“Distract me… Do you mean with wedding planning?” Aurelia asked, feigning confusion.
“That’s not really what I had in mind,” Oliver said, playing along.
“Cleaning the flat?”
“Nope.”
“Packing for the honeymoon?”
“Not that, either,” he said softly.
21
Aureliahadcomebackinto the living room to find Julia still sleeping on the sofa. After waking her, they ate dinner and watched the rest ofPride and Prejudice. Even so, they still had a few more hours to while away until midnight, which felt as though it took longer than usual to arrive.
As they waited downstairs at the Recommended Reads table, Aurelia told Julia aboutThe Moonstoneand the possibility of being able to introduce her to Sergeant Cuff and, perhaps, Rachel, who Aurelia had met alongside him years ago. Biscuit and Fezz had stayed upstairs, which Aurelia decided was just as well. Their presence would be one less thing to juggle that evening.
When the mists appeared above the table, Julia caught her breath. Aurelia reached for her hand and they watched together as words swirled across parchment-colored mists that eventually rolled off the table, rose up into columns, and began to shape themselves into each character.
“Does it always happen like this?” Julia whispered.
“Mm-hmm,” Aurelia said, smiling.
She counted the shapes that were forming: five. Just as she’d hoped, one became Sergeant Cuff, looking wizened yet formal in his usual suit of funereal black. The other figure was unfamiliar. It was a woman, but she was older than Rachel, perhaps in her early forties, and had a pinched, tight look to her face.
“Welcome everyone! And welcome back, Sergeant Cuff!” Aurelia said as she walked toward them.
She felt the urge to reach out and hug him. He’d been one of the first characters she’d met in the shop and had encouraged her to write a sequel to Count Vronsky’s novel in order to give him a happier ending. Given that a hug was impossible, she simply grinned at him.
“Back again, are we?” Mrs. Jamieson observed, looking around the shop.
Ignoring her, Aurelia motioned for Julia to join her and said, “Let me introduce you to my niece, Julia.”
“Your niece?” Cuff repeated, his eyebrows raised in interest.
“Yes. As it turns out, she seems to be able to see and hear you all.”
“That’s hardly surprising. She does have eyes and ears,” Blanche scoffed.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Julia said, holding out her hand to Cuff.
“Don’t forget, we can’t touch each other,” Aurelia reminded her.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Quite alright,” Cuff said with a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet another generation of this fine family.”
He gave a short bow, and Julia started to dip into a curtsy before stopping herself. Aurelia smiled at the instinct since she’d felt the same one herself just a few nights earlier.
“Could you introduce us, Sergeant Cuff?” she asked, gesturing to the woman who had appeared with him. “It seems you’re both fromThe Moonstone.”
“We have never been introduced, but I believe I might be able to guess at her identity.”
“Don’t trouble yourself. I am quite inconsequential and easily overlooked,” the woman said in a simpering tone, though it was obvious her self-deprecation was just for show.
“Miss Clack, I am certain of it,” said Cuff.
“Why, yes. Though really, you shouldn’t have bothered, I’m sure.”
