The boys of tolton, p.1
The Boys Of Tolton, page 1
Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Other Work
The Boys Of Tolton
By J Cartwright
Copyright © 2020 by J Cartwright
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Written by J Cartwright
Chapter 1
Tiffany
It had been a very long drive, but I was finally here, the place that had been part of my childhood and now formed my future. It was long forgotten and left neglected, but now I was back to reclaim my families legacy.
Tolton Hall stood looming ahead, shuttered windows and pealing paintwork betraying just how much work this place was going to need. It certainly wasn’t going to be an easy task, but then, I was done taking the easy route.
Climbing out of my car, I hugged my arms around myself in a futile attempt to fight off the cold. The gloomy sky above promised more rain, and I was already longing for a hot beach somewhere far away from here.
Get it together! There’ll be no beaches until you’re done with this place.
Sighing, I locked my car and walked across the tattered driveway, gravel crunching under my feet.
It was eerily quiet despite the wind, a stark contrast to the sounds and energy I remembered visiting this place during my childhood.
The estate had been part of my family for generations, glorious gardens and wonderful architecture that had been long forgotten. We used to come here as children, but after we’d all grown up, the place had quickly been forgotten by my father, just like so many other things in his life…
He’d only been gone two months but it felt like an eternity, the pain of his passing gnawing at me every single day.
So much had changed since my father had passed away, my life taking a complete turn. First, my brother had vanished without a trace, and then my dad had gone, leaving me alone in the world.
Despite everyone around me, I felt lonely, finally able to see just how fake my life really was. Those friends I had weren’t there for me, but for the fortune I had access to. It was all they cared about and it made me realize how fickle they all were.
Up until that point I’d had everything I could have ever asked for handed to me on a silver platter, but it was about time I forged my own destiny. I was tired of never achieving anything for myself, and now I didn’t have my father to bail me out.
People called me spoilt and they were right, but this place was my chance to change my fortune, to prove them all wrong. It was time to grow up.
Shortly after the funeral, Sebastian Taylor, our family lawyer, had brought Tolton Hall to my attention. He’d pointed out that it was a money pit, recommending I put it up for sale, but something in me couldn’t bare to part with it.
After looking into further detail, I’d set my mind to the project.
I’d always wanted a place to call home, something I could be proud of, and this gave me just that.
My friends had warned me against it, but when they saw how stubborn I was being, they’d put me in contact with an old family acquaintance, David Winters.
His father and mine had been good friends growing up, and David had made a name for himself on similar projects to the one I was about to embark upon. He’d worked around the world, overseeing the construction of luxury retreats, and he seemed like the perfect partner.
Everyone I spoke to only had good things to say about him, pointing out what an asset he’d been for them. Tom Jonas, one of my oldest friends, had worked with David on almost all of his property acquisitions, telling me nothing but good things about him.
I had my reservations about him, but I couldn’t do this alone, so I’d quickly enlisted his help.
Even though I’d helped my father with his projects, I’d always just been there on the sidelines. I was more accustomed to being pampered while the hard work was done, but that was about to change.
Striding quickly up toward the front door, I did my best to look past the old wood and scattered debris.
How is it in such a mess?
It felt like just yesterday that I’d last been here, but in reality it had been about twenty years. My father was always off working on his next project, something grander than the last, and at some point in his journey he’d just forgotten about Tolton Hall.
It was a shame because the place had been in our family for as long as any of us could remember. Tolton Hall was a part of us, but we’d forgotten about that, losing a part of our history in the process.
Like almost everything in our lives, we’d been drawn to the dazzling lights and pretty things, and Tolstoy Hall didn’t fit the bill.
A loud thump made me jump out of my skin as I approached the large entrance, jolting me from my trip down memory lane. I was already jumping at shadows and I’d barley been there a second!
The huge wooden doors creaked open, heavy on their old hinges. Staring past them, I saw a slender woman with flowing red hair, her green eyes bright as they fixed on me.
Her smile lit up her face, the shadowy gloom chased away by the light that rushed out from the entrance.
“Ms. Richards?” The woman asked, bowing her head ever so slightly.
Nodding, I walked a little closer, eager to get inside.
“Call me Tiff,” I said brightly, pleased to finally talk with someone after all my time alone in the car.
The woman looked up at me and smiled again. “Tiff, I’m Jane, I hope you had a good journey down here?”
