AllFreeNovel
Share Us
18
“Good Lord,” Theo said under her breath, not wanting to upset Jacinda clinging to her arm as they swept into the main hall of Greenbriar. The tile beneath her feet needed a good scrubbing but otherwise seemed intact. Daring a peek into the drawing room, Theo saw the room was bare except for two chairs, a small table, and a moth-eaten rug which looked as old as the house.
Jacinda cleared her throat. “The drawing room.” Her eyes glistened with a mixture of shame and pride at the state of her home.
“A very nice space,” Theo told her, not daring to comment further.
Pale green paint peeled from around the windows. No artwork adorned the walls, though there were plenty of obvious spots where paintings had once hung. An enormous crack split the ceiling just above one of the windows with a battered pot beneath it. The fireplace appeared to still be in working condition and intact, but from the amount of black soot staining it, Theo surmised a good cleaning was in order.
Theo could feel herself deflate as the enormity of the situation looked back at her. She’d been expecting a pared down estate, not...this. “It’s quite a lot to take in at first glance.”
“I know it doesn’t look like much,” Jacinda said. “But when there is a fire roaring in the hearth and a good book in your hand, I promise you’ll be very comfortable.” She looked askance at one of the chairs where a spring had broken through the upholstery. “We’ve a marvelous library. Quite spectacular. I mean it was before—” Her voice faltered.
Theo squeezed her hand. “I adore books. And this will be a lovely room.”
No wonder Haven simmered with such desperation. Not only for his family home but for Jacinda. Theo would be devastated to see Cherry Hill in such a state, her sisters reduced to wearing a dress patched so frequently it resembled a quilt more than a garment. Why hadn’t his friends helped him?
Because he hadn’t told them.
She would venture to guess that Granby and Blythe knew of Haven’s poverty, but not the extent of it. And his friends only knew the destruction Haven’s father had caused from gossip. Blythe was generous to a fault. He would have gladly offered assistance had he been asked, especially for Jacinda’s sake.
Jacinda tugged on her sleeve, next showing Theo a large dining room with dusty wainscotting, absent the large table which must have once graced it. A smaller table, dwarfed inside the room, sat surrounded by six mismatched chairs.
Next, the once magnificent ballroom at the back of the house, stripped of chandeliers, the fine marble gouged and dirty beneath her feet. Several sections showed pits and cracks, as if someone had tried to pry out the marble in pieces.
Probably to sell it.
The sight of all this beauty left to rot or stripped bare made Theo physically ill. Greenbriar was a mere shell of what it must once have been. If she were to make something of her marriage, and Theo still thought she would despite Haven being an idiot, restoring Greenbriar would be her responsibility.
Her knees buckled just a bit.
Theo had never imagined having to renovate an entire estate, or even manage one. Yes, she was a duke’s daughter, but one woefully ill-equipped for this endeavor. Theo painted miniatures. Small landscapes. That was the extent of her talents and abilities. Mama had allowed her to thrive on her own, so to speak. Nurture her creativity. Theo’s education was lacking in several key respects. She couldn’t even plan a dinner menu properly.
The one time in her life she would have welcomed Romy’s opinions, and her sister was off with her duke. Romy, blazing warrior that she was, wouldn’t think twice at having such a task as the restoration of a crumbling estate set before her. She would have already hired an army of servants, all of whom would have been waiting for her before she even set foot in Greenbriar.
Jacinda touched her hand before leading Theo down the hall to a set of large double doors. “This is my favorite room in the entire house,” she said, opening one door with a flourish.
Oh, my.
Theo took a deep breath, inhaled the dust floating about, and promptly started coughing. After the unnecessary and enthusiastic thumping of her back by Jacinda, she straightened and took in Greenbriar’s library.
Absolutely stunning, despite its current condition.
Floor-to-ceiling windows faced the parkland surrounding Greenbriar, which would be a lovely view once the grounds were restored. The heavy velvet curtains hanging from the windows—all of which needed a good cleaning—were restrained by frayed, gold cording. Mildew showed in gray patches amidst the velvet, making it difficult to discern what color the curtains had originally been. Evergreen, she thought. The room was two stories, the second-floor landing and more bookcases clearly visible. A small spiral staircase so rickety Theo wouldn’t dare to stand on it twisted up above her to the landing. Dozens of half-empty bookcases met her eyes as the aroma of old leather and rot filled the air.
A ladder stood against a set of shelves.
Jacinda’s fingers ran down the scarred wood of the ladder, features pinching up.
Theo looked down at Jacinda’s leg. She’d fallen from that ladder, ruining her leg. Theo was certain of it.
“What do you think?” Jacinda’s smile was weak, searching. Begging Theo to love this space as much as she did. “I’m slowly cataloging the books we have left.”
She must spend hours in here every day. Theo could picture her on the ladder, reaching up for a book, only to wobble and fall to the floor. It must have happened when Haven was living abroad.
“I think, Jacinda, this is the most amazing library I’ve ever seen. Far grander than I could have possibly imagined. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one finer, and that’s saying something.”
Jacinda beamed back at her, bouncing on her feet at Theo’s praise.
