Chapter 7: Summer Break

The arrival hall was filled with people waiting for friends and relatives. A Babylonian language mix filled Henry's ears. He paced the free space between various welcoming committees in nervous anticipation. He knew that Josie and the twins had made their flight in Atlanta, and he knew that their plane had an expected delay of twenty minutes. Yet, like a nervous teenager who was afraid to be late for his date, he had driven to the airport far ahead of time.

Another glance at the display made him sigh in relief. They had landed. The plane was fifteen minutes behind schedule, but that was not bad at all for a flight into Heathrow.

He knew from his own experience that they would be another thirty to forty minutes. They could not possibly emerge any sooner from Immigration and HM Customs Service. Yet, their confirmed arrival calmed him somewhat. It was just a matter of minutes before he would see Josie again.

They had talked on the phone at least once a day over the last weeks. Mostly, he had been calling her. After Josie's visit to Maidenhead, they had at first stuck to a strict script during their phone conversations. He always alluded to their chance meeting at High Matcham in case somebody listened in on their phone conversations. Henry was well aware of the sweeping powers of American law enforcement agencies after 9/11. Tapping into Josie's phone would only require them to claim that the missing kidnapper was suspected of being a terrorist.

Now another batch of passengers exited the customs area, mostly wearing African clothing. 'Hardly from Atlanta, ' he thought and relaxed. He contemplated the scenarios for himself and Josie. It would be difficult to move beyond friendship and casual sex. Her home and her business were in Atlanta. He, on the other hand, could not move to the US. Applying for residency would require him to give fingerprints. He was worried that he might have left prints at the hideout. While he could probably get away with the killings of Larry and Rico (especially if Josie testified in his favour), the death of Max Maxwell had been a premeditated murder whichever way one looked at it. Any DA worth his salt would try to get him on death row for that and would probably succeed. No, he could not move to Atlanta to be with Josie.

The door from the Customs area opened again and Henry spotted a man wearing an Atlanta Braves sweatshirt. He positioned himself closer to the sliding door. Another two or three minutes later, four females emerged. The twins were leading the charge followed closely by a young Hispanic woman whilst Josie brought up the rear. She spotted Henry at once and quickly stepped forward. Their first hug was restrained; she quickly let go of him and stepped back. Then she pushed the girls forward.

"Henry, please meet my daughters. This one is Patricia and this is Megan."

Henry greeted first Patricia and then Megan and shook their hands.

"Welcome! I hope you will enjoy your stay," he smiled. "I hope I will be able to tell you apart."

"Hi," Patricia answered, her eyes resting on him unwaveringly. They widened, as if in recognition, and she blushed. "I h-hope we'll get along."

"Hi," Megan beamed. "Do you really have old cars and a castle?"

Henry had to grin. "Two old cars, but no castle. It's just an old manor house. I hope you'll like it anyway."

The fourth woman came forward, and Josie introduced her.

"Henry, this is my security adviser, Miss Hernandez. I hired her a month ago. She was the young policewoman I told you about; the one who was wounded when we were abducted."

Henry fought his apprehension. "I'm delighted to meet you, Miss Hernandez!"

"Likewise, Mr. Ruiz-Costa!" she answered in a pleasant voice.

"Please, call me Henry," he said lightly. "Even Harry is okay, but if you call me Mr. Ruiz-Costa, I'll be looking for my father."

"Only if you call me Christina, or Chris."

"A small price to pay. Are you recovered completely? Josie told me that you were badly wounded. Where, in your leg?"

"Yes, I'm fine again," Chris answered casting a grateful look at Josie.

"That's a relief," Henry said, and he meant it.

He took over the luggage cart leading the four women outside and to the short-term parking deck. He had borrowed Rose's Range Rover to pick up his guests.

"What, no vintage double-decker bus?" Josie joked.

"No, I borrowed Rose Carter's car. It's more suited to transport guests. I couldn't fit all your luggage into the Bentley. I guess I may need to rent a station wagon for your stay."

Once they were all seated and buckled up, Henry left the parking deck. It took them just thirty minutes to reach Matcham, and then they drove the narrow access road leading to the river and to Oxford House. The twins and Christina were properly awed and made the appropriate sounds as they drove up to the southern front. Josie gave him a smile.

"You did more renovations, didn't you?"

"Yes. The roof and the gutters needed some serious work. Andrew gave me some good advice where to apply for assistance. As it turned out, the architect who built the house was rather famous in his time and this is the only building of his still in its original state. The Heritage Foundation is paying for most of the materials. Of course, that left me with the labour costs." He smiled wryly. The labour costs were the bigger part. "Next year, I'll have the windows replaced. Some of them are still original and the heating costs are just outrageous."

He took the two biggest suitcases and led his visitors up the six steps to the entrance. They entered the house in something like a hush, looking around in the entrance hall. The rest of the ground floor had also undergone remodelling since Josie's visit and the results were impressive. The smoke and grime of more than a hundred years was covered with a fresh, eggshell coloured coat of paint, and the plastered ceiling had been restored to its old glory. Josie smiled at him.

"This is so beautiful now! You almost expect to see people in powdered wigs."

"You like it? I had to have all the old wall paintings removed. They were later add-ons, from the 1880s, and the Heritage people insisted on restoring the original look."

"The walls look a bit empty, don't they?"

"I'll get the old mirrors back in a week. The glass is getting a new silver backing, and the frames needed a fresh coat of gold paint. The portraits will get a once-over, next."

"Are you, like, a Lord?" Megan asked with shiny eyes.

"No, that would be my friend Andrew" Henry laughed. "He's a Peer of England. You'll meet him. I'm just a 'landed gentleman', and not even that anymore. My father sold most of our lands in the seventies and eighties when Maidenhead expanded."

