Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno #4)(27)

“Is something wrong?” Gabriel’s blue eyes examined her.

“Just stiff,” she lied. She retrieved their glasses.

He fastened his arm around her. “How are your feet?”

She wiggled her left foot. “They’re fine. I knew we’d be standing a lot today, so I didn’t wear heels.”

“Ah.” Gabriel resisted the urge to complain. He opened his mouth in order to suggest a private viewing, but Julia spoke first.

“Rachel is very happy we added her name to Clare’s.”

“Yes.” Gabriel frowned, thinking of his sister and her woes. “I tried to talk to her today but she wouldn’t engage.”

“She was probably worried about spoiling the party.”

“Hmmm.” Gabriel did not sound convinced.

“Everyone around her has a baby, when she’s the one who really wanted to be a mother. She needs time to grieve.”

“Humph.” He sipped his drink.

Julia tapped the slight divot in his chin. “Don’t humph me, Professor. Grieving is a process.”

“You are not wrong.” Gabriel kissed her nose. “But I was trying to help by speaking to her today and she shut me out.”

“She needs time to process what has happened.”

“I suppose so.” Gabriel changed the subject. “Let’s talk about the abomination that’s now standing in our front garden.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Julia hid her face behind her champagne flute.

“You know exactly what I mean, Mrs. Emerson. We can’t have kitsch in the front yard.”

“I think it’s funny.”

Gabriel shook his head at her. “I have to admit, the sunglasses were a nice touch.”

“Thank you.” Julia bowed slightly. “Katherine’s gift to Clare is incredible. It’s interesting she went to the Cassirers in order to research the manuscript.”

“Yes. I haven’t spoken to Nicholas since I told him we were going to loan the Botticelli illustrations to the Uffizi. He joked about a family myth that said the illustrations must be kept secret.” Gabriel sipped his drink again. “Which reminds me, Dottor Vitali called the day before yesterday. He wanted to know if we would consider extending the exhibition.”

“What did you say?” Julia finished her ginger ale.

“I said I had to speak to you. I’m inclined to refuse.”

“Darling.” She put her glass aside. “What are a few more months?”

“They’ve had them long enough. They are precious to me.”

“Okay, Gollum.” Julia kissed him to soften her criticism.

Gabriel glared, his blue eyes razor sharp. “What if they get damaged? Or lost?”

“From the Uffizi?” Julia laughed. “They’re guarded day and night. They’re safer in the Uffizi than they are in your study.”

Gabriel rubbed his chin. “Vitali said that the exhibit was bringing in a great deal of revenue. It’s helping the gallery finance the restoration of Primavera.”

“See? It’s a great benefit. You know how I feel about that painting. Maybe we can see the restoration while it’s in progress.”

“Vitali won’t refuse you.” Gabriel sighed. “All right. I’ll tell him we will extend the loan until next summer.”

“The end of the summer,” Julia amended. “You know that the summer is their busiest time.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Humph.”

Julia laughed and kissed his frown. “Thank you.”

“The president of Boston University wrote to me, congratulating me on the Sage Lectures. He’s scheduling a reception after the gala in Edinburgh.”

“That’s great, sweetheart.”

“Edinburgh tells me I’ll be expected to say a few words after they announce me in October.” Gabriel’s eyes fixed on hers. “Will you come to my talk?”

“Of course. So long as Rebecca agrees to watch Clare.”

Gabriel’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. We’ll leave for Edinburgh the third week of October, but it will be a short trip.”

“We need to be home for Halloween.”

Gabriel looked puzzled. “What’s so important about Halloween?”

“We need to take Clare trick-or-treating.”

Gabriel’s eye twitched. “Can we take a baby trick-or-treating?”

“Sure we can. Why not?”

Gabriel nodded slowly, as if the wheels of his mind were turning. “We need to choose an appropriate costume.”

“For her or you?”

“Very funny. Although I’m more interested in seeing you in costume.” He licked his lips.

Julia grinned. “All right, Professor. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Edinburgh pays its Sage Lecturers a large sum of money. The chairman of my department, along with the dean, has granted me a research leave for next year so that I can relocate to Scotland. But they’ll still pay my salary.

“I don’t need two salaries. We live very comfortably, so I was thinking . . .” He paused and searched Julianne’s eyes.

“The orphanage in Florence.” Her brown eyes lit up. “They do so much with so little. Imagine what they could do with a year of your salary.”