Page 22 of For a Lady's Fiery Heart
Upon closer inspection, she saw that the house was in much worse shape than she had previously thought. There were a few small sections of the roof that had caved in. The climbing ivy that had covered the front of the house with greenery was now a jumbled mess of dried branches, brittle from years of neglect. Caroline imagined a stiff wind would send the totality of the rotting foliage swirling into dust.
The carriage pulled up to the front of the house, and Caroline stood up inside. However, she did not get out right away, looking on in sadness as she took in the home she had loved so much as a child. James remained seated but took her hand.
"Are you well?" he asked gently.
She met his gaze. "Yes, I am fine," she replied. She felt far from fine, for the sadness rested on her shoulders like a physical weight.
"I am sorry I brought you here," James apologised.
"No, I am glad you brought me here. It gives me hope that we will soon see the old house restored to her former glory," Caroline said. Besides, she had not wanted to stay alone at Thorneby with only Lord Highclere for company. She still did not feel comfortable with her father-in-law. She took the coachman's hand and allowed him to help her from the carriage.
"Well, shall we go in?" Caroline asked after James had climbed down from the carriage. He stood beside her, looking up at the house, which needed more work than she could have imagined.
"Yes, let's," James said. He placed his hand on the small of her back, and they walked up the steps to the front door together. James took out the keys her father gave him the day after the wedding. He fitted the largest key into the lock and opened the door.
The smell of dust and mould immediately hit her face like a wave crashing into the seashore. She took out her handkerchief and covered her nose. "My goodness," was all she could think to say. They walked into the foyer, and all was silent as they inspected the old house.
Everything still lay as they left it. The furniture was covered in white sheets. A thick layer of dust and grime lay on the mahogany floorboards. The windows were still covered with thick curtains, but moths had chewed their way through the material over the years—tiny spots of light showing through where the curtains had been damaged.
"Oh, my," Caroline breathed. She turned slowly, looking up at the chandelier. It was still in moderately good shape. Possibly all that was required to bring the house back up to snuff was to give it a good cleaning. However, the job might be too much for Lord Highclere to want to handle. "This is far worse than I had imagined."
"It is alright. We will have her fixed up in no time. This will be our project, something we can do together. What do you say?" James asked her. He took her hand, perhaps more for his own comfort than to give his strength to her. She would not blame him.
"Yes, we can," she replied. She took off her gloves but left her overcoat and hat on.
James turned to the two footmen and three maids they had brought from Thorneby. One of the undercooks had also accompanied them, and James sent her off in search of the kitchen to begin preparations with one of the maids. He cleared his throat.
"Well, the first thing we can do is open the windows and try to air the place out a bit before darkness falls. Frederick, I put you in charge of tidying the downstairs. Lady Caroline and I will survey the rest of the house and let you know your next tasks in a moment. Silas, you come along with us," he instructed.
James again steered her by placing his hand on the small of her back, but she did not mind in the slightest. His touch comforted her as they headed up the stairs to look at the accommodations they would enjoy during their short stay. "Silas, would you please look over the bedrooms and see which of them would be suitable for Lady Caroline and I to occupy?"
"Yes, my lord," Silas said and set off on his task when they had come to the top of the stairs. Caroline and James went in the opposite direction of Silas, and she kept the handkerchief pressed to her nose as they made their way down the dimly lit corridor.
The carpets were in good shape, despite being a bit dusty. Unfortunately, the house had not been entirely vacant all these years. Mice and she assumed rats had left their mark over the years. Caroline could spot their droppings near the walls' edges and even heard some scurrying feet as they headed to the first bedroom.
Caroline opened the door to the room that had been hers during childhood and was unprepared for the sight. The small section of the roof had caved in on the far end of the room nearest the outer wall. Her bed was covered in rubble. The scent of musty sheets and mould greeted them. She cast James a wayward glance.
"Are you sure you are prepared to take this on? It will cost a fortune to get this place up and running again."
She was about to step into the room when James stopped her. "It is probably not a good idea to venture in. With the roof weakened in some areas, it would be better to wait until I can have them inspected more closely before you go in. I would not want you to be hurt should more of the roof give way without notice."
Caroline allowed him to pull her back into the hall and into relative safety. "I suppose you are right," she sighed. She had been looking forward to surveying her old room. But she supposed it would have to wait.
"It is a pity. I have many happy memories of that room."
"Oh? Tell me some of them. What kind of games would you play?" James asked as they made their way to the next bedroom down the hall.
"Oh, the usual. My little sister and I would play dolls, of course. We would set them up in the window seat and have tea parties with them. Mama would tell the cook to prepare tea and little sandwiches and biscuits for us—miniature ones—so the dolls could join in as well."
"That sounds enchanting," James said.
"It was," Caroline replied, but there was no time to say anything else on the subject.
He opened the door this time, peeking his head in. "Well, at least this one doesn't have a section of the roof caved in," he smiled. Caroline was surprised by his attitude. She had expected him to be upset that the house he had been given by way of a dowry was little more than a heap of rubble. However, he seemed to be enjoying the little tour she was taking him on.
"This was Grace's room. And here," Caroline said, heading to the door closest to the grand staircase. "This was my parent's room." James opened the door, and Caroline was pleasantly surprised. Of all the rooms, it seemed to have fared the best. The footman stepped forward and cleared his throat with a bow.
"My lord, perhaps it would be best to conserve the heat in one room since there is limited firewood. The maids could have this room cleaned up and ready by the time you have finished your dinner."
