finally satiated, Julie sighed contentedly, wiped her mouth on her napkin and sat back in her chair. “If you just moved in here, where on earth did you get all this food?”
Sara shrugged. “My cook, Chloe, said Papa sent it with the house slaves. As usual, he’s thought of everything.”
“Well, my stomach thanks him. But a few more meals like this and I’ll have to put my corset on the shelf and let out all my gowns…not that I have that many to let out,” she added, and her smile vanished. She looked down at the gown she’d chosen to wear for dinner. While it was clean and by far the best of the gowns she owned, the many washings it had gone through had made the material almost threadbare and had faded what was once bright pink to almost white.
A little over a year ago, her closet had bulged with her fashionable gowns. But that was before they had to sell them to buy food. She glanced at Sara and could almost see what she was thinking. Sara had always been a problem solver. If someone was in need, she’d be the first to offer help. This time, Julie was the one in need, but she couldn’t allow it.
“I didn’t say that to suggest anything, so don’t even think about buying me clothes, Sara. I can make do with what I have.”
“Nonsense.” A grin spread across Sara’s face. “I won’t take no for an answer. Besides, I wasn’t thinking of buying you new dresses. We’re the same size, and Papa has always spoiled me by buying me more gowns than I can ever hope to wear. I’ll sort through them and see what will suit you.”
“Thank you for not saying you’ll give me what you don’t want.”
Sara frowned. “I would never give you my cast offs.”
“Well, whatever you choose to call them, I can’t accept them.” Pride was about all Julie had left.
Sara’s frown deepened. “This is not a question of you accepting them or not. I simply refuse to take no for an answer. If it makes you feel better, then consider them on loan until you can get your own. I’ll have Raina bring them to your room as soon as I can sort through them. And if it makes you feel any better, since I don’t have a head for figures, you can help me balance the plantation’s account books.”
The stubborn set of Sara’s mouth, a gesture that oddly enough made her resemble the one person in the world Sara had no desire to emulate, her mother, said it all. There was no use fighting her on the issue.
“Thank you.” The thanks came as much for the offer of a place to live as it did for Sara sparing Julie the humiliation of taking charity.
“It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me.” She grinned. “Why, if it hadn’t been for you offering to go with him, I would have had to attend the Spring Pavilion with Jordan Longstreet.” Sara made a disgusted face.
For the first time in ages, Julie laughed, really laughed with happiness. “Come to think of it, you do owe me. I had to suffer through the entire night with that dolt walking on the toes of my new blue slippers. He made such a mess of them I had to throw them out, and my toes took weeks to recover from the abuse.”
Sara giggled, sounding much like she had back at school when they’d shared secrets after the lights went out.
“As I also recall,” Julie continued, “the reason you didn’t want to go with him was because you’d seen his grandmother’s spirit hovering over him, and you refused to accompany a man who took his dead grandmother to a dance with him.” Julie knew all about Sara’s gift and rather than being repelled by it had found it fascinating. Another reason the two of them had become inseparable friends. Julie simply accepted Sara for who she was.
Julie’s expression had sobered. “Speaking of grandmothers…I never said how sorry I was to hear you lost your grandmother. I know how close you were to her.”
Sara’s laughter, along with the light in her eyes, died. She became very solemn, then stood and laid her napkin on
Sara shrugged. “My cook, Chloe, said Papa sent it with the house slaves. As usual, he’s thought of everything.”
“Well, my stomach thanks him. But a few more meals like this and I’ll have to put my corset on the shelf and let out all my gowns…not that I have that many to let out,” she added, and her smile vanished. She looked down at the gown she’d chosen to wear for dinner. While it was clean and by far the best of the gowns she owned, the many washings it had gone through had made the material almost threadbare and had faded what was once bright pink to almost white.
A little over a year ago, her closet had bulged with her fashionable gowns. But that was before they had to sell them to buy food. She glanced at Sara and could almost see what she was thinking. Sara had always been a problem solver. If someone was in need, she’d be the first to offer help. This time, Julie was the one in need, but she couldn’t allow it.
“I didn’t say that to suggest anything, so don’t even think about buying me clothes, Sara. I can make do with what I have.”
“Nonsense.” A grin spread across Sara’s face. “I won’t take no for an answer. Besides, I wasn’t thinking of buying you new dresses. We’re the same size, and Papa has always spoiled me by buying me more gowns than I can ever hope to wear. I’ll sort through them and see what will suit you.”
“Thank you for not saying you’ll give me what you don’t want.”
Sara frowned. “I would never give you my cast offs.”
“Well, whatever you choose to call them, I can’t accept them.” Pride was about all Julie had left.
Sara’s frown deepened. “This is not a question of you accepting them or not. I simply refuse to take no for an answer. If it makes you feel better, then consider them on loan until you can get your own. I’ll have Raina bring them to your room as soon as I can sort through them. And if it makes you feel any better, since I don’t have a head for figures, you can help me balance the plantation’s account books.”
The stubborn set of Sara’s mouth, a gesture that oddly enough made her resemble the one person in the world Sara had no desire to emulate, her mother, said it all. There was no use fighting her on the issue.
“Thank you.” The thanks came as much for the offer of a place to live as it did for Sara sparing Julie the humiliation of taking charity.
“It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me.” She grinned. “Why, if it hadn’t been for you offering to go with him, I would have had to attend the Spring Pavilion with Jordan Longstreet.” Sara made a disgusted face.
For the first time in ages, Julie laughed, really laughed with happiness. “Come to think of it, you do owe me. I had to suffer through the entire night with that dolt walking on the toes of my new blue slippers. He made such a mess of them I had to throw them out, and my toes took weeks to recover from the abuse.”
Sara giggled, sounding much like she had back at school when they’d shared secrets after the lights went out.
“As I also recall,” Julie continued, “the reason you didn’t want to go with him was because you’d seen his grandmother’s spirit hovering over him, and you refused to accompany a man who took his dead grandmother to a dance with him.” Julie knew all about Sara’s gift and rather than being repelled by it had found it fascinating. Another reason the two of them had become inseparable friends. Julie simply accepted Sara for who she was.
Julie’s expression had sobered. “Speaking of grandmothers…I never said how sorry I was to hear you lost your grandmother. I know how close you were to her.”
Sara’s laughter, along with the light in her eyes, died. She became very solemn, then stood and laid her napkin on
Similar Books
