to get settled in,” Johnson says. “When you are ready to meet Mr and Mrs Navarre, I will be waiting right outside to escort you.”He backs out of the apartment, closing the doors behind him.

I step forward and immediately lock them. Much as Johnson seemed a sweetheart, he is still in the employ of the Navarres, which means I’ll never be able to trust him completely. The same is true for anyone else I encounter while I am living here–including Romy. Until I have a chance to assess what is really going on, I am going to be on my guard at all times.

Happy the doors are secure behind me, I walk down the corridor and into the sitting room.

Wow. This is so much nicer than the rooms my father had given me. For a start, there are no bars on the windows, which are large, letting plenty of sunlight stream through. There is a large couch and a few beanbags strewn around the room. A large flatscreen TV is hung on the wall opposite the couch. To one side is a large cabinet. Opening it up, I find a state-of-the-art digital sound system. There is a remote control sitting on top of it along with a note which readsI’ve programmed in some of your favourite bands. Feel free to download anything else you want to listen to. R x

I smile at the thoughtful gesture before going to take a look at my new bedroom.

It. Is.Stunning!

There is a large four-poster bed made up like a posh hotel. Lying across it is…

“My guitar!”

I run across the room and pick up my baby. Cradling her in my arms, I strum a few chords. She sounds as good as when I’d first played her. I didn’t know who was responsible for bringing her here from my father’s, but whoever it was they were clearly the best person in the whole wide world. The one thing I’d missed while I was working at the rest home is having a decent guitar to play. I had so many songs to write. Now I might finally get the chance to get them out of my head and down on paper.

Opposite the bed is a set of double doors which open out to a balcony. Carefully putting my guitar down, I go over to take a closer look. The key is in the lock, so I open up the doors and step out to see more of where I am staying.

The Navarre gardens seem to go on forever. I can see gardeners working and when one of them spot me standing on the balcony, he waves. I wave back before turning and going inside again. If I need to make my escape, it would be easy to get away from here.

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