As Maggie woke the next morning she was momentarily disoriented. It took her a few minutes to remember time and place. She was entirely too comfortable and the smell was all wrong. Instead of the dusty smell of old brick which had permeated her living quarters for the last several years she instead smelled… roses?
All it took was for her to open her eyes to remember that she was not in the small confines of her old dorm room but instead sprawled out in the middle of a four poster feather bed located in one of the most luxurious bedrooms she’d ever stepped foot in.
It had taken Maggie nearly three hours to explore the house, at least the portions she was allowed, and she still was sure that she hadn’t seen it all. The main highlight of the first floor was the library. She imagined she could spend her entire summer locked in that grand room and not even put a dent in the volumes of books that it housed. The parlor on the opposite side of the circular foyer was also quite inviting with all its southern charm and antique furniture. Being in that room really gave the illusion of having stepped back in time. For Maggie it was the perfect escape from the modern world from which she’d fled.
The second floor had nine bedrooms in the West wing alone. All of the bedrooms had full bathrooms, walk-in closets, sitting areas, queen size beds and French doors leading to a wrapping balcony that circled the back of the house. Each room was distinguished by a different arrangement of fresh flowers that corresponded with the color palate and décor. Maggie had chosen the rose room.
On both of the nightstands near the bed were small glass vases, each holding a single white rose that matched the pearl-white embroidered bedspread and plush white carpet. In the sitting area was a larger bouquet of pale peach roses that accented the sheer peach curtains that were draped over the French doors leading onto the balcony, and the tiny sprigs of light blue baby’s breath in this arrangement were a near identical match to the soft blue settee and Queen Anne chairs.
The large walk-in closet had built-in mahogany shelving and a beautiful mahogany centerpiece table adorned with vibrant blood-red roses. And finally in the large bathroom a small bouquet of stunning yellow roses sat in the window where the morning sunshine flowed through, giving the appearance that the flowers were absorbing the color of the sun.
Again Maggie was overwhelmed with the abundance of color surrounding her. Her world of late had seemed so drab, full of nothing but brick and concrete, dark and dusty. As she allowed the magic of this place to envelop her, it made her past seem a distant memory, a bad dream.
Maggie skipped down the stairs feeling refreshed and alive. She quickly found her way to the large kitchen which she had located the day before. For all the traditional charm of this old plantation home the kitchen was entirely modern and comparatively minimalist.
A wall of windows ran from the high ceilings all the way to the granite countertops which wrapped around nearly the entire circumference of the kitchen, only interrupted occasionally by the stainless steel appliances. An island in the center of the kitchen held an impressive bouquet of large sunflowers throwing a splash of color into this room of glass, steel, and stone.
Maggie crossed to the commercial sized refrigerator only to find that it was entirely empty. A quick scan of the freezer revealed only a bag of gourmet coffee grinds, which in Maggie’s estimation was far more important than anything that could have been held in the fridge anyway.
She began happily brewing a pot of coffee then retrieved her fern from the table where she’d left him. She carried Fred back into the kitchen, stopping at the sink to give him some water before unlatching one of the window panels above the sink and pushing it open. The air outside was pleasantly cool, not at all the stifling heat of the previous day. She placed Fred on the ledge to soak up some morning sunlight and then turned back to her coffee.
Maggie poured herself a rich, steaming cup of coffee and headed back upstairs to her room. The cool morning air was so inviting that she decided to enjoy her coffee on the balcony overlooking the grounds.
The view from up there was amazing. Rolling hills extended as far as she could see, covered with rows upon rows of peach trees glistening with dew in the morning light. The sweet smell from the orchards drifted up lazily to the balcony where Maggie sat enjoying the peaceful morning.