The old chapel had been brought over to the States from Wales, Roth explained as they left via the rear, out through the kitchen’s delivery doors.
Jane was curious that he had chosen to leave by this route. If she remembered right, there were other exits, more elegantly designed, leading to the wilds of the rear and the cliffs that overlooked the sea.
Chef and his two cooks were no longer sitting at the table imbibing in coffee and Jameson’s, she noted as they went through. They were all busy at some kind of prep work. She assumed that the employees ate dinner at the castle as well since they didn’t need that much prep for four guests and the master of the house, who they hadn’t expected to be there anyway.
Chef Bo looked up from his work at a saucepan and acknowledged Roth and stared broodingly at the others as they went through.
His two assistants just watched.
“There’s another way out as well. The two arches at the end of the Great Hall lead to smaller halls that bypass this area,” Roth explained. “And there’s a servants stairway back there, too. I just thought it would be fun to see what was going on in the kitchen.”
He was almost like a child who knew that he was in charge, and was yet surprised by it and curious as to his effect on others.
“Smells divine!” he called as they passed.
Three “thank yous” followed his words.
There was a large doorway under a sheltered porte-cochère when they stepped outside. Most likely, parking for large delivery trucks. They walked around one of the walls and were in the back. An open-air patio, set on stone, offered amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean. A light fog swirled in a breeze and seemed in magical motion, barely there. A fireplace, stocked with dry logs, remained ready for those who came out to enjoy the view when it was cool, and Jane imagined they might hold barbecues out there too. Bracken grew around the patio with wild flowers in beautiful colors. Other than the patio and the chairs, if one stood on the cliff and looked out or up at the rise of the castle walls, they might have been in a distant land and in a different time.
But Jane looked to her right.
At the base of a little cliff that rose to another wild and jagged height, was the chapel. It was surrounded by a low stone wall. Within the wall were numerous graves and plots. The chapel had been built in the Norman style with great rising A-line arches and a medieval design. Two giant gargoyles sat over the double wooden doors that led inside.
“Sometimes,” Roth said, “I do feel just a bit like a medieval lord. Pity it’s far too small and dangerous here for a joust.”
“It’s really lovely,” Jane said.
“Yes, and I’m a lucky man,” Roth said. “Primogeniture and all. The oldest son gets everything. Of course, in my case, I was the only child. If I do have children, I’ll change things, that’s for sure.”
Somewhat surprised, Jane looked at Sloan.
Was that for real? If so, he seemed like a pretty decent guy.
She smiled.
There was that wonderful part of their relationship that seemed like an added boon. The ability to look at one another and know that they shared a thought.
“Shall we head toward the chapel?” Roth asked.
He stood a bit down on a slant from them. He wasn’t really that small a man, probably about six feet even. But Sloan seemed to tower over him. Jane was five-nine and in flats, but with his Renaissance-poet look, Roth somehow seemed delicate and fragile.
“Thanks. We’d love to see it,” Sloan said.
They followed him to the stone wall. There was a gate in the center and a path that led to the chapel. The gate wasn’t locked. It swung in easily at Roth’s touch and they followed him. He kept on the stone path and headed directly to the chapel where the door was also unlocked.
“You’re not worried about break-ins of any kind?” Sloan asked him.
“Maybe I should be. I guess people do destroy things sometimes just for fun. But Mr. Green is always at his place. He hears anything that goes on. He only looks old. Trust me, he’s deceptively spry. Caught me by the ears a few times when I was a kid. Guests here are welcome to use the chapel and the only way up here is by the road, so I guess it was just never kept locked. Progress, though. Maybe I’ll have to in the future. It’s really kind of a cool place. You’ll see. Simple and nice.”