what you mean.'
'It was all very odd and confusing, I must admit. Nick says it was the same way for him, but he claims that it always happens like that for the men of the Sweetwater family when they find the right woman. He thinks it is a side effect of their talent, something to do with their ability to survive their peculiar psychical natures.'
They were seated in Charlotte's small kitchen. Outside, the morning was sunny and warm. It felt to Virginia as if all of the shadows and darkness that had haunted her world for the past few weeks had been burned away by the fires that had been unleashed in Alcina Norgate's mansion.
There would be more shadows and more darkness in the years ahead for both Owen and herself. It was the nature of their talents and the work that their abilities compelled them to do. It was also the nature of life. In that sense the Sweetwaters were no different from any other family, she thought. But she knew now that the bond of love that she shared with Owen would see them through the years ahead, regardless of what the future held.
She picked up the teacup that Charlotte had filled. 'Perhaps it's true what they say about love between two strong talents,' she said. 'It does forge a metaphysical connection.'
'Just like in a sensation novel,' Charlotte said.
Virginia laughed. 'Something tells me that no sensation novelist would approve of the heroine marrying into the Sweetwater family. That particular family does possess some unusual secrets.'
'Bah.Every family has secrets.'
'You're right.' Virginia raised her cup in a small salute. 'And you and I will keep those secrets.'
'Absolutely,' Charlotte said.
The bell over the door tinkled. Owen walked into the shop. Nick was with him.
'We're in here,' Virginia called through the doorway of the back room.
Owen came to stand in the opening. He looked at the pot on the table and smiled.
'Excellent,' he said. 'There's tea.'
Nick ambled into the room, rubbing his hands in anticipation. 'I am sorely in need of a cup. Are there any biscuits to go with the tea?'
'In the cupboard,' Charlotte said. 'Help yourself.'
'Thank you, I'll do that.'
Owen sat down next to Virginia. He took her hand underneath the table, gripping her fingers tightly. She felt the energy of his love enveloping her and knew that she would sense that energy for the rest of her life.
'My Aunt Ethel has given strict instructions for Nick and me to bring both of you to dinner this evening,' Owen said.
'We are to meet the rest of your family?' Charlotte asked, startled.
'Some of them.' Owen made a face. 'They won't all be there this evening, but there will more than enough, believe me.'
Nick opened a cupboard and took out a package of tea biscuits. 'It will be relatively painless, I assure you,' he said. 'Everyone is very excited to meet both of you. They had almost given up on Owen, and they were starting to fret about me. They will all be overjoyed to make your acquaintance.'
'No need to be concerned,' Owen said. 'Talent aside, Sweetwaters are actually a very ordinary family.'
'Right,' Nick said. 'Ordinary to the point of being rather dull.' He came back to the table with the biscuits and sat down. 'Is there any tea left?'
Virginia and Charlotte exchanged glances, and then they looked at Owen and Nick. Both men munched on biscuits, oblivious.
'Ordinary,' Charlotte repeated.
'Dull,' Virginia said.
Owen smiled, his eyes heating.
'Don't worry,' he said. 'You'll both fit right in.'
Chapter 47
What was Papa like?' Elizabeth asked.
Virginia put her teacup gently down on the delicate china saucer. She thought for a moment. 'While you do not remember Papa at all, my own memories of him amount to little more than fragments of a photograph. The only reason I can recall what he actually looked like is because I do have a photograph that was taken the year that he and my mother died.'
Virginia had arrived at the Mansfield house a short time earlier. She had sent around a note declining Helen's offer of the Mansfield carriage. Instead, Owen had escorted her in a Sweetwater carriage. He was now waiting for her in the park across the street.
When she had been ushered into the elegant drawing room, Helen and Elizabeth greeted her. Virginia had not been surprised to discover that Helen did not really want to consult about a mirror reading.
'Elizabeth wants to talk to you,' she had said. 'I hope you will be kind enough to answer her questions.'
Virginia had expected Elizabeth to ask questions about her talent. Instead, the girl wanted to know about their father.
'I have a photograph, too,' Elizabeth said. 'It was taken on my parents' wedding day. Papa looks quite handsome.'
Virginia thought about her own precious photo. 'Yes, he was a fine-looking man. But what I remember is the energy around him. When he walked into a room, people were immediately aware of him. They greeted him warmly. Everyone wanted to be his friend. For his part he was gracious to one and all, high and low.'
Helen paused her teacup in midair. A wistful smile fluttered around her lips. 'That's true. Robert always treated those who served him with respect. They, in turn, would have done anything for him.'
Elizabeth sat forward eagerly. 'What else do you remember about him, Miss Dean?'
Virginia smiled. 'Please call me Virginia.'
Elizabeth brightened. 'Thank you. And you must call me Elizabeth. Everyone else does, and you are, after all, my sister.'
Virginia waited for Helen to dispute the relationship, but she said nothing. She took another sip of tea instead, and waited for Virginia to continue.
'Very well, then, Elizabeth,' Virginia said. She thought for a moment. 'Your father-'
'Ourfather,' Elizabeth insisted.
'Yes,' Virginia said. 'Papa was always cheerful. I do not recall him ever losing his temper. When he came to see us he brought me presents.'
There was no need to explain that the small gifts were intended as silent apologies for all the broken promises and all the times that he had failed to visit.
'Did he take you to fairs and museums?' Elizabeth asked.
A forgotten memory flitted through Virginia's head. 'I remember a trip to a museum when I was your age. Papa wanted to show me some artifacts that he believed were infused with paranormal energy.'
'That must have been exciting,' Elizabeth said.
'It was. That was the day he told me that I had a baby sister. He said that he looked forward to showing you the artifacts when you were old enough to sense the energy in them. He said the paranormal was part of our heritage and that we should understand it.'
'He talked about me?' Elizabeth asked.
'Oh, yes,' Virginia said. 'He was very fond of you.' She looked at Helen. 'And of your mother, too. He was proud of you both.'
Helen raised her brows at that.
Virginia smiled at her. 'It's true. As my mother once told me, in his own way, Papa loved both of his families.'
