Eleanor woke the next morning. The sun was shining through the windows along the one side of the bedroom, casting the room in a pretty bright glow. They had left the doors wide open, feeling safe in the middle of nowhere, and it was a straight drop down from the deck outside. Eleanor could hear the birds chirping contentedly outside. The country air was so fresh and crisp that she felt as though she had slept for a million years instead of just eight hours.
Eleanor turned over in bed, sliding easily in the expensive soft sheets. Through the window she could see the lake below, and a perfectly framed view of the mountain. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, savoring the fresh air.
Jackson flopped over in bed, sending his good arm over her mid-section.
Eleanor opened her eyes, and thought about closing her eyes again and going back to sleep. She couldn’t remember ever feeling more rested, even more rest sounded like a good idea. And a large part of her didn’t want to get out of bed.
Jackson groaned against the pillow. “Wat time is it?” He asked groggily.
Eleanor reluctantly pulled one arm out from under the blankets and reached for her phone. She pressed the button and read the time. “Oh my god, it’s ten in the morning.” She groaned. “We slept in.”
“I think we should stay in bed all day.” He mused.
Eleanor considered this for a moment. “It’s tempting. But I do have work to do. I came here for a reason, remember?”
Jackson sighed. “Oh, yeah. Right.”
Eleanor pushed back the blankets and sat up. She smoothed down her hair awkwardly. “I’m going to to try out that fancy shower before I get dressed.”
Jackson nodded. “Good plan. I’m going to shower later, I think. I kind of want to use the pool.”
“How are you going to do that and not get your cast wet?” Eleanor asked, lifting up her suitcase and placing it on the luggage stand. She opened the suitcase and began rummaging through it for something to wear.
“There are ways.” He grinned.
Eleanor shut the doors to the deck and walked into the bathroom to shower.
After she showered and got dressed, she dried her hair. She found Jackson sitting on the sofa watching television. He had gotten dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and a flannel button down shirt. He’d made a solid attempt to comb his hair. His arm was back in the sling. A bottle of pain killers was sitting on the coffee table in front of him.
“How is your arm?” Eleanor asked.
“It’s alright.” He answered. “Hurts a little, but nothing I can’t handle.” He shrugged with his good arm.
“Are you sure?” She asked dubiously.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He answered.
“Alright, well, I’m getting kind of hungry. We should head to the manor for breakfast…. Or I guess brunch now.” Eleanor said. “Are you getting hungry?”
“Of course.” Jackson grinned. “Most of all, I need coffee, though.”
“Me too.” Eleanor smiled. “Come on, let’s go and see what’s for breakfast.”
Jackson stood up from the sofa. He followed Eleanor out the door and locked it with the key they had been given. He led the way down the path, twisting through the trees until they reached the clearing that surrounded the manor. They walked across the broken stone path to the court yard and slipped inside, letting themselves in the same door as they had gone out the night before.
“Do you think anyone is up?” Jackson whispered, moving his good arm around her shoulder.
“Probably.” Eleanor answered in a whisper. “I have this strange feeling that there are hidden cameras around here watching our every move…”
Jackson smirked.
They stepped into the hallway that spanned the entire length of the first floor. After only taking a few steps, the kitchen door swung open and Corrine emerged. She looked slightly more frazzled than usual. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head. She was wearing black pants, a black turtleneck and her usual ballet flats.
She stopped dead in her tracks. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Great!” Jackson grinned. “Best sleep I’ve had in ages!”
“Wonderful.” Corrine answered, smiling. “Come on into the dining room, I’ll have the kitchen staff bring you some fresh coffee. Are you hungry? I’ll have the staff bring you breakfast as well.”
“Thank you,” Eleanor said. She was just about desperate for a decent cup of coffee. Even a crappy cup of coffee would do.
Corrine politely escorted them to the dining room, where they sat down in the same places where they had sat the night before for dinner.
Eleanor looked around the dining room, then peered out into the hall.
“I know that look,” Jackson said. “What’s up?”
