Kim stepped to the window and watched Edward and Buffer crossing the field. Edward threw a stick for the dog.
“He’s a lot more friendly than when I worked in his lab,” Kinnard said. “You’ve had a big effect on him. He was always so stiff and serious. In fact he was downright nerdy.”
“He’s been under a lot of pressure,” Kim said. She was still watching from the window. Edward and Buffer seemed to be having a marvelous time with the fetching game.
“You’d never guess, the way he’s acting,” Kinnard said.
Kim turned to Kinnard. She shook her head and rubbed her forehead nervously. “Now what have I gotten myself into?” she asked. “I’m not completely comfortable with Edward’s people staying in the castle.”
“How many are there?” Kinnard questioned.
“Five,” Kim said.
“Is the castle empty?” Kinnard asked.
“No one is living there if that’s what you mean,” Kim said. “But it surely isn’t empty. You want to see?”
“Sure,” Kinnard said.
Five minutes later Kinnard was standing in the center of the two-storied great room. A look of disbelief dominated his face.
“I understand your concern,” he said. “This place is like a museum. The furniture is incredible, and I’ve never seen so much fabric for drapes.”
“They were made in the twenties,” Kim said. “I was told it took a thousand yards.”
“Jeez, that’s over a half mile,” Kinnard said with awe.
“My brother and I inherited this from our grandfather,” Kim explained. “We haven’t the slightest idea what to do with it all. Still, I don’t know what my father or brother will say about five strangers living in here.”
“Let’s look at where they would stay,” Kinnard said.
They inspected the wings. There were four bedrooms in each, and each had its own stairway and door to the exterior.
“With separate entrances and stairs they won’t have to traverse the main part of the house,” Kinnard pointed out.
“Good point,” Kim said. They were standing in one of the servants’ bedrooms. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. The three men can stay in this wing and the two women over in the guest wing.”
Kinnard poked his head into the connecting bath. “Uh oh,” he said. “Kim, come in here!”
Kim joined him. “What’s the problem?”
Kinnard pointed to the toilet. “No water in the bowl,” he said. He leaned over the sink and turned on the faucet. Nothing came out. “Some kind of plumbing problem.”
They checked the other bathrooms in the servants’ wing. None of them had water. Crossing to the guest wing, they found that the problem, whatever it was, was confined to the servants’ wing.
“I’ll have to call the plumber,” Kim said.
“It could be something simple like the water has just been turned off,” Kinnard said.
Leaving the guest wing, they walked through the main part of the house again.
“The Peabody-Essex Institute would love this place,” Kinnard said.
“They’d love to get their hands on the contents of the attic and the wine cellar,” Kim said. “Both are filled with old papers, letters, and documents that go back three hundred years.”
“This I gotta see,” Kinnard said. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” Kim said. They reversed directions and climbed the stairs to the attic.
Kim opened the door and gestured for Kinnard to enter. “Welcome to the Stewart archives,” she said.
Kinnard walked down the central aisle looking at all the files. He shook his head. He was floored. “I used to collect stamps when I was a boy,” he said. “Many a day I dreamed of finding a place like this. Who knows what you could find?”
“There’s an equal amount in the basement,” Kim said. Kinnard’s delight gave her pleasure.
“I could spend a month in here,” Kinnard said.
“I practically have,” Kim said. “I’ve been searching for references to one of my ancestors named Elizabeth Stewart who’d been caught up in the witchcraft frenzy in 1692.”
“No kidding,” Kinnard said. “I find all that stuff fascinating. Remember, my undergraduate major was American History.”
“I’d forgotten,” Kim said.
“I visited most of the Salem witchcraft sites while I’ve been out here on rotation,” Kinnard said. “My mom came for a visit and we went together.”