Staverton (8 page)

I could smell the sea before I saw it. As we rounded the next corner, I caught the first glimpse of blue. The sun glinted on the surface, and the white crested waves rolled into the bay. I thought of Scotland, of Freddie and his cottage by the sea, and wondered whether he would like it here.

Jake steered the car into a sharp turn, and I had to hold on to Caroline’s seat to steady myself.

“This is it, Lucy,” Caroline said, turning around in her seat to face me, grinning.

I looked ahead, anxious for my first sight of Staverton House. I saw a large stone cottage sat at the side of the road. It was very pretty, with roses trailing around the front door, and the garden was a glorious riot of colour, but I was surprised. From Caroline’s description, I had expected something a little grander.

Caroline looked back at me again and laughed. “Not that one, silly.
That’s
Staverton.”

Chapter 11

Caroline pointed to a driveway that led past the cottage.

I stared. How could I have missed it? The house was huge. Jake pulled into the driveway and drove slowly. Perfectly manicured lawns lined either side of the drive.

“It’s ever so old,” Caroline said.

“Built around 1720,” Jake said.

The house was a spectacular sight, sitting up high, set back from the cliffs, overlooking the sea. I felt a pang of envy. How amazing it must have been to grow up in a place like this.

The house, set out in an E-shape, looked like it was built from red-brick and white stone work. It was the most beautiful house I had ever seen.

The Porsche’s wheels crunched over gravel. I swallowed, feeling a fluttering sensation in my chest. I had known Caroline’s parents were well off, as most parents with children at St. Catherine’s were, but I had no idea they owned a house like this. I thought of the clothes I had brought with me. Would they be too casual?

After Jake pulled up at the front of the house, Caroline and I clambered out of the car, and I took a moment to stretch my legs.

“I’ll sort the bags. You go and say hello to Mother,” Jake said.

Caroline didn’t need telling, she was already halfway up the white stone stairs that led to the huge oak front door. I followed. When we got closer, I realised the massive door actually had a smaller, normal sized door within it. Caroline disappeared into the house, and I stepped through the entrance after her.

The entrance hall had the same quiet quality I associated with museums. Caroline’s low heels click-clacked on the marble floor. My trainers just gave a muffled squeak.

I turned in a slow circle, taking it in.

A glittering chandelier, made from tear-shaped crystals, hung above us, emitting soft light that shone on the golden wood covering the walls. The floor was polished marble. A huge table stood in the middle of the entrance hall with a crystal vase full of flowers at its centre. The smell of lilies permeated the air, and I instinctively took a step back away from them. They weren’t the same as the ones at my parents’ funeral, they were bright orange, not white, but they smelled the same.

Hearing more footsteps echoing on the marble floor, I turned and saw Caroline’s mother heading towards us.

“Darling,” she said and kissed Caroline on the cheek. “And Lucy. How lovely to see you again, dear.”

“Thank you very much for inviting me, Mrs. Harrington.”

“Call me Angela,” she said, smiling. “As it is such a lovely day, I thought we’d have tea on the terrace.” She strode ahead, leading the way out of the majestic corridor and into a sitting room, decorated in creams and golds.

Caroline followed obediently, motioning for me to hurry, leaving me a little disappointed as I wanted to explore more of the house. I blinked at the bright sunlight as we stepped through French doors to a raised stone terrace, where a table, laid for tea, waited for us. Angela indicated we should sit, and I did so, taking in the view of the lawn stretching down to the edge of the cliff and to the glittering, silvery-blue sea.

“It’s so beautiful,” I said.

Angela smiled. “Thank you.” The smile slipped from her face as her gaze rested on Caroline. “Caroline, don’t do that.”

Caroline had taken two scones from the serving dish and was spreading them with a thick layer of jam.

“Guests first, and take one at a time. Think of your figure.” Angela shot a pointed look at her daughter’s waist and pushed the pretty rose decorated serving dish toward me. “Please, Lucy, would you care for one, before Caroline eats them all?”

Caroline ignored her mother and took a slow, deliberate bite of her scone, smudging her lips with jam.

“Thank you,” I said and took half a scone.

“The jam is home-made,” Angela said, placing the glass jam jar in front of me.

