There were two panels to be completed—each as tall as two men and as wide as one, both to be mounted on either side of the interior doors of the church. They would be highly visible, and they would be the last thing people would see as they left. And Flynn intended to make them memorable. He just wasn’t entirely sure how.

“Perhaps a little later.” He tried to relax his expression. “Would you like to see where we will be living and working? The panels that have been prepared?” There, that was something that existed that he could show Beaumont. And the offer sounded professional. Accommodating, even. And perhaps another look at the panels would inspire something within him.

“I would. Thank you.” Beaumont was watching him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“This way then.” He didn’t wait to see if Beaumont was following but simply spun and headed toward the north transept, slipping through the heavy door at the end. He felt the cool air cut into his skin as he made his way along the edge of the building, though it abated as he entered what had been a sizable outbuilding at one time. Lisbon had claimed it and converted it into a live-in studio of sorts, the tall windows on the north side offering a consistent light and the hearth on the south end offering a consistent warmth against the drafts and damp. Someone had put a wide, blue rug in front of the hearth in what Flynn supposed was an attempt to make the space seem more homey, though the effort fell short. This wasn’t his home any more than any other temporary place he had ever stayed in his travels.

There were two meager rooms off to the side that had been cleared out and furnished with a bed and a washstand each. Flynn had already claimed the one with the bigger bed, and now, given Beaumont’s youth, he felt perfectly justified.

He glanced back to find that the boy had followed him as soundlessly as ever. “You can put your things in there,” Flynn said, gesturing at the remaining empty room. He saw Beaumont hesitate briefly before complying and reemerging. “Coal for the hearth can be taken from the church. There is a pail just outside. Meals can be taken anywhere you please. If my door is closed, I do not wish to be disturbed. Refrain from doing so.” Flynn wondered if that had come out somewhat rude, but he refused to be reduced to a nanny. “And if you have a pretty mot who catches your eye, please be so kind as to use her bed. Or a barn. Or anywhere else where I don’t need to endure the racket of a banging headboard. I will return the favor. Understood?”