Fifty-Three
The wedding reception was held on the grounds of Crystal Gardens. It was the second time within the span of a few months that Abigail and Sara had been invited to the nuptials of a former employee. Evangeline Ames—now the wife of Lucas Sebastian, the owner of the Gardens—had been the first bride to be married there. As one of Beatrice’s two closest friends, she had insisted on arranging the reception for Beatrice and Joshua. Clarissa Slate, having successfully concluded her recent case, was the bridesmaid.
The day was sunny and warm. In addition to Evangeline and Lucas and Clarissa, Hannah Trafford and her son, Nelson, were among the guests.
The grounds of the mysterious estate looked considerably less ominous than they had the last time they had all gathered there, Sara thought. The level of paranormal energy had definitely been reduced, although Lucas had explained that due to the properties of the ancient underground spring in the center of the gardens, nothing would ever be normal about the plant life that thrived there.
One could not run decades of bizarre paranormal experiments in a garden as Lucas’s uncle had done and not expect to come up with some very dangerous results, Sara thought. There was a tremendous amount of psychical energy in the botanical world.
She stood with Abigail near the buffet table and watched Beatrice and Joshua talk with Lucas and Evangeline near a fountain. Joshua and Lucas had obviously become friends. Perhaps it was because they were both so much alike when it came to character and spirit, Sara thought. Both would do whatever was necessary to protect the ones they loved. They shared something else, as well. Joshua was still reluctant to put any credence in the paranormal, but there was no doubt in her mind that he possessed a measure of psychical talent.
“Our Beatrice looks absolutely radiant, doesn’t she, Abby?” Sara whipped out a hankie to dab a small tear away from the corner of her eye. “And look at the way Joshua is standing so close to her. One can see the strong bond between them. He would ride into hell to protect her.”
“You are such a romantic,” Abigail said. She munched a lobster canapé. “But you are right. Joshua’s injuries sent him into seclusion for a time but they did not break his spirit. There is steel in that man. It is good to see that the shadows that always seemed to envelop him are gone.”
“Thanks to the healing energy of love.”
“I am happy for both of them, of course,” Abigail said briskly. She picked up another canapé. “But it strikes me that at the rate we are losing our agents to marriage, Flint and Marsh will soon be bankrupt.”
“We will find other agents,” Sara assured her, unperturbed. “And it is not as though we have lost their services. The four of them have made it clear that they are available for consultation on future cases.”
“Bah. Perhaps we should close the doors of Flint and Marsh and go into another business.”
“Such as?”
“Matchmaking.”
Sara chuckled. “We do seem to be rather good at it, don’t we?”
“Evidently, but there’s more profit in the investigation business.”
“True.” Sara looked at Nelson, who was in animated conversation with Lucas’s brother, Tony, and his sister, Beth.
“It strikes me that instead of reinventing ourselves as matchmakers, perhaps we should consider expanding the investigative services of Flint and Marsh,” Sara said.
“What do you mean?”
Sara tapped one finger against the buffet table. “Young Nelson appears to have inherited talents that are quite similar to those of his uncle. There have been times of late when it would have been helpful to have had a bodyguard available to protect one of our agents who was exposed to danger in the course of a case. I wonder if Nelson would be interested in that sort of work.”
Abigail narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t we inquire?”
—
BEATRICE WATCHED HER former employers approach Nelson, Beth and Tony.
“Hmm,” she said.
Evangeline, Joshua and Lucas all turned their heads to see what had attracted her attention.
“What do you suppose Mrs. Marsh and Mrs. Flint are up to?” Evangeline said. “They appear to be on a mission.”
“Yes,” Lucas said. “There is something very determined about that pair.”
“If there is one thing I know about Mrs. Flint and Mrs. Marsh, it is that they are excellent businesswomen,” Joshua observed.
It was impossible to hear the conversation that was taking place on the other side of the rosebushes, but it was not difficult to see what was happening. Nelson was paying close attention to what Mrs. Flint and Mrs. Marsh were saying. The more they talked, the more enthusiastic he appeared.
“Something tells me that Nelson will soon be engaged in a position with Flint and Marsh in the near future,” Beatrice said.
“I believe he is at long last on his way to finding a career,” Joshua said. “Hannah will be thrilled.”
Beatrice winced. “I doubt it.”
“She will understand,” Joshua said. “I was very much like him when I was that age.”