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The rain pelted Calista as she hailed a taxi outside Heathrow airport in London. The cab pulled up to the curb and Calista hopped inside to avoid the downpour while the cab driver struggled to collect her bags and stow them in the boot. As he settled behind the wheel Calista handed him a card with Lord Oliver's address and with a smile on her lips. The cabbie looked at the address and back at Calista and grinned as he said, "Oh yes, I've been at this address several times, Miss. It won't take too long to get there." Calista nodded and sat back in the seat as the taxi rumbled out of London proper and soon was in the English countryside. The dark clouds looked ominous and the occasional thunder clap preceded by lightning added to the gloom of the day. "Tell me, Miss, are you a member of Lord Oliver's social group?" The Cabbie asked. Calista pondered her reply for a few moments.
"I'm a friend of Lord Oliver. I met him in America on several occasions. I've known him for nearly four years." Calista replied. Then after a pause she inquired, "Why do you ask?"
"No reason, Ma'am, it's just that there rumors about wild parties at his Great House and I wondered in the tales were true."
"Oliver does enjoy having a good time, but since this is my first time to visit him here in the UK, I don't really know anything about 'wild parties'. But I would imagine that as Headmaster of the Academy, I don't think he would indulge himself in 'wild' parties." Calista answered him. That seemed to satisfy him for the moment and Calista settled back to enjoy the ride as best she could in spite of the rain. They travelled in silence for the rest of the trip until the taxi left the main highway to turn onto a country road and head toward a heavily wooded area. The cabbie told her that the Great House was in the center of the forest ahead, but it would take several minutes to get there. Calista nodded and they drove through the woods without speaking further.
Calista nearly nodded off as they drove as she was a bit unsettled with jet lag. Just as she was about to doze off to nap the taxi pulled up to an iron gateway that blocked the lane to Lord Oliver's estate and stopped. She saw a new land rover parked on the other side of the gate. The driver of the land rover got out of the car and opened a huge umbrella as the gate swung open to let him, and the umbrella, walk through and stop at the taxi's door. The man opened the taxi door and helped Calista out of the cab and walked her to his Rover under the umbrella. The cabbie transferred her luggage to the Rover, was paid and he drove off. The Rover driver drove without speaking to Calista while she wondered what his service to Lord Oliver was. It took another twenty minutes to reach an opening in the road where the Tudor style Great House came into view. Calista was astounded at how large the house was. Now she understood why Oliver and others called it the Great house; it was indeed enormous.
Driving past the gardens overflowing with neatly trimmed bushes and numerous beds of multi colored flowers, Calista was taken aback at the display of opulence before her eyes. The Rover headed toward the covered entrance of the Great House and Calista was surprised again at its size. She had been to Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina, which has over two hundred rooms, but Lord Oliver's Great House seemed nearly half again larger. The driver saw Calista, in the rear view mirror, looking at the house with an astonished look on her face and he spoke to her. "Ma'am, the Great House was built in 1750 and contains nearly three hundred rooms counting the pool, gymnasium, theatre and the bowling alleys. It's been in Lord Oliver's family since they built it." He pulled under the covered stone entrance to the house, got out and opened the door for Calista. He took her hand to help her climb the stone steps to the massive oak door. The door opened and a tall good looking older man dressed as a Butler escorted her inside saying, "Hello Mistress Calista, my name is Robert. I'm Lord Oliver's Butler. Please follow me, Miss."