Page 106 of Beyond the Grave
"Precisely. If only you had come to know her better, Lincoln, you would have found her company very…interesting."
"I doubt that," he said.
"Granted, she was a little silly."
I pressed my lips together to suppress my smile.
"But she is lovely, in her way, and very pretty."
I watched Lincoln over the rim of my cup to see if he agreed with this last sentiment, but he had his blank expression in place and gave nothing away.
"Thank you for your offer to redecorate," he said before she could go on. "But it's not necessary. Charlie will be redecorating the entire house."
"Charlie! But…she has no experience in these things. No offence meant, child, but a house like Lichfield requires a good eye to do it justice."
That wasn't offensiveat all.
"And deep pockets?" Lincoln intoned.
I grinned into my teacup.
"A good eye," she said again stiffly, "and an innate sense of style and sophistication that cannot be learned."
Now I was determined to present the most tastefully redecorated parlor the city had ever seen. The only problem was, I had no idea how to go about it. She was right. I was the least sophisticated woman to be left in charge of such a task for such a grand house. How did one go about finding things to buy? Were there periodicals? Who should I place orders with? And for what?
"Charlie will do the room justice, I'm sure," he said. "Before you go, Julia, I should inform you that I will be absent for up to a week."
She lowered her cup as if it were suddenly too heavy. "Where are you going?"
"It's a private matter."
"Private?" she echoed, as if such a thing was absurd. "But…you have no…" She picked up her cup again and sipped.
"Privacy?" he finished for her. "I do understand that my life and the ministry's are tied together in the tightest of ways, but I think even you would allow me some time to myself."
"Are you going on a holiday?"
"Of sorts."
She blinked at him, perhaps trying to picture Lincoln with his trouser legs rolled up, strolling along a beach. The image was so absurd that I giggled. He arched his brows at me, and I could swear his lips lifted a little at the edges.
"I'll write to the rest of the committee to inform them," he told her.
She continued to stare at him, her tea forgotten. "But…how are we to get in touch with you if there is urgent ministry business?"
"Leave it with my staff. I'll tend to everything when I return. Excuse me, ladies, I have work to do." He set his cup down and left us.
I wasn't surprised when Julia announced that she had to leave too. I walked her to the door and assisted her with her hat. She paused in the middle of her goodbye, her gaze intent on the chatelaine at my hip. She traced the outline of the goddess figure with her fingernail.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" I said.
Her hand whipped back as if the silver stung. With a nod at me, she let herself out. I wasn't sorry to see her go.
"Lincoln," I said, when I found him with Seth in the stables, preparing the horses for a ride, including the small gray mare that he'd bought for my use alone. "Why did you tell her that I was going to redecorate?"
"Because you are. Ride with me."
"I, er, very well, but I need to change. The redecorating… She's right, and I don't really have an eye for it. I wouldn't know where to begin or even where to shop. My mother had pieces of furniture handed down from her mother, and I think the rest were items my father bought when they married." I shrugged. "She never instructed me in decorating rooms, and even if she had, it wouldn't have been on Lichfield's scale."