"Do you have any knight's armour?" Patricia asked.

"No, this house is way too young for that. It was built in 1830, and there were no knights left in that time. What I do have is my ancestor's sword. It is kept in a bank vault. Once I have proper security set up here, I will put it on display in the dining hall."

Leading his guests upstairs, he showed them to their rooms. Josie showed her surprise. In the ten weeks since her visit, Henry had all the upstairs rooms freshly painted. The beds and wardrobes were still the same, but they had been treated with fresh wax, and the dark wood contrasted nicely with the sunny yellow wall paint.

Two matching beds had been placed in the twins' rooms, and the desk sported a computer. The excited wonder shown by the girls was reward enough for Henry. What delighted them the most was the view over the river. Josie could not help but hug and kiss Henry, much to the amusement of her daughters.

"This is so beautiful," she whispered into his ear. "You are going to get so lucky tonight!"

"Promise?" he asked with a happy smile on his face.

"Promise!" she answered. "I hope you will have room for Chris. I should have notified you of her coming. I just completely forgot. She has become a part of us so fast that I just did not think of it."

"Let me think," Henry started. "She could have my room, but then I'd have to intrude on you. Would you mind?"

Josie blushed to her daughters' delighted giggles. Before she could answer, Henry kissed her.

"I'm kidding you. All the second storey rooms have been renovated. The room across from my own is free. We'll get a bed frame from the attic, and then we'll go and find a foam mattress this afternoon. Don't worry. We'll fix her up so nicely that she'll never want to leave."

Josie punched his arm. "Don't embarrass me!" she whispered.

"Okay, ladies! How about I treat you to lunch?"

"Can you cook?" Josie asked, remembering the piles of microwave pizzas in the basement holding.

"No, not really. I have borrowed Rose's cook. She is already slaving away for my visitors in the kitchen."

More 'Oh's' and 'Ah's' ensued when Henry showed them into the dining room. Again, Josie showed her surprise when she saw the bright paint and restored plaster of the high-ceilinged room. A long table in the form of a 'T' dominated the room. The crossbar of the 'T' even sat on a dais, and that was where they would sit. Henry vanished briefly to tell the cook about the additional visitor and rejoined them with a plate, silverware and a glass for Chris.

Soon Mrs. Emmet, the cook, made her appearance. She served the first course, a soup. Over the next hour they enjoyed their midday dinner. Henry explained his plans for the house to Josie and to the increasingly interested twin girls.

After lunch, Henry returned the Range Rover to High Matcham whilst his guests used the time to freshen up. He returned in style driving the Bentley. Rose had confessed to taking it for a spin in the morning, something that he had expected.

Rose had also told him that she had located an even older Bentley, a 3 1/2-litre model from 1933, in a village in Nottinghamshire. She was in negotiations with the owner and planned to get it for Andrew's birthday. That should ensure her Drew's undying love Henry thought with a smile.

Josie was sitting on the front steps enjoying the sun when he arrived. She stood and came over to the car. Before he could alight, she leaned over the side to kiss him. It was rather a long kiss to make up for ten weeks of separation.

"When I'm with you I feel all right with us," she confessed. "It's just that when I'm alone in Atlanta that I get my doubts. There are so many uncertainties. Anyway, I missed you."

"I missed you more than I can say, Josie. I've done a lot of thinking, too. We need to talk about a lot of things, but not today. Today, I will pamper you and the girls. And tonight, I'll just pamper you."

"Sounds nice! Say, you're not mad at me for bringing Chris?"

"No, that's fine. She can look after the girls whilst I have my way with you."

"So that's all you're after?" she smiled at him.

"It's a big part," he grinned back.

"Nice work with that bathroom, by the way. I saw that you kept that monster of a bath tub."

"It will get a new coat of enamel, but there wasn't enough time left."

"You have a wonderful house, Henry. Pat and Megan love it too."

"Aw shucks, 'tain't nuthin', Ma'am," he deadpanned. "I just had it done so you would like it and come back as often as possible."

"You're sweet," she said ruffling his hair and kissing him again.

Nobody had ruffled his hair since his mother died twenty-five years ago. The simple gesture touched his heart and he kissed her back with feeling.

"Should we drive over to Ellen's place?" he asked when they separated. "She promised to have horses for you and your daughters."

"Let me get them!" Josie gushed.

Not ten minutes later, the four women came down from their rooms. Josie made a face when she saw the Land Rover waiting. Henry noticed her look.

"No way three of you could fit into the back of the Bentley," Henry explained.

The girls and Christina climbed into the back and sat on the bench seat, whilst Josie sat in the passenger seat. Henry drove over little used farm roads towards Woodbridge Manor. Ellen was already outside and smiling broadly at her visitors.

For the next hour, Pat and Megan were in heaven. They had never been in touch with animals before and Ellen had picked two gentle mares for them. They spent the next hour petting, scratching and brushing the animals, whilst Josie went on a short ride with Ellen.

All too soon they had to leave again. The girls in the rear chattered excitedly all the way home whilst Josie pressed Henry's hand. Supper was ready when they arrived, which was good as they had developed a good appetite over the long afternoon.

After supper, Henry showed them the back yard and the riverbank. The old ford over the river that had given the house its name had long since been dredged away. They could see all sorts of sports boats on the river.

Henry had to tell the story of the house. He told of how his ancestor Admiral Sir Anthony Carter had built the house for his daughter Eleanor. It was part of her dowry when she married Don Antonio Ruiz de Costa, and it was built close to his own home of High Matcham. It was also close to Woodbridge Manor. That had been the home of his son Richard Carter, who became the third Baron Lambert.