And are greeted at the door...

The sun had almost set as Brandon parked on the estate grounds and a young woman was waiting at the manor entrance as they approached.

"Good evening! You must be Victoria and Elizabeth?"

"Vicky and Liz," Vicky said automatically. "And this is my boyfriend, Brandon."

"It's very nice to meet you all. You're just in time - I believe everyone else has arrived, so I'll just show you to your rooms and we can get started. Leon is resting in his room at the moment: He's not used to entertaining but we're both very excited to have so many guests."

"I don't think we've met," said Vicky as they walked through the massive foyer. "Are you a relative?"

"I'm Helena Brown, Leon's personal nurse. He has other staff to maintain the grounds, but has dismissed them for the duration of your visit. Leon believes that this should be a family affair. I'm just here to keep his health in order, really."

The three were led to the end of a long corridor with doors lining both sides and another on the end.

"Liz, your room is on the left and Vicky, yours is on the right," said Helena, handing them a key each. "I'm afraid we only have one key per room, so please don't lose them. If you could please make your way back to the foyer and through the opposite door to the dining hall - I'm going to check on Leon before we begin."

Helena left through the door at the end of the hall, leaving Vicky and Liz to shrug at each other before going to their respective rooms.

They were spacious, well furnished and with a good view out onto the gardens. Brandon put the luggage away before tilting his head towards one wall.

"Bit of a shame, us being next door to your grandpa, don't you think?"

Vicky shot him a puzzled look. "Why's that?"

Brandon made it clear with a few gestures that he'd hoped their time together would be a little more intimate, and Vicky rolled her eyes in response.

"Anyway," Brandon said sheepishly. "We should probably get to the dining hall."