Heaven And Hell novel Chapter 51

I stared at him blankly.

"I thought of adopting her to my household -- I was only about eight -- demanding they give her to me personally." He sighed, placing one palm close to his heart. "But then I realised something different: Big Bird appeared differently to my eyes, seducing me with his worldly birdliness."

Woldly birdliness? Was that even a word?

I gaped at Michael. "Okay...okay...you have officially gone insane."

He winked. "All the more seductive, I hope?"

"Not in the least! Men like you are not worthy of any woman's respect. Your kind of men should be condemned, burned, exiled or whatever."

"Or whatever. Ouch. You know, that completely gave my ego a huge blow."

I glanced at him through the corner of my eye. God, he was only grinning.

"You are an idiot."

"You are such a feminist."

I gasped, poking his head with two fingers. "And what is wrong with being a feminist, you egotistic pervert?" I demanded heatedly, slicing him with my green eyes.

He flashed a seductive little smile. "None whatsoever." And then, to my surprise, he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

My cheeks went borderline red from then on.

"Worldly birdliness," I said numbly, still retaliating from the shock of his sweet gesture that the first stupid thing on my mind came bursting out of my mouth without my permission.

Michael glanced at me as he drove on. "Pardon?"

"Is 'wordly birdliness' even a word? You mentioned it a while ago regarding Big Bird."

He arced a brow in question but went along with it, trying to humour me, saying, "I was only eight. It's only natural that a handsomely adorable little boy such as I back then was capable of inventing my own terms."

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. My shock and nervousness ebbed away in an instant.

"I'm sorry for being incredibly churlish," he apologised, grinning impishly.

Just as I was about to laugh again, his phone rang. He slid the green Answer button with his thumb on the screen.

"Hey Em," Michael said on the phone. Probably his sister calling. "What's up?"

I could hear a muffled female voice through the other line. My fiancé nodded at something she said, then he raised a brow. He hesitated for a while, like he was contemplating what she was saying. It went: "...What d'you mean?"

There was no muffled voice.

"Emerson..." Michael said slowly in measured tones.

Still none.

This time, Michael adopted a very stern, very dangerously chilly voice. "Emerson..."

Did I mention he drove in stick shift? Typical male.

Anyway --

Aaargh, I sneezed again!

"Need a Kleenex?" I muttered, unable to look at him.

"Do you need a Kleenex?" Michael countered, tucking his phone away with his clean hand. He kept his eyes on the road.

After a minute or two, he talked.

"Glove compartment. Kleenex. Now."

^^^^^

The Duke of Rossington's estate held eight hundred thousand acres, filled with fresh green grass and beautifully cut trees and bushes with graceful-looking white roses woven into them. The mansion was overwhelming with its Gregorian style architecture, its colour the shade between white and dusty yellow. At the main entrance and back held eight pillars in the Greek style, towering above heads of French windows stalled up the edges of the ceiling covered in velvet green draperies.

As you enter the palatial mansion, you're greeted by white and grey sand marble, where it leads the effect all the way up to two spiral staircases on each side of the entrance with black balustrades that have intricate designs elegantly bent to leaves and flowers. The cold marble steps of the stairs ascend along the dark green Aubusson carpets gilded with gold threads that formed spirals, giving an authentic feel all the way up to the hundreds of rooms.

Not only that, but as you head to the halls, Aubusson carpets in the same color are visible. Paintings hang on the wall filled with people who had lived in Rossington Park for generations. The mansion had a bright glow everywhere because of the tall French windows catching the morning light.

We were greeted by the servants who helped us out of the car, then we entered the place had me gaping like a fish.