“It was fine,” I lied, ignoring the cramp in my legs.
I vaguely recognized Jane, a hazy memory of a girl a few years older than myself flitting into my mind.
“I’m glad to hear it. Now come in, come in, you’ll catch a chill standing outside.”
Seconds later I crossed the threshold, enveloped by the warmth of my future. It was an eerie feeling being back in this place after so many years, but it felt right.
“Can I get you anything?” Jane asked, closing the door behind me.
Shaking my head, I rubbed some of the cold out of my arms and looked around, staring in awe at how huge the lobby was. It was like something out of a horror movie, two sets of winding stairs just ahead of me, a large, forgotten desk between them.
Above me hung a chandelier that was more dust and cobwebs than anything else, the wooden paneling crumbling from the walls.
“No, I’m good thanks. Is Mr. Winters here yet?”
Nodding, Jane smiled again. “He arrived a few hours ago. Would you like me to take you to him?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Without another word, Jane led me to where David waited, leading me deeper into the old building. As we walked, a chill ran down my spine, the ghosts of my families past watching me, judging me.
I needed to make them proud. I needed to finally do something for myself and prove that I really had it in me.
Chapter 2
Tiff
The place was like a trip down memory lane, scenes from my childhood flooding back in as I walked alongside Jane. The old building had seen so much, but now it was empty, long void of life and energy.
“I was terribly sorry to hear about your father,” Jane said, interrupting the silence.
Almost jumping at the sound of her voice, I steadied my heartbeat.
“He’d been ill for a long time,” I said, trying not to get emotional.
Charles Richards, my father, had been a stubborn man, so full of dreams that he’d not taken the time to look after himself when the time came. Even with the doctors warnings about his heart, he’d still pushed himself.
Maybe it was my brother disappearing that had driven him to the brink, or maybe it was me refusing to grow up, but he never seemed able to settle down.
My mother had died when I was only two years old, and since then my dad had been alone. He loved her until the day he died, and he doted on myself and Ben, never letting us go without.
When my brother had just vanished it broke my father, and no matter what he did, he could never unravel the mystery.
“Be careful up ahead,” Jane warned as we turned a corner and walked down another long hall. “There’s alsorts of stuff all over the place that might trip you up in the dark. The builders haven’t restored electricity to this hall yet.”
Nodding, I looked ahead along the gloomy hallway. There were cables hanging from the open ceiling and tools littering the side of t
Even without returning, we’d contracted out some basic work to get to get some of the main areas of the building into a fit state, hoping that it would make life a little more bearable when we arrived.
“I guess it must have been pretty different around here over the past couple of weeks,” I said, glancing at Jane.
Her lips formed a thin smile. “You can say that again. I can’t remember the last time this place was so busy.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I sighed.
Jane looked at me for a long moment before talking, her eyes taking me in. “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s easy to forget about a place like this over time.”
Apparently she was right. Already I could tell that this was going to be far more work than I’d dared imagine.
At first I’d had dreams of showing up and transforming it overnight, turning it into a luxury weekend retreat, but now those dreams were very quickly fading. It was more of a nightmare than anything else, and it was going to be a long job.
“Not for long,” I pointed out. “Soon this place will be full to the brim with people.”
The image fluttered to life in my mind, pushing aside the stark reality.
“That would be nice,” Jane said beside me. “It’s been far too long since it got the love it deserves.”
The Harts had been caretakers of the property for as long as my family had owned it. They had a small plot on the border of the grounds, the duty of caring for the expansive gardens passing from each generation to the next.
Even after my family had all but forgotten about this place, they’d stayed on, doing their best to care for what was quickly becoming a ruin.
“How long have you been here for?” I asked, genuinely curious.
I could vaguely remember her from my childhood, but I was hazy on the details.
“We came back here a few years back after my dad got too ill to care for the place. He always told us that this was where we’d end up, but we never took him seriously.”
“We?” I asked, wanting to get to know this woman a little more. After all, she probably knew the place far better than I did and it really had been a very long and lonely drive down here.
“James, my brother,” Jane pointed out. “He does most of the manual work and leaves me the cleaning,” she chuckled. “Out of the pair of us, he was the most reluctant to come back, but now he’s here I think he’s in love with the place.”
I tucked that little bit of information aside, making a mental note to catch up with James when I could.
“That’s good. Is he excited about our plans?”
