Free Lord Barry's Dream House by Emily Hendrickson Page B

consider change and clinging to the past.” She forgot for the moment that he had capitulated on the shower bath. “One never knows about people, does one?”
    With that she-marched into the house and up the stairs without hesitation nor a glance to see how her words might have hit him.
    I will strangle her, Edmund thought, ignoring how the butler might interpret the fierce expression on his face.
    “Ah, Lord Barry,” Lady Hamilton cried as she came into the entry room, obviously from the regions of the kitchen and on her way to her own rooms above. “I trust your visit to the construction site was edifying?”
    “Indeed, my lady. Highly edifying. Illuminating, in fact,” he added with wry understatement. He joined her in the walk up the stairs.
    “Oh, good, for I know how much this all means to Juliana. Although, mind you, I cannot understand why she will not allow Sir Phineas to assume direction. Do you know he does the most fascinating designs in the Gothic style? Although I cannot appreciate the gargoyles he likes so much. Repulsive creatures, do you not think?”
    Without awaiting an answer, she waved at him, then disappeared down the hall in the direction of her rooms.
    Gothic style? Gargoyles? Perhaps his plight could be worse, he mused as he entered the room assigned to him.
    The party on the morrow might be most interesting should he convince Sir Phineas to put forth his ideas on architecture. Perhaps Lady Juliana had reason to detest Sir Phineas. How would she react were Edmund to pit Sir Phineas and his Gothic leanings against her radical notions? At least Gothic was traditional in design, was it not? Or had it altered like everything else Edmund had held to be sacred?
    Puzzled and disconcerted, Edmund allowed his valet to assist him in changing for dinner. If nothing else, life in the coming days and weeks would not be dull. Far from it.

 
    Chapter Fi ve
    “ Kitty, I have never felt so frustrated in my entire life. That man is absolutely dreadful!” Juliana plumped herself down on the window seat to survey her younger sister, her face quite reflecting her feelings.
    “I thought him most polite,” Kitty objected mildly.
    “Polite! Well, allow me to put you straight on that matter. I will agree that when a pretty woman is around Lord Barry, he is all charm and smooth words and devastating smiles. But when it comes to the wonderful innovations I worked so hard to have installed in his house, well! He is an utter monster. However”—a delighted gleam entered her eyes—“I did convince him that a shower bath would be quite acceptable. And he appeared to accept my drawing for the balusters. I do not think he cares overmuch for the buffet that Papa designed, sad to say. I expect it overwhelmed him.” She exchanged a rueful look with her sister.
    “I should like to see this buffet. Does it truly have hot and cold running water? The footman will be able to rinse the glasses? Oh, any woman would be pleased with that. Think how it will save on the amount of crystal necessary!” Kitty clapped her hands with delight, then added, “Mama would like it, I feel quite sure.”
    “Lord Barry does not, not in the least. I could tell, even if he was excruciatingly polite about it.”
    “I must say, I thought better of the man,” Kitty said thoughtfully, subsiding in the window seat close to her sister, watching her face carefully.
    “I just know I shall have a battle with him over the matter of the hot-air heating I intend to have completed in a week or two. He does not realize that things are so far along,” she confessed with a guilty grimace. “I never dreamed that he would not be pleased to have a warm house in the winter. The pipes are all in place. They must be tested and then connected to the boiler—and I confess I do not understand quite how it all works, but Henry has assured me that he does and will take care of the matter for me. Dear Henry—what would I do without him?”
    Kitty studied her