“It’s so good to see you!” Aurelia said eagerly. “How’ve you been?”
“Oh, just the same. Cultivating my roses and watching the days of my retirement drift past.”
“Right.” Aurelia nodded. “I suppose not much has changed for you, then?”
“Not at all. In fact, it feels like hardly any time has passed since my last visit here.”
“Well, it’s been about two years, actually. A few things have changed, but mostly I’ve been clicking along just as you left me. Let’s see… there’s Oliver—do you remember me talking about him?”
“I do, yes. He’s the one in the publishing line of business?”
“Yes, that’s him!”
Aurelia was about to tell Cuff that they were engaged, but then remembered that, since she might let slip that they were living together, she’d have to use her old stand-by. “Um, well—we’re married.”
“I had deduced that, of course,” Cuff said smugly, nodding to her ring. “Best wishes to you, Aurelia.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. What else… I’m working on another book. Oh, and I helped another character with her ending—though she wound up writing her story herself.”
“Have you done all that?” Cuff made it a statement more than a question, and there was a look of pride on his face that made Aurelia feel a prickle of tears in her eyes. He’d seen her go from reluctant shop owner to published author during his last visit to the shop, and had been both a friend and guide as she’d navigated those changes. Once again she found herself wishing she could touch the characters who appeared in the shop since she would have liked to give Cuff a very big hug.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said instead.
“I see you’ve got some intriguing events unfolding.”
Downstairs, Julia was attempting to keep the circle of women entertained with stories about her life, which was eliciting gasps and exclamations of shock. Aurelia didn’t usually like to give the characters too much information about modern life—she’d never shown them her laptop or the internet. She wanted to call out to Julia to be careful, but she also wanted a few minutes alone with Cuff and would have to focus her attention on him to get the answers she needed.
“Intriguing is one word for it. You’ve just met Julia—actually seen her and talked to her—which is exactly why I was hoping you’d visit tonight. Do you have any idea why she can see all of you?”
Cuff considered for a moment, then asked, “Have you any other nieces?”
“No, she’s the only one.”
Cuff nodded knowingly.
“What?” Aurelia asked. “Do you think the shop knows it’s going to be hers one day?”
“I do,” Cuff said matter-of-factly. “Lucy and Marigold visited characters together before Marigold took over. There is precedent, you see.”
“You never told me that!”
“You never asked.”
“But Lucy had two nieces—Marigold and my mother,” she began.
“If I recall, your mother had no intention of taking over the shop.”
“That’s true… She was working on her Ph.D. when Lucy retired. Then it’s not some fluke—nothing’s wrong with me, or Julia, or the shop?”
“I shouldn’t think so.”
“That’s a relief.” Aurelia sighed, relaxing for a moment before sitting up straight again. “Oh, but there’s something else. I set out the books before Julia got here and certain characters appeared. Then, a few days after she’d been in the shop, the characters changed. What do you think happened?”
But before Cuff could hazard a guess, raised voices interrupted them from downstairs, where Julia, Mrs. Jamieson, Kitty, and Blanche were now speaking together in French while Miss Clack was stubbornly raising her voice and continuing to throw out observations in English.
“Never learned French, Miss Clackett?” Blanche asked, her lip curling.
“It’s Clack. And I live in France. One can hardly get by without speaking some of the language. Fortunately, however, my social circle is English.”
