Art's Blood by Vicki Lane

Author:Vicki Lane
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780440242093
Publisher: New York : Bantam Dell, 2006.
Published: 2006-06-27T05:00:00+00:00

FROM LILY GORDON’S JOURNAL— SIXTH ENTRY

Kyra seems to be reinventing herself— again— possibly the influence of that handsome young man who follows her around so like a persistent puppy. The ugly black hair is gone and she resembles an angelic waif. I had thought that she would wear a scarf or a hat till her hair grew a few inches but not she! I’m not embarrassed, GeeGee, she said with a defiant thrust of her chin that brought back so many memories.

Reba too is transformed with joy at having Kyra here, though her ugly black hair is unchanged. For as long as I can remember, ever since she first came to Marvin and Rose, her hair has been an uncompromising jet-black. Home-dyed, of course— that unpleasant, unnatural look.

She was still a young woman when she first appeared on the doorstep, saying that she’d heard we needed help with a baby. And why we trusted her— no references, no training— I still wonder at it. But the fact is that neither the uniformed nurse nor the English nanny from the expensive agency had been able to soothe the wailing infant, and my poor little Rose was in a state of prostration. (Amanda, of course, had not bothered to come down from Connecticut. A cesarean section for her champion bitch took precedence over her own daughter’s accouchement.) And so, when Reba marched in the door, put out her arms, andsaid, Give me that young un, I ( for I had been futilely endeavoring to comfort my longed-for great-granddaughter) simply handed the squirming, fretting Kyra over to this strange mountain woman. She took her and, I think, has never let her go.

She proved to have a way with the child that was almost magical. When Kyra outgrew the need for a nurse, Reba stayed on as a maid and later as a housekeeper. And always as a confidante, mentor, watchdog for Kyra. It was only Rose’s death and Marvin’s remarriage that brought Reba to me. I’ll not stay another minute in that house, she told me, when, once again, like some Appalachian Mary Poppins, she made her sudden appearance at my door. And, once again, I handed her what she wanted.

Reba has made an excellent housekeeper and, though she is somewhat unpolished, I enjoy hearing the mountain speech. And she is fiercely loyal. I believe that she would have come here in any capacity whatsoever just for the chance of seeing Kyra from time to time. I hear her in Kyra’s room often, the two of them chattering away, Reba making pronouncements in that flat, uncompromising voice; Kyra murmuring sweetly in assent, humoring her old nurse.

I believe that this temporary return to childhood has not been unwelcome to Kyra. Her foray into the independent life of the artist has been fraught with disaster. Yes, the child seems happy now, but yet, in some indefinable way, strangely unsettled. She comes to my room every morning, drinks tea and nibbles at some toast as I breakfast.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.