The evening had grown quite dark by the time the De Groffs reached the Braytons’ new home, but the lamps outside and the glowing windows greeted them like old friends. Cecily, upon her first glimpse of the house, received something of a jolt – it was so much like the one in May Green that not even the sight of her father and stepmother standing outside with smiles of welcome could bring her back to herself.

Max brought the wagon to a stop and looked at Cecily. “Ready?” he asked under his breath. In the back of the wagon, the children were already shouting and clambering about.

Cecily nodded once in reply and gave Max a smile of reassurance as she turned and climbed down from the seat.

“Welcome to Greengate!” cried Harry. “I hope you don’t mind goose – Sarah’s burning one right now. And where are you hiding those little ones of yours? Ah! There they are!” He bent down and opened his arms wide to receive his grandchildren, who were running towards him with faces full of glee. He hugged them both, then observed each one in turn with wondering eyes. “Has it really been two years since we met in Seldenville? You’ve both grown so tall! Remarkable.”

“They’re just as wonderful as you described, Harry,” said Arianna, who hadn’t seen Morgan and Madeline since they were toddlers. She leaned down to kiss them each on the cheek.

Cecily approached her father with some nervousness. Every time she saw him she recalled what horrors she had put him through during her pregnancy, and though he approved wholeheartedly of her marriage to Max, she knew he hadn’t quite forgiven her for her mistake with James.

“It’s good to see you,” she said with sincerity, wanting to embrace him but feeling awkward. “To have everyone together again…well, aside from Arthur and Frederick…I hope you left them well?”

Harry smiled, and though his eyes spoke of love for his daughter, there was a distance and pain in them as well. “Arthur and Frederick are the same as they ever were. They run the hospital with hands both heavy and light, and don’t need this old man one bit.”

“I am sure they miss you. I am sure…” Cecily meant to continue, but the words left her. She simply stood and stared at her father, and he stared at her, and as if by silent agreement they put the past aside — at least for the moment –and embraced each other.

Just then Cecily’s youngest sibling, Paulina, emerged from the house and descended the stair. “What’s all the hullaballoo?” she cried smilingly. “Are there any hugs left for Auntie Paulina?”

Taking their cue, the children raced up to Paulina and hugged her, even though they had only seen her once before in their lives. While Madeline told Paulina about their short and bumpy journey from their house to hers, Cecily made her way over to Arianna.

“My apologies, Arianna. I would have come by yesterday, but I wasn’t feeling well, and…”

Arianna interrupted with a gentle “shush” and a shake of her head. “We had so much to do yesterday, and the house wasn’t fit for guests, even very welcome ones.” She smiled, but Cecily sensed some discomfort in Arianna’s posture and tone of voice. She hoped it was simply the rigors of relocating and not any reluctance to see her. As if trying to reassure her further, Arianna added, “Max was a very great help to us. Thank goodness for him.” At the mention of Max, Arianna’s smile grew warmer.

Cecily could say nothing except, “He is a dear, isn’t he.” A quiet, stilted moment passed before they exchanged pleasant smiles and followed Paulina and the children into the house.

Max and Harry were still outside, skipping over the usual pleasantries and diving headlong into more serious matters.

“How has she been?” Harry asked in a low voice, throwing a glance towards the door beyond which Cecily had just disappeared. His expression of deep concern demanded an honest answer, but Max hesitated. He considered telling Harry about the kiss in the wagon earlier that evening, but dismissed it as an inappropriate thing to discuss with the father of one’s wife. Besides, he was still a little breathless from it, and he wasn’t sure he could talk about it without acting like a schoolboy and embarrassing them both.

“Her health has improved, I think,” said Max. “But I’m no doctor.”

“She looks well,” said Harry. “Better than she has in years.”

Max nodded as they headed for the front door. Neither of the men said anything on the topic of her mental well-being, though it perched in the forefront of their thoughts.

In the meantime, Cecily had been just as amazed by the inside of the house as she had been by the outside, but she had little time to examine anything — Arianna ushered her directly into the living room, where her dear friends, the Loves, were waiting.

“Cecily!” cried Carol at the sight of her friend. Paulina brought the children in soon after, and everyone greeted each other with hugs and “Merry Christmases”. Hannah Love and Madeline had much catching up to do, even though they had seen each other only a few days before. Morgan tried his best to wedge himself into their conversation, but being only “a silly boy”, he was mostly ignored.

The splendid greetings and clasping of hands renewed when Max and Harry came into the room, and as all eyes focused on her husband, Cecily moved about the room quietly, her eyes skimming across the furniture and resting here and there upon things that were familiar. Each item she recognized made a forgotten scene flicker to life again in her mind.

(continued on Page 3)