“I just want to walk you through what we’ve done down here so if you need anything from the kitchen or the laundry you know where to find it,” she explained.
I needed the tour. I hadn’t been in the lower level of Heartstone Manor in fifteen years and not often before that. The lower level was the staff’s domain, lorded over by Miss Martha when I’d grown up here. Not only were the Sawyers not expected to venture below, we weren’t exactly welcome.
While the upper levels of Heartstone Manor were dominated by dark wood paneling, tall windows, and hardwood floors, the lower level felt like it had come from a medieval castle.
The walls and floor were stone, the arching barrel ceiling high, giving the feeling of space while at the same time reminding me of a crypt. Here, the pipes were exposed and electrical wiring ran through conduit drilled into the stone.
The main kitchen was opposite the base of the stairs, doors open wide. A huge room over thirty feet across, it had a massive cast-iron and enamel stove on one end, and a huge island running down the center, shining copper pots and pans hung neatly on hooks along the wall. Woven baskets were organized on tall wood shelves, faded labels reading everything from Root Vegetables to Spices.
Miss Martha and the woman I assumed was the new cook stood in front of the baskets inspecting what looked like produce. Miss Martha looked up and spotted us. Now that we were away from the formality of the dining room, she was no longer the former housekeeper of Heartstone Manor. She moved to pull Hope into an embrace.
“You look gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful.” Stroking a hand down Hope’s shiny hair, she cupped her chin and turned Hope’s face this way and that, shaking her head and smiling. “I heard you cleaned out Atlanta and brought home a whole new wardrobe. About damn time.”
Hope hooked her arm through Miss Martha’s elbow and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “When it’s time to restock, you can come with me.”
With a kiss on the cheek, Miss Martha said, “I’d love to.” She caught Hope’s left hand in hers and turned it so Hope’s ring caught the light. “Exactly where it always belonged.”
Hope flushed and Savannah came to her rescue. “Griffen and Hope Sawyer, this is Melissa Stiles. She’ll be keeping us fed. For the moment, Mom is walking us through some of the procedures for the kitchen. I’ll check with everyone else and see if we have any dietary requirements or food allergies I need to be aware of. I’ve asked Melissa to plan to serve a full breakfast and dinner every day. I think it’s easiest—if it works for you—if lunch is less formal. I know you and Hope will be eating at home most days, but I think everyone else will stay in town. If that changes and we end up having a full crowd every day we can always add lunch to the schedule.”
“Works for me,” I said. Hope nodded in agreement.
Savannah moved to the door of the kitchen. “As you might remember, most of the lower level is storage. I did want to show you the laundry in case you need something in a rush. And there’s a gym, but I’m fairly sure you’ll want it updated. I think the others have been using the gym at the Inn, but I’m assuming you won’t want to drive into town to work out.”
“You assume right. I don’t know about everyone else, but Hawk will definitely want workout facilities on-site.”
Before we left the kitchen, I caught Miss Martha in a quick hug. “I know you’re just helping Savannah get settled, but it’s really good to see you here.”
“Oh, I’ll be around. Don’t think you can get rid of me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said. With another squeeze, I released her and was following Savannah down the hall when I heard a discordant clang. It continued, sounding almost like a bell but wrong. Off.
“What the hell is that?” I asked, coming to a stop and trying to determine where the noise was coming from.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Griffen
I think it’s one of the house bells,” Savannah said. “I haven’t had a chance to test them yet. We’ve mostly been using text messages.”
Turning, she strode down the hall, past the kitchen to the staff dining room where one full wall was taken up by a series of neatly-labeled brass bells connected to wires that spread through the house, each one going to a different room.
The bell clanging so loudly was labeled Rose Room. Sterling’s room. I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth. “Ignore it. I’ll deal with her in a few minutes. We’ll have to come up with a better system than the bells. Unless you plan on having someone hanging out in here all day.”