The small successes of each passing day were bittersweet, for as he gained strength in his injured ankle, Kate’s time here grew shorter. He wandered through the first-floor rooms in search of her. She’d set up a work table in one of the dining rooms but he rarely found her there. He paused to look at the plans and paperwork spread over the table. Sitting atop the plans was a wood carving of Belle Fleuve no bigger than his palm and carved with intricate detail. Colin marveled at the craftsmanship. When he turned it over, he saw that Simon had carved his name on the bottom in small, even letters. How little he knew about the couple that had served his family all his life. Colin set down the carving and turned his attention to Kate’s plans. The open drawings were not the ones commissioned by Jamison, but were plans for Belle Fleuve. The original section of the house hadn’t been touched, but she’d rearranged a few walls, added closets, and moved the kitchen closer to the main structure.
