Dream

Chapter 7

           

In the weeks that followed Zebadiah spent more time at the house, and Lucy had done her best to avoid him as much as possible. When their paths did cross they were polite to each other and not a word was mentioned about their encounter with Joel.

Zebadiah had moved completely into the study, even to the point of putting a bed at the end of the room near the balcony doors. Lucy had only needed to enter the room once or twice since her last encounter with him, but she could feel his presence even when he wasn't there, and she loved the way the restored room look lived in. It was as if it had become the heart of the house, feeding off the energy Zebadiah left behind. Everything on the job was going smoothly and progressing at a rapid pace. The house was happy and that made Lucy happy.

She had moved down to the first floor to work on the drawing room. It was a large beautiful room that was filled with amazing details. The ceiling had wood paneling as did the walls, and she had never seen carvings as ornate as those that graced the mantle and fireplace surround. The room would be just as impressive as the study when she was finished with it.

Thomas had told her that the fireplace was going to need a liner installed to make it operable, and she was pleased that Zebadiah was going to make it functional once again. It would be wonderful to have roaring fire in the room on a really cold night in the winter. She was smiling at the thought, as if she was sharing the house's joy, when she heard a noise behind her.

Turning she saw a very little girl of about four years watching her through bangs that were a little too long.

"Hello," she greeted, Lucy's smile growing at her cute little face. Her hair and eyes were dark, and she looked naturally reserved, so when she smiled back Lucy felt as if she had achieved something important. "Who are you?" Lucy asked setting her brush off to one side.

"Eden!" She watched as a woman with equally dark hair and eyes caught the little girl by the hand. "You shouldn't wander off because the house isn't safe." The woman glanced up at Lucy and gave her a vague smile. "I'm looking for my brother, Zebadiah?" she asked.

"I haven't seen him yet this morning, but if he's here he'll be in the study on the second floor," Lucy supplied as she watched Gianna Beckett join the woman and little girl.

Gianna took her time looking around the room, assessing the work, before her gaze landed on Lucy with apparent disgust. She didn't try to introduce Lucy and the woman.

"Gianna, would you stay here and keep an eye on Eden? I want to talk to Zebadiah alone." The woman didn't wait for an answer as she started up the steps in the hallway.

Eden didn't seem to be troubled by the development, and she kept her eyes glued to Lucy while Gianna looked almost afraid at the prospect of being left alone with the little girl. Amused, Lucy turned back towards her work, picking up her brush.

A few moments later Eden was standing next to her. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I'm dusting, would you like to try?" Lucy asked just as softly.

Eden looked over her shoulder at Gianna who was busy doing something on her phone and not paying her any attention. With a nod, the little girl knelt, taking the brush from Lucy. It looked abnormally large in her little hand. "I'm Eden. What do I do?"

"I'm Lucy, and you pretend like you're painting and get all of the dust and crumbs out of the cabinet."

Lucy watched as the young girl leaned in and gave the cabinet a few gentle swipes. "Perfect, but don't be afraid to get in those corners." She reached into her bag and took out a small dental scraper, it was perfect for the detail work, and began to work at the paint around the flower motifs on the mantle. When Eden finished the first cabinet, Lucy opened the next one and let her start again. Lucy had already cleaned them once, so it was an easy job for the little girl and there was nothing that could harm her.