Halloween passed with a lone jack-o’-lantern dotting the portico of Sunbridge. The early weeks of November rushed past accompanied by, according to the weather forecasters, the most severe weather in years. The last football game of the season was played and won by Crystal City High, thanks to Riley’s defending tackle and interception. The dance ended on a high note of frivolity. Maggie herself was one of the chaperones. Cole did not attend. December found Maggie meeting herself coming and going. Texas, it seemed, went all out for Christmas. She was forever chasing from one meeting to another, freely lending her name and her expertise. She used her lunch hours to run to the Crystal City Post Office, where she rented a mailbox. At least every other day box 771 held an airmail letter from England. She sat in the parking lot, nibbling on crackers, while she read Rand’s latest offering. She herself wrote almost every day—light, chatty, newsy letters full of the happenings of her life.
