… and there, I see, set in the trees, tumble down and dilapidated, is an old house. Shutters hang from rusty hinges. The roof is showing daylight, and a tree grows out from the inside, reaching for the sky through a broken window. It is a sad remnant of the building it has been.

But it has been, in the past, utterly beautiful.

“It goes with the hotel,” says Michael. “The owners think it needs to be demolished. I don’t agree. Neither does James…” He swings around to my Master, inviting agreement.

“It does need a lot of work,” says my Master. “But yes, I agree, it’s worth saving.”

Hands in his pockets, Michael stands up straight, looking at me. “What do you think?”

“What do I think? Of what? You doing a renovation? Yes, fine, if it’s what you want to do… I’d not realised it was your kind of thing….”

My Master shakes his head, sucking in his cheeks. “You can lead a horse to water….”

Michael looks exasperated. “Charlotte, would you like to live here? For this to be our home?”

Home?

“I’ve never had a.…. home…”

He takes me at the waist, pulling me in, his chin resting on my head. “You can have one now. Would you like this to be it?”

Would I like it?

Oh, my God. Yes!

“Michael, I don’t know what to say…”

“’Yes’ or ‘No’ would be a good start…”

“Yes. Oh God. Yes!”

“Good. That’s decided then. I’ll put in the offer to the owners. Wait here. I’ll be back”

He strides off, leaving me with my Master. He smiles, takes my hand and kisses it. “Happy?”

“Happy, Master? Happy’s not the right word. Ecstatic would be more like it.”

He looks at the crumbling wreck. “Don’t get too carried away. It won’t be fit to live in for some time.”

“Can we go inside?”

“Not yet. Half the roof’s gone. Most of the joists are rotten, and woodworm has had most of the floors. It really will need to be rebuilt from the ground up….”

He is interrupted by Michael’s return.

“You’ve made them the offer?” asks my Master.

“Yup, and now that there’s cash on the table, they want to haggle.”

He snorts. “There’s a surprise. I don’t think you have much competition though.copy right hot novel pub