The center of the room was covered by a tremendous Persian carpet, but around the entire perimeter was the same dark, dreary slate that covered most of the ground floor. The vivid purples, blues, and greens of the wool rug could be seen in areas untouched by the brilliance of the sun, but those in line with the windows had faded to various shades of gray, creating a striped effect across the once impressive carpeting. Also washed out by the sun were the walls. Now the color of cantaloupe, the original shade of terracotta could be seen in the dark square and oval ghosts left behind by paintings long since removed.

The fireplace at the far end of the room was more imposing than any other in the house, and the twin chandeliers were magnificent even though their crystal pendants were hazy with dust, but other than that, the room was completely empty.

“Where’s all the furniture?” Joanna said, turning to Evelyn.

“Remember, this was Addison’s playroom, and I couldn’t chance her being injured. The upholstered pieces were so old, I had them discarded, and the rest I had stored in the west wing for safekeeping.”

“And she really played in here?”

“Yes, she loved it actually,” Evelyn said, looking around the room. “Granted, it’s not much, but with nothing for her to break, she was basically free to run about and do what children do. We had a couple of close calls with the windows, but thankfully she never broke the glass.”

Joanna noticed a football off to the side, and going over, she picked it up. “Is this hers?”

Evelyn could not contain her toothy smile. “Yes, like I said she had lots of energy.”

Joanna looked out over the room and imagined a little girl running here and there, no doubt coming up with games she could play by herself. Glancing at Evelyn, she said, “I’m glad she had you.”

“Thank you. I tried my best to give her some sort of normal childhood.”

“I’m sure you did,” Joanna said, aimlessly spinning the ball in her hands, but then something caught her eye, and she stilled the football. “I recognize that. It’s still as hideous as I remember.”

Evelyn followed Joanna’s line of sight and scowled when she saw the Gorgon head candelabra sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

“Why would anyone ever own something like that?”

“To further make a point.”

“What do you mean?”