LeRoux Manor Read online

  “You reek,” Camille’s mother said, wrinkling her nose. “What on Earth have you been doing?”

  “Here I was, thinking that I smelled like the roses,” he replied, flashing a wink at Camille. “I’ve been working with Mr McAllister to compile a comprehensive of just how much maintenance is required around here and where. As you can imagine, the list is a mile long, and some things have been let slide for a long time now.”

  “Who’d have thought?” Camille replied with a grin. “Do you even know their first names? Mr and Miss McAllister. It just sounds so formal and creepy.”

  “There’s nothing creepy about showing respect. They come from a generation where it was considered rude to call an elder by their first names unless invited to do so. But no, I don’t actually know their first names. They’re slightly unusual folk, though, aren’t they? I’ll give you that much. Or maybe they’re just very protective about this place.”

  “Well, I guess it’s essentially as much their family home as it is ours,” Camille’s mother said. “More so. It’s only a family home to you in name.” She added a handful of vegetables to the pan.

  “Yeah, you’re right. It probably pays to remember that. Though sometimes, I get the feeling Mr McAllister is waiting for something. Or someone. Like he’s receiving instructions or awaiting approval for someone. I can’t explain it, but more than once, I’ve found his behaviour unnerving. To each their own I suppose! I do have some good news, though.” Phillipe turned to his daughter. “The Wi-Fi is up and running.” Then he grabbed a piece of carrot off the chopping board, tossed it in the air, and caught it with his mouth.

  “Awesome!” Camille was halfway out of the kitchen before she looked at her mother, eager for permission to leave her mother with cooking dinner.

  With a laugh, her mother waved her off. “You have an hour until dinner.”

  “What’s the password?” she asked her father. He walked toward her, making a show of searching through his pockets before finally withdrawing a slip of paper and handing it to her.

  “Thanks, guys.”

  CAMILLE REACHED INTO the second drawer of her bedside table, pulled out her laptop, and plugged it in beside her bed. She ran her hand over it, as though wiping away dust. Then she opened it, powered it on, and looked at the piece of paper in her hand. When she saw the password, she rolled her eyes - ‘LeRoux19’. “Original, Dad,” she said with a laugh.

  The first thing she did with the internet was to jump straight onto her social media. Sure, she’d received messages from her friends since moving, but it wasn’t quite the same as scrolling through photos and commenting. It made her feel more connected, almost like she was still there with them. Though knowing she had limited time until dinner, she only took a quick scroll through to satisfy her curiosity before she opened a new tab and typed in ‘Woodville Highschool’. Before the move she’d refused to listen to anything her parents had tried to tell her about her new school. She hadn’t even been ready to look it up before now. She slowly clicked from one page to the next, more interested in any pictures she came across than reading about the school itself.

  She came to a map, and her fears of getting lost on her first day quickly vanished. The school grounds were half the size of her previous school—if that. The buildings themselves looked old but well-maintained—large brick buildings with angular roofs, surrounded by plenty of greenery and minimal concrete. Covered walkways connected the buildings to each other and were covered with thick tangles of vines laden with small purple flowers. Camille sat back, admiring how pretty it looked and knowing the photos must have been taken in spring. The school wouldn’t look as pretty when she started in winter.

  Scrolling down farther, she groaned when she saw a photo of the library. A large sign sat over the threshold—LeRoux Library. She’d hoped to search the school library’s resources for any further information on LeRoux Manor, but now she wasn’t so sure. With a sigh, she closed the laptop and headed downstairs for dinner.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  C

  AMILLE WATCHED THE manor grow smaller in the side mirror as her mother drove them out of the estate grounds toward town. The morning fog gave her new home an ominous look, hovering around the grounds as though trying to shield the manor from prying eyes. Ignoring the chill shooting through her, she turned to her mother. “Did you know my new school has a library named after us?”

  Her mother smiled. “No, I didn’t, but it’s hardly surprising. I imagine we’ll see more than one reference to the family name as we get to know the area better.”

  “Awesome...” Camille replied dryly.

