Willow purred and rubbed against her hand, scratching a stray line on the page.
“Sorry,” said Willow, looking at the mark. “Just helping you get started.”
On Solstice morning, Keir gently woke Alison just after dawn.
“Happy Solstice, my darling,” he said, bringing her a cup of tea in bed. They had spent the night at his house; they were heading to Gwenla’s house for lunch and needed to bring some of Keir’s chairs in order for everyone to have a place to sit. Keir was already shaved and dressed, and next to him on the bed, there was a small giftbox.
“Aren’t we going to exchange gifts with the others?” asked Alison. She had taken his gift to Gwenla’s with the rest the day before.
“My gift to you is a bit sentimental. I thought you might like the chance to open it in private.”
Alison studied the box as Keir handed it to her—it was small, roughly the same size as the one she’d used for Keir’s gift. Jewelry, perhaps?
She tugged on the string and removed the wrapping.
Inside the box was a small golden pendant in the shape of an oval. It had a floral filigree not unlike the ring she had chosen for Keir. “Weyland made this?”
Keir nodded. “Open it.”
Alison turned over the pendant, seeing the tiny hinges and realizing it was a locket. “It’s not the cursed one, right?”
“No,” Keir laughed. “No, I didn’t raid Idris’s cursed objects closet for anything other than the ring, and I only did that because you loved it so much. The locket is one of Weyland’s creations, although how he was able to create something so delicate with those hands of his—”
“Oh,” said Alison, opening the locket.
Inside was a picture of her late father. He was young in the picture; it must have been taken when Alison was just a little girl.
“I wrote to your mother for it. I thought you’d like to have something of his at the wedding. Something you could keep with you, close to your heart.”
Tears sprang to Alison’s eyes. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Keir held her as she gently cried. “I’m sorry he can’t be there with us,” he said, stroking her dark hair.
“He would’ve loved you,” said Alison. She was certain of that. Though it was incredibly difficult to go through such an important time in her life without him, it was a comfort to know he would’ve loved the person she had chosen.
When her tears had calmed, Alison looked at the empty frame on the left side of the locket. An idea struck her. “Are there any pictures of your mother? I’d like to have her with us as well.”
“I’d like that too,” said Keir, clearly touched by the gesture. “I’ll take a look when we’re at the manor for New Year’s.”
Keir helped Alison put the locket on after she had dressed. The gold was lovely against the dark green of her Solstice dress, and it felt so good to carry a bit of her father with her wherever she went.
Alison, Keir, and Charlotte were the first to arrive at Gwenla’s gathering.
“Finnli, be a good lad and help them with the chairs,” said Gwenla. “I’ve got to go check on the roast. Will you help yourselves to some wine? The kettle’s on if you’d rather have tea. Oh, and Charlotte—the brandy’s in the cupboard with the fruitcake.”
With Keir and Charlotte’s additions, Gwenla’s cozy living room was full to the bursting with gifts. It was full to the bursting, period: the little brown couch was covered in red pillows, all of them handstitched, and there was a great pile of knitted blankets in the corner. (Not that they were needed: the fire roared in Gwenla’s ancient hearth.)
Dinah and Willow were missing; Alison was surprised not to find them by the fire. But then she heard Dinah’s meows from the kitchen. “No roast for you, troublesome girls!” said Gwenla.
“But really Gwenla, it does smell so nice,” said Willow in her silkiest, most persuasive voice. “Surely one little bite wouldn’t hurt us.”
“You’ll have your bite when we eat and not a moment before it.”
There was a knocking at the door.
“Alison, could you get that?” called Gwenla from the kitchen.
Alison greeted Rinka and Idris, who had arrived by carriage. “I hope you don’t mind the indulgence. The gifts were a bit…heavy,” said Rinka.
