Page 145 of The Seaside Homecoming
William reached down and helped Claire to her feet.
“Now,kaddu, my marrying Miss Summers does not make her your personal attendant. You will have to share her attentions, affections, and time with me.”
“Silly Papa. No one oils your hair.”
“No, but perhaps I shall perform that service for my new wife, or demonstrate my affection in other ways....”
Claire’s neck heated at the thought.
He placed a gentle hand on the little girl’s head. “So you won’t have your new mamma all to yourself. Understand?”
Claire laughed. “Gracious. There’s nothing to worry about in that regard. I have more than enough time and affection for you both.”
William pressed Claire’s hand and grinned at his daughter. “And so do I.”
Sonali came in and they shared the news all over again.
She offered them sincere congratulations, saying, “I am most happy for you both.” With a smile she added, “Although not in the least surprised.”
They all gathered in Sea View’s parlour: Mamma, Sarah, Emily, Viola, Georgiana, and Claire. Mr. Gwilt served them tea, wearing a toothy grin all the while. Sarah grinned as well as she looked around at these beloved women.
Her sister had been returned to them, completing their circle. Mamma had even hung Claire’s sampler on the wall of her room along with Sarah’s and Viola’s.
For a moment Sarah closed her eyes in gratitude.Thank you, God.
As the women sipped tea, they shared memories of the past, teased one another fondly, laughed at each other’s jokes, and made plans for the future. For a picnic later that summer. A special dinner for Georgie’s seventeenth birthday. And to celebrate Christmas together.
Emily turned to Claire and said, “And in the meantime, you will start sitting with us in church, I hope?”
Claire smiled. “I would like that very much.”
Mamma rose. “Excuse me.”
A few moments later, she returned with the plate Sarah had broken last year. The porcelain plate rimmed in gold had been painted with a vivid image of three girls in Chinese robes, clustered close as a fourth read to them. Papa had given it to their mother long ago.
Claire stared at it, perplexed. “I remember this plate. What happened to it?”
“I dropped it,” Sarah admitted. She did not mention she’d dropped it when her twin sisters burst into the room, arguing over an old bonnet of Claire’s. Some things were best forgotten. “I doubted the shattered pieces could ever be put back together, but Mamma had it repaired by a skilled craftsman.”
The broken pieces had been fused with thin lines of gold. It was forever altered, yet back in one piece.
“I have been thinking about this plate,” Mamma said, running a gentle finger over the cracks. “Once broken, now restored, and still beautiful. Like us.”
Sarah took one of Mamma’s hands and one of Claire’s. Around the circle, the others grasped hands as well. Not a dry eye remained.
Over a lump in her throat, Sarah said, “Beautiful indeed.”
Once the engagement was announced, Mamma decided Claire should move into Sea View until after the wedding. For appearance’s sake, for propriety, and to help the new lovers avoid temptation.
Considering the passionate kisses she and William had already shared, Claire could not fault her mother’s logic.
“You can still go there during the day to help around the place and then come here at night. All right?”
“Very well, Mamma,” Claire agreed. It was time to honor her mother after disappointing her before.
William agreed too, although with less enthusiasm. “If I were your parent, I would not trust me either, but I shall miss you.”
She gave a little laugh and touched his cheek. “I shall be here every day. Well, almost every day. Mamma wants to take me shopping for wedding clothes.”
