Paton never would have dreamed of such absurdities. How could Lyell even think of such a thing? Paton shook his head at the young man…who, of course, would seem young to him. Lyell had suggested that maybe his piano was enchanted…earlier it had made a very peculiar noise.

"Lyell, my friend, you think way too much," Paton said, turning back to his work.

"I do, do I?" Lyell teased.

"Yes," Paton stated flatly.

"Well then," Lyell laughed heartily. "Maybe I should tone it down a bit." Paton sighed. Lyell was a very good man but a lot like Charlie…sometimes a bit annoying.

"Paton…"came a familiar voice from down the hall.

Paton stood up quickly and was almost through his doorway…except that he bumped his head, being so tall. Paton cursed under his breath and realized the hallway light was on. Before he could duck his sore head back in the light shattered, and Paton looked to see a fairly deep cut in his hand, blood slowly oozing out and shards of glass in it.

"Dang, that blasted light!" Paton shook his bleeding hand at the empty light socket.

"Paton, now don't get angry," Julia said lightly, coming up the steps. "Oh Paton, you'll have so many scars," she sighed, glancing at his cut and continuing to leading him down to the kitchen for bandages.

After half an hour Julia Ingledew Yewbeam had done her very best to remove all the glass in Paton's hand, cleaned it up and wrapped it in a bandage. Paton seemed a little embarrassed to have someone else tending to him but liked it this way, quite so. He had trouble remembering that for so many years he had hidden in the shadows, becoming a shadow. No, he was not a shadow. Harken was the shadow, not him.

Julia never looked up from her work, but she heard Paton say these things out loud, quite clearly. She smiled and shook her head.

"Paton, don't be embarrassed. Yes, arHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhHIHipenwfhSP Harken was the shadow," Julia laughed to herself, a tinkle of a laugh. Paton didn't realize he had been saying those things out loud, but he rolled with it. Often around Julia he said things out loud without realizing it. Julia gently patted his hand and held it, their lips coming closer to each other…

"Miss Ingledew, may I ask how you manage to say the most random things?" Lyell Bone asked from the kitchen doorway, as Paton and Julia gave a jump. Paton was highly irritated.

"Lyell, really," Paton said, fighting himself to stay calm. He knew Charlie had his light on upstairs and he could easily shatter it. He didn't want to hurt Charlie.

"I was responding to what Paton said, Lyell. I wasn't random," Julia claimed. She didn't like being random, it got people off a certain subject and it confused people.

"Julia…Paton didn't say anything."

Julia stared at Lyell Bone, wide eyed, until it finally dawned upon her.

"I…I'm endowed?" she whispered.

Paton stared at Lyell, his mouth gaping, while a tumble of thoughts fell swirling through his mind. Julia was endowed? Amazing, amazing! That's why she could communicate so engagingly with people, Julia was a mind reader! But that meant his sisters would have had no need to gripe and grumble at him. He had married an endowed woman, not a powerless person. Yet again, his sisters were dead…they were dreadful too.

"Julia…a mind reader!" Paton exclaimed. Paton jumped up and ignoring the pain in his hand, picked Julia up with surprising strength, twirling her in the air and setting her down gently. She cried out in protest but unintentionally picking up on his thoughts she let him swing her around, and she held on to him.

Lyell smiled. Paton had nothing to worry about.

"What is it?" Charlie had come down the stairs, a pencil behind his ear. He had clearly been busy at his homework.

"Oh, Charlie!" Paton rushed up to him. "Dear boy, Julia's endowed!"

"Ms. Ingledew…endowed?" Charlie stuttered. (Even though Julia was married to Paton Charlie couldn't bring himself to call her Aunt or Ms. Yewbeam.)

"Yes, yes! She's a mind reader, Charlie!"

"That's…that's fantastic!" Charlie joined in the celebrations.

Eventually Maisie, Emma and Amy enter the room and soon everyone knows…Julia Ingledew Yewbeam is a mind reader…endowed.