Free Trust Me to Know You by Jaye Peaches

haven for wildlife. The summer was fast ending, the flowers had lost their petals and the grass was dried out with the diminishing heat of the long days. Perhaps once a field for exercising horses, it had lost its purpose and as, with the rest of the estate, was hidden from the outside world by trees and perimeter fences.
    Part of me was saddened by the neglect. It was not as if the garden was not tended or kept neat. There was evidence of the work of a gardener as the beds were clear of weeds and the shrubs well pruned. An anonymous attender and certainly not Jason. Like the housekeeper, who kept the house in order while Jason worked in the city during the week, people maintained his property in his absence. Through my eyes, so much more could be done with the expanse of land.
    Indoors I found seven bedrooms and his was the biggest by far. Each was furnished with a double bed and generous storage facilities. Two had en-suites and the remainder were served by a large family bathroom with modern clinical finishings. The rooms were impersonal and could easily be found in a high-class bed and breakfast facility or mediocre hotel. They served Jason no purpose and I suspected he rarely made use of his extra rooms. They looked brand new and lacked any signs of wear or tear.
    On the ground floor, as well as the homely kitchen-diner, there was a sumptuous dining room, which seated twelve. I ran my finger along the ebony surface of the table and pretended I was laying the table out for guests. Positioning each item of cutlery precisely and arranging the napkins in some elaborate origami pose. I would be the perfect hostess and enchant our guests with my quick wit and charm. Jason would sit at the head of the table and me at his side, his hand resting on mine. The perfect couple who entertained the rich and famous. Shaking my head, I dismissed my little dream with a snap of my imaginary fingers. It puffed away up into the clouds and I continued my exploration.
    A huge living room with leather suite and original brick lined fireplace. It looked large enough to climb inside. To one side of the fireplace was the tall floor to ceiling bay window, matching the one above in his bedroom. The suite was contemporary in styling and a deep chocolate colour: two armchairs, a three seater and a smaller two seater. The room swallowed up the furniture and still left plenty of floor space. The carpet was a pale cream and warm under my bare feet.
    My artistic brain paid attention to the framed pictures hung across the back wall. They were black and white photographs of landscapes taken at different times of day. Mist rising up from rivers and streams, sunshine creeping through trees and moonlight glistening off frosty leaves. All well-constructed compositions but devoid of personality. Jason’s choice of pictures were there to fill the wall space and not to give an insight into the owner of the property. There could be so much more I could do with all his wall space and I yearned to paint again.
    The room was sparsely furnished with the television located in a separate room with cinematic surround sound and cinema style seats to go with it. Jason had told me he only watched films, selected sports programmes or the news bulletins. Next to this was a wood panelled games room, complete with billiard table, Xbox and a darts board, very boy toys, not the image I had of Jason. In one corner a cupboard and inside were board games, the sort which young children play. I remembered his reference to his extended family, perhaps he had nieces and nephews to entertain. There were the functional rooms at the back of the house, utility, boiler room and a small office off the hallway with monitors showing CCTV of the grounds. I guessed he had a security team but there was no evidence of them about.
    I found the smaller sitting area tucked away at the back of the house. This was where I felt at home. T he room was snugger and had the conservatory adjoining via double