The Mirror Mage | ONC2022

3. The Invitation

(Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to SallyMason1 and her ONC 2022 story, Midnight Bite, a wonderfully entertaining vampire tale.)

(Present Day)

Not for the first time, Ben cursed the decision to drive down to Surrey tonight. If he'd had half a brain, he would have had a good night's sleep at home and driven down in the morning. But he had been too excited. Too eager to jump at Luke's invitation to come and stay with him for the weekend, to finally see the manor house that Luke's family had owned for generations.

Rain streamed across the windscreen, defeating the wipers and causing Ben to slow to a crawl. Where the hell was the turnoff? Surely it couldn't be much further.

"It's just over a mile past the crossroads. Two stone gateposts. You can't miss it." Luke had assured him cheerfully.

Perhaps that was true if it had been broad daylight, but night had fallen early due to the storm and the only light came from the occasional crack of lightning and the twin tunnels his headlights made through the rain.

Thunder boomed overhead and Ben gripped the wheel even tighter. Surely he had travelled two, or even three, miles from that damn crossroad by now. He must have taken the wrong road. He was on the verge of looking for a place to turn around when his headlights picked out the gateposts. Over two yards high, each squared pillar was topped by a weathered ball of stone. Wrought iron gates stood wide open. There was no number or name, but this had to be the place.

Cautiously, Ben steered the car onto the gravel drive, unable to relax until he found the house and Luke. The car wound its way between an avenue of trees, eventually coming out into an open space in front of a huge manor house.

It was hard to see much in the driving rain, but a welcoming light shone from the portico, over the front door. Ben parked as near to the entrance as he could and turned off the engine. Rain drummed on the roof but before he could climb out of the car, Luke emerged from the house, holding a large umbrella. Ben hauled his bag out of the boot and they dashed up the steps together.

"What a night!" exclaimed Luke once they were safely inside, folding the umbrella and placing it carefully in a stand. Ben waited for Luke to take him in his arms and kiss him, but he didn't. Instead, he smiled.

"I'm so glad you came. Would you like to see your room first? Or are you hungry? There's some chicken casserole in the kitchen, if you fancy it."

Your room? Until that exact moment Ben had thought he would be sharing a room with Luke. He felt a bit silly. Of course, he would have his own room in a place as big as this. They must have dozens of spare bedrooms.

"Perhaps I could put my bag away, and then something to eat sounds wonderful."

"Right. Follow me," said Luke, leading the way to an elaborate oak staircase at the back of the hall. It branched into two halfway up and he took the right-hand fork. "You're in the guest wing. The family rooms are on the other side, though my mother is the only one of us here at present. She asked me to apologise for not coming down to greet you, but her health isn't always the best and she had to retire early."

Luke's mother was here? Awkward. And not only that, he was being placed in the guest wing. Ben felt suddenly depressed. This was hardly going to be the romantic weekend he had been looking forward to.

Half an hour later, seated at the vast kitchen table and forking down a large bowl of hot stew, Ben felt much better. No matter if he had got his wires crossed. He was in an amazing house, the like of which he had only seen before from the inside of a tour group, and he was going to spend the weekend with Luke, even if not quite in the way he had hoped.

He was looking forward to seeing the rest of the house. On the way to the kitchen, they had passed through what Luke told him had been the old servants' hall. A row of servants' bells—still in place—took his imagination straight back to the last century, or most likely the one before that. How times had changed. Instead of a multitude of servants at one's beck and call, there were now only two fulltime staff. A housekeeper and a groundsman.

"And it's all we can do to keep them," Luke had commented. "No-one wants to do this sort of work anymore."

The kitchen was fascinating, just like Ben had seen on some of those lifestyle programs. A huge old range was emitting heat in one corner, and a massive dresser stood against one wall, filled with all sorts of china. Copper pots hung from a rack. A modern refrigerator and cooktop occupied the opposite wall, along with a fancy coffee maker.

Much as Ben wanted to explore, the combination of warmth and a full stomach on top of a long drive was making it hard to keep his eyes open.

"Time to call it a night, I think," smiled Luke. "There'll be plenty of time to show you around the place tomorrow. Do you ride? We don't keep horses here anymore, but there's a livery stable only a couple of miles away. We have an arrangement."

"That would be brilliant," Ben enthused. "I haven't done much riding in England, but I've ridden a fair bit at home."

"And we could do some fishing," continued Luke, his eyes lighting up. "The lake is well stocked at present. Fresh fish for dinner!"

"You have your own lake?"

"Well, the estate does. Just a small one, nothing grand. What you would probably call a dam back home."

"What if it's still raining?" Ben asked, doubtfully.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "What if it is? If we waited for a sunny day in England, we'd never do anything!"

Lying in bed, by himself, later that night, Ben told himself that he was going to have a great weekend, despite his dashed hopes. Ben knew Luke fancied him, but so far they had only gone out a few times, exchanging some passionate kisses and a close embrace or two. When Luke had extended the invitation to spend the weekend with him, Ben had assumed this meant Luke was ready to move to the next level. But perhaps not. Perhaps he simply wanted more time to get to know him better.