The days were getting colder, autumn leaves were falling fast and there was a tang in the wind as it blew in from the estuary, a sharpness which gave a tingle to the nostrils, a reminder of the saltiness of the sea from whence it came. Winter will soon be upon us and the year will be gone, Grace thought. A slight smile played around her mouth. And what will the New Year bring? Something good. Ever optimistic, Grace felt a fluttering of excitement. An excitement which had begun the day before with the news that Elizabeth had brought with her. And Clara will surely be home by then, she thought. She will be able to share in the joy. She walked across town to visit Ruby, for she had to tell someone and Elizabeth had said that she might, knowing that her mother would want to confide in her oldest and dearest friend. But Ruby wasn’t in. The house and shop were shut. A notice on the shop door said that it would be open at two o’clock. So where is she, Grace wondered? Shopping? Or at the workshop helping with the orders and the packing as she sometimes did?
