Page 58 of Release (Symbols of Love 3)

Freya glances in the direction of my finger and says: "Oh those are temples - they were built in the eighteenth century. When the aristocracy was still idle and had time to lounge and hold lunch parties."

"The cellars below them still function, though we use them for storage now rather than a place where the servants toiled while their masters stuffed their faces, hunted, and raced horses. Oh, I think I would have enjoyed the days when the house was in its prime. Planning menus every day, planning parties, hiring extra staff, getting guest quarters ready. That's been the best part of all of this."

I gawk at the amazing structures. "And what's that tall one, with all the columns?"

"That's our family's mausoleum. It's still in use. Even though my brother Harry says he'll be the first Earl to buck the custom. As if he'll have much of a say when he's dead."

She laughs raucously. But I barely hear it. My ears roar with the blood my heart's suddenly increased rate sends pumping through my veins. My stomach twists.

Harry.

I've tried not to let his name float into my head. I can't repress the guilt that always accompanies the memory of him. How good he made me feel. How much I regret my cowardice and my dishonesty. I force myself to stop the spiral of despair these thoughts always lead to. There's nothing I can do about it now. No matter how badly I wish I could.

I force myself to focus on the conversation at hand. "So, your brother's an Earl?" I ask, trying to sound casual again.

"Not yet, he holds an honorary title of Viscount Greysmith. My father's the Earl,” she says pedantically.

"I knew that," I slap my forehead lightly as my memory is refreshed. "Sorry, I'm just in awe of this place." I glance ahead and the house is less than a mile away now and as we get closer it only looks bigger.

"How much land does it sit on?" I ask her as I take it all in. It’s unbelievable. I normally loathe the cold. It’s why I moved to Miami after college. But there’s something about this place that feels settling.

"About three thousand acres," she says casually while I continue to gawk.

"It used to be twenty thousand acres. But over the centuries, pieces have been sold off. The train station I picked you up from, used to be part of the estate." I nod my head in wonderment. This is like something from a fairytale. I didn't know people still lived like this.

"No one lives in the main house now?" I ask without taking my eyes from the window. At Jan's exaggerated cough I amend my question, "No one lives upstairs in the main house, I mean?"

"No. We even had to apply to the National Heritage Register to close off the main part of the house for our personal use for the next two weeks."

"To use your own house?"

"They pay for most of the upkeep, employ the tour guides, maintain all of the water features, parks, and walks, which are always open to the public. It's too big for us to live in anyway; the heating bills alone would cripple us. So, it's a tradeoff we're happy to make. And our cottages are very spacious. I'll have you all over to mine for dinner while you're here."

"Wow. It’s remarkable that all of this still belongs to your family."

"Yeah, it's incredible. You should explore while you're here. You can take boat trips on the lake in the Spring and Summer, but even now, the Atlas Fountain is a sight to behold."

"The vegetable gardens, the farm, the creamery, the mills, and restaurant are some of the best in the country. Our brewery also brews a well-received ale. All of that is overseen by Master Harry." I know it's my imagination that makes it sound like Jan puts an emphasis on Harry. I turn around to look at her. She smiles back at me innocuously.

"The rose gardens and the vistas from the follies are very popular with tourists. The Temple of the Four Winds is particularly notorious for its views. Even though the house is closed, the store and restaurant are still open." She glances at the clock on the dash of her car. "In fact, it should be opening in about twenty minutes." She speeds up and in a minute we're pulling up to the courtyard of the house.

As soon as the car pulls into the drive and stops in front of the behemoth of a house, the front door flies open and my nephew Anthony comes bursting out. My heart jumps in joy at the sight of him. He's such a big boy and the dark haired, dark eyed version of my father. I forget some of my anxiety when I see him and give him a huge grin and wave as we come to a stop on the drive way.

"Oh, he's been going crazy waiting for you to arrive. He wanted to come with me so badly, but his mother wanted him to finish breakfast and he was still eating when we left," Freya says with a laugh in her voice. I gather my bags and pat the little parcel I'm carrying for him.

"It's the most important meal of the day, especially for a young lad like him. Cook made lots of sausages - from the estate butcher - mountain of scones, lots of fresh stone fruit, too. He'll be nice and full now," Jan says just as she jumps down. It's only then that I notice a stately man dressed like he's going to a funeral standing directly behind the truck.

Freya throws the car into park. I open the door and jump down to greet Anthony.

"Aunty Lilly! You're here!" He squeals as he launches himself at me.

I catch him but have to take a step back to steady myself.

"Good Lord, b

abe, you've grown so much! I won't be able to pick you up for much longer."

His little arms wrap around my neck and he giggles.

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