“Thank you.” She was still feeling unnerved by Angus’s unexpected appearance, as well as Phillips’s.
She left them and went to the room she used as an office and sat down to catch her breath, and as soon as she did, Gwyneth appeared, looking excited, and startled Sybil. She had simply materialized with a big smile, in a lovely dress.
“Are they here yet?”
“Yes,” Sybil whispered, so they wouldn’t hear her talking if they walked down the hall. “And Angus came down the front hall as soon as they arrived.”
Gwyneth was surprised at that. “He did? He’s not supposed to do that.”
“I know.” And Gwyneth had appeared out of nowhere too. They all seemed to be lively today.
“Did they see him?” She was whispering too, in case they could hear her.
“Yes, they did. Samuel asked if he’s my father.”
“What did you say?” Gwyneth looked amused and Sybil didn’t.
“I said no, he isn’t. He even had the dog with him, and Phillips came for him. He was looking for his bagpipes.”
“Oh, I hope he didn’t find them,” Gwyneth said fervently and Sybil laughed.
“Phillips did, worse luck.”
“Oh, dear.” And then she turned her attention to her great-grandson again. “What’s he like?” She was curious about him.
“Very handsome, young for his age. Quite distinguished actually.” And then something struck her that she hadn’t realized at first. “Actually, he looks a lot like Bert.”
“Really? How interesting!” She was pleased.
“And his daughter looks like Lucy. I just thought of it, but she does.” Gwyneth was happy about that too. Laure was healthier than Lucy, and stronger, but she had the same delicate features, big blue eyes, and blond hair. She’d been wearing jeans and a down jacket. Sybil wanted to introduce her to Caroline and Andy, but she knew they were out.
Gwyneth chatted with her for a few minutes and then left to see what Magnus was up to and have tea with Lucy and Augusta. Sybil answered some emails, and a little while later, there was a soft knock at the door. It was Samuel, and he said Laure was asleep.
“Do you mind if I explore a bit?” he asked her, and she offered to accompany him. He was carrying a camera, and seemed to be interested in every detail as they walked down the long hall. Sybil explained that there were children’s and guest rooms on that floor. It had been the nursery floor in the early years of the house, but that had been changed a long time ago, long before she and Blake bought the house. And she told him the top floor was all servants’ rooms that were no longer used, and then they walked down the grand staircase, to where she and her children slept, and they could hear Magnus and Charlie talking in his room, so she didn’t go in. She could tell they were playing videogames.
“I’ll introduce you to my youngest son later. I think he has a friend over.”
“You have a busy household.” He smiled at her.
“Only when my older children are home. The rest of the time it’s very quiet. My two oldest are in college,” as she had told him on the phone. “Charlie is nine.”
They continued down the grand staircase, and on the main floor she showed him the drawing rooms and the ballroom, and he studied the beautiful carvings, the exquisite curtains, the high ceilings, the furniture and chandeliers. He seemed vastly impressed and was silent for a moment.
“It’s much grander than I thought it would be,” he looked deeply affected, which touched her. “I thought it would be an interesting house, but I didn’t expect to be moved by it. I never knew these people. I barely knew my grandmother, and my mother and I weren’t very close. There’s no reason why the home of my great-grandparents should mean anything to me, and yet it does.” He was silent for a moment, out of respect. “You can almost feel them here, as though they never left it. You’ve preserved it beautifully, Sybil. It seems like a home and not a museum, and yet it’s so pure and so warm that I feel transported back into the time when the house was built. I am very touched by it,” he said as they walked past the dining room, where the Butterfields and the Gregorys ate dinner every night. She could see Phillips setting the table with the silverware and crystal, and wondered if Samuel could see him again since he didn’t react. As they walked back into the main living room with the enormous Aubusson carpet and antique furniture that Sybil and Blake had retrieved from storage three years before, Laure found them, looking sleepy but pretty, with her long blond hair and a white sweater and boots with her jeans. She and Sybil exchanged a smile, as her father pointed out important details to her, typical of the period when the house was built. They were looking carefully at the moldings when Sybil saw Charlie and Magnus run down the stairs and into the kitchen. And just at that moment, she heard Andy, Quinne, and Caroline walk in. They came to find Sybil, and she introduced Samuel and Laure to them, and they invited Laure to join them, and she left happily with the younger group.
“She’s a lovely girl,” Sybil complimented him and he looked pleased.
“She’s very impressed by the house. I’ve never seen her so quiet. But I am too. It’s truly the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen. And we have some very important homes and chateaux in France. But this has a soul, and it’s not so big you can’t feel at home here. You must enjoy living here. I can see why you fell in love with it.”
“We do love it,” she admitted, as they continued their tour, and everything he’d said about it was true. She could tell that he already felt a bond to it.
“I’m so glad we came,” he said, and thanked her again for having them. They walked into the library and sat down, and talked about his work, and leaving the university, and how strange it was going to be after being at the Sorbonne for so many years. Blake came home a little later, and enjoyed meeting Samuel, and the three of them sat for a long time, talking, and then Samuel went out to the garden to look around.
“How’s it going?” Blake asked her when Samuel went out a side door. “He seems nice.”
“They’re lovely people. The house has been crazy today. Angus wandered through the front hall. Phillips came after him. The boys ran down the stairs screaming, and were playing in Charlie’s room. They must think we’re nuts. And I’m not sure what to do about dinner. Should we take them out, or eat in the kitchen, or tell them to dress for dinner and then maybe no one will show up?”
“Is this some sort of a test or experiment?” her husband asked her, a little confused himself.