at all surprised.” Jayne waved a dainty hand, her purple fingernails flashing in the light from the chandelier. She leaned close to Rachel, her expression intensely serious, as if she were about to confide an enormous secret. “This house is haunted, you know.”
“So I’m told,” Rachel said, managing a polite smile. Her gaze darted to Bryan, flashing her disapproval his way.
“You haven’t been lucky enough to see Wimsey, have you?”
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
Jayne frowned her disappointment. “Too bad. Addie’s the only one who’s actually seen him. My theory is their consciousness coexist on a single plane of understanding, while ours is on a dual plane, which is why we never see him. What do you think?”
Rachel stared at her for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. Jayne, while undeniably sweet, was apparently just as batty as everyone else in Drake House.
“Rachel doesn’t believe in ghosts,” Bryan said, handing her a glass of white wine. His eyes sparkled like sapphires. “Rachel is practical.” He said the word as if it were the name of a strict religious order.
Jayne’s dark eyes widened. She looked from Bryan to Rachel and back. “Oh, my.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come down earlier,” Rachel said, changing the subject. “I’m afraid I dozed off. I meant to help Mother with the meal.”
“Oh, Addie doesn’t cook,” said Bryan.
Her brows pulled together as she looked at him. “What do you mean? Mother used to work nights at a very nice restaurant when we lived in Berkeley. She’s a wonderful cook.”
“Not since the infamous incident of the fish-head soup and chocolate-laxative cake,” Bryan said.
Jayne rolled her eyes in dismay at the memory. “Reverend Macllroy was indisposed for a week.”
Bryan sighed. “Thankfully, the soup filled me up, and I passed on the cake.”
“You ate fish-head soup?” Rachel asked, both incredulous and nauseated at the thought.
“I prefer to think of it as a variation on bouillabaisse. It was hardly the strangest thing ever to cross my palate. A particular dinner in China comes to mind. They do things there with snakes—”
“That shouldn’t be discussed before dinner,” Jayne said firmly, giving him a look of disgust. She took Rachel by the arm again and steered her toward the dining room, interrogating and commenting all the way, her conversation flowing from one topic to the next without pause. “I think it’s just wonderful that you’ve come back to take care of Addie. We all try to check in on her from time to time, but it’s not the same. I hear you’re a singer. Will you look for work here in Anastasia?”
“I have a job lined up at the Phylliss Academy of Voice in San Francisco,” Rachel said, seeing no reason to hide the fact from them. At any rate, she needed to practice saying it. She was going to have to tell Addie soon, so they could make plans to sell Drake House and move.
“San Francisco?” Jayne said it as if it were a place totally foreign to her.
Bryan merely stood silent, his expression carefully blank.
“Yes. As soon as I get my mother’s affairs in order, we’ll be selling the house and moving to the city.”
“Does Addie know about this?” Bryan asked, taking great care to sound more neutral than he felt.
Rachel nibbled at her lower lip. She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Not yet.”
At that moment Addie made her grand entrance into the dining room. Her style of dress was even more incongruous than Jayne’s. Over her flowered housedress she wore a filmy pink robe trimmed in pink ostrich feathers. On her feet, her ever-present green rubber boots. She took in the group with one regal, sweeping glance.
“Hennessy, my G and T, please.”
Rachel grabbed at Bryan’s coat sleeve. He turned toward her and her concern momentarily fled. He was so close. His mouth was no more than inches from hers as he leaned down toward her. She moistened her lips nervously as the memory
“So I’m told,” Rachel said, managing a polite smile. Her gaze darted to Bryan, flashing her disapproval his way.
“You haven’t been lucky enough to see Wimsey, have you?”
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
Jayne frowned her disappointment. “Too bad. Addie’s the only one who’s actually seen him. My theory is their consciousness coexist on a single plane of understanding, while ours is on a dual plane, which is why we never see him. What do you think?”
Rachel stared at her for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. Jayne, while undeniably sweet, was apparently just as batty as everyone else in Drake House.
“Rachel doesn’t believe in ghosts,” Bryan said, handing her a glass of white wine. His eyes sparkled like sapphires. “Rachel is practical.” He said the word as if it were the name of a strict religious order.
Jayne’s dark eyes widened. She looked from Bryan to Rachel and back. “Oh, my.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t come down earlier,” Rachel said, changing the subject. “I’m afraid I dozed off. I meant to help Mother with the meal.”
“Oh, Addie doesn’t cook,” said Bryan.
Her brows pulled together as she looked at him. “What do you mean? Mother used to work nights at a very nice restaurant when we lived in Berkeley. She’s a wonderful cook.”
“Not since the infamous incident of the fish-head soup and chocolate-laxative cake,” Bryan said.
Jayne rolled her eyes in dismay at the memory. “Reverend Macllroy was indisposed for a week.”
Bryan sighed. “Thankfully, the soup filled me up, and I passed on the cake.”
“You ate fish-head soup?” Rachel asked, both incredulous and nauseated at the thought.
“I prefer to think of it as a variation on bouillabaisse. It was hardly the strangest thing ever to cross my palate. A particular dinner in China comes to mind. They do things there with snakes—”
“That shouldn’t be discussed before dinner,” Jayne said firmly, giving him a look of disgust. She took Rachel by the arm again and steered her toward the dining room, interrogating and commenting all the way, her conversation flowing from one topic to the next without pause. “I think it’s just wonderful that you’ve come back to take care of Addie. We all try to check in on her from time to time, but it’s not the same. I hear you’re a singer. Will you look for work here in Anastasia?”
“I have a job lined up at the Phylliss Academy of Voice in San Francisco,” Rachel said, seeing no reason to hide the fact from them. At any rate, she needed to practice saying it. She was going to have to tell Addie soon, so they could make plans to sell Drake House and move.
“San Francisco?” Jayne said it as if it were a place totally foreign to her.
Bryan merely stood silent, his expression carefully blank.
“Yes. As soon as I get my mother’s affairs in order, we’ll be selling the house and moving to the city.”
“Does Addie know about this?” Bryan asked, taking great care to sound more neutral than he felt.
Rachel nibbled at her lower lip. She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Not yet.”
At that moment Addie made her grand entrance into the dining room. Her style of dress was even more incongruous than Jayne’s. Over her flowered housedress she wore a filmy pink robe trimmed in pink ostrich feathers. On her feet, her ever-present green rubber boots. She took in the group with one regal, sweeping glance.
“Hennessy, my G and T, please.”
Rachel grabbed at Bryan’s coat sleeve. He turned toward her and her concern momentarily fled. He was so close. His mouth was no more than inches from hers as he leaned down toward her. She moistened her lips nervously as the memory
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