  “The manor and the LeRoux family have been the backbone of the town for a long time. It’s a huge part of the history here. I know we didn’t know your uncle, but you should still be proud to be a part of such a legacy,” her mother explained.

  “It’s kind of cool, sure. But it’s going to be hard enough as the new kid without being a LeRoux too.”

  “You’ll be fine. You’ll make friends in no time. Who knows? It might even be easier because you’re a LeRoux.”

  “Yeah, they’ll know all about the new girl who lives in the creepy house.”

  “It’s not creepy...” her mother replied. Camille turned and looked at her mother, eyebrows raised. Her mother flashed her a quick sideways glance and laughed. “Okay, it’s a little bit creepy. But that’s only because it hasn’t been looked after. Once we give it a good once-over, it’ll feel much less intimidating.”

  “If you say so...” Camille replied, turning back to gaze out the window.

  “Can you go to the bookstore and pick up your school order while I pick up a few things for your father from the hardware store? Then we’ll go and get your uniforms. Or is your wrist too sore again after the windows?” Her mother slowed as she spotted an empty parking space amidst the row of cars lining the side of the road.

  “It’s achy, but I think it’s fine,” Camille replied. “I only need a few books.” She watched impatiently as her mother parked the car, barely waiting for her to turn the engine off before she unclicked her seat belt and opened the door. I’ll meet you back here.” She slung her bag over her shoulder, jumped out of the car, and walked briskly toward the bookstore. She was surprised how cold the morning was and wished she’d worn something warmer. She still wasn’t used to the change in climate.

  When she reached the bookstore, she waited briefly for the doors to slide open and was instantly grateful for the warm air that greeted her. Camille stepped inside and stared, rubbing her hands together and waiting to warm up.

  “Not bad for a small-town bookstore, right?”

  Camille jumped and turned to find a girl about her own age standing beside her, wearing a polo shirt with the store’s name on it. “Sorry,” she replied with a smile. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to be so... big.”

  The girl laughed. “Well, Woodville boasts the title of ‘coldest town in England’, so people like to stay inside and read a lot. You’re new here, right?” The girl reached up to adjust her already immaculate blonde ponytail, her blue eyes warm and friendly.

  “Is it that obvious?” Camille felt suddenly boyish and self-conscious next to the curvy, naturally beautiful girl in front of her.

  “Only because we rarely ever get new people here. So, you’re big news.”

  Camille pulled a face before she’d had time to censor herself.

  “Oh, don’t worry. Everyone’s super friendly here. Well, most people. I mean, every town and school have their jerks, but for the most part, everyone’s lovely. Plus, you’re a LeRoux, so you kind of have an inherent respect happening.”

  “Oh,” Camille replied, unsure how else to respond. “How did you know I was a LeRoux?”

  The girl laughed. “Like I said, it’s a small town. I’m pretty sure Miss Liddell, the librarian, let the cat out of the bag. Also, everyone was super curious about what would happen when Mr LeRoux died. The whole town thought he was the last of th
e family, so it was all very shocking,” she said playfully.

  Camille couldn’t help but smile; the girl’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Well, I’m Camille,” she said.

  “Oh! I’m sorry. I’m Grace Harker. We’re both seniors at Woodville High, so we’re bound to have some classes together. Speaking of school, you’re here to get your books, right?” Camille nodded. “Great. I’ll go grab them from the back for you.”

  “Is it okay if I have a look around first?”

  “Sure thing. Just come up to the counter when you’re ready, and I’ll have them waiting for you.” Grace smiled and walked off.

  Camille looked around, unsure where to start. Her gaze rose up to the second-floor balustrade and a sign that marked the books there as the History section. So, she headed to the narrow staircase running up the side of the wall and took the steps two at a time. On the second floor, the wooden floorboards creaked under the carpet as she walked from one row of shelves to the next. Then she found a small section titled ‘Local History’. Kneeling, Camille perused the titles, many of which she’d already seen at the library. Her eyes fell on a rather thick volume—Woodville: A Complete History. When she pulled it from the shelf, she turned it over and balked at the price. It would take a huge chunk out of her holiday savings. Yet as she opened the book and saw some the photos frequenting almost every page, she knew she had to have it. Disallowing herself the opportunity to even look sideways at another book, she hurried back down the stairs and to the front counter, heaving the extra volume onto the counter.

