“Yes, I’ve been feeling that way myself since I got home,” Amala said.

Henry told her a little about the funeral service her father had arranged. They talked for another minute or two before Amala hurried on to Kat’s room while Henry went down the stairs. She found Kat propped up with pillows, reading a book, but her face brightened to see Amala enter the room. She raved about how beautiful Amala looked in her new clothes and went on to declare that she personally didn’t feel suited to the Indian clothing, but she loved seeing Amala dressed that way.

Amala sat in the middle of the bed in a way that had always been common for her and Kat, but she loved the comfort of the clothes she was wearing, recalling how her most relaxed conversations with Kat had usually occurred when they’d both been wearing their nightgowns. Kat was still wearing what she had slept in, but Amala was glad to not be wearing a corset and petticoats.

Their visit stretched all the way to teatime while Kat asked all kinds of questions about Amala’s travels, and she also shared details she’d not written in letters about how she’d grown to love Henry and about their courting and getting married. Amala initially felt a little disconcerted to think of the relationship she’d once shared with Henry, but she’d come to terms with all of that and it only took a minute or two to feel completely comfortable with hearing all about the love that Kat and Henry had come to share. Amala was not at all surprised to hear Kat describe what a kind and loving man he was and how her observance of many other men in her social circles had quickly drawn her to the conclusion that she would never find a better man than Henry Beckenridge. She had been thrilled with Henry’s idea to sell his home and combine his resources with those of her own family, and Amala loved hearing of how her parents had burst into joyful tears when Henry had presented the idea to them. In spite of their pleasure over Henry and Kat getting married, they had both been dreading the thought of Kat living elsewhere; even with regular visits back and forth, it just wouldn’t have been the same.