“I was about to make some tea. Would you like a cup?” Rose spoke first, now recalling her manners. Ella’s shoulders dropped and she relaxed, as if she was releasing a heavy weight they carried. She smiled brightly and nodded in agreement.

Rose excused herself and went to the kitchen. Ella waited in the parlor, looking around the cozy room. It was not large or luxurious, but it was warm and comfortable. There were shelves in a couple of the corners. The shelves were laden with keepsakes. On the side tables half-finished hand-lacing and small mending projects were neatly piled. A couple of worn volumes rested next to the mending. Overall, the room suggested a warm and cozy family life was lived within its walls.

Rose peered around the corner and into the room. “Would you like a scone with your tea? They are freshly made.”

Ella smiled slightly. Her shy soft answer suggested to Rose that she was unused to being treated with kindness. “I don’t want to trouble you at all. Not on my account.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble. Not in the least. The tea is nearly done, and I simply have to put some scones on a dish. No trouble to do so.”