to fully capture my gaze. I swear her eyes were starry like I was famous. I was five-five, so having someone glance up at me was something new.
She drew me in and stretched her body up before placing delicate kisses on my cheeks. Thank the Lord the woman hadn’t hugged me because I had the pistol of the man Tywin had brutally murdered shoved down the back of my pants.
“Finally, a lady of this house again, and you are a beautiful one. And your spirit is so…” She closed her eyes and sniffed at the air. “…warm and inviting. Our young Vallin has done us proud.” She beamed, brimming with genuine pride. I fought hard not to cast a questioning side eye at her.
She stared a moment longer before releasing me. Was I supposed to comment? I had never been received by anyone with so much graciousness. Did she have any idea that Tywin had lied? I was not a lady of their house or whatever it was he had the woman believing with his introduction.
“I’ll start dinner. Is there anything you would like me to prepare special for you, Ms. Patrena? I’ll make you whatever you want.”
A smile spread slowly across my face. “No, ma’am. Whatever you had in mind will be fine with me.”
She did a little shimmy with her shoulders and grinned before taking off to what I assumed was the kitchen.
Tywin’s hand was at my back again as we stepped fully into the space of the living room. It took everything in me to keep myself from oohing and aahing out loud. I was bathed in the scents of lavender and lemongrass, so delicate and light that the combination eased me into a relaxed state of mind.
The living room may as well have been a cathedral. The wide open space boasted ridiculously high ceilings and on one full wall was a painted mural of a golden cave with a flowing waterfall that appeared so lifelike it drew me in.
The other walls bore recessed paintings, some etched and crafted into the wall. Every piece of furniture was over-sized, from the white and gold pebbled leather sofas and chairs with the polished nickel finishes, to the walled-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on each side of the fireplace. The room took me in instead of me taking it in. Every piece, from the coffee table, to the accent tables, containing the over-sized porcelain vases appeared to be meticulously hand-crafted.
The large accent rug gave the room the pops of color it needed to come alive. Although the room reminded me of a museum showroom, the delicate touches like the live plants, specifically-placed framed pictures of the family, and even the throw pillows gave the space a homey vibe and a welcoming quality like an embrace. This place oozed elegance, but with an alluring calmness about it that I appreciated.
“Is everyone always so happy?” I had to ask Tywin after catching a glimpse of another overly-happy woman cleaning the spotless patio area through the glass back wall of the room. Caffeine didn’t produce the kind of high they were on.
“Yes. Most of the staff has been with my family since before I was born. Some who worked for my grandparents are still here,” he updated as we walked, and I continued to soak in the ambiance of his home.
We stepped into a wide expansive hall before the rest of the house revealed itself. Tywin knocked on the first tall thick wooden set of double doors that didn’t belong on the inside of a house but at the front of a building.
“Come in,” a male voice called.
Tywin pushed the doors open. The first and only person I spotted sitting behind a thick wooden table with books scattered across it was a strikingly handsome man. His face shined with a youthful afterglow like he ate right, exercised, and used high-value, all-natural skin-care products.
He glanced up and his resemblance to Tywin was so strikingly undeniable that there was no mistaking that they were father and son. What surprised me most was how young he looked, not a day over forty. I supposed having money kept you with that youthful glow he was putting off. Glancing back and forth between the two men, I found that I had missed that same youthfulness in Tywin’s face.
The man stood and took us in before stepping from behind the table. He met his son halfway and they fell into a loving embrace that caused me to smile. The strong and