“In the town, not in this house.”
“Sure,” Joce said cautiously, then chewed while she tried to think of a polite way to bring up what she wanted to talk about. “Do you know a man named Ramsey McDowell?”
“Of course,” Sara said, but she didn’t look up.
“What’s he like?”
“Beautiful, brilliant, sophisticated. What exactly do you want to know about him?”
“I take it then that he’s a heartbreaker.”
Sara took a while to answer and when she did, there was caution in her voice. “He’s broken some hearts, yes.”
“But he’s never had his broken?”
Sara looked up from the dress. “I think I should tell you that Ramsey is my cousin, so there’s family loyalty there. I’d have to know you a lot better than I do now before I say much about him.”
“It’s just that he’s coming here tonight for dinner, and I’d like to know more about him than just the one conversation we had. He seems to be—”
“Rams is coming here? Tonight? What did you do to rate that?” Sara looked impressed.
“Nothing that I know of,” Joce said. “He’s handling all the paperwork for the house, so I guess—”
“That’s work, and he does that at his office. What did you do to get him to come to your house?”
“I…I don’t know, except that I knew the date the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.”
“That would do it. Rams loves smart people, and he loves history.” Sara took a spool of thread from the box and rethreaded her needle. “That’s where the girls make their mistakes with my cousin.”
“What do you mean?”
“They think Rams is like all the other men and goes for low-cut dresses. He likes those but he likes brains more. Besides, Tess erased the dress theory forever. As for what else he likes, you can ask Tess about women or food or whatever. She knows him better than we do.”
“Tess? Oh, yes. The other tenant. What does she have to do with Ramsey…Rams?”
“She runs his life.” When Joce raised her eyebrows, Sara shook her head. “No, not in that way. Tess runs his law office and she’s so good at it, she tends to run his life as well. If you get flowers on your birthday from Rams, they were probably chosen and sent by Tess.”
“Ah, one of those secretaries. Dotes on him, half in love with him? That sort of thing?”
Sara smiled. “She says she can’t stand him, and she frequently lets him know it.”
“So why does she work for him? Why does she live here in Edilean?”
Sara shrugged. “I have no idea. Tess is a mystery to me, and I know she’s a mystery to Rams. But she lets him know when he does something she doesn’t like.”
“So what does she have to do with a low-cut dress?”
“You’ll have to get Rams to tell you that story.”
“You know, I think I read in some book that when you go on a first date with a man, you do not ask him what his secretary and a low-cut dress have in common.”
Sara laughed. “I’m sure you’re right, but Rams has always been able to laugh at himself. Listen, this is just a warning, but when you meet Tess, don’t call her a secretary, and do not ask her about that dress. She’s sick of the story.”
“All right,” Jocelyn said as she pushed her empty plate away. Already she was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with all she had to learn.
Sara seemed to know what she was thinking. “You’ll do fine. Everyone is just curious, that’s all. But I do warn you that everyone in this town—who actually lives here, that is—is going to want you to tell them about Miss Edi.”
“I can understand that,” Joce said. “The townspeople must have loved her very much.”