Second Chances

Second Chances

Lois Edmonds

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Lois Edmonds

Cover image by Martin Pittett

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

With a huge sigh of relief that the long drive was at an end, Nina turned into the driveway to Oakworth Manor and negotiated the ruts that had been made even deeper in her absence by the numerous heavy vehicles that were now making frequent deliveries to the house. So far the Yorkshire weather had been kind, but the drive would need seeing to before the winter set in or access would become difficult. Just another thing the mysterious ‘Lord of the Manor’ needed to deal with, she thought with the now familiar ping of curiosity.

Nina parked in the front of the house with the nose of the Landcruiser close to the walled garden. The past few days in London has been particularly successful, and the vehicle was stacked to the roof with bolts of fabric, rolls of wallpaper and boxes of exciting finds from her favourite antique shops.

She stepped out and stretched her tired muscles, stopping short as she did so with surprise as her eyes focused on a pair of jean clad legs stretched out on the top of the old brick wall.

Her gaze travelled along the longest pair of legs she had ever seen, faltering as they reached a magnificent male chest, bared to catch the warmth of the late summer sunshine. A pair of well muscled arms cushioned a dark head, the face of which was sheltered from the sun's glare – and her incredulous scrutiny - by a battered Stetson. Nina’s first reaction was - wow!

Then annoyance took over. How dare this worker laze around when there was so much to do? She would have to speak to the foreman about this!

If you have nothing better to do, perhaps you would be so kind and carry the goods from my car to the works office!

Nina’s scathing tone was met with little reaction at first. Slowly, a hand came up and tilted back the brim of the hat, stomach muscles rippled as his body tensed, and the long, long legs swung around. He moved as gracefully as a big cat to a sitting position facing her and Nina, thankfully still clinging to the open car door, could feel the heat rise through her body as she noted that his tight jeans defined well honed thigh muscles and more than a suggestion of other hidden attributes. Nina finally succeeded in lifting her gaze above his waistline, only to lock with the clearest, bluest and cheekiest - eyes she had ever seen. She couldn't help but stare wordlessly as her senses were assaulted by the sheer maleness of him.

Her eyes managed to break away from his impertinent glare, only to discover a full sensuous mouth, wide shoulders and smooth chest rippling with well developed muscles under smooth skin tanned the shade of warm honey. Good grief, he was gorgeous! But insolent! Her anger rose again as a suggestion of a smirk touched his generous mouth and his deep blue eyes raked over her from head to toe in silent but unmistakeable admiration. With great effort, Nina gained control of her senses.

She turned away and ordered him coolly. The boot is unlocked. Bring those boxes and follow me.

Yes, Ma'am. Certainly, Ma’am. He drawled.

A further prick of annoyance at the sarcastic reply only served to heighten Nina’s colour and she was acutely aware of his eyes boring into her back as she led the way to the estate office that she was using for the duration of her renovation project at Oakworth Manor.

How dare he look her over like that… then, perversely, she wished she was wearing one of her usual smart work suits rather than the casual and comfortable cotton trousers and sweatshirt she has donned that morning for the long journey north.

Nina left him with further instructions to store the rest of the goods and made her way to the kitchen to see Mrs Evans. She found the usually quiet and well organised housekeeper in a state of frenetic activity.

Oh, Miss, thank goodness! she greeted Nina, The Master is here, he arrived quite unannounced early this morning. He has asked for you to meet him for dinner at 6.30, after which he would like a tour of the house. Oh, dear, and it is 4 o’clock already, I must get on!

And with that she bustled away into the pantry, leaving Nina standing fixed to the spot with no chance to talk further.

So, Nina thought with trepidation, she was to meet the mysterious owner of Oakworth Manor at last! Who was he? Would he like what she had done so far? Would he change her designs? Was he here to stay…?

As Nina sorted and stored her new finds for the rooms she was renovating at Oakworth, her thoughts turned to the events of the past three months, smiling ruefully to herself as she realised that it was a long time since she had felt this good about anything in her life.

Eighteen months. Has it really been that long? The memories were as fresh as yesterday. Eighteen months ago, Nina had everything she’d ever wanted. An exciting new business venture with her best friend Sarah, and a new life to look forward to with her fiancé Clive.

Then, on the eve before Nina and Clive’s wedding day, her whole world had fallen apart. Sarah was killed in a car accident. That was devastating enough, but the driver of the car was Clive. Her fiancé and her best friend were eloping when their car collided head-on with a lorry on a narrow country road. Sarah was killed instantly; Clive walked away completely unscathed.

It was taking a long time for Nina to come to terms with the awful betrayal of her trust and love by the two most important people in her life. At first, she raged with anger towards Sarah for taking the man she loved and for carelessly throwing away the business they had both worked so hard to build. Then as the months passed she had been able to let the anger go and at last she was able to mourn the loss of her friend. But her feelings for Clive remained as a hot centre of hurt buried deep in her heart and those tears refused to come. That hurt was taking much longer to heal.

Nina had no close relatives of her own and Sarah, Clive and his parents, Maisie and Bill Greenall, were like family to her. To lose them all as a consequence of one terrible moment was almost too much to bear.

Clive's parents has been wonderful to her even through their own pain at what had happened, but her feelings had been too devastated to keep in contact with them in the months after the aborted wedding. Much to Nina's relief, Maisie had taken on the distasteful task of cancelling the church and reception, and the embarrassment of returning the many gifts to friends and family.

