Author: Cathy Williams
Category: Billionaire
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/2864_12
‘I’ve told her, no boyfriends until she’s through university.’ Charlotte settled into the leather chair opposite him and reached forward for the particulars of the house.
‘My dear girl, you mustn’t let your own experiences influence you now…’
‘I try not to, Aubrey, but it’s difficult. Now, this house. Wow.’
‘Wow indeed. We’ve just this minute got the particulars printed up. In fact…’ he leaned back and folded his hands on his not inconsiderable stomach ‘…it’s not even on the open market as yet.’
‘And you have someone interested?’
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‘Several, in point of fact.’
‘So it’s a myth that big country houses aren’t selling.’ She flicked through the glossy brochure, which was presented over several pages, each with eye-wateringly tempting colour shots of various rooms and the extensive gardens. Charlotte was accustomed to these big, old properties. She asked all the relevant questions, and whether there were any sinister things wrong that would put a prospective buyer off. Many a promising sale was lost to rising damp or dry rot.
She shouldn’t have made that passing remark about steering Gina away from boyfriends. She didn’t want to come across as bitter, and most of the time she succeeded, but Aubrey was one of the few people who knew about her ordeal with Riccardo. He was also Gina’s godfather, and so qualified to observe, not that he did that very often. Still. She stuck the brochure in her briefcase, keenly aware that he was looking at her with genuine concern and not really wanting to get into an in-depth conversation about her emotional life.
‘Still seeing that young man of yours?’
Charlotte stood up and raised her eyebrows wryly.
‘I’m twice your age. I’m qualified to give you little lectures about your life. Call it senior citizen advantages.’ He stood up and moved round the desk and briefly put his arm around her shoulder. He was a big man. Tall and, as he enjoyed saying, a fully paid-up member of ‘the fat brigade’. He dwarfed her.
‘I’m taking it slowly with Ben,’ Charlotte told him. ‘He’s a nice guy, but I’m not going to rush anything.’
‘Wise girl. Right, then. I’ll probably be gone by the time you finish this viewing. You have all the details in the folder. It’s a woman. Phone and let me know how it goes, and let’s put a date in the diary for you to come up with the little one for the weekend. Diana says it’s too long since she saw you!’
‘You’ve got a deal.’
‘And feel free to bring the young man…’
‘I’ll have to think about that one. Maybe.’ Introducing him to Aubrey and Di would be like introducing him to family, a big psychological step towards cementing their relationship onto another level. By now, they had enjoyed dinners out, the occasional theatre outing and one Sunday lunch, and she was content to keep it to that level until something kicked in and told her that the time was right to accelerate things. She had only been seeing him for three months. Why rush things along?
‘Is our viewer a local person?’ she asked, walking with Aubrey to the door. ‘Will they be familiar with the property, or do I have to play up the location?’
‘Definitely not from around here, so yes, let’s hear it for the great transport links and rural setting.’
Rural being the operative word, Charlotte thought, as she left behind all vestiges of bustling provincial life and drove out into the country. It was stunning scenery. A profusion of trees raising naked branches upwards, and wintry fields stretching on either side of the winding road. In summer she imagined it would be awash with greenery.