I stepped out of the bedroom and found her sitting cross-legged on the living room rug, surrounded by an impressive disaster of coloring books and crayons while Mrs. Graham sat comfortably on the sofa nearby, knitting needles moving steadily between her fingers.
Mrs. Eleanor Graham had been helping me with Helena for almost two years now. She was somewhere in her early fifties, though the warmth in her round face and the easy patience in her voice made her seem younger. Her hair, streaked with soft silver, was usually pulled into a loose bun, and her figure carried the comfortable softness of someone who believed good food and laughter were both necessary parts of life. Helena adored her. Which made evenings like this possible.
Mrs. Graham looked up when she noticed me.
“Well,” she said with a gentle smile, setting the knitting aside, “you look beautiful tonight.”
Helena looked up the moment she heard me. Her eyes widened, and then she was on her feet, running toward me with her silky straight hair tied into two small ponytails that swung with every step.
“Mommy!” She stopped in front of me and stared as if she needed a second to understand what she was seeing.
“You look like a princess,” she said with complete seriousness.
I laughed and knelt in front of her, smoothing a loose strand away from her forehead. “Do I?”
“Yes,” she said.
Mrs. Graham smiled from the sofa. “She’s been waiting all evening to see your dress.”
I kissed Helena’s cheek. “I’ll only be gone for a few hours, and Mrs. Graham will stay with you the whole time.”
I grabbed my coat and bag from the chair near the door. Daniel would be arriving any minute. The doorbell rang just as I finished fastening the clasp of my coat.
Helena gasped from the living room.
“That must be Uncle Daniel!”
Her excitement made me smile despite the tension still sitting somewhere beneath my ribs.
“I think you’re right,” I said, straightening the front of my dress once more before walking to the door.
When I opened it, Daniel was standing on the other side of the hallway in a dark suit, one hand tucked casually into his coat pocket while the other held a small bouquet of winter roses. For a moment he simply stared at me. Completely silent. I raised an eyebrow.
“Well?” I asked lightly.
He blinked once, clearly pulling himself back into the present.
“Wow,” he said finally.
I laughed softly.
“That bad?”
“Quite the opposite,” he replied, shaking his head in disbelief. “Edwina… you look incredible.”
The sincerity in his voice made warmth rise briefly to my cheeks.
“Thank you.”
“I had a feeling everyone would show up looking impressive tonight,” he added, “but you will surpass everyone.”
“That is a dangerous amount of confidence, Professor Whitmore,” I said.
Daniel smiled. “I’m only telling the truth.”
Before I could answer, the doorbell rang, and Helena appeared beside me almost at once, curiosity lighting her face.
Daniel lowered himself to her height, still holding the roses in one hand. “Hi, sweetheart. Uncle Daniel missed you so much.”
