about the house. “Stupid. Should never have been built in the first place. One of my crazy relatives had it constructed in the nineteen twenties, and apparently it’s been a curse on the family ever since. I probably couldn’t unload it if I tried. More than half of the thing is closed up, there aren’t any closets and it’s as drafty as hell. I don’t know why I just don’t have it torn down.”
“No!”
Luc glanced at her. “Well, even if the lawyers would let me, I’m really don’t think I could,” he admitted.
“Lawyers?” she asked before she thought better of it.
He shrugged. “The whole place is in a trust. When my great aunt Isobel died, she didn’t want it to leave the family, but she didn’t appreciate my gene pool. Bad blood and all that.”
She didn’t know him well enough to ask more questions. But before she could think of how to change the subject, something black and as big as a Volkswagen came baying out of the night, lurching across the lawn.
“What’s that?” To her complete disgust, Katie actually found herself moving closer to Luc for protection.
He gave her a cheeky grin. “That’s the dragon at the gate.” He managed to push her aside just as a he was assaulted by some kind of a huge animal. Katie backed up, watching the beast snuffle and slobber all over Luc with evident delight while he ruffled large ears and muttered affectionate nonsense. Finally the thing stilled, raised its head and sniffed the air. Katie took another step back. She wasn’t exactly scared, she was just…cautious.
“So…um…is that a…bear?” she asked.
Luc laughed. “No, a dog. A Newfoundland.”
“Ah. Uh, big.”
“Relax. Spot won’t hurt you.” Luc pulled the animal’s head up so he could give it a loud, smacking kiss between the ears. The gesture was surprisingly sweet.
Katie shook her own head. “Not that I don’t believe you, but this hasn’t exactly been my day,” she said.
“Trust me.”
“Yeah. Sure.” The monster seemed to be as big as a horse, but now that it had settled down a bit it looked like it could be friendly enough. Katie edged her way around Luc until she and the “dog” were staring at each other.
“Hello…boy?”
“Spot is a girl,” Luc corrected. “Lady Guinevere of the Round Table if you want to be formal, but Spot for short and no particularly good reason. Just don’t call her boy again, or she might get mad.”
“Oh, no. Spot mustn’t get mad,” Katie murmured.
Luc laughed.
Spot walked over to her, tail waving like a great flag, and Katie finally got up the nerve to hold a hand out to the very large, incredibly wet nose. She half expected to pull back a bloody stump for her trouble, but the dog merely sniffed her fingers and sat, tongue lolling as she panted.
“Good girl,” Luc said. Katie wasn’t sure which one of them he was talking to. “Let’s go in.”
His ankle had stiffened up during the drive, so Katie was drafted into service as a human crutch. Even so, by the time they reached two gigantic carved oak doors that seemed to be the front entrance of the castle, he was holding his breath every time he took a step.
“Are you okay?” Katie asked.
“Fine.”
Yeah, right, she thought.
After maneuvering around a security panel, the heavy oak doors and Spot, who was intent on entering the house before anybody else could, they finally got inside. Luc flipped a switch on the wall. Light flooded a long hallway.
Katie’s mouth dropped open.
Stone walls decorated with tapestries rose at least three stories before ending in vaulted ceilings high above their heads. Chandeliers on long chains hung suspended from the vaults every six feet or so. On one side of the hall, successions of curved arches opened on each floor. On the other, the outer walls were cut with tall, narrow windows, most of them made of stained glass. A series of round windows, also stained glass, ran along the roofline.
In the daylight, the space would be
“No!”
Luc glanced at her. “Well, even if the lawyers would let me, I’m really don’t think I could,” he admitted.
“Lawyers?” she asked before she thought better of it.
He shrugged. “The whole place is in a trust. When my great aunt Isobel died, she didn’t want it to leave the family, but she didn’t appreciate my gene pool. Bad blood and all that.”
She didn’t know him well enough to ask more questions. But before she could think of how to change the subject, something black and as big as a Volkswagen came baying out of the night, lurching across the lawn.
“What’s that?” To her complete disgust, Katie actually found herself moving closer to Luc for protection.
He gave her a cheeky grin. “That’s the dragon at the gate.” He managed to push her aside just as a he was assaulted by some kind of a huge animal. Katie backed up, watching the beast snuffle and slobber all over Luc with evident delight while he ruffled large ears and muttered affectionate nonsense. Finally the thing stilled, raised its head and sniffed the air. Katie took another step back. She wasn’t exactly scared, she was just…cautious.
“So…um…is that a…bear?” she asked.
Luc laughed. “No, a dog. A Newfoundland.”
“Ah. Uh, big.”
“Relax. Spot won’t hurt you.” Luc pulled the animal’s head up so he could give it a loud, smacking kiss between the ears. The gesture was surprisingly sweet.
Katie shook her own head. “Not that I don’t believe you, but this hasn’t exactly been my day,” she said.
“Trust me.”
“Yeah. Sure.” The monster seemed to be as big as a horse, but now that it had settled down a bit it looked like it could be friendly enough. Katie edged her way around Luc until she and the “dog” were staring at each other.
“Hello…boy?”
“Spot is a girl,” Luc corrected. “Lady Guinevere of the Round Table if you want to be formal, but Spot for short and no particularly good reason. Just don’t call her boy again, or she might get mad.”
“Oh, no. Spot mustn’t get mad,” Katie murmured.
Luc laughed.
Spot walked over to her, tail waving like a great flag, and Katie finally got up the nerve to hold a hand out to the very large, incredibly wet nose. She half expected to pull back a bloody stump for her trouble, but the dog merely sniffed her fingers and sat, tongue lolling as she panted.
“Good girl,” Luc said. Katie wasn’t sure which one of them he was talking to. “Let’s go in.”
His ankle had stiffened up during the drive, so Katie was drafted into service as a human crutch. Even so, by the time they reached two gigantic carved oak doors that seemed to be the front entrance of the castle, he was holding his breath every time he took a step.
“Are you okay?” Katie asked.
“Fine.”
Yeah, right, she thought.
After maneuvering around a security panel, the heavy oak doors and Spot, who was intent on entering the house before anybody else could, they finally got inside. Luc flipped a switch on the wall. Light flooded a long hallway.
Katie’s mouth dropped open.
Stone walls decorated with tapestries rose at least three stories before ending in vaulted ceilings high above their heads. Chandeliers on long chains hung suspended from the vaults every six feet or so. On one side of the hall, successions of curved arches opened on each floor. On the other, the outer walls were cut with tall, narrow windows, most of them made of stained glass. A series of round windows, also stained glass, ran along the roofline.
In the daylight, the space would be
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