It was an open room devoid of anyfurniture and the room she stood in was as large as some of theassembly rooms she had once been in. Two windows looked out ontothe street. To the side was a wide set of stairs leading to theupper floors.
Acker pulled her hand and led herto the back of the building and ushered her through the door. Ittoo was empty except for a desk and chair. Smaller windows lookedout onto a back alley. “I thought you could run the school from inhere or it could be storage as well. We could also build a largerand nice room toward the front of the building for you to work in,when you aren’t teaching.”
She gapped at him. This was to beher school?
“Come on.” He tugged at her handand led her to the stairs. They were sturdy and sound and Ackerpractically raced up them in his excitement. “There are two largerooms on this floor and two more above. I thought you could usethem for classes. Since there are four rooms above, you could hireteachers to help you, as you gained more students.”
Juliette glanced in each room hetook her to. They were the right size and length, the same as shehad used in Milan. On each floor one room had windows overlookingthe street and across the hall the other looked into the alley. Shewalked to the center of one room and slowly turned. Mirrors couldbe placed on one wall, along with barres. The wood floor was soundand not nearly as scarred or splinter-ridden as she used in Milan.The vision of children, learning the art of ballet filled her headand a smile pulled at her lips. She was going to have her ownschool it was almost as good as dancing on a stage.
“There is more,” Acker said andpulled her back down the hall and stairs. He didn’t stop until theyreached the main level again. This area could be made into two orthree rooms if she wished. The orchestra could practice here sothey could be used when it was time to add music to thechoreography.
Juliette studied the room. He saidthere was more, yet she didn’t see anything else. Was there acellar of sorts?
“It is behind the building,” heexplained and began walking in that direction. They stepped outsideand crossed the alley onto a small lawn. Flowers of severalvarieties bloomed in small beds. There was a shaded seating areaand a stone path leading to the back of the three-story house.Acker walked along the side and they emerged at the front. Did heknow the person who resided here?
Instead of knocking on the frontdoor, he opened and entered. Juliette glanced to the left and theright, where reception rooms were usually located, and they werevoid of any furniture.
“I purchased the house with thebuilding,” Acker explained. “The building had once been a lendinglibrary but business declined and he finally had to close. Thefamily had lived in this house. Once the children grew and weregone and he became a widower, the man simply wanted to selleverything.”
Certainly Acker wasn’t giving hera house, was he? This was really all too much. She couldn’t affordto run a school and have a house. What had it cost him and how longwould it take to pay him back. Oh, she wished he would have askedfirst.
Anxiety built as theresponsibility of owing so much settled upon her.
Acker escorted her through thedifferent rooms, all empty and into a kitchen before leading herupstairs. As with the main floor, the rooms on the first floor wereempty, but the rooms were larger. There were three parlors orsitting rooms and a library. She only knew it was a library becauseof the shelves blanketing one wall, though they were as empty asthe rest of the house.
“I don’t understand,” she finallysaid, trying to take it all in and make sense of this. Was thisreally to be a school of dance? Her school of dance?
He simply grinned at her. “Youwill see.” Taking her hand he led her up another flight of stairsto the second floor. This one held the bedchambers. Or, in anynormal house would have had beds, dressers, armoires and such, butas with the other rooms, they were completely empty, until theyentered the one at the end of the hall. This room was fullyfurnished, with draperies of pale green and a coverlet on the bedto match. The furniture was a light cherry wood. Why would there beone furnished room?
Juliette turned to him. “I don’tunderstand,” she repeated.
“I have been a fool,” Ackerannounced. “My suggesting you give up dancing, even for a littlewhile is like asking you to stop breathing.”
With those words Juliette began tomelt. His eyes were so warm and full of love, and his voice sotender. “A school.”
“Not just any school,” he grinned.“Your school.”
Her own school. He had confirmedit with those words. A part of her had not yet come to terms withwhat she was being shown until now. She never dreamed of owning oneherself, simply teaching if necessary.
“And the bedchamber?”
“I assumed you would wish tosupervise the renovations or perhaps after a long day, have a placeto rest.”
This was to be her room? “I wouldlive here?” Did that mean he wasn’t interested in marrying her anylonger but still choose to give her this wonderful gift.
“I should hope not!” he chokedout. “I still wish to marry you, and if you agree, then I wouldprefer you reside, and especially sleep, in our home.”
“But it is so big,” shegestured.
“It is far more than you need butI had to purchase the house if I wanted the building.”
He could probably sell it if hewished. This was all too much.
“I also thought that perhaps yoursisters might wish to have a place to live on theirown.”
Juliette assumed they would all beforced to live with Bentley since he had seemed to take over theirlives in such a short bit of time. Though he was considerate andunderstanding, he also wished them to take their place in society.Something neither Juliette nor her sisters were
