The Last Keeper (12 page)

“He took that rather well,” Helen said, when I returned inside.
 

“Better than I expected. He was more worried over the etiquette of seeing me half naked.”
 

“I’ll bet he was. You should have seen the colour of his face when I washed your back off. He would’ve fallen down had he not already been supporting himself with the doorframe.” She joined me as I laughed.

We’d finished cleaning the kitchen, making sure all the glass had been swept up and everything put away, when the doorbell rang. In the hope it might be Ray, I raced to the door, almost tearing it off its hinges to answer it. I was surprised to see Liza Synclair standing on the doorstep with a parcel in her hands.

“Good afternoon, Liz. This is a pleasant surprise.” I stood to the side and gestured for her to come in.

“Good afternoon, Serenity. I thought I would come and spend some time with the young woman who has captured my son’s heart.” She smiled brightly.

So that was why she’d asked him to do some errands.
 

“I also have something for you.” She patted the lid of the parcel.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I told her, but I wondered what she’d brought.
 

“I realise you will have many dresses to choose from, but I saw this one and thought it would be perfect for you.” She set the box down on the sitting room table, and tossed its lid to one side. “Go on, have a look.”

Upon peeling back the layers of tissue paper, I found myself staring at a mass of shimmering fabric. Picking up the straps, I took the dress from the box, letting the material slip from my fingers.
 

Gorgeous
was the first and only word I could use to describe the dress. Even
gorgeous
did it no justice at all. The light velvet was embroidered in bright, vibrant jades, oranges, and blues. The design of beautiful flowers flowed from just under the bust down to the waist and then swept down to the hem on the left. Matching embroidery adorned the straps where they met the dress.
 

“Liz,” I breathed. “I can’t accept this. It’s beautiful beyond words.”

“I was wearing this when I met Ray’s father.” There was a sad smile on her face as she reminisced. “My father brought it back from France, and the style was outrageous at the time. So much skin on display. My mother refused to let me out of the house unless I wore a stole with it. She was embarrassed that my father would buy something like this for me.”

“Liz, I really can’t accept this,” I told her, touched that she would think to give me such a sentimental item.
 

“Nonsense. I will never be able to fit into this again, and I have no desire to. You’re about the same size as I was, and it will be put to much better use with you than sitting in the back of my wardrobe gathering dust.” Her hand fluttered lightly over the fabric. “Besides, I’m sure Ray will simply be stunned when he sees you in it.”

“Thank you. It truly is beautiful.”

“Come now, we had best make sure it fits you.”

The entire afternoon was spent going over and over the dress. The second I slipped it over my head, thankful the tape from my ribs had been removed, I knew it was going to be perfect, if a touch long. Helen had then ushered me up onto a stool and told me to stay perfectly still. An hour of crawling round the floor and she was finally done. It had taken three attempts to adjust the hem, making sure it was the right length. The first had been far too long, the second just a fraction. I thought all of them were perfect, but Liz and Helen insisted it had to just brush the floor as I walked. The third attempt reminded Helen that I wasn’t wearing any shoes and saw her scurrying to find the right pair.
 

“Apart from the hem, it’s a perfect fit,” Helen said.
 

“Doesn’t she look stunning?” Liz asked as the two of them stepped back to admire me.

“It’s missing something.” Helen gave me a once-over.

“I know.” I hopped down from the stool.
 

Before anyone objected, I raced up the stairs to my room, careful not to catch the delicately pinned hem. It was fortunate I’d spent some time reorganising my belongings one long afternoon over late spring just after we’d moved in. I knew exactly where to look. Two boxes, one with a necklace I rarely wore, and one with a shawl I’d never worn. It had been a gift from William in an attempt to get me to dance more often—an attempt that had failed. The necklace was one of my most prized possessions.
 

Taking both of the boxes downstairs, I carefully unwrapped the shawl first, draping the thin silk around my shoulders. The pattern wasn’t an exact match to the dress, but they complimented each other perfectly.
 

When I brought out the necklace, there was a gasp of appreciation from Liz and one of shock from Helen.
 

“Would you mind?” I asked, handing Helen the piece.
 

“I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it,” Liz mused, as Helen swept my hair to the side and fastened the necklace in place.
 

“It has been in the family for years.”
 

It was actually a gift from my sister and dated back to the Celts. The Celtic Butterfly, as she’d called it, was a beautifully made silver necklace with a single polished jet stone in the centre. The knots making up the design looked like a pair of butterfly wings. She’d laughed when she told me why she’d chosen that particular stone.
 

Calming.
 

She’d been teasing me. Out of the two of us, I was the calm one.
 

“You’re absolutely stunning,” Liz commented as I gave them a twirl of the almost-complete outfit.
 

Helen had a motherly smile on her face. “Ray will be mesmerized.”
 

Two weeks passed quickly, and I managed not to get myself thrown through any more windows.
 

   
Ray spent every day at my house, or I spent the time at his. At least until I realised I hadn’t bought him a present. After hours of rattling around the house wondering what I could get him, I eventually decided on something. It required me to spend several hours hunched over my desk, but it was worth every second.

Helen took an entire week to make sure the dress was a perfect fit. I lost count of the number of times she had me up on that stool in the dining room, checking and double-checking her work. Personally, I didn’t know what all the fuss was about; Ray’s eyes were hardly going to be on my hemline.
 

