Page 2 of The Fae Girl 1

“Welcome to Hollingshurst. I’m Bates, the Housekeeper.” The woman said. “And this is Sebastian our groundskeeper.” She pointed to the man who still looked cross and appeared to be muttering. “Let me show you the house.” She said quickly, taking my arm and steering me towards it and away from Sebastian as though she too feared an outburst from him.

“How was your journey? Did it take long?” She asked as we walked up the imposing stone steps.

“It was fine thanks.” I replied glancing back, still feeling odd by the whole exchange.

“Don’t worry about Seb. He’s a bit forgetful these days. Give him a bit of time and he’ll think you’ve lived here your whole life.”

“He said no Gifford has been here for twenty years. Did my Uncle not live here?” I asked curiously.Where else had the old codger been then while I’d been locked away in that prison of a school?

“No, he used to be here all the time but preferred to stay away after his wife disappeared.”

I paused frowning. That’s the first I heard of it. “She disappeared?”

“You don’t know?” Bates said giving me a look of surprise.

“No, I wasn’t really that close with the family.” I replied. Thoughthatfelt like the understatement of the year.

“Oh I see. Well, there’s not much to it really. And we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

“No.” I said back because I couldn’t think of anything else appropriate to say.

“So this is the main entrance. There’s a side entrance behind the East Wing that leads directly to the kitchens, but I’ll show you that in a bit.”

My breath caught in my chest. My heart practically stopped as I looked around in amazement. The entrance hall had a double height ceiling with ornate plaster panelling over the ceiling culminating in a giant crystal chandelier that cast rainbow shadows across the sweeping staircase below. Doors to both the left and right showed glimpses of painted faces staring down onto any visitors below.

“It’s a fine example of neogothic architecture.” Bates said next to me.

“It’s beautiful.” I breathed feeling even more shocked than I did when I’d first seen the outside.

“Let me take you to your rooms first. Then we can give you a grand tour.”

I nodded not daring to think about how my rooms, plural, might look. This whole house wasmine. This whole ridiculously furnished and over the top house was mine. I’d never had anything of worth in my entire life and now suddenly it felt like I’d hit the jackpot.

And that perhaps this deep, festering hollowness inside might finally be filled. Might finally leave me entirely.

Bates led me up the main staircase and through the gallery lined either side with portraits I assumed were of my ancestors. I followed mutely trying to take a mental picture of everything because I was half convinced that at any minute I’d wake up back at the school and this would all be a dream.

“This wing is traditionally for the Lady of the House. I’ve done it up as best I could but if you feel anything is amiss or you want to change anything do please let me know.” Bates said as she pushed open the heavy carved walnut doors.

Inside lay a lavishly furnished room with two large antique sofa’s across from each other in the centre of the room. A large fireplace took dominance over the main wall and across from it large lead-lined windows gave an uninterrupted view of the lawn and forest beyond.

“I’ll bring you up some refreshments and then when you’re ready if you pull this handle…” She motioned to what looked like a curtain tie hanging from the ceiling. “I will come back to show you round the rest of the house.”

“Thank you.” I said smiling and yet somehow still keeping it all together but as soon as Bates closed the door behind me I couldn’t hold the squeal in anymore.

This was mine. All of this. I ran round the room looking at little bits that caught my interest. The golden clock on the mantelpiece. The silk wallpaper that looked as though it was hand painted. I ran my hand over the ridiculously plush rug that covered most of the marble floor and made it feel like I was floating rather than standing.

And then I looked out the window. The sun was still high up in the sky but from its trajectory it would set behind the forest and give the room a beautiful display every evening.

I stared down at the lawn wondering how much of this sprawling land before me was mine. Not that it mattered how much, because finally I had something, after so many years of having nothing, of being nothing, of feeling like I barely even existed, now I finally felt like I belonged.

I walked through the double doors at the end of the room and came into another smaller suite surrounded by bookcases like it was my own private library and through this I found my new bedroom.

Paler silk wallpaper covered these walls, with intricate pink cherry blossom painted on the wall behind the large four poster bed.

Off this room were two other equally sized rooms, one that held a dressing table, and wardrobes and the other a bathroom.

But what drew my attention, what felt like it was calling to me was the view beyond. The trees. The sprawling forest that looked as though it had been old, even before this house was built.

---