“Hello, my dearest,” Paulina said with the remarkable smile she was known for. She immediately set her book aside and moved to the edge of the bed and hugged Amala tightly.

“What are you doing here?” Amala asked; the timing felt like a miracle, especially considering how rarely Paulina actually set foot in England.

“Just visiting between my travels,” she said as she always did.

Paulina was a younger sister to Oliver Hepworth and his only sibling. They were close in the respect that they shared a loving, comfortable relationship. But Paulina’s continual desire to travel had forced their relationship to mostly consist of letters that were usually very slow to arrive due to the faraway places from which they came. The Hepworth family wealth had been inherited by Oliver and Paulina in great abundance, and Oliver did not hold to the convention that he had more right to it simply because he was male. He’d made it clear that the house was huge enough for Paulina to live there should she choose, and she always felt completely at home there when she came. But with her own portion of her inheritance, she had chosen to travel and take in many diverse experiences. And Amala knew that her travels were not purely for recreation; she also involved herself with actively assisting those who were less fortunate, and she was involved in projects of many kinds in faraway places that made positive contributions toward easing the suffering of those in need. It was one of many things that Amala admired about her aunt.

Paulina was a beautiful woman whose age had only enhanced her dignity and grace—something that could not be said of many women in their fifties. Her hair had prematurely gone completely white, but to Amala it gave her the look of an angel. She dressed with a style and flair that was neither ostentatious nor gaudy. She was confident without being arrogant and kind without ever allowing herself to be treated badly in return. The fact that she had never married and yet had lived a full and exciting life had always hovered in the back of Amala’s mind as an example of the kind of life she might possibly emulate.

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you!” Amala said, clinging to her more tightly than usual.

Paulina didn’t question the intensity of their embrace; she just returned it as if she sensed that Amala needed to be held. That very feeling spurred tears from Amala that she could find no power to hold back. Paulina didn’t question her need to cry either; she just continued to hold her and let her spill her sorrow until Amala calmed down.