“It’s alright,” Aurelia said, flipping on the light switch and locking the door. “None of us realized there was a slight kink in the plan.”
“Were they upset?” Oliver asked.
“No, not at all.”
“I was,” Julia muttered.
Antonia walked over and drew her in for a hug.
“I’m sorry. We forgot we’d have to get back in eventually.”
“Did it work, at least?”
Julia looked mildly hopeful, but sighed as Antonia told her, “No. We couldn’t see anything.”
“The streetlamps outside were reflecting off the glass no matter where we stood,” Oliver explained.
“He went all the way across the square, and still nothing.”
“What about upstairs?” Aurelia asked. “Could you see into the mezzanine? Miss Clack and Mrs. Jamieson were up there.”
“No—it was bizarre. Every angle reflected back the light from the streetlamps.”
“Couldn’t you see the lights inside the shop?”
Antonia shook her head.
“Interesting,” Aurelia mused. “I always thought I must look strange up there, sitting on the window seat in the middle of the night, chatting with—well, either someone or no one, depending on what people walking by might be able to see.”
“Now you have your answer,” Oliver said. He gave a wry smile, as though he wanted to keep things light, but Aurelia felt disappointed by another failed attempt to connect them with the characters.
She put her arm around him, and they followed Julia and Antonia up the spiral staircase and back to their flat.
Aurelia came out of the bathroom after a shower the next morning to find Antonia and Oliver in the kitchen. Her heart skipped for a moment, remembering a similar scene a few days ago. She relaxed, however, when she saw that they were both smiling as they assembled tea and toast.
“Good morning,” Aurelia whispered, peeking into the living room to be sure she wouldn’t wake Julia.
“You’re fine,” Antonia said, speaking at normal volume. “I shifted her into the guest room once I got up.”
Aurelia turned back toward them and reached out to take the mug of tea Oliver was handing her.
“It feels like a holiday, having you here.” She nodded to Antonia.
“Not for you. You’ve got a deadline,” Antonia admonished her. “I thought I’d meet a friend for lunch and have a wander. I’ll take Julia with me so you can write.”
“And I need to go to the office to catch up on a bit of work,” Oliver said, taking a last sip of his tea.
“Ooh, really? I’ve been itching to get back to it and I’m nearly finished now. I should be able to make some progress with you lot out of my hair.”
“And Julia and I will do dinner on our own tonight, give you two a night off from us,” Antonia added.
“You don’t need to do that,” Oliver began as he headed toward the stairs.
“But that would be great, thanks,” Aurelia finished for him as she grinned at her sister.
Aurelia managed to get a good bit of writing done, even with a busy hour or two of greeting and helping customers in the shop that morning. Julia had gone out with Antonia, but by the afternoon they were back and she was tucked up on the window seat with her copy ofPride and Prejudice.
That evening, Aurelia left Antonia and Julia to fend for themselves while she walked to Oliver’s office to meet him for dinner. He seemed happier as they chatted about what the coming weeks would bring. She hadn’t noticed that he’d seemed weighed down exactly, but there was a distinct difference now that they were both outside the flat and shop.
