“I meant, Eric and I are waiting before we take any kind of trip,” Jo said with dignity. “He’s so busy getting the kitchen up and running. The students start in a couple weeks. And I need to work on my book. This deadline is going to kill me.”
“Fine. Run along. Amy can help me,” Phee said.
“If you’re sure...” Jo glanced longingly toward the stairs. “I really am behind. Do you want to come?” she asked Alec.
Phee snorted. “What’s he going to do? Sharpen your pencils?”
“I’ll watch the kid,” Alec offered.
“Brother bonding,” Jo said with a nod. “Excellent.”
I listened to them clomp down the old wooden stairs, trying not to feel deserted.
“I suppose you want to leave now, too,” Phee said.
I looked at her, standing straight and alone in the middle of all her cherished possessions.
“Aunt Phee,” I asked suddenly. “Do youwantto move into the carriage house?”
She raised her chin. “Of course.”
I sighed. “Right.” I turned, considering the space. The room ran the length of the building. The ceilings were high. The floors were heart pine. Dormer windows overlooked the pond and the tiny cemetery filled with generations of dead Marches. “You need new curtains. These are blocking the light. And the view.”
“I like these curtains. They were very expensive. I’ve had them for years.”
“I can tell. They’re dated.”
“Classic.”
“Old.”
“Well, so am I.” She glowered. “Just because something is old doesn’t mean it should be thrown out.”
My heart gave a reluctant tug. “Of course not,” I said gently. “But you’re making a fresh start here, Aunt Phee. Your style should reflect that. There’s a way to be timeless and still be fashionable.”
“Humph. I suppose you’d get rid of all the furniture, too.”
“Only about half of it. I feel like I’m on an episode ofHoarders: The Antebellum Edition.”
Her lips twitched. “All right.”
“All right, what?” I asked cautiously.
“You can change the curtains. But nothing too sheer. I need privacy.”
“You’re facing the pond. I don’t think the ducks care if you’re naked.”
When I was little, I loved exploring Oak Hill, stuffed with treasures like Aladdin’s cave. All the furniture had claw legs and carving. I remembered sitting under the library desk to dust the talon feet, imagining myself in a dragon’s hoard. I hadn’t planned on spending the day after my sister’s wedding measuring windows and moving furniture for my elderly great-aunt. But no one else was begging for my company. Besides, I had always liked arranging things.
I threw out moldy pillows and curated junk. I dragged a marble-topped jardiniere and a brass can stuffed with dusty peacock feathers down the stairs, replacing them with a delicate table and chair from the stockpile below. Bit by bit, the room took shape. I angled the table in front of a window where Phee could see the view. Angled an oversize mirror on the opposite wall to reflect back the light.
The heavy valances had to go, but I left the drapery panels up.
“You should replace these,” I told her as I climbed down the stepladder. “In a lighter fabric, like silk. And this chair could use reupholstering. I’ll send you some swatches when I get back to New York.”
Phee held Polly close, monitoring my progress. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to get on my good side.”
I grinned. “Is it working?”
