Brooke looked sophisticated and chic in a white dress that snuggly hugged her fit figure and flared in pleats to just above her knees. The color set off her golden tan and shoulder-length brown hair. Alice had no doubt that the earrings and watch she wore glittered with real diamonds. She was the epitome of tasteful elegance and money. Tory looked almost as magazine-cover worthy in a floaty silver-gray chiffon number.
Alice’s cotton sundress and borrowed costume jewelry suddenly seemed especially tacky in comparison. The thought irritated her. The warmth and generosity of Kuvi’s loan of the jewelry was worth a thousand times Brooke’s diamonds.
“Don’t you two look … colorful,” Brooke said dubiously after she greeted Alice and Kuvi. Then she turned her complete attention to Thad and Dave.
“I just overheard Kehoe saying it was too nice of a night to drive the vans up to the castle. We’ll see who’s laughing when Brooke has to walk up that steep bluff wearing those heels,” Kuvi whispered to Alice under her breath, her voice brimming with suppressed laughter.
Kuvi was right. Alice did get a flash of amused vindication looking over her shoulder and seeing Tory and Brooke trudging up the very steep road in their spiked heels several minutes later. She turned back around, determined to ignore Brooke for the rest of the night.
The road they trekked up was lined with gorgeous hydrangea and rose bushes. The tallest spires and towers of the castle poked over the crest of the hill in front of them. The mansion slowly rose above the horizon as they walked toward it, like it was floating.
She was about to enter Dylan Fall’s home.
THREE
The guest entrance faced opposite the Great Lake, although Alice caught a glimpse of the shimmering blue water through a grove of trees as they approached. They crossed a drive that circled around for front-door drop-off. The group gathered on and around the steps. Sebastian
Kehoe authoritatively rapped on the pair of massive carved wood doors using a brass doorknocker. When he dropped his hand, Alice realized the large ornate doorknocker was in the shape of a knight in armor. She started when Kehoe suddenly reached up and used the brass sword to rap on the shield again, the sound jarring her.
“You okay?” Kuvi asked under her breath from beside her.
“Yeah,” Alice assured with a swift, reassuring smile. Luckily, no one else seemed to notice her flash of nerves.
She held her breath at the sound of someone moving inside the house. A woman in her mid to late thirties opened one of the doors wearing a wide smile. Alice exhaled shakily in relief. She’d been expecting Fall right off the bat.
“Louise,” Sebastian said familiarly, taking her hands between his. “I hope we aren’t giving you too much trouble tonight,” he said as Louise beckoned them inside.
“No trouble for me. You know how Marie is with these things. I just stay out of the generalissimo’s way,” Louise joked as their large party trooped into a huge light-filled entry hall.
Louise had a very compact, neat figure and was dressed with casual professionalism in a pair of black pants, a fashionable belted cotton blouse, and ballet flats. Who was she? Was she related to Fall somehow? Alice glanced around curiously, seeing graceful archways that led to various parts of the house, carved teak paneling, museum-quality oil landscapes, stunning flower arrangements on gleaming tables, and a sweeping grand staircase. Soft evening light emanated from a circular bank of oversized windows at the landing of the stairs. Above them, a crystal chandelier hovered, looking like a giant suspended crown waiting patiently for its wearer. It was a given that Alice would be in awe of the surroundings, but even Brooke and Tory looked impressed.
Who was Louise? Alice recalled that Dylan Fall was single. Maybe his marital status had altered since she’d done her research?
“Welcome all of you,” Louise called out after they’d all entered and someone shut the front door. “Mr. Fall will be receiving you on the terrace. Follow me, please.”
She and Kuvi brought up the rear. Dozens of leather soles and high heels on the wood floors and oriental carpets created a hollow, hushed tramping sound that echoed off the walls and high arched ceiling. Once again, Alice had the strange, fanciful sensation that the beautiful house was alive. Watchful.
Waiting.
She repressed a shiver.
“Who do you think she is?” Alice whispered furtively to Kuvi.
“Who?” Kuvi whispered back, hazel eyes wide.
“That woman?” Kuvi blinked when she nodded in the direction of Louise.
“The cook or maid? Or a housekeeper maybe?” Kuvi replied with a dubious shrug.
“Oh,” Alice mumbled, feeling stupid for thinking Louise was somehow related to Fall. What did she know about this sort of world?
A gong sounded, the tone sweet and clear. Alice’s feet faltered, but Kuvi kept walking. The mass of men and women moved ahead of her. Something caught her eye to the right, a flash of jewel-colored light. She craned to see into the room off the hallway.
Had the sweet, mysterious gonging sound come from in there?
Her feet didn’t make a sound on the oriental carpet when she entered. She stared down the length of a silent, still room—the dining room, no doubt, given the highly polished fifteen-foot-long mahogany table surrounded by chairs and a massive china cabinet that looked to be filled with porcelain and silver treasures. She saw what had caught her eye: a circular-shaped alcove made entirely of glass that took up the entire end of the room. At the top of the clear windows were several stained glass panes. She caught a glimpse of the tops of lush trees and swaying flowers, and then the shimmering, sea-like Great Lake in the distance. The sun was setting, sending its rays through the stained glass. Translucent beams of ephemeral, jewel-colored light penetrated the thick shadows all the way at the back of the room.
Everything was hushed and still.