Daring In a Blue Dress by Katie MacAlister Page A

estimate.”
    â€œWhat was that noise? It sounded like a banshee screaming.”
    â€œIt was the mantel. I believe it just tried to commit suicide.”
    Alden grasped the curtain, and gave it a sideways tug.
    The curtain came loose in his hand, and slithered to the floor with a dejected
fwoop
ing noise, a small mushroom cloud of dust rising around him, immediately settling on his shoes, and trouser legs.
    Alden pursed his lips.
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous. Inanimate objects like mantels don’t get depressed and suicidal.”
    â€œYou haven’t seen this place,” Alden countered, squinting out of the flyspecked window. He thought it looked out onto the garden at the side of the house, but it was difficult to see through what must be decades of grime and neglect. “It’s like the whole house has gone emo. If it was a person, I’d expect it to be clothed in black, drinking absinthe, and writing depressing poetry about the futility of life and the existential being of nothingness.”
    â€œNow you’re being dramatic. A house is a house is a house. As you should well know, having grown up here. If any house had the right to mope around and write sad poetry, it would be Ainslie Castle.”
    The second curtain, with a little whisper of hopelessness, rippled and fell to the floor next to its partner. Alden coughed and waved away the eruption of dust.
    His shoes were now almost gray. “I repeat, you haven’t seen this place. And that’s not the worst of it.”
    â€œOh? What’s happened other than your car having issues?”
    Alden told Elliott about Lady Sybilla, and the frustration of having to deal not only with her, but with what was apparently going to be some sort of medieval fair in his back garden. “And don’t tell me to throw Lady Sybilla out, El. I can’t do it, I just can’t. I tried, but she just looked at me with those faded eyes, and shaky hands, and all I could picture was the poor old thing being stuffed into a nursing home.”
    â€œBut she has a home in the gatekeeper’s lodge that you agreed to let her use until her demise.”
    â€œYou know that, and I know that, but Lady Sybilla seems to feel otherwise.” Alden ran a hand through his hair before remembering it was covered in dust and cobwebs. “I just have to face the fact that I’m stuck with her until I absolutely have to move her out of her rooms. Fortunately, there’s a lot I can do in other parts of the house where she won’t be in the way. It’s the other group I really want rid of. Surely I can’t be expected to honor any agreement made by a former owner? What’s the legality of that?”
    â€œHmm.” Elliott was quiet for a minute. “It doesn’t sound like you should be responsible for letting those people have your garden, but on the other hand, this is English civil law we’re talking about—I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing was considered a debt on the estate, and thus it transfers to the new owner.”
    â€œGreat.” Alden nudged aside the pools of fallen curtains to sit down on the window seat below the now-denuded window. Across the room, a lightbulb in the wall sconce fizzled, then went out with a soft pop. “So I’m stuck with them?”
    â€œI don’t know. Talk to the solicitor who handled the sale and see what he has to say.”
    â€œI will, although he seems to be more on Lady Sybilla’s side than mine. Old family retainers, I think.”
    Elliott snorted. “If you like, I can ask around.”
    â€œI don’t know.” Alden got to his feet and wandered over to the fireplace to see just how bad the mantel was. He didn’t even flinch when, placing his hand on it, the end still attached released its hold on the wall and fell to his feet. Dust swirled up into the fireplace in an intricate design. “Legal opinion takes time. The