The scones were deliciously buttery and crumbled in my mouth. I would have loved to take another, but I was sure Angela would not approve, so I settled back in my chair and watched as Caroline sucked her sticky, jam-covered fingers.

“I’ll pour the tea myself, thank you, Magdalena,” Angela said, looking over my shoulder.

I turned and was surprised to see a Filipina woman standing close to the terrace doors. They had a maid!

Magdalena nodded and stepped back into the house.

Angela picked up a broad-rimmed sun hat and placed it on her head. The hat combined with her large sunglasses, made her look like a fifties film star, so glamorous and chic. Her smooth skin and cool blonde looks reminded me of Grace Kelly.

“The sun is very hot today, girls. If you stay outside you must put on sunscreen and cover up, it can play havoc with your complexion. It’s never too early to guard against wrinkles,” Angela said and began to pour the tea.

Caroline caught my eye and pulled a face.

After we finished our tea, Caroline showed me to my room on the first floor. The bedroom looked out on the lawn and to the sea. I was in heaven.

“It is amazing, Caroline,” I said.

My feet sunk into the thick, cream carpet as I padded around the room. The wardrobe and dresser were made from a light wood, and a huge queen sized bed was set against the left wall. I sat on the bed. “Wow, it’s so comfortable.”

Caroline sat beside me. “Yes it’s nice and soft. I hate hard beds, don’t you?” Without waiting for an answer, she got up and moved to the window. “And you’ve got a lovely view.”

I went over to stand next to Caroline at the window and sighed. The heavy, cream and gold, brocade drapes were pulled fully back to let in as much light as possible, and Caroline was right, the view was fantastic.

“I’ll be wanting to stay all summer,” I said and laughed.

“That’s my cunning plan.” Caroline grinned and put an arm around my waist. “Seriously, though. I am so glad you’re here.”

I turned to my friend and felt a lump in my throat, I didn’t know what to say. I squeezed Caroline’s hand. She’d helped so much in the past year, just by being herself. I couldn’t imagine how awful my last year at St. Catherine’s would have been without Caroline at my side. She had confronted other girls who’d made snide comments about the scholarship, and made me laugh at the craziest things.

“Now, let me show you your bathroom,” Caroline said, pulling me away from the window.

“My own bathroom. I could get used to this,” I said.

The cream and gold theme continued in the bathroom.

Caroline pulled open a cream cabinet with a mirrored front, revealing expensive bath oils and creams lined up in a row. “Help yourself to any toiletries you need, and I think Jake has brought your case up, already...”

We walked back into the bedroom, and Caroline opened the wardrobe doors. “Yes he’s put it in here.” She pulled out the case, and I opened it, to begin unpacking.

“I can’t believe you have servants,” I said, pulling out a black dress and shaking it to get the creases out.

“Well, it’s a big place, and we only have one maid and Mrs. Rivers, the housekeeper.”

I said nothing, just smiled. When I had unpacked and hung up my clothes, Caroline suggested a swim.

After I had taken off my jeans and changed into my swimming costume and summer dress, I padded down the hall to find Caroline’s room. Caroline’s bedroom was easily twice the size of the room I was staying in, and the walls were papered in cream with a delicate rose pattern.

“How far is it to the beach?” I asked and helped Caroline with the zip on the back of her sundress.

“Not far. We can get to it from the cliff path. It’s a bit steep but fine in the daylight, at night it’s a different story,” Caroline said. “I’ll get us a couple of towels.”

As we made our way through the house, Caroline listed the extensive modifications her parents had made. I suspected traditionalists may not have approved of all the changes, but there was no denying the luxury of the décor.

“It’s a listed building, you see, which limits the changes you can make. Mother had all sorts of trouble getting approval for some of the work, but she managed it and she’s happy with it now.

“She hardly ever goes to London anymore. She prefers to stay at Staverton. She used to spend the week in London, with Daddy, then they’d only come back at weekends.”

I could understand why Angela would want to stay. If Staverton were mine, I would never want to leave.

Chapter 12

Caroline and I left the house through the same French doors and headed towards the cliffs, walking over the soft green lawn. The cliff path was well-worn but steep and narrow. We walked in single file, following the path’s zig-zag trail down to the beach. Wild grasses and small blue flowers lined the edge of the path, and white, fluttering butterflies floated about, seemingly attracted by the flowers.

