“Belle prefers Ms.,” I informed her, dropping all pretense of formality. “Belle is a wonderful mother.”
“Of course, she is, Mr. Price,” she said with a cold smile that chilled me to my bones. “But, word to the wise, a woman can be a wonderful mother and unhappy.”
Her words were still ringing in my ears when I stepped into my study to phone Detective Longborn. Other than a few important documents regarding our purchase of Thornham, I hadn’t gotten around to unpacking, so I was surprised to discover half the boxes there’d been the last time I’d been in here. On my desk, Belle’s elegant script was dashed across a notepad.
I took a few minutes while Nora was here to unpack a bit. Hope you don’t mind.
I smiled, feeling vindicated in pushing for the nanny to finally start. There was no way I was going to admit it to Belle, but I’d been feeling restless myself. On one hand, I could lose myself for hours watching Penny sleep. The rest of the time, I found myself...bored. I’d been warned when we purchased this house that I’d need at least a skeleton staff to be certain things would run smoothly. I’d taken the advice, not wanting to worry about running a house and having a new baby. The trouble was that I was completely redundant now. Belle had Penny to look after, as well as Bless. Penny had Belle and Nora now. Rowan worried about the grounds. Mrs. Winters ran the household. And Humphrey took care of everything else. I was still stewing on this when Longborn answered his phone.
“Detective? Smith Price,” I said in a clipped tone.
“Ah, Price. Thank you for returning my call.”
“I assume there's been an update on the finding at Thornham. “ He’d told me he would call with any news. I hadn’t expected there to be any.
“Perhaps I could come by and speak to you in person?” he suggested.
“If you like,” I said slowly. It was never a good sign when the police wanted to chat, but that had been my experience in the city—where things actually happened. I reminded myself that this was just a symptom of living in the middle of the countryside.
“I’ll stop by in a few days.” I heard papers rustle on his desk.
“Should I be concerned?” I asked. I’d finally stopped dreaming of the pile of bones they’d found in my basement. I suspected they’d be making another appearance tonight.
Longhorn didn’t respond immediately. His hesitation said more than our entire call. “It’s likely nothing, but I’d rather tie this up.”
“Of course.” I hung up with him, my feet already carrying me to the lift. I rode it down to the quiet lower level. The swimming pool pump hummed in the background. If I turned that direction, I would find myself in it’s muggy surroundings. Instead, I walked the opposite direction to the wine cellar and it's almost preternaturally cool space. It’s why I’d chosen it for the wine cellar, but as I ran a finger over its stone walls, I found myself wondering what secrets these walls kept—and whether we’d unearth them.
17
Belle
Lola squealed, jumping up from the table as soon as I entered The Briar Rose Inn holding Penny in my arms. The baby had only stopped crying when Nora unbuckled her from the seat and handed her to me with a sympathetic smile. I couldn’t help being glad that she wasn’t greeting my business partner with screams. Lola hugged me around the shoulder, peeking at Penny.
“She’s gorgeous, just like her mama,” Lola murmured, reaching to offer Penny a finger.
“She’s a diva,” I warned her.
“So she is just like you,” Lola said with a laugh. “Come see your Aunt Lola.” She scooped the baby up, turning her for further inspection. Penny responded by spitting up all over her fitted blazer. Lola winced but forced a bright smile. “This is why I’m childless.”
“I’m so sorry.” I turned to find Nora already digging in the diaper bag for something to wipe up the mess. She finally found a burp cloth, and she passed it apologetically to Lola.
Lola passed the baby back to her, shaking her head, as she dabbed at the spot. “It’s nothing, and it’s black, so you can’t even notice.”
“Her tummy was probably a bit upset from the car,” Nora said. “She’s not fond of the drive.”
“Oh, I should have come to you!” Lola’s eyes widened with a clear question: why hadn’t I said anything?
I had to bite back a saucy response. Lola could have come to me, but I hadn’t wanted her to. I’d been dying for an excuse to get out of Thornham. The problem was there wasn’t much to do in the local village and given the wintery weather, I couldn’t justify dragging an infant out to explore. Lola’s visit was the perfect reason to go into town.
“It’s no trouble,” I said. “We didn’t mind at all.” I shot Nora a look that dared her to contradict me.
“I got us a table. I had to fight people off for it.” Lola grinned mischievously as we joined her at the corner table. The Saint’s Grave was completely empty, which wasn’t exactly a surprise given the time of day and the fact that it was the fanciest of restaurants—by the standards of the village of Briarshead. The bistro had clearly once been a house, but had been converted into a mix of pub and fine dining. It was too sophisticated to qualify as the former but not posh enough to be the latter. A wood stove was lit in the corner and abstract art decorated the walls. The tables and chairs were an eclectic mix of styles artfully chosen rather than merely crashing. A chalkboard listed the day’s specials, which were also a combination of traditional English fare and French dishes.
“We probably would have had more options in London,” I said, looking around.
“I wanted to see where you lived, and you don’t need to drag Penny all the way to the city.”
I bit my lip, forcing a smile. It was thoughtful of her. We’d only just settled into Thornham. Of course, we didn’t need to go to London, so why did my heart ache at the idea?
“I think this little one needs to be changed,” Nora announced. “Fingers crossed there’s a spot in the loo.”
“Oh, I didn’t…” I stared at her. It hadn’t even occurred to me that this might be a problem.
“I’ve changed plenty of babies on the floor.” Nora cuddled her close. “It will be fine. Enjoy yourself.”
“You should take your nanny’s advice,” Lola said as Nora disappeared down the hall with the baby. “Although, now that she’s gone, I can tell you that you are a brave woman.”
“Huh?” But before she could explain what she meant, a waiter arrived with two glasses of champagne.
“Oh! Good! Drink up! We’re celebrating.” Lola tapped hers to mine. “To Bless and dreams come true.”
I repeated her words and took a sip, waiting for a moment to properly acknowledge the toast. “What did you mean? About me being brave?”
“Your nanny is smoking hot,” she said seriously. “I don’t think most women would want someone like that around.”
I opened my mouth, searching for a response and finding none. I’d thought about this before Penny arrived. I’d even joked with Smith about it. I’d convinced myself it didn’t matter, but now Lola was here pointing it out.