“Don’t worry, you didn’t. I honestly forgot they were there. I hope you weren’t offended.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Well, now that you’ve discovered Addison’s erotica collection, why don't I show you the games room?” Evelyn said with a cheeky grin.

Visions of leather and straps instantly came to mind, but dismissing them with a shake of her head, Joanna got to her feet and caught up with Evelyn just as she was opening the door in the far back corner of the room.

“After you,” Evelyn said, waving her arm.

Joanna crept through the opening and immediately smiled to herself. Appropriately named, the games room was exactly that. A card table covered in green felt was just inside the doorway, but what grabbed Joanna’s attention was the billiard table in the middle of the room. Massive and ornate, the rosewood aprons were intricately carved with a repeating design of egg-and-dart, and the pattern repeated around the center of the bulbous tulip legs holding up the regulation-size table.

Walking over, Joanna couldn’t resist running her hand over the blue-dyed worsted wool covering the slate. “This is beautiful.”

“Do you play?”

“No. Do you?”

Evelyn nodded. “Yes, Noah and I have been known to play a few games. It can get a bit boring around here at times.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, up until you and your father showed up today our only concern has been Addison. Her needs are hardly demanding.”

“Funny. She strikes me as someone who could be quite difficult at times,” Joanna said, keeping her smirk to a minimum.

“Maybe I should rephrase,” Evelyn said with a snicker. “Addison can be quite demanding when she puts her mind to it. She likes things a certain way, but since we’ve all worked for her long enough to know that, it no longer fills up the hours like it used to.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Shall we continue the tour?” Evelyn asked, walking to a door to Joanna’s left.

“What’s through there?”

“The drawing room.”

Joanna shook her head. “Exactly how many rooms does this place have anyway?”

“You know, I’ve never actually counted them,” Evelyn said, and pausing, she mentally tallied the totals. “Let’s see…we have twelve bedrooms, not including the master suite or servants' quarters. Then there are eight full baths, seven powder rooms, the study, library, games room, living room, drawing room, and what I call the parlor, and of course, the dining area and kitchen. How many is that?”

“I have no bloody idea,” Joanna said with a laugh. “Just tell me you sell maps.”

“It’s really not that confusing. If you get lost, just start calling out. We’ll eventually find you,” Evelyn said with a humorous glint in her eyes. Opening the next door, she said, “Shall we?”

“Sure,” Joanna said.