Book 1 of an Is It Love? story of a young woman with a dark secret. When that tragic incident occurred she made a choice to run away from home for good. In doing so, it brought her to a small town called Mystery Spell where she met the Bartholys and...
Monday morning came along. I showered, put on makeup, ordered room service breakfast, and was dressed and ready to go before nine o'clock. With almost an hour to spare, I turned the TV on to see what was good to watch. Local news weather reports showed clear skies. (Good to know) They then switched to a reporter, airing live on site on the university grounds. She was a slender woman, interviewing potential students and a few of the staff members. My eyes lit up when she walked up to speak to a man, who looked to be in his early thirties.
It was the professor for the Myths and Legends course. "Wow! That man is going to be my teacher! The picture didn't do him justice. He looks better live!" I said to myself. "Holy Cow! His voice!" It was deep, a little husky, welcoming, and certainly had the power to draw attention. Before I knew it, the alarm on my phone went off at a quarter to ten. I looked out the window and saw a shiny black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows pull into the parking lot. (That's gotta be the driver) Sure enough. The gentleman addressed me by name when he saw me walking towards him.
We pulled up to a large iron gate after driving for ten minutes. There was a circle drive and the house was enormous, nothing like the houses back home. It had an eerily beautiful look to it like it was built decades ago. The driver pulled around and stopped in front of the wide porch stairs that lead up to the front double doors. The railings on either side of the stairs matched the design of the iron gate. On the doors themselves were two lion heads with an iron ring in their mouth.
Standing in front of the doors was a tall slender and well dressed man. His complexion was slightly pale and he had long brown hair that hung just below the shoulders. His eyes were captivating, a light grayish blue-green. His voice was amazing in person too. "Welcome. I am Nicolae Bartholy. We spoke on the phone a few days ago." "Oh, yes, of course. Thank you. Lydia Canteles."
"What a lovely name. Please, come in," he said as he invited me inside. "Again, thank you." My eyes wide in awe of the magnitude of the room, I wondered at the beauty and amazement. I captured the look of the enormous foyer with the large staircase, dark red carpeted rugs, marble flooring, and the breathtaking chandelier above. Every piece of furniture, paintings on the walls, and decor on display looked ancient and had to have cost a fortune to acquire.
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Noticing my distraction, Nicolae broke my trance, "Will you follow me into the study?" I quickly turned to my right and watched him give me such a kind smile. Returning with a smile, I was less nervous and more at ease even though I felt like I probably should've been weary. Walking into the study, I saw there were built-in shelves of books from the ceiling to halfway down the walls with a ladder in place at the far wall. There was a lounge area with what looked like a comfortable couch with brown upholstery. There was a long mahogany desk with one leather cushioned desk chair behind it and two wooden chairs with leather cushions in the seat and back as well as the arms.
The interview went well. Soon I was given a tour around the manor on the first and second floors, even the garden outside. The whole property rested on the edge of the woods. I felt at home with that notion, being a Gemini. I loved nature whether it was the forests or the oceans, although I didn't think I'd feel safe going into the woods on my own. Nicolae told me his little sister's name is Lorie and can be a handful sometimes. He also mentioned having two younger brothers, Peter and Drogo, who also attended the university.