Nina and Sarah’s fledgling interior design business was just finding its feet at the time of the accident and Nina had struggled to keep it going while she was coming to terms with what had happened. The contract to renovate Oakworth Manor had come along at a crucial time, not only for the business but for Nina herself, as she had been able to immerse herself totally into the planning and designing stages of the project. For the first time in many months, she was able to look to the future with hope and anticipation.

A fax had arrived on her machine late one June evening, with comprehensive floor plans of Oakworth Manor, a list of the required work with details of a generous budget, followed by a request for immediate acceptance by return fax if Nina Interiors could guarantee completion in six months - and guarantee complete confidentiality. There was no signature or other contact details to give any clues as to who had sent the fax.

Nina had initial misgivings at this unorthodox method of communication and the uncompromising deadline, but, at once intrigued and excited, she decided to accept. After all, it wasn’t as if she had any other options in the wings. She composed a letter of acceptance with her own conditions for the contract and faxed it before she could change her mind. An anonymous bank cheque arrived promptly as an advance of expenses, and she was still none the wiser as to the identity of her client.

A week later Nina was wending her way through narrow country lanes in the depths of Yorkshire - following a map she had received by yet another fax - until she finally turned into an overgrown and unmarked gate way. Grateful for the sturdy Landcruiser, Nina negotiated the deeply rutted driveway lined with dense growth for about two kilometres and eventually the imposing frontage of the house had emerged before her.

Oakworth Manor was a rambling country house that had been added to and altered many times over the past 400 years. Large windows on two levels either side of a crumbling yet still grand central entrance hinted at its former glorious days. It nestled comfortably in a sheltered valley surrounded by open parkland interspersed with pockets of mature woodland and dissected by a small stream that sparkled in the afternoon sunshine. It was an idyllic setting and Nina's sense of anticipation had been heightened at the thought of the many days she would be spending there in the next few months. Hard work in the midst of such beauty was just what she needed.

Nina's first visit had done little to satisfy her curiosity about her client. The door had been opened by a kindly but reserved woman who introduced herself as Mrs Evans, the housekeeper. She accompanied Nina on a thorough inspection of the house and answered all her questions knowledgeably, referring only to the 'Master' and responding to Nina’s direct request for a name with, My goodness, look at the time, I will go and make us a nice cup of tea while you finish looking around up here!

On closer inspection, the mellowed brickwork, peeling paint and general air of neglect both inside and outside the house exuded a sadness that Nina found disquieting. It was not malevolent, it was more a curious feeling that touched a sensitive nerve in Nina’s sub-conscious. This feeling intensified as she passed through a gateway in the high brick wall that surrounded the back of the house.

Where there should have been a two storey wing to the east of the house there was only a scarred and blackened wall with patches of newer bricks where the more extensive damage had been repaired. A hint of the previous structure remained in the occasional clump of charred brick and timbers visible in the dense undergrowth. A fire had clearly destroyed a substantial part of the building and apart from making the adjoining wall secure and weatherproof nothing had been done to either repair the damage or clear the charred remains. Nina was surprised that there had been no mention of this in the very detailed specifications for the rest of the house.

When she mentioned this to Mrs Evans, the housekeeper replied, Yes, there was a fire here about five years ago. The Master hasn’t lived here since.

She offered nothing more by way of an explanation, and it was said in such a manner it was clear no further questions on the subject would be welcome.

The two months that followed were hectic rounds of engaging local contractors, carrying out further inspections, applying for permits and working many late nights on designs for the rooms. She had made many journeys between London and Oakworth Manor, purchasing materials, instructing curtain makers, arranging for chairs and sofas to be re-upholstered and ordering new furniture. There was still no sign of her mysterious client.

Nina did have many more questions during those first few weeks that went unanswered. Why the secrecy surrounding the identity of her client? When was he coming to inspect the work?

Nina’s thoughts turned to the bedroom she had labelled the Moonlight Room. From the long list of careful instructions for the renovation work, this was the one that intrigued Nina the most. The requirements were very specific. The room was to be decorated in peaceful cool colours with subtle lighting that would remain on all night. Nothing red and nothing dark. Who was it for?

All these questions and more had been still whirling around in Nina’s head during the long drive from London to Yorkshire. She would need more information soon if the work was to be completed on time. Nina was conscious that almost half of the six months contract had passed, and there was still a lot to do to complete the work before the deadline, which was just one week before Christmas.

Perhaps now that the owner had at last shown his face, she would get some of the answers.

Finished in the office for now, Nina carried her overnight bag to the rooms at the back of the house that she was using during her frequent visits. Basic but cosy, the living room, bedroom and bathroom were once servant’s quarters that Nina had made into her own space with a few personal touches. Vivid throws and cushions brightened up shabby yet comfortable chairs and a thick patchwork quilt covered the bed.

It was more like home to her now than the contemporary designer flat she had shared with Clive. Most importantly to Nina, it carried none of the unhappy memories that had threatened to swamp her again on her recent return to London as they did every time she stepped through the doorway into the impersonal white tiled foyer of her third floor apartment. She would be sorry when these renovations were complete and she would have to leave the little haven of peace she had created in this rambling old mansion.

After a long soak in a scented bath, Nina felt more up to the challenge ahead of her. She dressed with care in a simple low cut black velvet sheath that always made her feel good. She needed the boost of confidence from