I was nine when James came back to New York to stay. He married a young woman named Sarah, bought a town house a few blocks from ours, and started calling himself a businessman. My mother was thrilled that her baby brother had stopped burning through his inheritance and was finally getting serious. I was confused. It seemed like the person I’d known my whole life was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Before long, James’s business started to struggle, and I barely saw him. When I did, he spent most of the time on his phone. My aunt Sarah did her best to make up for him. She had a job of her own, but she always found time for me. I thought she pitied me for losing the uncle I’d adored. I didn’t realize that she’d lost him, too.
Then one day Sarah and my father died. Within a week, James was gone. He’d closed his company, sold his house, and disappeared. My mother was furious. I didn’t hold it against him at first. Every night I prayed James would come back. We didn’t hear from him for years.
Next thing we knew, James had bought an old mansion in the middle of nowhere and announced he was opening an inn. I begged my mother to take me to see him. We drove up for a visit and discovered him living in a hollowed-out ruin. I remember herds of mice stampeding down the halls and a goat living in one of the bedrooms. James and my mother fought at dinner, and she accused him of being selfish and irresponsible. That was the last time I saw him. My mom and I didn’t even go to his second wedding. After our visit, she rarely even mentioned his name. She seemed determined to forget she’d ever had a brother. In my darkest moments, I’d wondered if the uncle I remembered had ever really existed.
Now the sound of footsteps was growing louder. I stood up straight and watched the doorway. I had no idea who I’d see. My whole body was buzzing with a blend of excitement and terror. When James finally appeared in front of me, I was glad Miriam had warned me that he’d changed. I’m not sure I’d have known who he was if she hadn’t. His black hair was shot through with gray, and the scruff on his chin had gone white. I’d always thought of him as a giant. Now he appeared hunched over and hollowed out—like something was feeding on him from the inside. I couldn’t help but notice that he’d added extra holes to his belt. Without them, the pants he was wearing would have collapsed around his ankles. In the years since I’d seen him, James had become an old man. Miriam was right. It took me by surprise. I hadn’t expected to pity him.
“My God, you’ve grown up gorgeous.” James drew me into a hug, and I was startled to feel ribs jutting out from his back. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”
I’d spent years daydreaming about this moment—the uncle I’d adored saving me from my mother and welcoming me into his home. But now that it was happening, it didn’t feel right.
“Thanks for letting me stay,” I said once I’d managed to break free.
“I’m delighted to have you, Bram. In fact, I’m sorry it’s taken so long. I would have had you up here ages ago if your mother had allowed it. You know how difficult she is.”
I did, which was why it had always been so hard to believe he’d abandoned me. I watched as James eased his body into a chair. When he looked up at me, he was practically beaming. He did seem happy to have me in his home.
“I’m making Bram some eggs and bacon,” Miriam said. “Would you care for some?”
“No, thank you, Miriam,” James replied. “I’ll be fine with coffee.”
I walked around the table and took a seat across from him.
“I spoke with your mother this morning,” he announced. His tone made it clear that the conversation hadn’t been pleasant. “She said you haven’t been answering her calls.”
“My phone died last night,” I told him, remembering the creature I’d seen seconds before the word “MOTHER” had flashed on my phone’s screen.
“Ah,” he said as Miriam set a mug of coffee down for him. “Well, give her a shout as soon as you’re able, before she drives me completely batty.”
“I will,” I promised. When I’m ready, I added to myself.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, raising the mug to his lips.
Before I could answer, Miriam chimed in nervously. “I was meaning to tell you—I had to put Bram in the rose room last night.”
James glanced up from his coffee to look at Miriam for the first time. His thick black eyebrows cast shadows over his eyes. “The rose room?”
“I’m sorry, James. The power was out. It was the only room I could get warm enough. I didn’t want Bram to freeze to death.”
James’s eyes remained locked on the housekeeper. The only sound was the bacon sizzling on the stove. Miriam didn’t cower or turn away from his glare. There seemed to be another conversation taking place—I just wasn’t able to hear it. But one message came through loud and clear—there was something weird about the rose room.
“I know you had another room in mind for me,” I said, “but I was wondering if it would be all right if I stayed put.”
James’s attention returned to me. “Isn’t the rose room a bit frilly for you?” he asked. “You used to be such a tomboy.”
“Did I?” I couldn’t really remember what I’d been like before he left New York, and I didn’t know if it was the right time to tell him that tomboys were no longer a thing.
“Now that the power’s back on, I do think the blue room would be better, Bram,” Miriam hastened to say. “I’ve got it all ready for you.”
“Sounds like she’s already fallen in love,” James said. “Don’t forget your eggs, Miriam. It would be a shame if they burned.”
Miriam took the hint to mind her own business and turned back to face the stove.
“What is it about the rose room that appeals to you?” James asked me.
“The painting on the wall,” I told him. I saw Miriam freeze with her spatula in midair. For a moment, she and James remained perfectly still. They didn’t even appear to be breathing.
Finally James spoke. “The painting? What about it?”
My mother always said I had a knack for finding trouble. I’d been at the manor for less than twelve hours, and I’d already crossed some invisible line. “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s unusual. When I saw it this morning, it made me feel happy.”
James had just taken a sip of coffee. “Happy?” He choked on the word. Miriam was approaching the table with my bacon and eggs on a plate. Her eyes were wide, and I knew I’d surprised her as well.
“Is that strange?” I asked.