“Well enough,” I tell her, crossing the threshold. “And you?”

“Busy,” she says briskly. “You caught me just as I was about to leave. I was dropping off some meals, since Christopher’s been burning the candle at both ends at work, making up for that rat bastard’s absence.”

I bite my lip, oddly tickled by her language.

“It’s been a cooking whirlwind, making comfort foods to tempt Juliet, because she’s barely been eating, and now I have my other daughter coming home, and she has a hollow leg. I pulled out all the culinary stops, then came by to make sure Christopher got some of the bounty. You should take some with you, too.”

“You’re very kind, but that’s all right.”

“You sure?”

I nod.

“Suit yourself.” She shrugs and shuts the front door behind me. “Come in, at least. Let’s find Christopher. You know,” she says, smiling up at me, “I still think about the note you sent, thanking us for hosting you that night. No one sends notes anymore, but you did. That’s when I knew you were a keeper, and I told my Beatrice, ‘That one’s a keeper. A man who has impeccable cursive and knows how to write a proper thank-you? Don’t let him get away,’ I said. And then she of course said, ‘You think I don’t know how wonderful he is? How could I ever let him go?’ ”

I grip the doorframe so I won’t fall over. “What? When?”

“Oh, just the other day,” she says idly, leading us into Christopher’s kitchen. He’s nowhere to be seen, but a cabinet drawer is open, revealing an empty waste bin.

Maureen frowns. “He must be taking out the trash. Now, why don’t you sit and I’ll serve you one of my blueberry scones with fresh clotted cream.”

I’m about to tell her I have no appetite for food, only for more news, more words, now that she’s fed me this crumb of hope, but she sets the scone in front of me before I can.

“So, how are you holding up?” she asks. “This break between you and Bea must be trying.”

“Mrs. Wilmot—”

“Maureen,” she corrects gently.

“Maureen, it’s not . . . a break.”

She tips her head, perplexed. “Bea said that until things settled down with Juliet, you’d need to take a break.”