Halfway down the cliff path, Caroline stopped and raised a hand to shade her eyes from the sun. I had been looking down, concentrating on keeping my feet safely on the path, and almost walked into her. Caroline squinted into the distance at a figure further along the top of the cliff. She whistled and waved, and the figure waved back.

“It’s Michael. He’s home from university,” Caroline said. “He’s painting so we better not disturb him. He wants to be an artist.”

I felt a fluttering feeling in my stomach and put it down to embarrassment over my earlier crush.

“Is he any good?”

Caroline shrugged. “I think he’s brilliant, but I don’t think it will work out.”

“Why not?” I asked, but Caroline just shrugged, then continued to walk along the cliff path.

I looked back to Michael again. I couldn’t see him clearly from this distance, but I remembered he shared Jake’s dark colouring. He was broader than Jake, though. Jake reminded me of one of those olden day poets, lean with floppy hair and sculpted cheekbones.

The beach was a mixture of sand and shingle. We laid out our towels on the sandy area and settled down in the sun. I felt my skin prickle beneath the glare of the sun and pushed my damp hair back from my face. “It’s so hot today.”

“Let’s go for a swim then. I’ll race you,” Caroline said and leapt to her feet and ran towards the surf.

I hesitated for a second before giving in to childish delight and racing after my friend. Caroline hit the water first and waded in until the water reached her thighs. I followed, gasping as the water lapped around my legs. “It’s freezing.”

“We need to get in quickly. It’s the only way,” Caroline said, and she dove beneath the surface. It made me shiver to contemplate going in any deeper.

Caroline emerged spluttering and laughing. “Come on, Lucy. It’s not so bad once you’ve dipped your shoulders under.”

I inched forward, cringing each time a wave passed, sending freezing water higher up my body. Caroline floated on her back, toes wriggling in the air.

“I’m going to swim out there,” Caroline said, pointing to a collection of flat grey rocks a few metres away. “It’s perfectly safe.”

I watched Caroline swim away, using swift, sure strokes. She’d obviously done this a hundred times before, a life-time of summer swims. I tried to shake off the envious feeling that crept over me and just enjoy the moment. What was I envious of anyway? Caroline’s house or her family?

Caroline reached the rocks, hauled herself out and waved. I waved back, then turned and headed back to the beach.

As Caroline basked on the rocks, I squeezed my hair to release as much salt water as I could, then settled back to dry off in the sun. Some ten minutes later, I shivered as a shadow cast over me. Assuming it was Caroline, I kept my eyes closed, smiled lazily and said, “Was the sea cold enough for you?”

A deep male voice answered, “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been swimming today.”

I sat bolt upright, and saw Caroline’s brother, Michael, standing beside me.

I tried to run a hand through my messy hair, but my fingers got caught up in tangles and didn’t have the smoothing effect I’d hoped. I must look awful. I reached for my discarded sun dress, slipped it over my head, and pulled it down over my hips.

“Nice to see you again, Michael,” I said.

His dark hair was cut short and pushed back from his face. His eyes flickered over me, making my heart skip a beat. He had definitely improved with age.

Michael looked out to sea, towards the rocks Caroline had used for sunbathing.

“Where is she?” He shook his head. “She shouldn’t be swimming out there when the tide is going out.” His intense brown eyes regarded me angrily, as if it were my fault.

It took a moment before my brain engaged enough to answer. “Oh, I didn’t realise. I’m sure she’s okay...” I swallowed my words as Michael scowled at me.

I stared out at the rocks but couldn’t see Caroline. I felt a nervous fluttering in my chest. Maybe I should have kept watch, in case Caroline had gotten into trouble. I took a couple of steps towards the breaking waves and then saw a flash of red on the crest of a wave.

Thank God.

I pointed out to sea. “There she is.”

I smiled at Michael, but received stony silence in return as he shaded his eyes against the sun. As he looked out for Caroline, I stared at his profile. He shared his brother’s colouring, but he was broader, more solid. He was simply gorgeous, and from the confidence he exuded, I could tell he knew it.