The Lawson's second mansion was a sight to behold. The automatic sensor gates that opened up as the car drove in revealing the gigantic trees that waylayed side by side was intimidating enough. Straight ahead was a beautifully sculptured fountain. Some birds played around but flew off as soon as the car approached.
The building itself, a three storey tower, was a palace with no visible guards. There were CCTV cameras almost everywhere. Some were noticeable, others, probably most, were not.
When Ariana had gone for the family dinner the last time, it was a different house.
The guards, Ariana would come to understand, where somewhere in a room, watching the going in and out of everyone. There were two always on duty, and two others who switched shifts. Their duty was to monitor movements and report suspicions to the base, where a team of armed, trained and ever ready men were on alert.
The security men needn't worry much. There was hardly any external threat to security. This was because the Lawson's family house was in an isolated environment, almost outside town. Nevertheless, one could never be too sure. The threat could even come from within the palace itself.
A butler and two other maidservants walked over to the car as it stopped. They took out the luggages after greeting their guests. The tall building seemed even more humongous as Ariana stepped out of the car.
Ariana had thought she'd be able to handle this. No way. She had miscalculated. This was more than she had expected. She felt like running back into the car. Unfortunately, the driver had driven it to the garage.
Calhoun was likewise skeptical about this whole idea. What if something went wrong? How could Ariana look at him if his family ended up treating her disdainfully? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
They both held hands as they walked through the doorway into the house. Calhoun needed Ariana just as much as she needed him to pull through this. And so, with their hearts in their mouths, they breathed in the sweet smell of fresh flowers as they both stepped inside.
The house had barely changed since the last time Calhoun had visited. It looked strange, like it wasn't the same house he had had his childhood memories in. Some of the paintings on the wall had been removed and replaced with new ones.
There was one painting Calhoun had been fascinated about while growing up. It was that of a soldier in battle, piercing his sword through an enemy. Both were screaming. The former, in rage. The latter, in anguish.
Now the painting that stood in its place was that of a little girl, playing close to a river. Her dress, flowing in the wind. Grandfather was a lover of paintings. But no one really knew what these paintings actually meant.
A big bosomy woman came along and greeted. She seemed to be a member of the family. She hugged Calhoun tightly and smiled at Ariana briefly. Ariana returned the favor. The bosomy lady and Calhoun talked for a while about other things. She then led Ariana upstairs to her room, while Calhoun needed no directions as to where his room was.
"Dinner's in a couple of hours time," the bosomy woman announced to Ariana, "freshen up and come down whenever you are ready."
"Ow certainly," Ariana smiled, "thank you."
Ariana unpacked her luggages and took a bath. She wore a flowery gown, just like the one of the girl in the painting and she headed out to the kitchen. The house was big. She trusted her guts to direct her in finding the where the kitchen was. Finally, she found it.
"Ow miss, you shouldn't be here," one of the cooks protested. Ariana coughed. There was a lot of smoke in the kitchen.
"I want to lend a helping hand," Ariana struggled to say.
The big bosomy woman appeared. "Ow goodness Miss Ariana, you should be taking your rest now."
"I got bored," Ariana replied. "Show me, is there anything I could do?"
The big bosomy woman didn't want to waste much time, there was a lot to do. She didn't want Mr. Lawson Senior to complain again. The last time she almost lost her job. "Okay ma'am. Quick! Help chop those spring onions and pepper."
Ariana got right into it. Soon, the smoke was no longer an issue for her. She worked alongside the cooks with ease. They even got laughing and chatting as they complemented each other's work.
Ariana stopped to wonder how many people actually lived in the house. The food being cooked was like that of a banquet celebration. Nonetheless, she enjoyed being part of the process.
"My love," Ariana heard from behind her. "What do you think you're doing here?" She recognized the voice amidst the noise in the kitchen. It was Calhoun.
Ariana smiled at him. He came over and dragged her away.
"But..." Ariana tried to protest.
"Don't worry," Calhoun grinned, "I'll probably bring you back. I've got something really exciting I want to show you."
Ariana wondered what it may. The two held hands and walked into the garden. It was a beautiful garden. It reminded her a lot about Eagle park. Maybe that was why Calhoun liked that place. It reminded him of home.
They found a table and two chairs arranged. They both sat. Soon, a maid came around with a tray. They had fruit juice and some cookies.
"Grandpa is in his study room," Calhoun said. "He's always there, buried in his books and scribbling God knows what. Sometimes the family lawyer is there with him."
"The cooks are very nice and accomodating," Ariana tried to change the subject.
Calhoun never really knew the cooks or had a conversation with them. He thought that there were in two separate worlds and that these worlds should never meet except by non-deliberate circumstances. The big bosomy woman was an exception. She had been working in the house for over thirty years now.
"What do you think about that?" Calhoun gestured to a certain direction. Ariana looked and saw a treehouse.
"I had a lot of memories there," Calhoun had pride in his eyes.