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Eloise sighed. “And I suppose I’ve needed to talk about it my entire life.” She paused for a moment, considering if she wanted to share something else. “My husband and I tried for many years to get pregnant, but it never happened for us. I wanted to raise a child so desperately because I felt my baby had been taken away from me.”
“Your parents literally robbed you of happiness,” Harriet said. “It was a horrible crime.”
Harriet sniffed. “But you’re here. And you’re so beautiful, and you’re safe, and— and you said you have a son?”
“I have three children,” Harriet explained with a soft smile. “Jack, Margot, and Cassie.”
“And your husband?” Eloise asked.
Harriet’s eyes darkened. “He passed away a few years ago.”
Eloise’s jaw dropped. “Oh, Harriet. Oh, no.”
Harriet nodded as her shoulders drooped forward. “My husband was a wonderful man. Very kind and considerate and open-hearted. Like you and my father, my husband was my high school sweetheart, and we married when we were a little too young and a little too optimistic.”
“I don’t know if anyone can ever be too optimistic,” Eloise said.
Harriet smiled. “He died in a car accident off the island. He was away on business. Since then, the children and I have been reeling— unsure where to turn or how to handle this new reality.” She raised her shoulders, then added, “But I suppose you know all about that, don’t you? Because you lost your husband, too.”
Eloise considered the fact that, after Liam’s death, she’d told her friends back in Muncie that Liam hadn’t been “the love of her life.” In her mind, always, Herb had been that.
Then again, Liam had been her love, her life, her everything, for decades. He’d left a Liam-sized hole in her heart, which would remain there forever.
“Losing Liam was a terrible thing,” Eloise agreed. “I wasn’t sure how to stand on my own two feet after that.”
“Maybe we can help each other stand up,” Harriet offered.
Eloise could hardly believe her ears.
“I mean, if you plan on sticking around,” Harriet finished. “I know you haven’t lived on Nantucket since you were a teenager. I’m sure the place doesn’t really feel like home anymore.”
Eloise closed her eyes. “I’ve dreamed of Nantucket almost every night since I left fifty years ago. When I first drove off the ferry, I had the sensation that none of the past fifty years had happened at all— that it had all been a nightmare that I was now waking up from. And now, I’m standing here in front of my daughter, knowing that I can’t possibly go anywhere else. This is my home. This is my everything.”
Harriet shook her head delicately, as though she couldn’t believe her eyes. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.”
“And I can’t wait to meet everyone,” Eloise said. She sniffed again and then quivered with laughter. “But Harriet! I cut you off again. I want to hear more about your childhood. More about everything!”
“Mom, we have time for that!” Harriet returned.
Eloise’s ears rang like a gong. “Mom.” It was a term she’d never heard associated with herself. She nearly fell to her knees at its power.
In the distance, Herb hurried down from the steps of the porch of The Copperfield House and waved his hands wildly in the air. Eloise pointed, and both Harriet and Eloise waved back.
“I guess we should go see what’s the matter,” Eloise suggested.
Harriet nodded, and together, they walked through the sharp breeze back toward The Copperfield House. There, Herb’s eyes were rimmed with red, but his smile was bright.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said. “But Greta won’t stop pestering me to bring you both in here for dinner. She’s been hard at work for hours, and she refuses to let anyone else sit down at the table until you’re both seated.”
Harriet and Eloise bubbled with surprised laughter.
“Greta?” Eloise stepped through the back porch and headed toward the kitchen. A strong aroma floated from the sizzling pots and pans.
Behind Eloise, Harriet walked along, as though, now that she’d discovered her mother, she wasn’t prepared to let her go. Eloise was reminded of mother and baby ducks who waddled together, always connected.
In the kitchen, Greta appeared within a cloud of steam. Her hair was wild and curly around her ears, and her eyes were manic, as though she felt this had to be the very best meal anyone had ever prepared.
“Oh, Eloise.” Greta took a step through the steam, then stopped short when she realized who had followed her inside. “And Harriet. Eloise and Harriet.” She shook her head, totally at a loss.
