"I know," he said. "This is a great house to explore, especially for you. Anyway, dinner's ready," he said. He waited for me, a smile on his face.
"You'll be fine," he told me. "Don't worry."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, as if my returning to the turret room had made me stronger and more wary.
"It's like Pru said. We just feel . . . this house has been so good to us. We've been so happy here that we feel obliged to preserve it and all that belongs with it," he said.
At dinner they told me more about themselves, how they had met and fallen in love, where they had gotten married, and why they had decided to live in this small community. Brice described the school and how much he enjoyed working in one that was still small enough for him to be the guidance counselor to every student, grades ten through twelve. I helped them with the dishes, even though they both insisted I relax.
Afterward, we sat in the living room and talked some more. I answered as many questions as I could about my life at the orphanages. While we were talking, the phone rang, and Pru went to answer it. She returned with a smile on her face.
"That was Mr. Nokleby-Cook," she said. "I made a call to him earlier, and he just returned home and called me back. I told him about you, and he wants to see you first thing tomorrow at the office. You can go in with me. He said since you're here, he has a nice surprise for you. He also agreed to do everything necessary for you to remain here for as long as you wish," she added, nodding at Brice.
"That's great. I'll get right on the school transfer in the morning as well."
"Thank you. Thank you both," I said. Pm saw the way my eyelids fluttered shut and then opened.
"You should go to sleep, Celeste. Let me go up with you and see what you need. I have extra toothbrushes, and whatever else you'll need."
"Thank you," I said, and stood up.
"Have a good night's rest," Brice said.
I gazed around the living room. Although they had changed it in so many ways, the walls still spoke to me.
"It's been a long time since I slept in this house," I said, more to myself than to them.
Brice nodded, and then I walked out with Pm right behind. She brought me toiletries and asked if there was anything else she could do.
"You've done enough," I said. "It doesn't surprise me that you have been comfortable here, that the house has good energy for both of you."
She liked that. She hugged me, wished me good night again, and left.
I stood in my old room for a moment, just listening to the house, to the wind making it creak.
"I've come home, Mama," I whispered. "I've come back to you all."
When I crawled into bed, I lay there with great expectation, but I heard no voices nor saw any spirits. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier until I was unable to keep them open. My sleep came so quickly and so deeply, it was like anesthesia. The sunlight surprised me; it seemed to follow instantly. I could hear sounds coming from the kitchen below, and so I rose, washed, and dressed quickly to join Pru and Brice, who were just setting out breakfast.
"I've whipped up some scrambled eggs with a little cheese in it. Brice likes a big breakfast every morning," she explained. "I hope you woke up hungry. You ate very little last night, but I knew you were probably just exhausted from travel and all that had happened to you."
"Actually, I'm starving," I admitted. The aroma of eggs, coffee, and toast stirred my stomach.
Everything was delicious. I was eating so quickly, I didn't notice until I looked up and saw them both smiling and laughing at me.
"I'm not usually this piggy-wiggy," I said.
"You go right on and oink as much as you want," Brice told me. "Besides, now she might stop making fun of my appetite for a while."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Pru said. "She has an excuse. You don't."
I liked the way they teased each other and then lovingly kissed or just touched hands to reinforce their deep affection for each other. Love is in this house, I thought. Why shouldn't it be calm and satisfied? The darkness has been swept out with the dust.
After breakfast, Brice went off in his pickup truck, again reassuring me that he would handle all the necessary paperwork to get me enrolled in the public school so I could finish up my high school diploma. Pru went up and dressed for work, and then the two of us headed out to Mr. Deward Lee NoklebyCook's office. I knew he had been our family lawyer for some time, and he knew all the details of our lives, especially about my sister Celeste. I wanted to see her as soon as I could, of course, but the thought of it made me very nervous. Surely she would have no idea who I was, and I had no idea what condition she was in after all these years. Perhaps he knew what had happened to Panther as well. I couldn't help but be curious about him.
Our lawyer's office was a large ten-room three-story eggshell-white house with Wedgwood blue shutters. The house had been converted, the entryway widened to form the lobby and the bedrooms re-designed into offices for paralegal assistants and junior partners. Pm took me right past the receptionist, telling her Mr. Nokleby-Cook was expecting us. We went directly to his office, which had once been the living room.
Now there were bookcases on the walls, a large dark oak desk,-an entertainment center, and leather furniture. I had no memory of Mr. Nokleby-Cook, and so much time had gone by since I had seen him anyway, I wouldn't have recognized him. He had a full head of gray hair that had once been light brown, a color that still clung to some strands of it. His bushy eyebrows were mostly light brown. His face was robust, with deep-set brown eyes and more orange than red thick lips.