We went back into the living room and Derry gave me a catalogue from a Wyeth show and I pored over it while she opened more wine and put a record on the record player. We sat back on the beautiful white sofas to wait for Charles to come home. “What is that music?” I asked. “What is that wonderful music?”

“Toscanini and Heifetz,” Derry answered, giggling with delight. “Ludwig von Beethoven. Everyone said they could never work together, then they made this. It’s the Violin Concerto.”

“I want to live here,” I answered. “I want to live and die on this sofa.” Derry came and sat beside me. Her face grew still. She reached out and touched my arm. Charles William and Irise were cuddled up together on the facing sofa. Someone had built a fire in the fireplace. I could hardly speak for joy, some joy I could not begin to sound or understand. Aurora came in and joined us. “That roast’s going to be ruined if Charles doesn’t hurry up,” she said. “What do you want to do?”

“If he doesn’t come in fifteen minutes we’ll go on and eat.” Derry stood up. The phone hadn’t rung in fifteen minutes. I guess that made her nervous, as she went over and picked it up and dialed a number. Then the front door opened and Charles William’s cousin Charles came in. He was a handsome man, tall and intense with sandy reddish hair and powerful dark eyes. He embraced Charles William and spoke to everyone, then disappeared into the bedroom to take off his coat and tie. When he came back he sat down by Derry and kissed her and laid his hand upon her leg. After he arrived she began to talk in terms of him. Charles does, Charles thinks, Charles believes, was how she prefaced her statements when he was in the room. Derry says, Derry thinks, Derry wants, is how he prefaced his. The thing that was between them was like a force field and we were all drawn in. We moved into the dining room to take our places at the table. “Hold hands,” Derry said. “Let’s hold hands and say a blessing.”

“Lord make us thankful for these and all our many other blessings,” Charles said. It was my mother’s old blessing. If she had said it I would have sniffed and been contemptuous, but here, with these people, I was caught up and said amen as though I meant it.

“Jim Phillips called and said he’s coming over,” Aurora said. “He was leaving the courthouse when he called.”

“Good,” Derry answered. “Did you ask him to dinner?”

“I ask him anytime he calls. I love to feed that man.”