Naturally, Helen, Sam, and Jayne were also invited to the party, and Jayne had the time of her life getting ready with us. She was thrilled and promptly told her mother that she had to wear her lilac dress for the occasion. It was her favourite. Helen had chosen a simple, yet elegant, pale yellow one.
 

When the three of us descended the stairs, Sam let out a whistle of appreciation and told us he would be fighting the men off with sticks. That earned him a soft thump from Helen.
 

“Is everyone ready?” he asked, rubbing his shoulder playfully.
 

“Yes.”
 

I was nervous.

This was the first birthday party I’d been to outside of my family. What if I tripped? What if he didn’t like his gift? What if Professor Baruti was there and I managed to expose myself for what I was?
 

With a knowing smile, Sam went to fetch the carriage. I’d tried to persuade him to let me get someone else to take care of our transport for the evening, but he’d insisted. He wouldn’t even let me bring the car from the garage, insisting that the carriage was the only way to travel to the event.
 

“Would you please stop pacing?” Helen asked me while we waited for Sam.
 

“Sorry,” I muttered, not aware I’d started.
 

“What do you have to be nervous about?” She put herself in my path. “He knows about you. He clearly loves you, even if he hasn’t said it yet. So take a deep breath, and stop fretting.”

I sighed. “You’re right.”
 

“Of course I am. Now, we have a party to get to.”

Music was already playing when we arrived, slightly late. Ray was mingling with the guests, mostly young women and older men with their wives, some from the auction. The second I saw him all of my worries evaporated.
 

He was so comfortable discussing politics. Everything they said to him, he had a rebuttal for. Every counter argument was met with either quiet approval or a disproving shake of his head and a fierce comeback. Over the few short weeks I’d spent with him, I’d seen how intelligent he was. None of these men stood a chance at winning the debate. No matter how light-hearted they appeared to be.
 

“Excuse me for a moment,” he said after noticing our arrival.
 

“Of course,” Mr. Wilson said, turning to continue his discussion with another man.

Ray greeted us with a warm smile on his face. Turning to Jayne, he said, “You look lovely this evening.”

“Thank you,” she told him before following her mother farther into the house.
 

“Serenity,” he breathed, turning to me. “Lovely does not begin to describe you.”

“You may be somewhat biased.” I was well aware of the sudden silence as I reached up to kiss his cheek. It had become my habit of late.
 

“That may be so, but that dress is sublime on you. Have I seen it before?”
 

“Good evening, Serenity,” Liz greeted me, interrupting Ray. “Helen worked wonders with the hem, I see.”

“She did, though she spent most of the week fussing over it.”
 

“This is the dress I was wearing when I met your father,” she explained to Ray. “I thought it would make a wonderful gift to Serenity.”

“You were wearing it in the portrait hanging in your room,” Ray said, the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place.

“I was.” She smiled. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe the refreshments need tending to.”

“Happy birthday,” I told him once we were alone. “I have something for you.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” he scolded gently. “You being here is enough of a gift.”

“Nonsense, this is something I thought you might like to read.” Having handed him the wrapped book, I watched as he opened it. “It’s from a collection we made around five hundred years ago, but I only wrote the stories into it over the past week.”

“Serenity, this is too much,” he whispered, without having opened the book.

“Accurate, first-hand accounts of the rise of Rome, the burial of Cleopatra, the discovery of America, and some of the stories of my kind.” Taking the book, I pointed out some of the tales. “Not all of them are about me, but they’re all accurate.”

“I’m at a loss for words.”

“The stories of my kind are in our language, and you will only be able to translate them with the key that’s in my study. The rest you’re free to read whenever you wish, but promise me you won’t share them too widely.”

“I promise.” He ran his fingers gently over the thick binding. “This will be for my eyes only.”

“When you can read my language as well as I can, perhaps I’ll let you see the rest of my history.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
 

“You never had to do anything, Ray. I’m yours, and I always have been.”

“I must be dreaming.”

His statement caused me to chuckle softly. “It’s not a dream. This is all very real.”
 

“Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I think I might.”

“May I show my mother?” he asked, eyes still on the book. “She would love to see what you’ve given me.”

“Of course.”

We made our way through his home, stopping occasionally to say a brief hello to some of the guests. The house teemed with people, and eager stares followed us everywhere. I heard the whispered comments about who I was and musings about our relationship. There certainly were some jealous women in attendance.
 

By the time we meandered into the kitchen, where Liz busied herself preparing more food, I had overheard at least two plans to steal Ray from my side. Those petty children would be in for a shock if they tried. I may have looked every inch the delicate lady, but I was far from it.

“Ray, dear, are you well?” Liz asked when she spotted us by the door.

“Very well, Mother. I wanted to show you what Serenity brought for me.” He smiled as he handed the book over to her.

“Oh my,” she whispered, glancing through some of the pages. “Where in heaven’s name did you find such a treasure?”

“It was among some books we’ve had for a while.” It wasn’t quite a lie.

“I hope you plan on reading quickly, Son. This is something that needs to be put in the safe.” She gently closed the book. “For now, I’ll put it on your desk.”

“Would you like me to do that?” I asked. “You seem very busy.”

“Nonsense, it will only take me a moment. Go, have fun.”