Page 74 of Beauty and the Rake
Then the idea hit him. The ballroom would be a perfect place to play croquet; it was certainly large enough. The course could be set into two parts to make it official. He could add some challenges to make things interesting. Roxanne was always up to a challenge, and she also played to win.
Wickets were the only thing holding him back. The ones he’d purchased were, of course, for outside, to be fixed into the ground. He could modify a couple which would mean they would be mobile and moved after each use. He thought hard as he walked to the ballroom. What could be substituted?
Walking into the ballroom, which also doubled as a dining room for large parties, he found everything neat and in its place. Chairs and tables normally used for events were pushed up against the perimeter walls until next time. He cringed at the thought of hosting an event because once she settled in, Roxanne would insist they have a party or ball. Seeing this room would only emphasize her plans. If playing croquet indoors helped the time pass, then he would survive one evening of dancing and dull talk; it would be worth the effort. He couldn’t wait to see her face when he challenged her to a lively game of croquet. She was so competitive about everything that a modified game such as this would drive her crazy. He would enjoy watching her try to beat him.
Armed with some brilliant ideas for his newly invented game, Graham walked out of the ballroom and back to his study. He needed to write everything down along with some rudimentary drawings of each wicket.
Walking to his study, Graham noticed how unusually quiet the house was. Not something he noted before this rain began.He imagined the housekeeper had some of the staff busy with various projects. Things like polishing silver alone would keep a great number of staff occupied. There was a lot of silver to be cared for.
When he opened the door to his study, he was glad there was a fire started in the hearth to ward off the dampness. There was more correspondence on his desk. He picked it up and noticed one in Arthur’s familiar handwriting. He opened it and began to read.
The detective he and Arthur hired regarding Crenshaw had sent word he was on to something and would be personally delivering an updated report. Arthur would host him and they’d both be present to receive whatever news the man had. Graham kept reading the letter. Both ships which had disappeared were safe and sound in a shipyard in Liverpool. There was no confirmation the ships had been sold, and the only information he could gather was that both ships were in for regular maintenance. Progress was being made, even if it was slower than Graham liked. The information would be correct and well detailed.
He rose from his chair to find some paper he could use to make renderings of wickets for his friendly competition with his bride. They would have to be simple as making these wickets would be used indoors and had to be right. He poured himself a whiskey as he sat back down with his paper. Taking a swallow of whiskey, he found his pen and began to sketch. He had a couple of ideas how these wickets should look for indoor use, but without knowing what materials would be used made it futile. Searching for the materials first might be a better option. And what more perfect place to look than the attics. They held life from eras gone by. He put his pen down and picked up his drink as he then sat back and held his glass in his hand. He should find what he needed there. Otherwise, he would have to go to theshed where most of the wood and related items were stored. And that meant more work on his end.
Making a couple of thoughts about the upcoming meeting with Arthur, he closed the book and finished his whiskey and raised himself from the chair.
The top floor of the manor home was used for several things. There were two separate entrances. One where the nursery was located. The other was in another area of the house. Besides a huge attic space, it was also where staff lived. He chose to start with the massive sized attic. Last time he’d been inside the attics was to look for a vase his mother had insisted had been stolen from her by staff. She had everyone looking for the crystal vase. That was when he discovered that the entire floor connected as one. There was a mere wall that separated the two attic spaces. There was an easy explanation for it, but blueprints and mention of what it had been intended to be used for were lost to the ages. He opened the door with a key he had been given when he became earl.
Walking inside, the first thing he noticed was how stuffy the room was and how eerily quiet it was. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for, so he began to slowly walk and look at what wasn’t covered. He found a chest sitting off to one side. By the looks of it, there was some extensive damage. He pulled a drawer out. Simple enough. He could use a few drawers, cut out holes in the bottoms, and use them. No one would ever know unless someone decided to use the chest, and it would have to be sent for repairs.
A smirk crossed his face at the thought of someone finding holes in the drawer bottoms. All he needed now was to get them done.
Chapter Twenty
The rain continuedfor the next two days. Graham spent most of his time setting up the indoor croquet field so he and Roxanne could play, though he knew she was certain she’d win every time against him. To try and keep that from happening, he began to play so he could learn the idiosyncrasies of this makeshift course.
His wife had, to his knowledge, respected his request that she not enter the ballroom until he was finished. Graham wasn’t sure she observed his request or not. If she had been in the ballroom, she was hiding it quite well. Even some of his comments about the progress he made went unnoticed.
Walking to the breakfast room to join his bride, Graham glanced outside. The rain was still coming down, though he thought it had slowed for the moment. He entered the room and found Roxanne eating some toast, which seemed to be her favorite breakfast food.
“Good morning,” she said. “You certainly got up early.”
He nodded to a footman for a plate. “I couldn’t sleep and ended up in my study trying to go through everything.”
“Hopefully this rain will stop soon,” she said as she took another bite.
“One can only hope, though I think today’s activities will lighten the mood.”
“Everything is ready?”
“Yes,” he said. “Oh, on another matter, Arthur sent me a note that Crenshaw will be arriving tomorrow. He asked if we could host dinner because something came up in his cook’s family and she had to take some time off.”
“That should be no problem. I’m sure the staff will delight in something to do like a dinner.”
“Thank you. I’ll leave the details to you.”
“Would you do me a favor?”
He nodded as he took a forkful of egg. “Of course.”
“Would you take me to the attics? I’d like to see if there’s anything that could be used.”
“Ah, you mean for when you renovate?”
She arched a brow. “Not necessarily. I just wanted to have a look. Sometimes people cast things aside like what’s in the attic and don’t know enough about the piece to know it’s an antique. Or a copy.”
“Interesting. I would have thought there might be a list of what’s up there.”
