Museum Piece by Anne Stuart

Author:Anne Stuart [Stuart, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Impeccably Demure Press

Chapter 13

“Are you serious?” Molly breathed in amazement. The buzz of conversation around her went unheeded, and the champagne glass in her hand trembled slightly. “You can’t be; you’re just teasing me.”

“Would I do that?” James said smoothly, taking an unconcerned sip from his glass. It was one of the finer California vintages. One of Dr. Matheson’s strictures was that, while they shouldn’t skimp, California products should be used whenever possible. Therefore, California champagne was served at exhibit openings, California fruit and vegetables made up the hors d’oeuvres, and California money was enticed by these festivities into the museum endowment fund. Molly had long ago thanked providence that she loved champagne—over the long run, she’d had to drink buckets of the stuff .

The occasion of this current champagne fete was the opening of a costume exhibit, organized by a triumphant Lucia, entitled “Clothes Make the Woman.” Molly had no choice but to attend, both for Lucia’s sake and by Matheson’s strictest orders. She had known with a sinking certainty that she would run into the one person she had studiously avoided the last few days. Though, after the first twenty-four hours, he hadn’t made much of an effort, Molly realized with a chagrin that she called relief.

And indeed, she hadn’t been there for ten minutes, wandering past the silver-and-gold mannequins with their eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century costumes, when James Elliott materialized in front of her like a rabbit out of a hat. She was standing in front of an Edwardian lace dress, eyeing it with a wistful covetousness, when he startled her by appearing by her side. His first words startled her even more.

“Mr. Seaquist wants to meet you.”

Molly still couldn’t quite believe him. “You must be kidding. J.E. Seaquist hasn’t met anyone from the outside world in over twenty years. He’s even more of a recluse than Howard Hughes was.”

James smiled serenely, taking another sip of champagne. He was looking absolutely devastating, of course—Molly had yet to meet a man who looked as good in a tuxedo. Sebastian had only succeeded in looking like a high-class bouncer at a fancy restaurant, and her tame eunuchs paled into insignificance next to Elliott’s splendor. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the supermarket, darling Molly. J.E. Seaquist has been a recluse for no more than five years, and he has an excellent reason for it. His health.”

“Sure.”

A trace of irritation shadowed his eyes and then disappeared. “I don’t know why I bother arguing with you—you can find out soon enough just how sick he is. I’ve told him we’ll come this weekend.”

“We?” she echoed suspiciously, still doubting him seriously.

“Do you think I’d abandon that helpless old man to your tender mercies? Come now, I’m not that cruel. I’ll be along to protect him, and to serve as a buffer. He isn’t used to meeting new people at this point, though I can assure you there have been any number of visitors to Sea Tor during the last few years. But both he and you would be more comfortable if I brought you.

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