“Yes, they were common back during the war. Soldiers gave them to their girlfriends as a kind of promise. I wrote a piece on it a few years back for a Normandy remembrance article. Birds were a common symbol used to signify their return,” he told her as he took a closer look at the brooch. “This one is beautiful, and he chose a dove, which was considered special.”
“Why is that?” Nora asked.
“Doves are known to mate for life. Even after their mate dies, they stay loyal and never take on another mate. Colin picking that dove really showed his devotion to your gram,” Alistair told herwith a sweet smile lifting the corner of his lips.
“I’m glad I kept it. It almost ended up in the Goodwill box after she passed, but I couldn’t let it go.”
“Maybe you could feel the echoes of their love coming from it, and that made you keep it,” he said.
“Maybe.”
They locked eyes for a long moment, and Nora knew she was falling for him hard. By the way he was looking back at her, she suspected he was feeling the same thing.Why did love always seem to come at the most inopportune times?she thought.
“I better go check on Betty,” he said, breaking the connection as if struck by the same thought and walking toward the door.
“Come on, boy,” he called to Lochland, who came running eagerly. “We’ll be back soon.” He shut the door behind him, leaving Nora alone with her thoughts, and the last letter. The one she knew held the final chapter of Colin and Edith’s love story and perhaps, the answers to the questions she had been searching for.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
A Mother’s Love
After Alistair left, she glanced at the pile of her clothing lying on the floor next to the sofa. The heat of the previous night rushed back, and she felt a blush creeping over her at the memories. She dropped the blanket, got dressed, and grabbed the last letter. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to read it, knowing it was Colin’s death notice. So, Nora decided to read it later; she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that yet. Instead, she grabbed her notebook and began writing while everything was still fresh in her mind. She started a timeline, documenting everything she knew in chronological order, starting with her gram enlisting to be a medic nurse. She hoped that, along with the photos and letters, her timeline would give her father a better idea of the chain of events.
She picked up the photo album and looked through it as she studied her notes, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. Every image in the album held a different meaning to her now. They had once been photos of her gram’s adventures in Scotland, but she could see now that it was Edith’s personal love story. Instead of a written account, Nora had these images to remember the love Edith and Colin shared. Just as she was about to turn to the last page, Alistair and Lochland came back.
“It’s a shame your ankle is hurt because it’s perfect sledding snow,” Alistair said as he kicked his boots off. Lochland ran over to Nora and jumped up on the sofa beside her, his wet paws leaving a trail of paw prints that Alistair followed.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked as she set her pen down and petted Lochland.
“Trying to write everything down to give to my dad. I figured a timeline would help him understand things better. I was just looking back over the album to see if there was anything I missed,” she told him.
Alistair scooted Lochland aside and sat next to Nora, wrapping his arm around her.
“How is Betty today?” Nora asked, leaning into him.
“Much better. She asked about you, wanting to know if there was anything she could do for your hurt ankle. I told her you were fine and that I had things under control, and you know what she said?”
Nora giggled at his animated tone.
“She said it was highly unlikely that a man would have anything under control unless a woman was there telling him what to do. Can you believe that? She is one feisty old bird,” he laughed.
Nora laughed along with him. “That she is,” she joked back.
“What do you want to do today?” he asked.
“I like your idea from earlier. I think that bookshelf is calling my name. What do you think, want to snuggle up and read?”
He raised his eyebrow. “Nora Cameron, you might be my dream girl,” he said, getting up and holding his hand out to her. They walked over to the bookcase and pulled down a stack each, depositing them on the coffee table.
“Let’s make a tray of some snacks first,” Nora suggested.
Alistair made tea while Nora prepared a plate full of cheese, crackers, nuts, and the last of the fruit.
They spent most of the afternoon reading, breaking here and there to tell each other about what they had read, along with a few heavy make-out sessions. Being with Alistair felt easy, without needing to talk or figure out something exciting to do. Just being together was enough for Nora. The idea that tomorrow they would be going their separate ways once the roads were clear made her sick to her stomach. Could they make this work? Long-distance relationships were hard just being a few states away; how much harder would being separated by an ocean be? Would Alistair even want that? She couldn’t muster the courage to ask. She looked at him engrossed in a book titledNautical Invasions, and her heart sank at the idea of having to leave him. This must have been how her gram felt when she was sent to London and had to leave Colin back in Scotland.
As the late afternoon set in and the sky grew too dark to read comfortably, they set their books aside and sat quietly in each other’s arms for a long while, both avoiding the elephant in the room: their departure.
“How do you think your dad is going to take the news about his birth father?” Alistair asked, looking down at her open notebook.
