The estate had been busy since morning.
Aunt Estella had taken over the kitchen before anyone else was awake. The smell of chocolate drifted through the house by mid-afternoon, threading through hallways and under doors, pulling the twins from their playroom with their noses lifted like animals catching a scent. The dining room table had been extended to its full length, covered in a white cloth that Lily had helped smooth down, her small hands pressing out wrinkles with intense concentration. Balloons bobbed in the corners — purple and blue, the twins' choices.
It wasn't a party. The twins had been clear about that. No crowd. No noise. Just family. Just dinner. Just the people who mattered.