“What look?” Eleanor frowned at him.
“The look that is on your face right now.” He pointed at her unnecessarily. “What are you thinking?”
Eleanor drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When we did our tour yesterday, did you notice any photos?”
Jackson shrugged. “Sure. There was that picture in the library… and there was one in the sitting room…”
Eleanor shook her head. “No, those are paintings. Artwork. I meant that there are no family photographs, no personal photos…. Nothing to indicate that a person lives in this house.”
Jackson shrugged, without skipping a beat. “Okay, so maybe she has them upstairs. Corrine said that her rooms are upstairs in the upper East Wing, right? Maybe she keeps all of those photos in her private rooms.”
Eleanor pursed her lips. “In a house this big? Does it make sense to keep them all in one place? Why not spread them out?”
He thought about this for a moment. “True. I mean, our place is tiny and you have photos everywhere.”
Before Eleanor could say anything further, one of the wait staff arrived with a tray. He placed the tray down on the table, and placed a mug in front of Eleanor and one in front of Jackson. The waiter placed out dishes of sugar, a small container of cream, sweetener and all of the fixings. At last he poured coffee in to the two mugs and left the jug of coffee on the table in the event they wanted a second cup.
“Is there any specific requests for brunch?” The waiter asked, folding his hands neatly in front of himself.
Eleanor looked at Jackson who grinned broadly.
“I’ll have bacon and eggs.” Jackson said. “And toast if you have it, maybe home fries or hash browns?”
“How would you like your eggs, sir?” The water asked.
“Over easy.” Jackson said with a grin.
“Very well, sir.” The waiter said. He then turned to Eleanor “And for you, ma’am?”
“Uh… I’ll have the same thing he is having. But give me half of what you give him. And scrambled eggs, please.”
“Absolutely. Coming right up.” The waiter turned and left the dinning room.
Eleanor sighed and sat back in her chair, picking up her mug of coffee. She took a long, slow sip.
“I can’t imagine having staff.” Eleanor mused. “I hate having to ask other people to do things for me. It’s so awkward to be telling someone what to do all the time. Telling someone what to make for breakfast and expecting them to do it.”
“Really?” Jackson grinned, stirring sugar into his own mug of coffee. “I feel like it’s something that I could get used to.”
Eleanor laughed. “Of course.”
Corrine swept into the room, “How is everything?” She asked. “How are the coffees?”
“Great, thanks.” Eleanor answered.
Jackson spoke next, with a question that surprised Eleanor. “So will Miss Quinn be joining us for brunch?” He asked.
Corrine straightened. “Unfortunately not at this time. She took her breakfast in her room early this morning. She’s currently working on a project. She fully intends to join you for dinner, though.”
Eleanor looked at Jackson and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Umm… however, there is still the matter of the… confidentiality agreement. The lawyer arrived this morning, and has been waiting for you both to sign it… when you’re ready, perhaps after brunch, if you would like to come to the meeting room and the lawyer will go over everything with you. Its not much, there are just a couple of initials that you’ll need to make and sign a couple of times…” Corrine seemed suddenly nervous and awkward. “You’re aware of the stipulation.”
Eleanor nodded. “Yes of course, it’s why we’re here. We’ll sign the documents if it means we get to meet the author.”
Eleanor was starting to feel like they were getting the run-around. They had been brought all this way to meet and interview the author, but it seemed like the author and the staff were giving them every excuse in the book in order to avoid them. Eleanor was starting to believe that L.M. Quinn wasn’t really as eager to give an interview as she let on.
“Afterward, the day is yours. You can do whatever you’d like. I can let you know if Miss Quinn is able to meet with you sooner.” Corrine explained.
Eleanor didn’t really have much of a choice. She nodded.
A waiter arrived with a cart, bringing their brunch into the dining room for them. The waiter placed a large plate overflowing with food in front of Jackson. He placed another plate—still overflowing with food but slightly less—in front of Eleanor.
“Enjoy your brunch. We can talk after.” Corrine said, quickly leaving the room.