Chapters (46)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Epilogue
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- Back Cover
“Westmore House has been in my family for five generations,” Rowles began. “The first Duke of Westmore was given his title by Queen Elizabeth. In return, when the house needed renovations, the duke made plans to commemorate the queen’s generosity by designing the modifications in the shape of an E, in her honor. So you’ll find that there are three wings that meet along a long single one, making the shape,” he explained.
“I’m sure the queen took notice,” Joan replied, taking on a new curiosity. Could she decipher the shape from this hall? she wondered.
“The queen and several others. It became a more common modification in houses for a while.” Rowles chuckled.
“I would imagine.”
Rowles paused along the hall. “Here is one of the wings. This is the middle of the E, which is the two-story library. The first arm of the E is the vaulted ballroom, which was put in the front of the house so that it made entertaining guests more efficient. It’s close to the door, you see.”
“Ah, brilliant really.”
“When one entertains, at least. The last wing of the E has the family apartments. It’s quite a long trek from there to the other wings.” He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “If we had entertained more, I suppose I would better appreciate the layout of the house, but as it is, it keeps me quite active moving about from library to apartments and back and forth.” He shrugged once more.
“Our home is much smaller, so I didn’t think of the amount of space that needed to be traversed from one place to the next. Ours is all quite close together.”
“Yes, and offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I’m afraid Westmore House can be chilly in that aspect.”
“Then I shall try to find ways to warm it up,” Joan announced, squeezing her fingers along his arm.
“Your presence alone does that very thing, Joan.” Rowles lifted her hand and kissed it, then placed it back on his arm. “Let’s take the stairs, and I’ll show you to the rooms that will be yours.”
The housekeeper followed them up the grand staircase, and as Rowles came to an ornate wooden door, he paused. The housekeeper gave him a nod, as if assuring him that all was right within, and on silent hinges, the door swung open to reveal a room filled with sunlight.