  Grace chuckled. “Planning to brush up on some local history before school starts?”

  “Something like that.”

  “I know you don’t have your student card yet, but I’ll give you the student discount.”

  “Awesome! Thanks.” Camille was more than grateful to save a little more money.

  Grace scanned the back of the Woodville book but didn’t touch the textbooks. “The schoolbooks have already been paid for,” she said as she pushed over a huge stack of books bound in string across the counter. She laughed at Camille’s baffled expression. “Yeah, you can’t carry all these on your own. Do you have far to go?”

  “My mum’s waiting for me at the car just up the street a little. I’ll go grab her to help me.”

  “What? Don’t be silly. I’ll help you carry them out.” Grace turned and called out to another staff member to come watch the register, then she picked up the stack of schoolbooks.

  “At least let me carry the big stack,” Camille offered.

  “Don’t worry about it. I actually carry books for a living, you know,” Grace replied. She made carrying the entire bound pile look incredibly easy. Camille couldn’t help feeling bad, but her aching wrist and stiff shoulders screamed at her under the weight of the one Woodville book she did carry. “My friends and I are meeting up after I finish work for burgers at Rick’s,” Grace added as they headed out the door. “It’s a tradition we’ve had since we were in primary school. We always go the night before school starts up again. Even though we pretty much spend most of our time there, anyway. Do you want to come along? Meet a few friendly faces before tomorrow?”

  “I don’t want to change up your tradition...” Camille replied shyly.

  “Oh, you wouldn’t. It’ll be nice to have someone new to talk to.”

  “Okay. I mean, I’ll have to check with Mum first, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  Her mother looked up from where she leaned against the car, her eyebrows raised in surprise as Camille and Grace approached. She quickly opened the back door so Grace could offload the books.

  “Mum, this is Grace. She works in the bookstore. Same year as me at school.”

  “Nice to meet you, Grace.”

  “You too, uh...”

  “You can call me Allysha,” Camille’s mother replied with a smile.

  “Nice to meet you, Allysha.”

  “Mum, Grace and some of her friends are meeting up later for burgers. Is it okay if I go?” Allysha glanced from one girl to the other. “I don’t see a problem with that. So long as you’re home by nine.”

  “Mum...” Camille groaned in embarrassment.

  “It’s fine,” Grace said. “We all have to be home by then, anyway. First day of school tomorrow and all that. We can come pick you up around six, if that works. My mum’s dropping me and Jayne off.”

  Camille smiled gratefully at her mother as she exchanged numbers with Grace.

  “Well, I’d better get back to work. They’ll be wondering where I am. Was nice to meet you, Allysha.”

  “You too, Grace.”

  “See you later, Camille.” With a smile, Grace turned and hurried back toward the shop.

  CHAPTER SIX

  C

  AMILLE SMOOTHED DOWN her top for the twentieth time and pulled her hair away from her face and up into a ponytail. Then she scrunched up her face at her reflection and pulled her hair out of the ponytail again. While Grace had been nothing but friendly, Camille felt anxious about meeting the whole group.

  What if they don’t like me? They’ll probably make fun of me for being a LeRoux. Or end up thinking I’m just a weird city girl. And I have an accent... they’ll say I talk funny.

  Forcing herself to stop thinking of every possible bad scenario, Camille took a deep breath and gave herself a final once-over. She boasted her standard look tonight—a dark-blue shirt dress over black leggings, an old leather jacket, and her favourite pair of boots. She shuffled her feet across the floor, making the charms hanging from the zippers of her boots jingle against each other. She looked at them in the mirror and found tears pricking her eyes in an unexpected spurt of homesickness. The two charms were of an emu and a kangaroo—the two animals featured on the Australian Coat of Arms. She wiped her eyes, reminding herself why she’d bought them in the first place. Emus and kangaroos can’t go backwards—and neither could she. Taking a deep breath, she gave herself another full glance in the mirror. This’ll have to do. She grabbed her bag and headed out the bedroom door. Of course, it completely startled her when she found Miss McAllister standing in the middle of the hallway just a few metres away, staring towards Camille’s room.

