“Indeed he is,” Oliver added. “Why, even in his youth I remember being very fond of him, and now that we’ve all got so much in common with the boy, I almost feel like he’s one of the family.”

Amala barely managed to keep from coughing again before Oliver went on. “He wrote to apologize for not accepting the previous invitations I’d sent to him; been rather busy settling in, apparently. As soon as we’re done here I’m going to send a message back to him straightaway. I want him to know he’s always welcome in our home and there’s no need to stand on formality and all that. With any luck I can convince him to show up for tea—or even supper—as soon as he can manage.”

“Oh, that would be splendid!” Viola declared and turned to look at Kat and Amala. “Isn’t he a fine young man, girls?”

“He’s very handsome,” Kat said, “and kind . . . as much as I can recall.”

Amala knew she needed to say something while she wondered futilely what Henry’s intentions might be. She couldn’t imagine him going against her wishes and saying anything to her parents about his feelings unless he had her permission first. Did he intend to make his presence in her home and in her life more frequent in order to further his cause? Forcing her mind to the present, she simply stated, “Mr. Beckenridge will be very amiable company, I’m certain.”

After breakfast Amala excused herself and hurried up to her room, where she sat in the middle of her bed and read the letter again. The sincerity of his words became more evident, and she felt them wrap around her heart like a warm blanket on a cold night. She wanted to believe everything he was telling her. But it only took a glance toward a nearby mirror to be reminded that she and Henry were like oil and water; no matter how hard one might try to mix them, one always settled above the other. She wondered what she should do now. She wanted to see Henry so much it nearly caused her physical pain to think of it. But she feared what seeing him might do to her. If reading his letter had left her confused and losing all reason, how might she respond to being in his presence? She considered writing a letter in return and leaving it with Everett. A written response would give her the opportunity to consider her words carefully and therefore hold fast to her resolve over the matter. But then how might she respond to seeing Henry when he showed up for tea on any given day?