“She sounds amazing,” I commented, feeling like I was supposed to say something.
“I think you and Murphy will get along famously,” Victoria said.
Okay, so I was feeling less nervous, but now she thinks I could be best friends with her aerospace engineer daughter. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll have a lot in common.
“My sons, on the other hand, are more like their father,” Victoria went on. “They think the world is only about their careers.”
“Do they have big careers like your daughter?” I asked, twirling my hair like I always did.
“Yes, two are doctors and the other two or architects . she said, as if it were nothing.
“Wow, you must be very proud,” I said, almost panicking at the thought of being in a family like this.
Come on, girl, you’re in school to be a veterinarian. That’s a doctor too.
“I love my sons, and yes, I’m a proud mother, but as I am getting older, I want grandchildren. But more than that, I want to see them happy,” she said.
“And you think a mail-order bride is the key to this happiness?” I asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m all about family and doing everything you can for them, but in this case, what if he doesn’t want me as….a bride?”
“In there lies my concern and nervousness,” Victoria said, turning onto the prettiest street canopied with oak trees. “We’ll get through this together. You’ll need to trust me with our little secret until Christmas morning.”
“Can you do that?”
Chapter 7
MIA
Victoria’s home was not what I would have imagined. It is what perhaps I should have imagined from someone who just bought her son a bride for $400,000.
We pulled into the five-car garage. My eyes were drawn immediately to a cherry red ’68 Corvette.
That’s not a car I expected to see next to a brand new Bentley. I’d take the Corvette over the Bentley any day.
I rolled out of the little Porsche I’d been cramped up in for the last two hours. I didn’t want to, but the yawn and the stretch just came on me. I waited by the trunk for my suitcase, but Victoria gestured for me to follow.
Okay, I guess I will come back for it and take a closer look at that Corvette.
The short walk on the covered walkway through a courtyard of fountains, koi ponds and lavish rose gardens was like something out of a movie.
Note to self, find a good book and park yourself on that beautifully carved antique bench.
I’d been sightseeing as we approached the house, as she called it. I would call it a mansion. We entered a side door into an adorable foyer the size of my whole apartment. It was simply decorated in shades of olive and white with white benches lining one wall, coat hooks, and a key box for each amazing car in the garage.
Would they even notice if I took a joyride in just one of those cars? Ha, cracking yourself up again, Mia. As if you would have the guts to do it.
The grand double staircase took my breath away. Paintings that were worth more than my contract adorned the walls of the living room we passed through. A maid met us in the dining hall with its table for twenty and views of the now sparse forest that I knew would be lush and green in the spring.
“Mia, this is Diana, our housekeeper,” Victoria said. “She’ll help you to your suite and get you unpacked and settled. I’m sure you’re tired, and I have another call to attend to before dinner.”
“Miss Mia, welcome to the manor,” Diana said, reaching for my purse. “Come with me, and let’s get you comfortable. Would you like a drink or a snack?”
“Thank you, Diana,” I said, liking her already. “You don’t need to take my bag. I can carry it and… You know, I’m thirsty, so if you can point me to the kitchen, I would love some water.”
Diana clucked at me.
She actually clucked at me.
“No, Miss Mia, that’s my job,” Diana said, still smiling warmly. “I’m happy to help any friend of Victoria’s. She’s the best boss I’ve ever had. Come, let’s go to the kitchen.”
“This is an amazing house,” I said to Diana, following her to the kitchen. “It’s very intimidating. My house back home would fit in just the living room.”
The kitchen had four ovens, three stoves, two sinks, and an indoor barbeque with a white stone chimney for the smoke. There was a white stone fireplace matching the barbeque stone. The coziest breakfast nook was tucked to one side. A table sat in the middle with a long bench on one side and soft, high-backed chairs on the other. The kitchen was surrounded by glass overlooking yet another flower bed and lavish fountains. This was by far my favorite room, so far. I could see myself drinking tea in the morning curled up on the couch by the fire with the newspaper.
I wonder if they get the newspaper. I hope they do. I still want to keep up with the world. Well, if they don’t? I can get my own. How will I get my own if I don’t have a car?
“Miss Mia, here is your water,” Diana interrupted my thoughts. “Since you’re in the kitchen, let me introduce you to our cook, Mrs. Williams. She is here from noon to eight p.m. every day.”
“Oh, hello, Mrs. Williams,” I said, putting my hand out. “I’ll bet you absolutely love working in this amazing kitchen.”
“Good evening, Miss Mia,” Mrs. Williams said warmly. “Yes, it’s a wonderful kitchen. Can I get you a snack to hold you until dinner?”
“I wouldn’t want to put you out,” I said. “You look like you’re getting ready to prepare a meal.”
“No problem at all, Mia,” Mrs. Williams shuffled over around the island. “How about a slice of pecan pie? I can send it up to your room so you can go get settled in.”
Mrs. Williams is very nice, but I know when I am being shooed out of a room. I hope I’ll be allowed to hang out in that nook area sometime.
I wonder who is there in the mornings if Mrs. Williams doesn’t come in until noon. A maid and a cook. I’m going to guess they don’t cook their own breakfast. I wonder if I can cook my own breakfast?
“Thanks, Mrs. Williams,” I said, following behind Diana who was hurrying back into the grand foyer.
“Diana, what time is dinner, by the way?” I asked, suddenly realizing they probably had formal dinners around here. “Am I supposed to dress up for dinner?”
“Dinner is promptly at seven p.m. every night in the formal dining room,” Diana said. “Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne usually dress for dinner but not formal.”
If I have to go up and down those grand staircases too many times a day, I won’t need to jog every morning.
Can Victoria and her husband go up and down these stairs every day? They probably have an elevator somewhere. I don’t think I saw her go to the stairs when we went to the kitchen.
It was surreal to be in a mansion like this being escorted by a maid to “my suite.”
I could get used to this, but is my future husband rich like this too?Just because his parents are rich doesn’t necessarily say he is. I mean the profile said wealthy doctor, but I didn’t imagine this kind of wealthy.
The hallway Diana called the west wing had twelve-foot ceilings, heavy velvet green tapestries, and more expensive art, all overlooking the grand foyer. My suite’s entrance had double doors, for crying out loud, and it was the size of a department store. The four-poster king-sized bed faced a white stone fireplace already crackling and warm.