Chapter 4

My eyes flew open. I frantically looked around. Lucas beeped his horn and rolled the car into the entrance of a big estate. Where the hell are we? We were definitely NOT in London anymore. I checked my watch. It was 10:45am.

"Welcome to your new home." Lucas said, as if to answer my question. "This is a family estate we use for summer vacations, but with what happened in the city, I decided that the kids and I should settle here permanently instead."

"When you said house, I was expecting an actual house not a mansion." I exclaimed. 

"Don't you like it?" he asked. I heard the hurt in his voice. Shit. 

"No, I do. It’s wonderful. It's just that... I might get lost. I'm not used to such big places." I responded timidly.

Lucas' face brightened up like a child who was given candy for the very first time. "Well I'll give you a tour then! C'mon, follow me."

Lucas parked my Chevy in the big garage that housed at least ten other luxury cars. He jumped out of the car and quickly ran to my side of the car to open the door for me. Sheesh. This rich man is weird. I wanted to tell him that I could easily get out of my own, but I didn't want to ruin his new-found cheerful mood. His heart is like fragile glass. One wrong move and he'll shatter.

Lucas helped me down the car— help that I clearly didn't need, and helped me settle in. “This will be your home now. Rest up. I’ll give you a tour of the mansion in the morning.” He said as he guided me into one of the rooms. It was a plan white room with a queen-sized bed and a couple of closets. “Give me a call if you need anything.” Lucas said as he threw over a walkie-talkie.

“Thanks!” I replied.

“I’ll come pick you up at dinner time.” He said as he left the room.

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Dinner was quiet. It was only the two of us in the table plus a couple of maids. Lucas didn’t talk much, but I noticed him staring at me for a couple of time. He would dart his eyes away whenever he saw me looking at him.

After dinner I went straight to bed. The mansion was huge and I did not risk wandering off the path towards my room.

What would my life here be like? I wish you could tell me. Anxious thoughts darted through my head as I drifted off to sleep.

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The next day, Lucas showed me the garden where they grew different flowers and fruit-bearing trees, we then visited the huge swimming area with three different sized pools, after that Lucas brought me to the stables where he kept his horses. God I want to ride one of these. They were all massive purebred race-horses; some more expensive than the luxury cars I saw in the garage.

I couldn't hide my excitement, and it seemed to show on my face because Lucas clearly knew what was in my mind "I'll take you riding with the kids later this week if you'd like." he said as I was patting a beautiful black and white pinto stallion.

"I would love that." I said happily. It has been such a long time since I've ridden a horse. The last time I remembered riding a horse was when I was seven. "I didn't know you raced horses." I asked.

"Actually they're not for racing. We just take care of them as pets. My wife loved horses. Every time we'd visit she and I would go riding together; sometimes from dawn until dusk."

Ahh yes, she did love horses. Come to think of it the last memory of me riding a horse was with her too.

After I learned all the names of the horses and petted them one by one, Lucas and I left the stables and he then took me to see the marvelous labyrinth garden he had created for the kids to play in.

"Don't they get lost?" I asked.

"No. My children are good with directions. Something they got from me, I guess. My wife wasn't the best in navigation." He laughed. "I hope you aren't getting tired of me talking about my wife. Most of what I have in this estate was made for her and the kids." 

"Not at all. I do enjoy listening to you talk about her. I can feel that you love her very much. Men like you are a rare find in this day and age. She is such a lucky girl to have a husband like you." I muttered as I was idly playing with one of the flower bushes in the labyrinth. 

As I was lost in my own thoughts, I caught Lucas staring at me intently. "Is there something on my face?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry. It's just so odd that even under the sun, you look so much like my wife. Last night when I first saw you, I thought you just resembled her in the dark. But looking at you now, the resemblance is astonishing. Now I understand why Ana and Gavin instantly took a liking to you."

"Don't you think your wife will be offended if you compare her looks to that of a man?" I teased.

"Knowing her, she'll completely agree with me. She would probably put you in a dress if she ever got to meet you. She was a very loving woman." he mused. He wasn't wrong though. That was definitely something she would do... Did... A story for another time.

We continued our tour in the garden and eventually worked our way inside. The mansion was beautifully built. The interior had a warm colour scheme of browns, golds, burgundies, and reds and was inspired by Victorian-era architecture with a modern touch. It was as if I stepped into a palace from a fairytale. There were huge brocade curtains covering the glass windows that surrounded the hallway, sculptures and suits-of-armor guarded the different doors around the mansion, and breathtaking paintings created by both old and new artists were located in every room. The whole mansion smelled like roses, wine, and incense. 

As I was walking around with Lucas in his mansion, I suddenly felt a little jealous of her and the life she lived. Just for a bit though. The guilt came rushing through after a few moments.