Amala took a deep breath and realized that the vivid awareness of color and beauty in her life had not diminished since she’d married Henry; it had only become more and more defined. And she silently thanked God for blessing her life so richly. Challenges and concerns were by no means magically erased, but the love she shared with Henry, the support of her family and household, and the knowledge that God was in their lives had all combined to build her confidence in knowing they could face and conquer whatever might happen as a result of their unconventional marriage. Her love and admiration for her parents continued to grow as she observed how much selfless love and goodness they were capable of sharing. They expressed nothing but happiness over Amala and Henry being married and the prospect of more children joining their household. And they were still able to talk freely about their love for Kat and how they missed her. Paulina had still not had any urge to run off to visit faraway places and had in fact—through the help of an agent—sold her properties in Spain and Italy. The house in France was something she would hold on to indefinitely, and its value was proven when the entire family went there on holiday, and Henry and her parents had been able to experience why Paulina and Amala both loved the place so much. Nevertheless, they were all happy to return home and settle back into their comfortable routine.

As Henry approached, Amala heard a sound behind her and turned to see a man coming from the other direction. She’d never seen him before, but from the way he was dressed, she immediately recognized him to be a clergyman. She felt confused, knowing well enough who the local vicar was, but she also felt wary, given their past experience with the local clergy. As if Henry sensed and shared her concern, she found him standing strong at her side, and he moved Harry to one arm so that he could put his other arm around Amala as this man came closer, wearing a smile.