Jane frowned at the question, shrugging beside me. “I don’t think he’s overly enthusiastic, but that’s just how James is. He doesn’t like change.”
The pair of us walked along in silence for a little while longer, coming to a halt at the end of the hall. I could make out the soft glow of light from the door ahead, the sound of someone talking just beyond it.
Knocking once, Jane pushed the door open and held it for me, letting me in.
The room I entered was far more complete than any of the others I’d seen so far. It was a small dining room, well, small by the standards of Tolton Hall, with a long table at its heart. Dark wooden chairs surrounded it, and at the head sat the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.
He was talking energeticaly on his phone, gesturing with his free hand when his blue eyes flicked up and met mine. They looked right through me, reading me like I was an open book, and when he smiled I felt my knees go weak.
“I’m going to have to call you back,” he said, his voice familiar.
Hanging up the phone, David Winters pushed himself up, his immaculate grey suit hugging his impressive frame.
“Tiffany? It’s good to finally meet you!”
His voice oozed confidence, his eyes bright as he walked over to meet me.
Holding out my hand, he took it and shook it once, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.
Holy crap! What did I do to deserve someone this good looking?
“Yeah, you too,” I stammered, trying my best to get ahold of myself. “I hope you’ve not been waiting too long.”
“Not at all,” he said, walking back over to the table.
Like a gentleman, he pulled out a chair for me, which I took gratefully.
“How was your journey? It really is a bit of a mission getting here isn’t it?”
I nodded, trying my best not to think about those winding roads.
“You can say that again,” I laughed, feeling a little hot and flustered.
Staring back at David, I fought to gain control. The absolute last thing I was there to do was hookup with some random guy. I was there to do a job and prove myself, and ogling him wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
Well, a little ogling won’t hurt anyone…
Chapter 3
David
Despite all of our planning, we’d not had the opportunity to meet in person, which I was sorely regretting. Tiffany Richards was far better looking in person, the photos I’d seen of her doing little justice.
The cute little smile that stole out across her pretty face did things to me I could barely understand, her deep brown eyes drawing me in. The soft sound of her laughter as we spoke stole my attention, and before I knew it I was really beginning to look forward to the next few months.
Charming her and winning her over was going to be just the icing on the cake.
Tiffany, or Tiff, as she liked to be called, was a typical little rich girl. She was spoilt, never going without, and she’d presented me the golden opportunity I needed to finally make it myself.
For too long I’d been at the mercy of my employers, but Tiff was new to this. She had dreams and an idea, and to make things even better, she had the money to back it up. After I’d been approached about her scheme to restore Tolton Hall, I knew I needed to get onboard.
She’d get tired of it eventually, way out of her depth, and it would be then I could take over. Soon enough this grand project of hers would be mine, and the fortune that went with it would be all to play for.
I already had referral payments at the ready for some of the expansions I had planned.
The past weeks had been spent getting people on board, offering them up the first chance to get a slot at something that promised to be big.
It wouldn’t take long, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
I wasn’t scared of a little hard work, but convincing the girl to give up her project was going to be tricky. She would get tired, bored, but I had to help her get to that state of mind.
“You’ll be staying in one of the most complete rooms,” I said as I grabbed her bags from the back of her car. “It’s pretty spacious, but basic.”
“That’s fine,” Tiffany said, slinging a bag over her slender shoulders. “I’m sure I’ve stayed in worse places.”
I doubted that. Tiffany struck me as the kind of person who had never known hardship.
Slowly, she stepped forward, eager to see her room. Her dark hair was tied back, the white blouse she was wearing pulling tight across her chest.
“There have been workers on site for the past two weeks, so a lot of the property is currently being made safe so we can move around freely, but I wouldn’t recommend exploring just yet.”
It still surprised me the amount of progress that had been made in such a short amount of time. From the word go, I’d been working remotely, checking in online with the contractors, but seeing the place in person made me really see its potential.
The grounds were huge, and the building was quite remarkable despite its current state. With so much free space available I was already counting down the days until I could collect the bonus I’d get from carving it up.
“Well, it looks pretty good so far,” Tiffany said. “I can’t wait to start really planning things now that I’m here. Thanks for helping me out David, it really means a lot to me.”
I barely knew the girl, but for some reason her gratitude meant a lot to me as well.
I don’t need her thanks, I just need her to get tired of the place!
