Page 47 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m hopeful Papa will approve of the repairs. Your recommendations will go a long way toward convincing him to move forward with the restoration.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said with a lightness he did not feel. Bringing the grand old house back to its true glory would be a significant undertaking. And a costly one as well. He knew damned well that Macie’s father had the money to do it. But could he be convinced to part with his hard-earned funds?
“Wait just a moment,” she said, fiddling with her tripod again. “I’d like to show you something.”
“One of the ghosts of Bennington Manor?”
“If only we were lucky enough to have one come out of hiding,” she said in a tone that may or may not have been serious. “It’s rather curious, really. I don’t know how my mother or my grandfather could have been descended from anyone with the slightest case of shyness.”
Macie joined him at the base of the stairs. “Come with me,” she said, bustling up the steps. She stopped at the first landing, standing directly before an oil portrait of an imposing man, silver streaks marking his full head of dark hair and beard. Every inch the tycoon, he sat in a tapestried chair that resembleda throne, the beautiful, chestnut-haired woman at his side displaying an impish smile that seemed rather at odds with the regal atmosphere the painter had obviously attempted to create. At her feet, a large, sedate dog gazed adoringly up at the woman.
“She is your grandmother,” he said, turning to Macie.
Macie nodded. “How did you know?”
“Ye’re the very image of her,” he said truthfully.
“Thank you,” she said, nibbling her lower lip. “I do hope so. That is how I remember her. She always had a touch of mischief in her expression.”
“As does yer mum.”
“Ah, you’ve noticed.” Macie seemed pleased. “My grandfather always said I was my grandmother’s miniature.”
“Ye inherited her smile.”
And the lively spark in her eyes.
“I think so, too,” she said. “My grandfather had seemed so very serious, the shrewd man of industry. He spent his youth making his fortune, just as my father did. Most regarded him as a fierce businessman, but I knew he had a soft heart. Especially for me.”
“He was a lucky man.”
“Sadly, my grandfather would not have agreed... not after he lost her.” A note of lingering grief infused her words. “Grandmama took ill not long after the portrait was completed. He brought in the most knowledgeable physicians. But they could not save her.” She let out a soft sigh. “Grandpapa was never the same.”
Finn pressed a gentle hand to her shoulder. “Such a loss can crush a man.”
“Indeed.” She turned to him, seeming to study him. “I was just a girl when she died. If my mother had not been a devoted daughter, I don’t know that Grandpapa would’ve made it through his sadness. Mum explained he was so very angry atthe world. He’d worked so very hard for years to make a fortune. But it couldn’t buy him what he truly wanted most.” Macie blinked back a sheen of tears. “Eventually, he clawed through the pain. In those years, he channeled his energy into his passion for antiquities. He studied with professors of archaeology, becoming something of an expert in his own right.”
“I understand he funded acquisitions destined for museums.”
She nodded, the faintest of smiles curving her mouth. “Several collections throughout England and the British Isles benefitted from his donations. At first, he worried Mum would be concerned that he was giving away so much of his fortune—a fortune she was to inherit. But my mother’s only concern was his happiness and his legacy.”
“Yer mum is a special lady.” Finn spoke the truth. She had always treated him with hospitality, kindness, and a radiant smile. When he’d been at his lowest point, her wise words helped lift him from the hole of his own grief.
“Well, enough of this. My grandfather would not want me to feel sadness while I was in this house. He knew I cherished what lies within these walls.”
“It makes sense that he entrusted it to ye.”
Her eyes beamed at his words. “I’m so glad you understand. And that is a rare thing.”
“His rationale was perfectly sound. Who better to take care of the place?”
“Who better, indeed.” She sighed. “I do wish Jon agreed.”
“He’ll come around,” Finn said. With any luck, he was not being overly optimistic.
“I hope so.” She flashed a faint smile. “Oh, I did want to show you something. Follow me.”
Macie hurried up the stairs, nimbly navigating the steps despite her long skirts. He followed her, heading along thecorridor to the elegant, shelf-lined room that had been her grandfather’s study.
