Page 105 of Beyond the Grave
I shook my head at him. "Surely, you can spare a few minutes."
"Youmustjoin us." Julia slipped her arm through his and steered him toward the parlor. "After all, I came here to speak toyou."
I rolled my eyes as she turned her head away. "Tea, please, Gus," I whispered to him when he appeared.
"With a dash of venom for the lady?" he asked with a wink.
"She has enough of her own."
I walked into the parlor with a smooth, unhurried step that I hoped oozed confidence and decorum. If it did, it unfortunately went unnoticed by Julia. Her entire attention was focused on Lincoln as he stood near the window. I sank onto the chair by the hearth where the fire would hopefully chase the chill from my bones, which Julia's arrival had put there.
"How is Lady Harcourt?" I asked her since neither of them spoke.
"Much weaker, as is expected," Julia said. "She and Donald returned to Emberly yesterday, thank goodness. She hadn't stopped crying since John's death."
"She just lost her brother under quite awful circumstances."
"Charlie, if you wish to be a part of the ministry then you must harden yourself or you will end up the same way as poor Marguerite—witless and the butt of jokes." She held her hand up as I opened my mouth to protest. "Yes, it's cruel, but I am only the messenger, not the instigator. Do not blame me for pointing out how others will react."
Ha! She seemed to be the only one saying and thinking such things. On the other hand, I did not move in the same circles as her and did not hear the gossip. I was never more grateful for that than now.
"And the body of Edgecombe?" Lincoln asked.
Julia chuckled a throaty laugh. "Always the macabre with you, my dear. Your fascination with death continues to astound me." Her gaze flicked to me then away. Was she implying that his attention to me was due to my necromancy? "The body will be sent to the Edgecombe family estate, where a cousin will oversee the funeral and burial arrangements."
"And Mr. Buchanan?" I asked. "Has he learned anything from this experience?"
"Learned? Whatever do you mean?"
"Not to gamble, for one."
"His debts are now paid."
"By you?" Lincoln asked.
She gave a slight nod.
"What's to stop him racking up further debts and coming to you to pay them off again and again?"
"I know you think I've created a rod for my own back, but there was nothing else to be done. I would rather not have his creditors send around their thugs in the middle of the night, terrifying my staff. They've experienced quite enough trauma, thank you. I made my decision and that's final."
"Did you report to the rest of the committee?"
"I have, but since it didn't turn out to be a ministry matter, it was a courtesy only. There is no need for you to write an additional report. My husband's journals and other things will be returned to the attic and filed away once more."
"What of Buchanan's curiosity?"
"I think he no longer has any. Once I assured him that seers cannot foresee the winners of races, he lost interest."
Gus brought in tea and I poured as he silently left again. Julia accepted her cup and we waited for her to announce the reason for her visit. Part of me worried that she had discovered our pending journey to France and had come to put a stop to it. But Lincoln had assured me the committee members would not be told.
"I've come to offer my services," she finally announced, setting down her cup. "I wish to redecorate this room, among others. If you are to have young ladies of good family call upon you—"
"There will be no one calling upon me," Lincoln said.
"Tosh. Of course there will be. We must find you a wife,poste haste. I am in earnest now, Lincoln. And not just any wife, but therightwife. Someone sweet of nature, who is content with her lot in life, and not at all magical." Her smile was all teeth and no humor, and I had no doubt it was directed at me, along with her comments on the type of wife Lincoln should have. The mythical woman she described was my opposite in every way.
"Someone like Miss Overton?" I asked.
