“There’s a dumbwaiter for that type of thing. I’ll show you when you finish your breakfast.”
The idea of using the top floor grew on her, and Barry had even said it might work once he helped her clear out the rubbish. “What’s the condition up there?”
“Boxes of things not in use and old furniture are stored up there, but you can have Grady move them to the attic. Or just shove them to the walls. There should be plenty of space.”
Alanna gobbled the last few bites of her muffin, then stood. “I’d quite like to see the dumbwaiter now if you don’t mind.”
Carrying her cup of coffee, Patricia led Alanna to the pantry. There was a white door tucked away in a corner. She opened it and revealed a deep metal lift and a system of pulleys. “Plenty of room even for the drums.”
“Fantastic,” Alanna said. “Thank you so much. I’ll run up the stairs and check out the ballroom now.”
Patricia glanced at her watch. “I’d come with you, but I’ve got a hair appointment in half an hour and just have time to get there. Follow the hall to the back. You’ll find another flight of stairs to the third floor.”
Alanna said good-bye, then did as her mother-in-law suggested. She found the stairway at the back of the hall. Dust coated the stairs. There were no prints to suggest anyone had been this way in quite some time. She reached the landing of the third floor and gasped. The ceiling towered at least sixteen feet over her head. Elaborate moldings detailed the ceiling painted in cherubs. The wood floor was smooth and tight. It would be a dream to dance here.
Lovely old furniture occupied part of the space as well as several trunks. Alanna went to the nearest one and lifted the lid. Colorful dresses lay inside, mostly silk and satin. They appeared to be from the turn of the twentieth century. She held up a cream one detailed in handmade lace. “Lovely,” she murmured. She thought it might even fit her.
She’d have to have a try on sometime, if the fabric wasn’t too delicate. Shoving a few of the lighter pieces of furniture aside, she thought they would have room to set things up. On the way back to the stairs, she saw the van arriving and hurried down to meet her mates.
Fiona hugged her when she met them at the entry. “You look blooming wonderful. Marriage must agree with you.”
“Love your new necklace,” Alanna said, eyeing the polished amber stones strung around her friend’s neck. She hugged Ena, whose usual morose expression had lightened to a faint grin at the sight of her.
Ena fingered her pink hair. “Is Grady around?”
“Somewhere.” There was definitely interest between them.
Ciara emerged last from the van with Jesse in tow. Alanna went still when she saw the man. There would be time to interrogate him later. She hugged Ciara, then beckoned them all to the house. “Grab your things and come along. I’ve got the perfect space.”
By the time the creaky old lift had transported the instruments to the third floor, the band’s voices had risen with the excitement of being together. The harp had to be carried up the main staircase by Jesse and two of the women. “We can be as loud as we want up here.”
She watched Jesse set up the drums. He arranged them exactly as she’d seen Liam do a thousand times, and her irritation grew. He tested them in the same order as Liam too. Gritting her teeth, she set to making sure her fiddle was in tune.
“Let’s get to practice,” she said. She dragged her bow across the strings, then broke into a reel.
“Go, Alanna!” Ciara yelled. She pulled her chair closer to her harp.
Ena lifted her pennywhistle. “What first?” she asked.
“‘Last Rose of Summer,’” Jesse said. He started the drum intro.
Alanna nodded and followed his lead. Before the drums faded to the softer part of the song, Barry stood red-faced at the top of the stairs.
“What’s going on?” he shouted. “The sound is piped directly into my office.”
Staring at her husband’s angry face, Alanna realized Patricia had to have known how the sound carried. She’d been set up.
Twenty
Let’s get to the bottom of this.” Barry took Alanna’s arm and marched her down the steps. “Mother just came in from a hair appointment. She is cooking lunch.”
“Did the noise interrupt you?” Alanna asked as she struggled to keep up with her husband.
“The house is designed so music wafts into the office. My great-grandfather designed it that way on purpose so he could monitor what was going on in the ballroom even if he had to be attending to business. So yes, I had to end my call prematurely.”
They reached the first floor. The aroma of she-crab soup hung in the air. Barry led her across to the kitchen where they found a flushed Patricia stirring a pot at the stove.
Patricia glanced up with a smile that quickly faltered when her gaze lit on Barry. “What’s wrong, son?”