Occasionally she got up to go walk outside for a few minutes or to go upstairs to freshen up. Paulina checked on her now and then, and Ivy brought tea and something for Amala to eat. She picked at the food but felt little appetite as she read of how Henry and Kat had been away for some weeks on their honeymoon and upon returning, Henry had quickly settled in as a permanent resident at Willenbrock House; none of them were surprised with how easy the transition was for all of them, given how much time he’d been spending there for years.

After Amala had read everything she possibly could in order to feel caught up with life back at Willenbrock House, she was relieved to discover that she didn’t feel as downhearted as she might have expected.

While she and Paulina shared a light supper, Amala told her aunt that she believed the months she’d spent working toward this day had truly been healing; she’d been able to adjust to the idea, and she felt more at peace and more able to feel confidence in having truly let go of Henry. She could sincerely say that she felt pleased for Henry and Kat and the happiness they’d found together. Of course, she expected that some difficult feelings might arise now and then in the future, and she believed her first visit home might entail some initial awkwardness, but where she’d once wondered how she could ever go home at all, she now felt much closer to being ready to do so, and as long as Paulina went with her, she believed everything would be fine and that after initial greetings were exchanged, she would surely be very happy to see all of them again. In spite of her gratitude for this necessary time away from home, she couldn’t deny that she missed her family—including Henry. She was coming to think of him as her brother and becoming comfortable with the idea.

Amala concluded her report to Paulina with the news that had come in the most recent letter. “Kat is pregnant; the baby is due to arrive in the autumn.”

“That’s lovely news,” Paulina said cautiously. “Is it lovely news?”

“It is, of course,” Amala said with sincerity. “I’m very happy for them, truly.”

“And now you will be an aunt. Being an aunt has brought me a great deal of joy; perhaps it will be the same for you.”

“I like the thought of that,” Amala said and felt surprisingly serene and at peace. “Kat and Mother both want very badly for me to be there when the baby comes,” she added. “I confess that I miss them; I believe that I should think about returning home, perhaps before the end of the summer.”