The paperweight was beautiful—a large, clear orb that reflected prisms of light almost magically. Elspeth had presented it to me the day I’d moved in and said I should keep it handy as I might find it very useful. I guess she didn’t realize everything was done digitally now and I wouldn’t have much paper that I needed to weigh down. Still, I kept it displayed prominently on my coffee table just for its beauty and sentiment.

Which reminded me—I should go over and check on Elspeth before supper. She was as old as the hills and had been Gram’s neighbor forever. They’d been close and Gram had even put a note with her will asking me to check on Elspeth frequently.

I pulled my jean jacket off the peg by the kitchen door and shoved my feet into black rubber boots. The temperature was already falling from the high of the day and it would be chilly by the time I made my way back from Elspeth’s house. Slipping out the back door, I heard the familiar slap of the cat door flapping as Pandora bolted out behind me. She was never one to miss a trip over to see Elspeth or her cats.

Elspeth lived one street over, but there was a shortcut through the woods. Clumps of winter snow were still visible under the trees, but the main trail was nearly bare. I walked the path, focusing on the drier spots and trying not to slip in the layers of wet leaves that carpeted the path. My leg was still weak and slipping wouldn’t do it any good. Chickadee’s, sparrows and nuthatches chirped their last songs of the day as they flitted between the bare branches of the trees. I noticed the unmistakable impressions of deer tracks and I reminded myself to put out some apples and carrots.

I bit my lip as I considered how to tell Elspeth about Lavinia—I didn’t want her to be shocked. Not that she was frail or anything, she was actually quite feisty and in excellent health. Still I wanted to make sure to break the news in the most gentle way. I didn’t want her finding out about it through the Mystic Notch grapevine—better for me to tell her and be able to comfort her and calm any fears she might have.

The trees were still bare of leaves and it wasn’t long before I could see Elspeth’s green and pink house through the branches. It was a cute, turn-of-the-century cottage with a wraparound porch and intricate gingerbread molding all along the roofline.

The porch posts were covered with thorny vines that would burst with fragrant pink roses in summer. I walked up and tapped on the door.