Page 5 of Reckless Kiss

“Yes. He can take you across when Miss Turner takes her afternoon nap. That’s when we all have a rest.”

“I’m sure I can find the cottages I used to play in as a kid. Just tell me the name and give me the key.”

“Bailey won’t hear of it. Let him take you. It’ll give him something else to do than wait for people to visit.”

“Does she get many visitors?”

“None. Miss Turner scares them all away. You kids are the only family she has left. Where are Jason, Luke, and Daisy anyway?”

“The far corners of the globe. I’ve come begging on my own.”

Maggie let out a long sigh and nodded her understanding, even though he hadn’t shared his plans with anyone.

“Hopefully, they’ll rock up soon.”

“It would be so lovely to hear voices in this house again. It’s so quiet with me, Bailey and Jennifer.”

“Jennifer is still here?”

“She sure is. Same age as the Mistress herself, but Miss Turner won’t let her leave.”

“Poor woman,” Archer muttered.

“No pity needed for Jennifer. She treats her job like a lady-in-waiting for the Queen. She’ll be by Miss Turner’s side until her dying breath.”

“Where is Jennifer now?”

“Getting Miss Turner changed for her nap, no doubt.”

“Is she in good health?”

“Perfect health. She’ll outlive us all. She prefers to cat nap as she can’t sleep for more than four hours at night.”

Archer laughed at the sentiment because she wasn’t wrong. His aunt was strict, formidable, and stubborn as hell. He realised his aunt always knew he had sneaked back after being out until the early hours. She would’ve seen him sneak back in if she was up early.

“Is that how we got busted for being out all night? She saw us?”

“Yeah. I know you’ve never been into her rooms, but a leaded glass door is in the far corner. It leads to a small flat area where only one table and chair will fit. When you were teenagers, she would make herself a pot of tea and sit at the table. The seat had a full view of the lawns, and she would see when any of you used to sneak across the grass as the sun was coming up.”

“How do you know?”

“Jennifer used to tell us,” Maggie said, then laughed. “There are no secrets in this house. Someone always knows something. But they rarely tell.”

Archer shook his head, grinning at the memories of his teenage years. He finished eating his early lunch. Having a full dinner at ten-thirty in the morning didn’t faze him. Working on the oil rigs sometimes meant you ate your food when you could, especially if there was a storm.

He said farewell to Maggie and walked back up to the foyer to find Bailey.

“I’ll give you the cottage nearest the house, less walking for me,” Bailey said.

“You are fitter than me, Bailey. How are your family?”

“They’re all very well. Thank you for asking.”

They walked in amiable silence along the pathway to the cottages, past Edward Hall and the walled-in garden. His aunt could always be found in the walled garden when they were kids, reading a book and spying on what they were getting up to. All generations living under one roof, the whole family, meant there was zero privacy to get up to no good. He and his siblings had to be stealthy in their adventures, but somehow his aunt always knew what they’d done and who. And now he knew how.

As they approached the first cottage, memories of sneaking into the empty houses came flooding back. Smoking, making out, and for him, losing his virginity to Susie Cooper when he was fifteen.

The smaller path leading up to the front door had grass and small shrubs on either side. It was a typical Georgian cottage.

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