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She tapped her ear lobe. “I, too, have my sources, but I see now there is no wedding ring. Perhaps the announcement was premature?”
“Perhaps the announcement should never have been made,” Ben countered.
His mother sighed and shrugged. “One can hope, but may I have a proper introduction to this lovely young woman?”
Ben stepped between us and gestured to each of us in turn. “Millie Lucas, may I introduce you to my mother, Countess Sofia Rookwood Castle.”
She tapped a finger against his arm. “Formercountess. I leave that honorable title to another of your choice.”
He bowed his head to her. “My apologies for my old habit.”
The former countess laughed. “My dear, it’s been some five years since I vacated the title.” She turned to me and held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lucas.”
“Please just call me Millie,” I requested as we shook hands.
“Then you must call me Sophia.”
“Shall I call you Sophia, as well?” her son spoke up.
She raised one elegant eyebrow at him. “No, but you might tell me where you found this lovely young woman, and why she wears this.” She gently grasped my left arm and lifted it up to show off the invisible ribbon. Her keen eyes also fell on the canister strapped to my arm, and she furrowed her brow. “And the aura from this is quite unusual.”
Ben’s eyes flickered to the doors on our left. “Both of those explanations are better left to less open spaces.”
“I see. Before that comes-” She clasped her hands in front of her and looked from one of us to the other, “-and with the formalities out of the way, what has brought you here this fine morning?”
A teasing smile slipped onto Ben’s lips. “Need it be something?”
Her eyes twinkled like those of her son. “You brought her here for a reason, and since I haven’t the pleasure of being introduced to my daughter-in-law it must be for something else.”
Ben nodded at me. “I promised Millie here an explanation for my rather unique hobby, and thought you would be the best to give it.”
Some of her good humor faded away. “I see. Well, I would be glad to assist however I can. If you would follow me.” She gestured to one of the door offshoots to the left of the nave.
We followed our guide through the door and found ourselves in a hallway that ran parallel to the main part of the church. A long row of doors stood in the wall opposite where we entered. A few of the entrances were ajar, and I glimpsed a gaggle of the women seated in a small sitting room filled with personal furnishings and knickknacks. The other rooms were likewise adorned and pointed to their being the lodgings of the sisters.
Sofia led us down to the very last door before the hallway turned to travel behind the nook where the statue stood. I peeked around the corner and noticed the corridor connected to another hall on the opposite side of the nave. She opened the door and presented us with a comfortable parlor with clean if simple furnishings. A small table with four chairs stood in front of a small stone fireplace, and a door to our right was slightly open and I glimpsed a plain short bed with a thick layer of blankets. The long, narrow table to our left was occupied by a pitcher and bowl, with a towel beside them.
The front room was finished off by a few elaborate tapestries that hung from the wall. One of the scenes caught my attention, and I couldn’t help but wander a little closer to get a better view of it. The cloth maker had woven a picture of a stately manor home in the countryside surrounded by a thick forest of tall trees with spindly branches. A simple dirt road wound its way up to a circular drive, and flower beds decorated every inch of the foundation.
The structure itself was two floors, each featuring a few wide and tall paned windows. The roof was a single high gable, and a few dormer windows jutted out to reveal a large attic space. Strips of white clapboard covered the face of the stately home.
The strands used to weave the picture created a shadowed effect on the scene, making me think not that it was night but that a heavy fog lay just out of sight. It gave me shivers, but I couldn’t look away from it.
“I see you have discovered the jewel of my collection,” Sofia spoke up as she sidled up to my side and admired the tapestry. “This is Rookwood, my family’s ancestral estate.”
I lifted an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t Ben mention that name?”
She tilted her head slightly and smiled at me. “Yes. He knows how fond I am of my former name, and always manages to squeeze it in there when making introductions.”
“Another habit,” Ben spoke up as he grasped the back of one of the chairs and drew it out. “But right now we have our own explanation to give to you about Millie, remember?”
“Of course,” Sofia agreed as she guided me over to the table.
I took my seat in the chair Ben had drawn out and he helped me scoot in before he took up another seat beside me. Sofia seated herself opposite me and clasped her hands together on the table.
Ben nodded at me. “Millie here is from another world.”
Sofia gave her son a slightly incredulous stare. “Truly? Or do you jest?”
