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- SUSAN,DEAR, HELPAUNTCHARLOTTE ROUND UP YOUR BROTHERS.
John and Ann Shelby's house had been in turmoil all morning. The women were running around collecting the children. After the so-called 'victory', Tommy allowed the young family to go to London for a couple of days, which made Annie somewhat happy. The children were happy to go anywhere outside the house, as was Charlotte.
- John," Annie called out to her husband. - Have you started the car? We're on our way out.
They had to squeeze into the car because there weren't many seats and there was so much luggage. All the way Annie told her husband how to behave with her family, what they could and could not say (of course foul language was forbidden). John refused to part with his gun, arguing that it made him feel safer. As the Shelbys drove, the girl and the children imagined relaxing in the garden and drinking tea with their grandmother, or enjoying horseback riding with John. It was a long drive to London, which made the little ones fall asleep after two hours. Charlotte was reading a book, which was very difficult as the wheels kept hitting holes or bumps.
Annie was showing John the way to her family estate outside London. As the car pulled into the driveway in front of the mansion a long time later, the man heard his jaw touch the ground at the sight of the majestic structure. How rich were his relatives?
The gate in front of them swung open and the guards let the car through. The lawn was dotted with different varieties of flowers and the lawn was perfectly level. John looked around, past the main house there were three other buildings. A servants' cottage, so Charlotte had told him. It was large, but with one floor. Not many people lived there, for some had families and a house of their own. The house closest to the mansion was where the duchess's friends were received. And the last house was the bathhouse, where Annie's grandfather liked to spend the winter with friends. The main house was more stately and massive. The three-storey building comprised countless rooms. In John's opinion, the entire Small Heath could fit in here.
Once inside, Shelby was stunned by the simplicity of the interior. Nothing pretentious! There were portraits of family members on the walls, and expensive vases on the tables. As he admired the view, John did not notice a woman coming down the stairs. She was elderly but obviously not without vigor. Neatly groomed hair, a severe green dress and light make-up. This was the look of the Duchess of Lidingen.
- There you are! - Her loud voice echoed through the hall. The woman came down and pulled Annie into her arms. - And you must be John," Shelby nodded. - My name is Ophelia.
- Nice to meet you," John kissed the back of the woman's palm.
- You must be tired from the road," Ophelia looked at the children. - Nicolas will show you to your rooms.
As if by a click, a young lad dressed in an inexpensive suit and disheveled hair appeared beside them. He looked around at the new arrivals and inclined his head courteously.
- Welcome, let me help you.
Annie's old room was the size of three or even four rooms in John's house. A large window with a balcony overlooking the terrace. The tall walls of a delicate blue hue harmonised perfectly with the white flowers in the room. His wife had a separate dressing room and bathroom. John lay down on the large and soft bed, ready to fall asleep in a moment. The door on the side of the bath opened and a minute later Annie climbed onto the bed as well. She was so happy to be back, she was just glowing with happiness.
- Tomorrow you will meet your grandfather," the girl said quietly. - He has been summoned to the palace today, he won't be back until the morning.
Annie was talking about Harold of Lytingen. A man close to the royal family and a minister. He has enormous power and importance in elite society. What surprised John was that the man had been through the war. Over dinner Ophelia told him about her husband's honours and titles. His whole path to success.
- Should I be afraid? - he joked, though he tensed up inside.
- I think not," she replied, laying down on her husband's chest. - Grandma liked you, which means Grandpa will like you. He is very nice.
- I hope so," the man replied, but never got an answer. Annie fell asleep snuggled up against him.
The next day, John slept for the first time and felt like a newborn. His wife was already up and grooming herself in front of the mirror. Sitting down on the bed, he rubbed his eyes. The sun was already high and filled the room with its light.
- Come on, darling, get up," Annie walked over to the bed and put her husband's things down. - Breakfast will start soon," he mumbled something back and lay back down. - Grandfather didn't like it when they were late.
John, who had already closed his eyes, immediately jumped up and began frantically putting things on. In about ten minutes he was ready and left the room to the laughter of his wife. They had breakfast in a large room full of decorations and knick-knacks. The table was laid with all sorts of delicacies that dazzled the eyes. At the head of the table sat the master of the house, his wife seated next to him on his right and he and Annie on his left. The children sat in the vacant seats.
- How did you sleep? - Harold asked. His voice was as loud as his wife's.
- Great, I slept well for the first time in a long time," John admitted honestly.
They ate breakfast in silence, only towards the end Ophelia decided to make her guests aware of the herculean plans for the young Shelby couple.
- Annie and I will stay in the garden, the children can run around with us," the Duchess smiled affectionately at her new great-grandchildren. - And can you, go fishing or shooting?
Harold finished his meal and carefully wiped his mouth with a napkin. He pondered his wife's suggestion for a minute and finally agreed.
- I have invited the painter to come tomorrow.
Annie looked away from feeding Kat and turned to her grandfather with the loveliest smile in the world.
- She did?
- Yes, I'd like to capture the new family members. You know it's a tradition.
Harold loved art, so on all of Annie's birthdays he would invite artists and ask them to paint his favourite granddaughter. There were a huge number of paintings in the house: the canvases depicted family, close friends, as well as his favourite horses, and His Majesty the King. The Duke of Lytingen had a vast collection which he liked to boast about.
- Grandfather, of course.
After breakfast, the women and children retired to the garden and the men began to gather to shoot in the woods on the grounds of the mansion. There was plenty of wildlife in the vicinity, so they wandered for a long time and hunted for glory. This activity brought John great relaxation and a sense of freedom.
- John," Annie's grandfather loaded the gun and fired. - Do you love my girl?
He hesitated. What to answer the man with the gun about how he felt about his own wife. It was a difficult question. John had known her for a week, maybe less. Annie was a wonderful girl. Educated, with fine manners and ability, definitely no match for him, a small-town gangster. John may not have loved Annie yet, but he certainly felt something for her.
- I care about her.
That seemed to be enough to keep Harold from shooting him. They'd spent most of the day hunting, but the question the man had asked still couldn't leave Shelby's mind.
