Free JAKrentz - Witchcraft by User Page B

Kimberly Sawyer." The plump housekeeper held out her hand with a cheerful smile and a crinkle of genuine humor in her gray eyes. She was probably in her late fifti es , Kimberly estimated, as she greeted the woman. Privately she wondered how many other people there were in the household. The sense of being surrounded grew. She and Julia had reached the second floor of the house and were halfway down the hall toward the bedroom Kimberly was to use when two other figures popped out of a sunny sitting room with loud exclamations of pleasure. "Ah, this must be Kim," the first declared. "So glad you could come, dear! I'm Dare's aunt, Milly Cavenaugh ." Kimberly smiled at the charmingly stately woman in her mid-sixties who swept up to her. Milly Cavenaugh had the now-familiar green eyes of the family but her once black hair had silvered quite elegantly. She wore it in a regal bun at the back of her head. The queenly style suited the woman. Milly was tall and proudly built. Her eyes sparkled with animation and an unquenchable curiosity.
    Cavenaugh had mentioned his aunt had lost her husband years ago and now divided her time between whatever projects happened to take her fancy.
    Kimberly knew she was going to like the older woman, but she also knew she was going to thoroughly enjoy the creature in the purple turban and lime green dress who stood behind her. For an instant she just stared at the brightly dressed woman. The robust, vividly attired lady was about the same age as Milly , but where Cavenaugh's aunt had an air of elegance about her, her companion appeared wonderfully eccentric and not a little scatterbrained. A good character for a book, Kimberly found herself thinking. "Kim, this is my aunt's friend, Ariel Llewellyn," Julia said, making the introductions quickly. "Ariel and my aunt are inseparable."
    "Rubbish," Ariel announced grandly, shaking Kimberly's hand with brisk enthusiasm. " Milly and I amuse each other and spend a good many afternoons together but we certainly aren't inseparable, are we, Milly ?"
    "Vile slander," Milly agreed lightly. "How long will you be staying, dear?"
    "A few days, I think." Kimberly felt decidedly uneasy under the questioning. It was anyone's guess how long she could bring herself to stay in this energetic, well-populated household, even under the best of circumstances. Already she felt a wave of panic at the notion of having so little privacy. She realized she had become accustomed to privacy, living by herself most of her adult life.
    Vaguely she wondered how Cavenaugh stood having so many lively people surrounding him. But then, he had grown up in this environment, she reminded herself. And he was a man who carried out his responsibilities. "Is that everyone in the house?" Kimberly asked Julia hesitantly as Scott's mother swept her on down the hall to the room assigned to her. "For the moment," Julia assured her breezily. "We get a lot of people in and out during the day, of course. Mostly employees who come to see Dare or visit with Mrs. Lawson. Then there are the visits from Scott's friends. And Milly and Ariel are very fond of tea parties so they frequently entertain."
    "It sounds rather, uh, hectic," Kimberly noted cautiously. "You get used to it.' "Oh." Kimberly said nothing more as Julia ushered her into a warm, sunny room that looked out over the vineyards. She headed at once for the window, peering out at the view. "I hope you'll like this room," Julia remarked. "Dare will bring your suitcase up soon. He's busy talking to Starke down in the study at the moment." Kimberly suddenly realized that Cavenaugh had not followed his sister and Kimberly up the stairs. "That's fine. I'm in no rush. I'll need to get my typewriter out of the car, too, and my supplies." "Don't worry. Starke will take care of it." Julia smiled warmly. "You know, we really are glad you decided to come and visit for a while. We'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did two months ago."
    "Please, don't