Cristal stands at the open bedroom window, oblivious to autumn’s nippy breeze and curtains billowing around her frame into the low-lit room like gauzy wings. She glances over her shoulder at the tranquil figure on the canopy bed and wrenches her gaze from the painful image. For an instant, she closes her eyes, listening to silk flutter on the breeze and a boat droning nearby.
When she opens her eyes, Twilight end’s faithful caretaker stands at the edge of the garden, staring up at the window, catching her gaze. He hangs his head in solemn respect, arousing a stab of emotions. Cristal tightens her arms around her waist, repressing swelling tears and recalling Tessa’s fondness for George. “He"s an extraordinary man,” she"d said years ago when George arranged flowers around the gazebo for a
