It snowed the day of my departure. Just a dusting, but enough to gild everything white in time for the Christmas markets to open. Hand-created trinkets, roasted hazelnuts, and spiced cider in steaming cups filled tented stalls. Garlands graced the arches of the largest. The air felt nipping and eager.
We rode through clouds of our own breath, slowing because of the number of bystanders and shoppers clogging the streets. I viewed the holiday cheer as a poor child might peer through a window at a treat he couldn’t have, seeing but not participating.
Henri and Julien agreed to ride as far as the train station with me before they had to go back for classes. Josephine said she felt indisposed and couldn’t come. I still brought Aurora Leigh for the trip. I was already halfway through, and it h
