Shoutouts to Asline Nicole and Mad Tom for being amazingly wonderful reviewers! Much love. I really appreciate it! Keep the reviews coming! :D

Nellie's face darkened, but her expression soon faded to one of careful indifference. Her eyes met Samantha's, then rested on Eddie. She was still slightly shorter than Samantha, with auburn hair that framed her face. The only change was that her freckles had nearly faded.

"Hello, Mr. Ryland."

He stood up and made a little bow, offering his most disarming grin in the process.

"Please, call me Eddie."

One of her eyebrows went up dangerously high, but a small smile played upon her face. "And how are you, Eddie? And Mrs. Ryland?"

"I'm fine, and Mother is doing as well as can be expected, thank you. And you?"

"Very well."

They engaged in polite chat about old friends.

"And Ida?"

"Why, she's a teacher at our old alma mater!"

"What about the twins, the ones I served 'ice cream'?"

Nellie and Samantha chuckled and both tried to speak at the same time.

"Agnes is a painter, you know, and Agatha is married to a Duke, just imagine! They have the most adorable little girl, with freckles just like Agatha ..."

He listened and laughed, and found he was enjoying himself immensely. He was in the midst of telling a lively tale about his professor's dog bursting into class when he happened to glance at the clock. Thirty minutes had passed! Mother would be impatient and angry.

Raking a lean hand over his curly hair, he made excuse,

"It's been so nice to see you both again. I do hope you'll both stop by. It's rather lonely for Mother."

Samantha was looking at Eddie like she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth at the last minute, and Eddie knew he'd better leave. A proper social call was to take 15 minutes, after all.

He left as quickly as he had came.

As soon as he'd left and the butler had shut the door firmly behind him, Samantha leaned back and sighed.

"Well," she said, "well, well!"

"He has changed quite a bit, hasn't he?" Nellie commented. "He was very polite. Perhaps he's finally matured."

Samantha nodded, but she didn't really hear Nellie. In her head, she was picturing the new Eddie Ryland. And she liked it.

"Why, Samantha Parkington! You don't think he's really changed that much, do you? We were always fighting with him over something."

"Perhaps not," agreed Samantha, but she had a dreamy look on her face that Nellie did not like one bit.