“Uncle Ben, I said wait for me!” she stated, grinning. “Hi, I’m Melisandre. I help design the interiors. My Aunt Bea, who’s in charge, was booked with someone else, so I offered to join Uncle Ben.” Maggie liked the girl with her long blonde hair and cheerful smile. She noted that while young, she wore a wedding ring.
“I am grateful you came, and I should be upfront. You’re the twelfth architect and builder I’ve contacted. Jekyll and Hyde has a poor reputation for being haunted. It’s scared many away, which is why I’ve asked you to come so far,” Maggie said honestly.
Melisandre cocked her head.
“And is it haunted?”
“Um… well…” Maggie wondered what answer to give that would keep these friendly people here.
“Don’t worry, lass. My team has plenty of experience with hauntings,” Mr Evans replied, exchanging a glance with Melisandre. Melisandre let out a tinkling laugh, and Maggie couldn’t help but feel she was missing something.
“Sorry?” Maggie asked.
“It’s a private joke and rather rotten of us to refer to it when you do not understand. My apologies Maggie. But we’re most definitely used to working around ghosts, even when they throw tantrums,” Melisandre said.
“I didn’t believe in them, and he disappeared suddenly after I punched him in the nose. I just don’t see how a real man can disappear,” Maggie responded.
“Cheeky bint! I am a real man!” Lucian’s voice roared, and Melisandre’s eyes opened wide.
“Told you!” Maggie exclaimed.
“Get out!” Lucian yelled at the top of his lungs, rattling bottles and glasses. Maggie sighed and crossed her arms.
“His bellow is almost as good as St John’s,” Mr Evans quipped and rose to his feet.
“Now, Miss Maggie, shall we take a walk, and you can show me what needs changing?” Mr Evans asked with a twinkle. Maggie’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the lack of shock the people in front of her displayed. But she surged to her feet to explain to Mr Evans what she required doing.
Downstairs was relatively simple; the two sets of toilets on either side of the bar required gutting and modernising. The kitchen, Maggie explained, needed two industrial freezers and three fridges alongside a dessert fridge. She pointed out where she wanted to keep original features like the hog spits and soup hooks. Maggie and Mr Evans discussed where the microwaves and cookers were to go next to the two grills. They then agreed that the table in the centre could be cleaned and sanded down before being covered protectively to be used for food prep.
Once upstairs, Melisandre took over, and Maggie was quite happy to see they shared similar ideas. The rooms would be kept as close to the originals as possible. Melisandre examined a lot of the furnishings and commented that they could all be restored. New mattresses and fabrics were to be approved, and modern rugs and carpets, as the existing ones were threadbare. Mr Evans wrinkled his nose at the adjoining bathrooms and sketched out plans that allowed a sink, toilet, roll top bath with a shower overhead. Maggie wholeheartedly agreed and continued to move them from room to room.
To their surprise and amusement, Lucian began slamming doors and rattling furniture. At first, Maggie had jumped, startled, but after watching Melisandre and Mr Evans swap amused glances, she settled down. Maggie realised that they’d spoken the truth. They indeed had experience with haunted houses. When they hit what would become her apartment, Mr Evans’s eyebrows raised in shock. There was a fair-sized kitchen, a utility space, and a bathroom. Then a master bedroom with an adjoining bathroom, three other bedrooms, a cosy room with a large living area, and a dining room leading to a balcony.
“What on earth happened here?” Mr Evans asked, quite shocked.
“I’ve no idea. I didn’t know it was like this when I bought it,” Maggie admitted. The walls mimicked them downstairs, dark wood with white plaster in between. And that was it. Doors had been ripped off and stacked in a corner, bare wires swung from ceilings, and no light fittings could be seen. The naked wires continued around the walls, ending where plug sockets should be and weren’t. Pipes hung haphazardly about. There were no bathroom fittings or flooring, it was genuinely hazardous.
Maggie winced as she spied where planks of wood had been ripped up from the floor and massive holes were left. Windows were covered in thick grime that Maggie wondered if they’d ever be clean again. It was empty of appliances or cupboards, there wasn’t even a sink. Every single room looked like it belonged in a derelict house, and Maggie flinched at the amount of work required.
“Told you to leave!” Lucian bellowed the last word, and all three of them jumped.
“Do you want me to knee you in your wee willy winkie again?” Maggie shouted at the empty room.
Mr Evans lifted an eyebrow, and Melisandre burst out laughing.
“Damnable wench!” Lucian roared.
“Keep going, and I’ll break your nose a second time!” Maggie threatened.
“I don’t have a wee willy winkie!” Lucian suddenly yelled, insulted.
Melisandre’s giggles broke into fits of laughter while Mr Evans manfully tried to control his chuckles. Maggie scowled around and glared at an empty spot.
“So says you, I put my knee in it, and I’m going with wee willy winkie!” Maggie retorted.
“Chit!” Lucian spluttered, and silence fell.
“This will be worse than Courtenay House and Oakwood Manor rolled into one!” Mr Evans grinned. “Thanks, Maggie. The last few years have been quiet. My team will love this!”