Page 31 of Perfect Three

“Shh.I don’t talk about it.”She grinned.

Sebastian sat down and looked over at her, obviously interested.“Why?”

“You don’t want to hear.”She giggled then sighed.“It’s the slate, there are a lot of cracked ones.Three huge trees were alongside the house and years ago one was struck by lightning, branches fell onto the roof and onto one of the other trees.That one in turn also landed on the roof.If you look from the back, you can see a large swath of rusted corrugated iron that my father fitted.I’m worried about some the slate tiles around that area as well.I’ve been told I’ll have to get the entire roof replaced because there is broken slate all over.I’ve been hanging off as long as I can, but I’ve reached the point where I’ve been getting quotes.It has to be done before there’s damage to the inside of the house.There’s already a couple of small leaks upstairs when we get really heavy rain.”

“Hell, Lucy, that’s a big job, bigger than the roof on the coach house.”

“Don’t worry, I know.”She gave a shiver.“And it has a price tag to match!”

“So you’ve had some quotes?”

“Yes, I’ve had three different companies so far, and I have one more coming next week.A couple of them suggested replacing the slate with corrugated steel.It would be cheaper and would still have an authentic look.Apparently houses from the colonial days had corrugated as well as slate tiles, and wooden tiles.”

“That’s true.The coach house roof was corrugated iron so we used steel when we replaced it, and it’s probably around the same age as this.”

“I’m lucky this house isn’t under heritage orders, thank goodness.”

“Oh yeah, that is lucky!The coach house is under a part-order.We aren’t allowed to change the outside.Had reams of paperwork to fill out when we put in the walkways between the two buildings.We can do whatever we like inside but the outside has to stay, hence the big green doors.We needed approval when we replaced the roof.Had to be the same color as the old.”

“Just gives me a major headache whenever I think about it,” Lucy said.

Jack gave her a look that spoke of sharing those worries.“Never ends, does it?”

By talking about the house, even her rambling, Lucy began to relax.Although she still wanted to put off the main conversation for a while, so she offered coffee.“Coffee or the two-dollar tour?”

Both men leapt to their feet, shouting as one.“Tour!”

Sebastian took one hand, tucking it under his arm, and Jack did the same with the other.

“Tour it is.So this is the main parlor or family room, whatever you want to call it.”She pointed out the spacious, well-appointed kitchen with butler’s pantry and it’s adjoining old-fashioned storage room.“The kitchen.”

Pointing to a wide hallway, she said, “That leads through the butler’s pantry and the outside rooms.There are garages and a work shed out there.Once they were bedrooms for the servants, but my grandfather converted them into garages and the workshop.”

She led them through the vast kitchen into another wide, light-filled hallway.Indicating a smaller hallway off to the right, she said, “That leads to two bedrooms.They have their own bathrooms and a small parlor each, as well as their own entrance.”

She took them back into the main foyer and up the grand staircase.Its beautiful old oak handrail had a rich, patina sheen to it, built up from years of hands rubbing over its grain.She led them down the long hall, pointing out the bedroom and taking them into it.

“Three bedrooms up here with two bathrooms, plus the suite.”

Sebastian blurted out.“My god, it’s huge!”

“Just wait until you see the master,” Lucy warned with an impish laugh.She led them through a vast parlor, opened the large double doors, and waved her hand to usher them into her private domain.“Ta da!”

They walked in and Jack stumbled into Sebastian, who had stopped mid-stride.

Jack turned back to a grinning Lucy.“All this for you?Wow, it’s ...hell, I’m lost for words.”

Lucy entered and walked over toward the door to the private sitting room.

Sebastian moved again, his dark eyes darting from one place to another as he tried to take it all in at once.He glanced at Lucy.“I don’t know what to say.Honestly, Lucy, this is the most fabulous room.Heck, the whole house is amazing!”

Lucy had figured they’d be impressed.The overpowering feature of the room was a vast oak four-poster bed.It had been built by her great-great-grandfather.Lucy always thought it would be something a person would find in a royal castle.The downside was the huge mattress, as well as the linens and blankets—all had to be specially made.The bed headboard was intricately carved with scenes of unicorns, castles, and flowers.There were pixies and fairies hidden in its depths.

“When I was a child, I remember sitting on the bed with my grandfather and we’d search for elves and fairies.”

At the foot of the bed was a vast blanket box also carved with the same scrolls and flowers.Two carved wooden antique chairs sat either side of an open fireplace on one wall.Even though the chairs were large, they seemed small compared to the bed.Still, the room itself was enormous so nothing seemed too big or out of place.

Lucy showed them the sitting room, a sun-filled room with a rocking chair, large sofa, and a low-slung cabinet.There were a set of stairs in one corner.They were both still opened mouthed as they looked at it.

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