Chapter 26
Lee and Amanda rode the bus back to their rental car, listening to the driver chatter along about the unseasonably warm weather. He did point out several of the mansions and informed them of a few events happening during the week locally. They thanked him as they departed the bus and stepped off into the warm sunlight once more. "So where do you want to go now?" Lee asked, looking out over the water once more.
"Well, originally I thought we could head right over to the mansions, but I think I'd like to change my clothes. Then we could take a few tours and find someplace nice for dinner nearby," Amanda replied. She rubbed his arm absentmindedly as she spoke.
"Well, Mrs. Stetson, let's do just that," Lee smiled as he opened her car door and held her hand while she slipped inside.
With a plan in place, they drove back to the inn, changed and were back in the car less than thirty minutes later. Amanda changed into a long pink skirt with matching pink and white blouse while Lee donned a pair of brown khaki pants, a light blue button-down shirt, and a navy sports coat. As they descended the stairs, Mr. Jacobs caught them. "Mr. and Mrs. Stetson, I have a delivery for you. It came while you were out this morning," he said. He moved around the desk and lifted a large box off the floor. "I was going to leave it in your room for you but since you're here now, here you go."
Amanda tilted her head as Lee took the heavy box from Mr. Jacobs. She looked at the shipping label and was surprised to see it came from DC. "What do you think it is?" she asked.
"Let's take it upstairs and find out. I'm not sure. I wasn't expecting anything," Lee stated. He trudged up the stairs carrying the box, carefully stepping so he didn't trip. In their room, Lee placed the box on the bed and using his keys to score the tape, he pulled the box open. He pulled out a large wine, Charcuterie and cheese assortment basket from Harry and Davids. Lee read the card aloud, "Enjoy your honeymoon. It's about time. Signed, Harry and Christina."
"Aw, that was awful nice of them. Look at all of this. Three different types of salami. This one is Tartufo flavored with truffle oil, this one is Toscano and this one is an applewood smoked Napoli. And three different types of cheeses….Grapes, oh look, Parisian pears! Lee, a bottle of merlot, complete with wine glasses," Amanda exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked at everything in the basket.
"Well, Harry definitely has good taste. And I know the perfect day we can use this. And today is not that day. So, let's move this over to the desk there and head out, shall we?" Lee replied.
"What do you mean, you know the perfect day? Don't tell me you have every day planned out for our week, do you?" Amanda asked with a half-smile.
Lee guided her into the hallway and down the stairs as he cryptically replied, "I might have a few ideas." He didn't add anything further.
"Oh, do you now?" Amanda replied as she followed him out to the car but Lee refused to offer any more answers.
Their first tour was of the Rosecliff Mansion. Amanda was taken aback by the beautiful facade of the building; the white terracotta tiles covering the original brick construction, the arcade of floor to ceiling arched windows and the pilasters and columns all in the French Baroque revival style. As they wandered from room to room, each filled with exquisite antique furniture, gilded artwork, and priceless vases from across the globe, Amanda couldn't help but gasp at the beauty surrounding her. She held Lee's hand and each time she saw something new, she would squeeze it briefly in excitement. Lee simply smiled, his heart fluttering with joy at her reactions. Outside, the gardeners were pruning back the rose bushes, preparing for the colder weather. Only a handful of hearty flowers were to be found on the grounds.
The second tour was of the Vanderbilt home known as The Breakers. Once again, Amanda was silenced by the amazing architecture and artwork surrounding them. Only this time, as they entered one room after another, Amanda's hand slipped around Lee's back to his hip and she hugged him close. They had their own private tour and when they reached the Great Hall, the tour guide needed to excuse himself for a few minutes to take a phone call.
They stood in the center of the room and marveled at the limestone figures above the six grand doorways created to celebrate humanities progress in art, science, and industry at the time. When their tour guide returned, he apologized but Lee assured him it was fine, and they couldn't have been left in a more beautiful spot. What the tour guide didn't notice was Lee was looking at Amanda the entire time he spoke, and she was blushing at Lee's comment. They continued on, Lee sneaking in a brief kiss here and there across Amanda's temple or fingers. His hand never left hers and when they completed their tour an hour later, he surprised her once again with a horse and carriage ride around the property during sunset.
"Lee, I couldn't have asked for a better way to end our day. This is… I don't have enough words to describe it," Amanda exclaimed as she snuggled close to Lee in the carriage.
Lee laughed, rubbed her hands with his as he replied, "I'm sure if you tried hard enough you could find the words." The carriage turned back in the direction of the carriage house and Lee leaned close to Amanda's ear and whispered, "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."
Amanda turned her face to peck his lips before she replied, "And I love you, Mr. Stetson."
Lee inhaled happily, his hazel eyes staring into her deep brown ones as the carriage came to a stop. The driver cleared his throat to get their attention, alerting them the ride was over. Amanda closed her eyes briefly as Lee thanked the driver and climbed down. He held his hand out and helped her out of the carriage. Hand in hand they walked back to the car where Lee declared he had the perfect restaurant for dinner.
In silence, he drove them to the Castle Hill Inn, located about fifteen minutes across the peninsula. He escorted Amanda inside where the hostess seated them beside the windows overlooking Narragansett Bay. It was twilight, the sky twinkling with stars, the almost full moon just beginning to rise. On the water, a few vessels could be seen silently skimming across the water. Lee ordered a glass of Prosecco for each of them while they decided on their entree. Amanda silently read the menu, unable to decide what she wanted to eat. She was distracted when Lee reached over to take her hand in his once more. When she declared everything looked wonderful, Lee had a solution. When the waitress returned, Lee ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu Specials. The waitress explained the meal would include Fig Stuffed Gnocchi, Slow Cooked Angus Beef, and Blood Orange Soufflé. Amanda sighed at each dish's description and when the waitress walked away she whispered, "How did you hear about this restaurant?"
Lee smiled and whispered back, "I asked Mr. Jacobs if he had to take his wife out to the best restaurant around, where would he take her. He suggested here." Lee brought Amanda's hand up and gently brushed his lips across her fingers. When the waitress brought their wine, he reluctantly let her hand go.
Dinner was a quiet affair. They both enjoyed each shared plate as it was brought out to them, oftentimes feeding each other delicious morsels between sips of wine. When they finished dessert and Lee signed the credit card slip, they left the restaurant, their stomachs happily satisfied but their bodies vibrating with need for each other.
The air was just beginning to cool, but instead of heading directly to the car, Lee gently pulled Amanda in the direction of the lawn facing the ocean's edge where Adirondack chairs were scattered about. They sat close together, their legs touching as they watched several sailboats gently glide by. Lee fingered her wedding rings, glancing down at her fingers before he looked at her face once again. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers as she met him halfway. He hummed when she parted her lips, her tongue teasing his bottom lip. Amanda ran her hand up his leg to his thigh as she leaned closer to him. She shivered involuntarily when Lee pulled her into his lap and captured her lips with his hungrily. "Manda, let's take this back to the inn," Lee whispered huskily. Amanda's only reply was to kiss him again, her hands sliding around his neck.