Vivienne blinked in confusion. "Mara? Who's that?"
As far as Vivienne was concerned, the name Mara had been flushed down the toilet long ago, just like yesterday's news.
The whole Boyd family had become invisible in Vivienne and Percival's world, let alone Mara.
Their association with the Boyds had been as necessary as a fish needs a bicycle-completely irrelevant!
Isolde nodded emphatically. "Yes, Mara. Mom's niece, the one you've met before."
Vivienne was still clueless, but Percival recalled and said, "The girl from the second branch of the Boyd family."
"Huh?" Vivienne blinked, not following.
Percival chuckled helplessly and flicked Vivienne's forehead. "The one you said had a nose like a button mushroom."
"Oh!" Vivienne's face lit up with realization. "Isn't she supposed to be abroad? Why is she back?"
What Vivienne did not voice was, "How could she have the gall to show her face here again?"
But with Isolde present, such language was inappropriate.
The trio walked into the living room where Cecilia sat, looking somewhat apologetic.
"Mom, what's she doing here? Is something wrong?" Percival inquired.
He knew his mother well enough to realize that although she could be scatterbrained at times, she had a strong moral compass.
been nothing but trouble, and Mara had even tried to break him
something must have
would turn out this way; I
glanced at Vivienne sheepishly, clearly embarrassed. She felt she had no right to face
in her life, and Cecilia's sentiments
were none
mind me," Vivienne said with a smile, looking
her lip,
I won't object. Just follow your heart." Cecilia's eyes welled up at Vivienne's words. "Vivienne, you
"No thanks needed."
my business anyway." The last thought was Vivienne's silent
"She can stay but not in the house. And
retorted, less patient with her son. She did not want to upset Vivienne, but what
of the house. To the uninformed, it might seem like the
stay would be at the mercy of Vivienne's
briefly scanning the slightly ajar door of the guest room
or did Vivienne catch her eye? It had sent a shiver
lips curled into a
a layover in M State. It'd be good to know
Huxley would also mean passing Mara off to him, sparing the Ellingtons
family's large number of real estate, choosing a place was no
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