Page 76 of Escape to the Country

‘I love these stairs,’ she told Annie, as they went past all the paintings of the previous earls and their families.

‘It’s very Scarlett O’Hara, isn’t it?’ said Annie, smiling. ‘I can’t wait to come down here in my wedding dress.’

‘You’re going to look so glamorous,’ agreed Eleanor. ‘It’ll make a great photo.’

‘Just as soon as I find a dress to wear,’ Annie told her, biting her lip in concern. ‘We must go shopping soon.’

‘Absolutely.’

At the top of the stairs, there was a beamed gallery which overlooked the entrance hall below. ‘That’s the east wing bedrooms,’ said Annie, pointing down the corridor. ‘Rose and Arthur’s bedroom suites are down there. As well as a couple more, soon to be finished, guest bedrooms.’ They turned in the opposite direction. ‘I thought you two would be happier in the west wing,’ said Annie, glancing down at Dylan who still wouldn’t leave Eleanor’s side.

As they went along the corridor, Eleanor glanced into room after room but they were all empty.

‘We’ve managed to clear out most of the rubbish and at least they’ve all been plastered now,’ Annie told her. ‘And the whole place is watertight. But the only spare guest room that’s actually got a bed you can use is…’ Annie finished the sentence as she opened up a door. ‘My old bedroom.’

It was a beautiful room, light and airy. Three of the walls were painted a pale cream. The fourth wall, behind the bed, had been covered with the most beautiful cream wallpaper, decorated with tiny turquoise butterflies. The furniture was also pale, but the whole room felt modern and warm, thanks to the turquoise and gold accents dotted about.

‘Didn’t Alex do a lovely job?’ said Annie, smiling. ‘I love this room.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ agreed Eleanor, nodding her approval. ‘So pretty.’

Then she noticed that amongst the new lamps and candlesticks were some sheets of music. The odd book. Some aftershave.

She turned around to face Annie and raised her eyebrows.

‘Yeah, sorry,’ said Annie, looking abashed. ‘Tom’s been using this room. But it’s the only one with a bed in it. He seems quite clean and tidy, you know, for a bloke. And Dylan sleeps up here with him, so I figured he might be more settled here with you.’

They both watched as Dylan went over to what looked like a brand new, soft leather dog bed and curled up inside it.

Eleanor could see that Annie was waiting for her reply. ‘It’s fine,’ she told her friend. ‘Better than fine. I haven’t slept in anywhere this gorgeous for ages.’

‘Since your own flat, I suppose,’ said Annie.

‘That wasn’t mine, it was Lucas’s,’ Eleanor told her, making a face. ‘And it wasn’t pretty like this. It was all a bit cold and sterile. Not warm and welcoming.’

‘Poor you,’ said Annie, touching her arm.

Eleanor smiled and shrugged. ‘I just needed somewhere to stay. My own flat got condemned so I had to move in with him for a while. Turns out that was the beginning of the end for our relationship, I think. I haven’t had a single text from him since I came here. So much for our so-called break.’ She turned to her friend. ‘Whereas you moving in here was the absolute right thing, especially when Sam moved back in too.’

Annie blushed. ‘It was,’ she said, nodding happily at the memory.

They hugged each other goodnight before Eleanor settled into the bed. A soft breeze was wafting the curtains at the front, but other than that it was very peaceful and still in the house. As she snuggled deeper into the very comfortable bedding, Eleanor realised that she could smell the traces of Tom’s woody aftershave on the pillow. With one last check that Dylan was happily curled up in his bed, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.