Chapter 1: Deck the Halls
A Village in Kent, England
December 21, 1941
It was nearly Christmas and Caroline found herself once again happily ensconced in her village home. She couldn’t remember exactly when she’d fallen in love with the cottage, but she thought it might have been from the moment she first saw it.
“I doubt it’s suitable for someone your age,” the neighbor said—the one trusted with the key and paid by the owner to show the small village home. Caroline recalled how the woman went on for some time about the gloomy look of the place: the dark brown exterior and the failed attempt by a previous owner to liven it up it with a bright yellow trim on the front windows and door. “Just makes it a sight, doesn’t it?”
Caroline thought that was just what she liked about it—the rust