  “What do you want?” Camille snapped, not caring if she sounded rude. Miss McAllister raised an eyebrow, looked Camille up and down, then turned on her heel and slowly walked away. Camille stared after her with a frown. She felt bad for snapping, but the woman gave her the creeps with all this lurking about. Even when she couldn’t see the woman, she always felt like Miss McAllister was somewhere nearby, watching her.

  Once the woman was out of sight, Camille pulled her bedroom door closed behind her and dashed downstairs to the kitchen. Her mother stood at the bench, humming to herself as she prepared dinner. “I’m going to wait out the front for my lift,” Camille stated, approaching her mother to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “What? You’re not going to invite them in?” Allysha raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

  “You’re hilarious, Mum,” Camille replied. “I’ll text you the address. The place is called Rick’s, on Main Street. I’m pretty sure everything’s on Main Street.”

  “Well, I won’t have any trouble finding it then, will I?” Her mother laughed.

  Camille waved goodbye and headed toward the heavy, wooden front door. When she yanked it open, she saw headlights rising over the hill toward the house. The car pulled around the fountain to the front door, and Grace eagerly jumped out of the car. Her hair was wet under her black beret and hung around her face; her work uniform had been replaced by tight, dark jeans with tears slashed across the knees and a billowy white shirt underneath a red felt jacket hanging just above her knees. Camille tried not to be self-conscious, but she couldn’t help feeling like the gangly duckling next to the graceful swan.

  “Hop on in. I’m so excited!” Grace exclaimed as she opened the back door for Camille. “I’ve told everyone you’re coming, and they can’t wait to meet you
. That’s Jayne in the back and my mum Isabelle in the front.”

  “Hello. Nice to meet you both,” Camille said; she thought she sounded far too awkward as she climbed into the back.

  “Welcome to Woodville,” Isabelle said, turning to smile at her. “How are you liking it so far?”

  “It’s lovely, from what little I’ve seen. We haven’t had much of a chance to explore just yet.”

  “I can’t believe you actually live in there,” Jayne exclaimed as she tried to peer past Camille for a better look.

  “Jayne,” Isabelle chastised. Grace laughed.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just meant that place is huge. Is it just you and your family in there?”

  “Jayne...” Isabelle cut in.

  “It’s fine,” Camille reassured her. “It’s just me and my parents. I don’t have any siblings. Oh, and there’ s an elderly couple who are kind of like caretakers. They live here too.”

  “Wow,” Jayne whispered, turning to look at the house through the rear window as the car turned back down the driveway. “Is it creepy inside?”

  “Oh, my goodness, Jayne!” her mother barked from the front. Camille and Grace laughed together.

  “Parts are a little creepy,” Camille confessed. “Mainly because everything’s old and not well looked after.” She didn’t want to give too much away, considering she didn’t know these people very well yet. “I think once my parents have finished with it, it’ll seem much more inviting.”

  “I’m sure your parents will do the manor justice, Camille,” Isabelle stated, smiling at her through the rear-view mirror.

  CAMILLE WAS THE LAST to step out of the car, suddenly anxious with a ferocious cluster of butterflies hurtling around in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t had to make new friends in a long time—nor had she ever worried that people wouldn’t like her. Such a foreign feeling definitely pushed her beyond her comfort zone. She quickened her pace as the girls stopped and waited for her at the entrance. “You’ll be fine,” Grace whispered in her ear, giving her arm a squeeze as she led them inside. Camille smiled at her in gratitude before taking in the restaurant. It was set up like a 1950’s diner, with booths and a jukebox, the staff in white uniforms with little peaked caps on their heads.