Page 27 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

Annie looked sheepish. ‘Yeah, that’s probably why they haven’t been done as regularly as they should be.’

Lily held up her hand. ‘It’s fine. Don’t fret. I’ll get it all in hand.’

Or, at least, the new maid would when she started the following week, she thought to herself.

Annie’s shoulders sank back down as she relaxed. ‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re giving us a hand around here.’

They walked into the large bedroom at the far end of the corridor. ‘This is Arthur’s master bedroom.’

It was an elegant room in pale creams and taupe, entirely suitable for a distinguished gentleman like Arthur. A large bed sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by older pieces of furniture in dark oak.

Lily noted the en suite bathroom on the far side of the room.

‘He’s got a walk-in power shower,’ said Annie. ‘I think he secretly loves it.’

They moved on to the large bedroom next to Arthur’s.

‘This is Rose’s boudoir,’ said Annie, showing Lily inside.

It was a proper lady’s bedroom, with luxurious carpets and decadent trimmings such as silver candlesticks and ornate mirrors.

‘Those three huge wardrobes house Rose’s vast clothes collection,’ Annie told her. ‘Honestly, it’s unbelievable the amount of clothes that she’s got. All of them are designer from places like Chanel and Dior, left over from her days when she was in the fashion industry.’

Lily made another note to herself regarding how to launder such items.

‘Who did your decorating?’ she asked, reaching out to stroke a soft pink fluffy throw on the huge white four-poster bed. ‘It suits both Arthur’s and Rose’s personalities so well.’

‘Sam’s best friend, Alex, is an interior designer. He’s a real friend of the family these days. You’ll love him. He’s a bit OTT, but once you get to know him you realise that there’s a tender heart underneath his bitchy exterior.’

Lily was surprised. ‘He doesn’t sound like someone Sam would be that close to.’

‘I know,’ said Annie, smiling. ‘But he and Will went to school with Alex and they’re as thick as thieves.’

For a brief moment, Lily wondered whether Jack knew Alex as well. After all, he had gone to the same school as the Harris brothers. But then she told herself off for even thinking about him and tried to concentrate on what Annie was saying.

‘Honestly, between him and Hazy Memory they’re a right handful, but I love having them here.’

‘Hazy Memory the band?’ asked Lily. ‘Oh, they were at your wedding!’

Annie nodded. ‘That’s right. The one with that awful Christmas song that they always play. Sam’s their manager.’

‘Didn’t they have a new record out last year?’ said Lily.

‘They’re back in fashion again and loving it!’ said Annie. ‘They’re always coming down to visit. In fact, I think they’re due to appear next week or the week after. I can’t remember.’

Lily made another note to get a house calendar up and running so that everything would be prepared.

‘And they stay here?’ she asked.

‘I’ll show you the guest bedrooms,’ said Annie, moving off once more. ‘I had this great idea that they should each be individually decorated and then we can refer to their colour rather than bedroom one, two, etc. So this is the green room.’

It was a beautifully appointed guest bedroom, like something from a luxury hotel. Decorated in mainly soft creams and whites, the hints of green were easy to find.

Each guest bedroom, in turn, had touches of blue, yellow and the remaining colours of the rainbow. But all the rooms, whilst defined by their individual colours, were elegant and yet cosy at the same time.

At the far end of the east wing was Sam and Annie’s bedroom: another lovely room with thick, soft blue carpets and hints of silver everywhere.

The many bathrooms had either a walk-in shower, standalone bath, or both, and were equally and luxuriously well-appointed. Lily had expected Victorian plumbing, but they were more in keeping with an expensive London hotel.