She walked slowly through the house, her eyes taking in the small details around her; the bright tapestries on the walls, the pots and pans hanging near the fireplace. This was home, her home, their home.
She was alone at the moment, her husband away on a hunting trip, but he would be home soon.
She crossed to the window and gazed out. She could see him walking across the lawn and hurried out through the door to meet him.
She thought for sure that he was coming towards the house, but when she stepped out, she could see he was going somewhere else. She hurried after him.
She pulled open the iron gate and crossed the crumbling stone fence into a graveyard. There she found him, laying flowers in front of a fresh grave.
She had the nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. No, someone.
When he finally looked up at her he said a name, one she couldn't quite catch, but she knew it wasn't her own. Upon her questioning look he explained, "She died a few days ago."
"I'm so sorry," she replied.
"It doesn't matter. You're here instead."
As he approached, she began to back away, then simply turned and ran.
Suddenly she found herself at the edge of the forest. A young warrior standing victoriously over the body of an old man laying motionlessly on the ground.
She watched horrified and helpless as the warrior took a step back and turned to face her slowly.
"What did you expect me to do? He got in my way," he advanced in her direction. "No one gets in the way of what I want."
She turned away from him to look down at the body of the old man on the ground. Suddenly she recognized him as her father.
She collapsed to her knees and cried out, "No! Somebody help him! Help me!"
When she turned around, the man from the graveyard, her husband, stood beside her with his arms crossed in front of him. He shook his head, denying her pleas for help, while the other man laughed.
"There's nothing I can do."
Alma stood in front of the full length mirror, staring blankly at her reflection. She felt fortunate the old formal dress that had been packed away in her bureau for years still fit, but other than that, she didn't think much about how she looked. More important things were on her mind.
She had spent the night before laying awake in bed, trying to make herself believe she was really getting married, trying to picture how her life from this day forward was going to be. She just couldn't fathom it. The uncertainty of her future kept her tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning. So much for Edward's idea of sleeping on it.
A knock on her bedroom door, startled Alma out of her daze.
"Can I come in?" Vanessa asked as she peeked her head into the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" Alma asked.
"Ed called me . . . Oh! You look lovely, Alma."
"Thank you," Alma said self consciously.
"We were going to surprise you at the courthouse, but I thought it would be better if I came to pick you up instead of Ed. After all, it's bad luck for a groom to see his bride before the wedding."
"But we aren't having a wedding."
"Technicalities," Vanessa said with a dismissive wave. "Now, what can I do to help you get ready?"
Cassandra knocked on Blaine's door. "Hey, I was just going to go out to take a walk in the park. Want to come along?"
"Thanks, Cassie, but I can't. I've got to meet Reese."
"More research?" she asked.
Blaine smiled. "Yep, how did you guess?"
Cassandra shrugged. "She didn't believe my mother, did she?"
"Reese is a lawyer, she wants the kind of proof that could be used in court," he answered thoughtfully. When Cassandra looked at him skeptically, he said. "No, she didn't believe it."
"So what are you going to do?" When Blaine seemed to hesitate before answering she asked, "Is it that bad?"
"No, not really," he answered uncertainly. "We're just going to look into some files at the orphanage where Reese grew up."
"Without anyone knowing about it?"
"You won't say anything, will you?"
"Of course not."
"Thanks. Well, I've got to go. She's supposed to meet with the director at noon and keep her busy while I sneak in."
"Can I go with you?" Cassie asked suddenly.
"Why?"
"You'll need someone to be a lookout, won't you? Really, I think you'll need my help."
Blaine hesitated, he knew Reese didn't want Cassandra being involved in her business, but Cassandra spoke with such conviction that she almost had him believing he needed her help. Certainly, she seemed to believe it. "Yeah, I guess you can come along."
Cassandra seemed relieved. "Good, I know it will be ok. You're going to find exactly what you're looking for."
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