Page 6 of Halstead House

Ms. Halstead’s eyes crinkled as I clamped my mouth shut once more. I couldn’t understand why I was acting so out of character. What was going on with me? Did all Halstead women have the gift of pulling me out of myself like Mary had?

“I’ll bet Lillian is just beside herself.” She raised an eyebrow and gave me a look, letting me know that she knew all about Lillian Burke.

“Let’s just say I’m doing my best to avoid any conversations with her right now,” I whispered through tight lips, sharing a secret and feeling a prickle of delight over it.

Ms. Halstead’s eyes widened a split second before she threw her head back and laughed out loud. I enjoyed her amusement, and by some miracle her reaction washed away my feelings of embarrassment.

“I do believe I simply must have you as my assistant,” she stated. “Also, please call me Eliza.”

Eliza. She wanted me to call her Eliza. It was too wonderful for words. “Are you sure? I have to mention again that I can only stay for three months.”

“Of course I’m sure. A lot can happen in that amount of time. Perhaps we’ll make you fall so in love with our little island that you won’t be able to leave.”

I refrained from commenting, knowing better than to actually entertain the thought, even if my stomach did a little flip at the idea of becoming a permanent part of life on Lavender Island. The beauty of it was that no matter what happened, I was going to get three months to really dive right in. It was more than I’d ever hoped for.

Eliza rose from behind her desk when we’d finished talking through the details, and I followed suit. We walked together to the door, where Eliza surprised me by reaching out and gathering me into a hug. The soft floral scent of her perfume wrapped me in a second hug. Although Eliza was smaller than me, her arms pulled me in firmly, and she pressed her soft, wrinkled cheek against mine.

“Since Mary can’t be here to say it, I’ll say it for her. Welcome to Halstead House, Grace.”

I allowed myself to relax for one brief moment before gently pulling away.

“Now, let’s get your things and get you a bedroom. We’ve much to do and there’s little time for dawdling.”

“A bedroom?” I stuttered.

Eliza waved a casual hand above her shoulder in my direction as she proceeded down the hall toward the stairs. “Of course, dear. You’ll live on-site.”

Well, then. Always obedient, but not always this willing, I turned and followed Eliza out the door. As far as mid-life crises went, this one was working out rather well.

CHAPTER 3

I should have known the moment I broke script and hopped a plane to a distant island across the country from my home that my comfort zone would be destroyed. “Astonishing” was the only word adequate enough to describe the sudden upheaval in my life.

After my impromptu job interview, I had eaten a light lunch with Eliza. The first floor conservatory where we had eaten was paradise. The women of the Halstead family had dedicated themselves to cultivating ferns for decades, and the results were incomparable. We’d eaten surrounded by air heavy with the smells of earth and salt.

My head was spinning so quickly that I couldn’t say for sure what food had been on my plate. I’d vacillated between excitement and horror, amazement and a crippling fear that I’d made a huge mistake. I’d never made a choice about employment without Mother’s input. It didn’t seem to matter that I was famished; the knots in my stomach had kept me from being able to get much down.

I’d heard other staff members around, and caught the impression of a smaller, dark-haired woman as she’d bustled in with our food, but other than Steven, I had been introduced to no one.

Lunch had been a slow affair, with Eliza treating me as a welcome guest. Conversation had steered clear of heavier topics, for which I was grateful. After we finished eating, I was dismissed back to my little motel room with instructions to do any errands I had and then bring myself and my belongings directly back. Eliza would have a bedroom prepared for me, and I would begin work first thing the next morning.

After making a list of necessary items, I had run a few errands, taken myself out to a celebratory dinner, and just as a chime on my watch dinged the hour of eight o’clock, I had arrived back on the grounds. It was the very first day I’d ever laid eyes on the place, and I was about to become a resident.

I slammed the trunk closed on my little sensible rental car and took a deep breath. Eliza had told me where I could find a ground level side door that the staff used, as the main entrance would be locked for the evening. I carried my luggage to where she’d told me I’d find the door, anticipation zinging up my spine like little flickers of flame. My fingers shook as I pressed a doorbell and waited.

The door opened after only a moment, revealing a small, younger, beautiful woman with her dark hair braided down to her waist. Her eyes quickly and curiously raked over me before she smiled, big and wide and welcoming.

“You must be Grace Burke. Eliza told me you’d be coming tonight.” Her voice was cheerful with a slight accent that gave it a musical quality. She swung the door wide and gestured for me to walk past her into the dimly lit basement hallway. “I’m Ana. I’ll show you to your room.”

I followed with butterflies tickling inside. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt butterflies. Ana kept a brisk pace, forcing me to hurry along even though I was easily a head taller. She led me through what felt like a maze of twisting hallways before stopping in front of a metallic door and pushing a button. I was surprised to realize there was an elevator in the house, and even more so that I’d be riding it.

“Aren’t staff bedrooms here in the basement?” I asked. “I’d assumed my room would be down here.”

“Yep. You’re a little different because you’ll be Eliza’s personal assistant and she wants you close to her. Your room is on the top floor. In case you ever need me after hours, mine is down here, right across the hall from the elevator,” Ana stated, gesturing to a door nearby.

Eliza could have assigned me the tool shed out back and I wouldn’t have cared one bit, but to be told that I’d been given a room on the top floor was a pleasant surprise. That was the family floor. For the next three months I was going to live at Halstead House in the family quarters. A faint prickle of Mother’s voice teased at my mind, reminding me to not get overly attached or assume anything.

Ana was still talking, and with some effort I tuned back in. “Chef Lou is next to me. Around the corner is Marshall. He’s head of maintenance, and you’ll like him. Chef Lou, well, he’s nice, but I think he uses a fake accent. You listen and tell me what you think, okay?” Ana wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

---