Finally, after several more hours on the road, the weary traveling party, and one very unhappy guest, supposedly called, "Jack Smith" reached Davies House in London. The exterior of the home, situated in the fashionable Mayfair district, was magnificent. Its stone edifice was rather imperious and quite imposing. Charlotte could not help the chill bumps that had risen along her arms and neck. It made her daydream of the family she had never known, and of course, wouldn't know.
The driver, James, came to the door to let her know he was going ahead to ensure that the servants who'd been sent ahead of their arrival had properly opened up the home and prepared for their arrival. It was February, early for the season and still very chilly. James wanted to make sure that the fires had been properly lit and stoked and that the home was properly functioning before allowing Charlotte to enter.
Charlotte and Evelyn, in the carriage together, gazed up at the stony face of the house. It was definitely not yet home to Charlotte. She hoped that it would someday be filled with happy memories, and not just a longing for all she had lost before she even understood what she had lost or even the meaning of loss.
Finally, having ascertained all was well in Davies House, James returned with the footman, Marcus. James said, "Lady Charlotte, the house is perfectly in order, however, I must ask your permission to bring this young man to the magistrate."
"Of course, James," Charlotte responded, "thank you for doing so, I'm sure it's not the nicest place you'll have to take him."
"It's not so bad, but certainly not fit for a lady such as yourself," he replied in a dignified tone.
Finally, Marcus opened the carriage door and once the steps were down, he assisted Charlotte and Evelyn to the pavement. They made their way quickly into the door of Davies House.
Charlotte raised her eyes to assess the home that was now truly hers. It was absolutely magnificent. It was even finer than she had imagined. It practically glittered around her. She let out a little sigh as she took in the finery around her. It was clear that her parents and all of those who'd lived here before her had excellent taste and the money with which to cater to it. It was not gaudy but simply perfect. The marble flooring shone in the candlelight, the deep cherry of the banisters was perfectly polished and splendid. A chandelier hung in the entryway was just right, not overly ostentatious, simply elegant and it lit every corner of the foyer in a graceful, warm light.
Charlotte was suddenly overtaken by the feeling of deja vu. She couldn't shake the sense that she knew this place, and as far as she had been told she had never visited London, even before her parents met their untimely demise. She could not shake the feeling.
The servants were lined up to meet her at the entry and she smiled and greeted each of them as she was introduced. Finally, at the end of the seemingly endless row of new faces, she met the woman who was in charge in her absence, the head housekeeper, named Grace.
"It is so lovely to finally meet you, Lady Charlotte," Grace said with a curtsy and a bob of her head.
"Likewise, Grace," Charlotte responded to the housekeeper who appeared much younger than she had imagined in her head, "thank you so much for your endeavors in preparing the house so beautifully."
Grace smiled with gratitude and responded, "Ma'am, if you don't mind me saying, there wasn't much to do, it was almost perfectly in order when I arrived the other day, just a bit of polish and shine was all it took. It's just a magical house," at that she blushed a bit, thinking she might have said to much to her new employer.
"Well, that's rather interesting, other than a groundskeeper, the house has sat untouched for fifteen years," Charlotte replied.
"I would never have guessed that, it appeared to have been untouched for mere days, not years when I arrived. Would you like me to show you to the master bedroom? We've got a lovely fire going and your things are being brought up as we speak," the lively housekeeper replied.
In spite of the sleep she had managed to garner during the trip, Charlotte was still tired to the bone and felt nearly frozen solid, which had strangely only been amplified when she had stepped inside the house.
"That would be just perfect," Charlotte said and followed Grace up the main stairway to her new bedchamber which was absolutely more lush and opulent than she had ever imagined for herself. In fact, at home she had never moved from her childhood room, it just hadn't felt right. But here, she would take the master bedroom as was expected of her.
Evelyn had followed behind and once they'd gotten her situated and removed her road-weary clothes, Charlotte allowed herself to collapse on the bed. Within seconds she'd drifted off into a deep, but heavily dream-filled sleep.