A smile overtook Aurelia’s face. Julia, still so much a child at fourteen, had suddenly grown by a leap overnight.
“I think that sounds like an excellent plan. I bet Cuff would say you’ve cracked it.”
“I guess we can put their books away now… But I’m only here for a few more nights. Should I just leave them out until I go?”
“Why don’t we have one final night with everyone tonight so you can tell Cuff what you’ve figured out and say goodbye to them?”
“That’s a good idea. But won’t the others want to know what I discovered? I can’t really tell them I don’t think they have much going on in their lives.”
“No… But you could tell them they helped you decide to make the most of your life before you take over the shop. Mrs. Jamieson would probably be happy to think that means you might marry some wealthy catch instead of becoming a shopkeeper.”
Julia snorted out a laugh.
“I wonder…” Aurelia began. “After tonight, what ifItake the books off the table and put them back again? Maybe you can meet the characters that came out before you got here—Lizzy, Darcy, Jane, and the rest.”
Julia’s face brightened. “Do you think that’ll work? That they’ll come out again?”
“I think it might. You’ll see—you’ll start to get a feel for how things work around here.”
“With Sergeant Cuff’s help,” Julia said, her eyebrow cocked in a teasing gesture.
“Definitely. I’m sure that’s not the last time we’ll need to call on him,” Aurelia said with a grin.
52
Aureliawasfeelingbrightand relaxed when she met Oliver and his parents for dinner that evening. Julia, meanwhile, all too quickly chose to stay behind when given the option, and was happily tucked up at home with her copy ofEmmaand her favorite takeaway. Aurelia had been right; Oliver’s parents loved seeing them both ahead of the wedding, as though they were getting a private audience with film stars before a premiere.
On the way home, Aurelia told Oliver how Julia thought she’d solved the mystery of why the characters had appeared for her, and how she was certain Julia wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement at getting to run it by Cuff that night. But when they arrived home, Aurelia found Julia in a deep sleep in the guest room, her copy ofEmmaspread across her chest and the lights still on. Aurelia marked her page, set the book on the bedside table, and turned out the lights—all without disturbing Julia. She then closed the door and began tidying the remnants of Julia’s night at home: dinner dishes in the living room and the television still on, paused on a scene fromCranford.
“Is she asleep?” Oliver asked as he came back up to the flat after walking Biscuit.
“She is,” Aurelia said, nodding toward the guest room. “Fell asleep readingEmma.”
“Feeling pleased with yourself?” he asked with a smile.
“Very. Julia started her night with aCranfordadaptation and finished with a book.” She dried her hands on a tea towel and reached out to kiss him. “I’m a very good influence on the youth.”
He kissed her back and then hugged her before pulling away to look at her as he asked, “What if we go down tonight, me behind the door and you in the shop, and we talk to the characters together—with you translating for me?”
Aurelia scanned his face, looking for a sign of reluctance, but saw only his genuine willingness to have another go at sharing this part of her life.
“Alright, let’s do it. If you’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” he insisted.
They ran the clock down for the next hour and then, at a few minutes before midnight, they walked down to the mezzanine together.
“You might not want to stick it out until dawn,” Aurelia suggested as they looked across the empty shop. “Whenever you’re ready, we can ask if the characters want to stay in the shop or go back to their books. Then I can either come back up and join you, or you can come through the door to send them home.”
Oliver nodded, then walked into the stairwell and turned, looking back at her. Aurelia leaned in to kiss him and then stepped away.
“This feels odd, leaving you here,” she said with a frown.
“We might not be in the same room for the next few hours, but I’ll be right here.”
“And I’ll be right here.”
He reached forward to squeeze her hand before taking the door handle. He smiled, then pulled the door closed between them.
