asked Fee as we prepared to leave.
“I think hearts will be breaking all over Wonderland when they get a load of you two, yeah?” Fee said.
“We should give her a raise,” I said to Viv.
“Agreed. I have my mobile,” Viv said to Fee. “Call me if you need me.”
“Right,” Fee said.
I had convinced the Grisby family to hire my friend Andre to take pictures of the event. He met us in front of the shop with his equipment loaded into his car and ready to ride.
“Well, look what dropped down from heaven,” he said when he saw us. Andre was looking very dapper himself in black slacks and a cream-colored shirt that complemented the rich brown color of his skin.
“Flattery will get you anywhere,” I said and kissed his cheek.
He grinned. “You’re only saying that because you know I’m already taken.”
He opened the doors for Viv and me, I sat in front and we shot out into the midafternoon traffic. The Grisby estate wasn’t far, and Andre gave a quick history lesson along the way.
“The Grisby estate is called Grisby Hall and it’s located on Bishops Avenue,” Andre said.
“Where all the posh reside,” Viv said from the backseat.
“Indeed,” Andre agreed. “Grisby Hall was built in the eighteen twenties by a steel industrialist, Charles Brady. Unfortunately, his wife spent him into poverty and Geoffrey Grisby Senior’s grandfather, Malcolm Grisby, who was a business associate of Brady’s, picked it up for a song.”
“He must have had quite a voice,” I quipped. Both Andre and Viv rolled their eyes.
“Safe to say he knew how to sing for his supper,” Viv said. They both chuckled, and this time I rolled my eyes.
Andre drove past Hampstead Heath on Spaniards Road toward the exclusive addresses on Bishops Avenue.
“Where did the Grisbys get their fortune?” I asked.
“Malcolm Grisby was also an industrialist. He was what I believe you Americans call a robber baron,” Andre said. “His money came mostly from paying low wages, having good friends in parliament, and crushing his competition by buying them out.”
“Ruthless,” I said.
“Utterly,” Andre agreed.
“It seems the Grisby men like to make money,” Viv said. “I think they consider it quite macho.”
“Do you suppose they’re compensating for something?” I asked. I thought of Geoffrey’s inability to father a child. “Or perhaps for the lack of something?”
Andre laughed. “That’s certainly a theory.”
He turned onto Bishops Avenue and I felt my jaw drop. I had heard it was an exclusive area, but until I saw the tree-lined street with gated mansions, I’d had no idea.
We drove past several huge houses, when Andre put on his signal to turn.
Two large wrought iron gates embellished with gold were open and he pulled right through. In front of us sat a sprawling Greek Revival mansion with a green metal roof and six wide white columns supporting the portico. Painted a bright, blinding white, it was breathtaking.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. “Geoffrey Grisby Sr. left all of this to go live in Italy for thirty years with his mistress?”
“That’s about the size of it,” Andre said as he stepped out of the car. He popped the trunk in back and grabbed his gear and then handed his keys to a waiting valet.
“Did he have children with his mistress?” Viv asked.
“It’s my understanding that his plumbing had been rerouted, so that wasn’t really an option,” Andre said.
“So he had a kink in his pipe.” Viv chortled.
“I would think a good plunging would take care of that,” I joked.
They both looked at me and Andre shook his head and gave me a pained look.
“Fine, be that way,” I said, knowing full well that they enjoyed teasing me. “Still, I suppose that makes things less complicated. Daphne’s already furious that everything was left to her brother Geoffrey, can you imagine what would have happened if their father had a whole other family that he actually remembered
“I think hearts will be breaking all over Wonderland when they get a load of you two, yeah?” Fee said.
“We should give her a raise,” I said to Viv.
“Agreed. I have my mobile,” Viv said to Fee. “Call me if you need me.”
“Right,” Fee said.
I had convinced the Grisby family to hire my friend Andre to take pictures of the event. He met us in front of the shop with his equipment loaded into his car and ready to ride.
“Well, look what dropped down from heaven,” he said when he saw us. Andre was looking very dapper himself in black slacks and a cream-colored shirt that complemented the rich brown color of his skin.
“Flattery will get you anywhere,” I said and kissed his cheek.
He grinned. “You’re only saying that because you know I’m already taken.”
He opened the doors for Viv and me, I sat in front and we shot out into the midafternoon traffic. The Grisby estate wasn’t far, and Andre gave a quick history lesson along the way.
“The Grisby estate is called Grisby Hall and it’s located on Bishops Avenue,” Andre said.
“Where all the posh reside,” Viv said from the backseat.
“Indeed,” Andre agreed. “Grisby Hall was built in the eighteen twenties by a steel industrialist, Charles Brady. Unfortunately, his wife spent him into poverty and Geoffrey Grisby Senior’s grandfather, Malcolm Grisby, who was a business associate of Brady’s, picked it up for a song.”
“He must have had quite a voice,” I quipped. Both Andre and Viv rolled their eyes.
“Safe to say he knew how to sing for his supper,” Viv said. They both chuckled, and this time I rolled my eyes.
Andre drove past Hampstead Heath on Spaniards Road toward the exclusive addresses on Bishops Avenue.
“Where did the Grisbys get their fortune?” I asked.
“Malcolm Grisby was also an industrialist. He was what I believe you Americans call a robber baron,” Andre said. “His money came mostly from paying low wages, having good friends in parliament, and crushing his competition by buying them out.”
“Ruthless,” I said.
“Utterly,” Andre agreed.
“It seems the Grisby men like to make money,” Viv said. “I think they consider it quite macho.”
“Do you suppose they’re compensating for something?” I asked. I thought of Geoffrey’s inability to father a child. “Or perhaps for the lack of something?”
Andre laughed. “That’s certainly a theory.”
He turned onto Bishops Avenue and I felt my jaw drop. I had heard it was an exclusive area, but until I saw the tree-lined street with gated mansions, I’d had no idea.
We drove past several huge houses, when Andre put on his signal to turn.
Two large wrought iron gates embellished with gold were open and he pulled right through. In front of us sat a sprawling Greek Revival mansion with a green metal roof and six wide white columns supporting the portico. Painted a bright, blinding white, it was breathtaking.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said. “Geoffrey Grisby Sr. left all of this to go live in Italy for thirty years with his mistress?”
“That’s about the size of it,” Andre said as he stepped out of the car. He popped the trunk in back and grabbed his gear and then handed his keys to a waiting valet.
“Did he have children with his mistress?” Viv asked.
“It’s my understanding that his plumbing had been rerouted, so that wasn’t really an option,” Andre said.
“So he had a kink in his pipe.” Viv chortled.
“I would think a good plunging would take care of that,” I joked.
They both looked at me and Andre shook his head and gave me a pained look.
“Fine, be that way,” I said, knowing full well that they enjoyed teasing me. “Still, I suppose that makes things less complicated. Daphne’s already furious that everything was left to her brother Geoffrey, can you imagine what would have happened if their father had a whole other family that he actually remembered
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