Epilogue

The home at 223 South Winter Street is a small one. It is old, has a little bit of a draft - which is refreshing now in the early summer but will surely be annoying in the winter - and rests a bit further from the hub of Bellchester than Samantha might like. 

But there is a small garden in the front, where daisies have taken to happily, white and bouncing in the sun. And it is large enough for her purposes, with a kitchen far greater than she would have expected from first gazing upon it. 

And it is hers. 

It had not been easy to part with the red dress, the final item of her past life. Esther was sorry to see it go, and the two of them had been sure to give it a proper send off. But, Samantha knew it must not remain; knew the possibilities it could open up from her. And now, with the funding from its sale, 223 South Winter Street was hers. 

“And she doesn’t yet know?” Samantha asks, her voice nervous and frantic in a way she’d not anticipated it to be. 

Esther grins at her, leaning up against the countertop of Samantha’s new kitchen and flicking some flour off from the surface and onto her apron. “It has been a tightly kept secret,” she assures her. 

Pleased, Samantha nods and smiles, gazing down at the mixing bowl that would soon be a cake. It would be a light sponge, with a lemon drizzle and just a hint of vanilla. “God, I’m nervous,” she admits. 

Esther’s arms are around her now, squeezing her with a giddy warmth and pulling her away from the work at hand. Samantha’s glad she chose to wear her white robes today. “She’ll be thrilled,” Esther insists. “You’ve nothing to fear.” 

Samantha places her palms over Esther’s hands. “What if I’m not-,”

“Darling, you’ll be wonderful.” 

A knock upon the door. 

“I’ve got it,” Esther kisses her neck and steps away. 

Then, Judith is dashing into the kitchen, excitedly tossing herself into Samantha’s side and embracing her. “Miss Holm!” 

“Miss Velore,” Samantha beams, bending down to return her hug. She looks up, bowing her head to her other guest and greeting, “Mother Superior.” 

“A good day to you,” Pullwater chirps approvingly. She takes a turn around the kitchen, remarking, “This home has come along quite well.” 

“Katherine has been a great help,” Samantha says fondly. Katherine had just been by this morning to help ensure there were no greater damages to the property than the small necessary fixes Samantha was already aware of, and to deliver some old furniture. “Would you like to stay for lunch?” 

“Alas, Father Billings and Mr. Thornbry have beaten you to it. I ought to leave now so that I am not late,” she apologizes. “Have a lovely afternoon, you three.” She looks down to Judith and adds, “and be on your best behavior, Miss Velore.” 

Judith nods resolutely. 

After Pullwater’s departure, Judith prances between the kitchen and greeting room, declaring, “Your new home is quite lovely, Miss Holm.” 

“Why thank you. Would you like a tour?” 

“I would be honored,” Judith smiles, practicing her manners as always. 

“Esther, would you-,”

“I shall ensure lunch is ready,” Esther assures her. Samantha takes Judith's arm and leads her off, preparing the quick tour. She looks back briefly at Esther, who mouths, You’ll be great!

It doesn’t take long to survey the whole house - just a kitchen, greeting room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. They stop at one of them, opening the door and revealing that it is entirely empty of any furniture. 

“It’s empty,” Judith perks up. 

Feeling a bit like her mother, Samantha muses, “Well, the room is still deciding what it will be. In fact,” she glances down, “I was hoping to have your opinion on the subject.” 

“My opinion?” 

“We’ve got to develop your taste in decor, don’t you think?” At the suggestion, Judith nods, staring back at the room with a greater sense of purpose. “Now, should this room be a small library, or a girl’s bedroom?” 

Judith furrows her brow. “Library.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Why would it be a-,” she stops herself, gasping and staring at Samantha’s stomach. “A girl’s bedroom! Are you having a child?” 

“No - not quite,” Samantha giggles, shaking her head. “I was considering if you might like a room for yourself.” 

“Myself?” Judith gazes back over the room with a reignited sense of wonder. Slowly, she mutters, “I could visit often enough to have my own room? I could spend the night?” 

“Actually, I was hoping you would be interested in spending every night.” 

Judith stammers. 

Samantha kneels down, bringing herself to eye-level with the girl and feeling a bursting nervousness in her chest, accompanied by a resounding warmth and purpose. “Judith,” she exhales. “I would like to adopt you, provided that you would like that as-,”

The air is knocked out of her words as Judith throws herself into a hug. She squeezes Samantha tightly, bouncing up and down with excitement. 

“I take that as a ‘yes’?” Samantha chokes out. 

Judith buries her head into her chest, nodding furiously, much to Samantha’s delight. She wraps the girl into a fuller hug, lifting her off of the ground and swirling her around for a moment. 

“Then let us go share the happy news with dear Sister Levy.” 

Judith is already racing down the hall, careening towards the kitchen and shouting out, “I’m getting adopted!” 

Samantha arrives in the kitchen a moment later to see Judith has leapt up into Esther’s arms, and the Sister is giggling furiously along with her. Samantha stops in the doorway, unable to contain the feeling of pride and elation in her own chest, and watches the two of them with the greatest feeling of content in her life. 

She relieves Esther of the responsibility of cooking, and, thinking of her mother, Samantha Holm finds herself singing. 

THE END.

Ms.Appropriately

As always, thank you for reading. This story is near and dear to my heart, and it has been an absolute delight to get to write it.

I'm not yet sure what my next work I'll publish will be, I'm currently bouncing between a few projects, including the sequel to Baker and Jones, and I look forward to getting to share those with you once they're ready!