"Yes. You may definitely look at that book. Any of the books you'd like, Flora, on the bottom shelf only. And please remember to be gentle." Caroline beamed over at her, Flora clearly enchanted by the bright rows and more curious about the books than any of the toys they'd brought.

"Thank you Mummy." Flora smiled and turned back to the bookshelf opposite Caroline's desk.

"You're welcome."

It was unpleasantly warm outside on an early August afternoon, the dog days of summer sniffing around still and giving a good last go of things before departing. It was only a week since Eleanor had gone for the month to London. For no reason other than anticipating the length that her absence would last, Caroline felt herself alone in a new way than she did when Eleanor was only across town.

She had sacked the scheduled trip to the park that afternoon, or at least delayed it until later in the day, after the sun was lower and in time to take advantage of longer shadows. Instead it was the annual office clean-out in preparation for the start of term. As long as she kept on top of it the chore was never overwhelming.

Critical references she liked to keep at hand were kept two years, then they were sorted into the round file or a storage box. She'd nearly reached the back of the desk's file drawer, and her fingers traveled across a fat yellow folder, "Kate McKenzie 214." Intentionally vague, intentionally innocuous.

She paused, fingertips in place, then pulled it out slowly. She sat back in her chair and considered it for a while in her lap before placing it on the desk and opening it, the corners of her thin lips twitching upward.

'I have never in my life had this much respect for John. For men in general, I think.' Caroline stared at the three or four heavy brochures on her desk, each printed on thick paper in either shades of pastel or jet black, highly glossy or richly matte. They were more like booklets, really. She was overwhelmed and thoroughly intimidated.

She'd picked them all up in Leeds on the high street. She hadn't wanted to be seen, nor had she wanted to strike up conversation with any locals in Harrogate, on this particular errand. Partly preservation of the surprise, and partly embarrassment at being seen at the task at hand.

'It's not important that I'm embarrassed. I shouldn't even be. I'm not. It's important what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it.' She'd repeated that to herself several times over the two weeks, routinely before she set foot in any jewelers.

'Picking them up for my sister. Sounds perfectly reasonable.' Of course it didn't, and it sounded thin to her every time she said it to a kind-looking clerk, but it was enough to dissuade further inquiry. 'And it's none of their business anyway. Well it is their business. But not in that way…' her thoughts tapered off and she looked out the window at the trees dripping the last of the rain.

It was the first Saturday in February, a rainy morning giving way to a clear and crisp afternoon sun. Kate was home napping. Caroline had made an excuse to run to Sulgrave Heath. Kate had left her with a smile, only upon the promise that dinner would be pasta of any sort. Kate swung between bouts of ravenous hunger and a complete inability to eat anything. Very much feeling late term and full of baby more than anything else. Currently she was hungry. It might be the opposite when Caroline arrived home, but she didn't care. Whatever Kate wanted, Kate was getting.

She stared at the brochures, rotely turning pages. She knew her time was running out. Valentine's day was it. That was the day. The perfect day. And she needed the deadline because she knew otherwise she'd lose her nerve. And besides, there was the baby to think about. They'd addressed all the paperwork, but that wasn't really the point. 'The point is that you love Kate, and you're starting a family together. All perfectly normal. Easy as breathing.'

Or not. All the rings were equally right and equally wrong. Solitaire or band? Band seemed… appealing, different, and non-traditional. But then again, Kate had worn a solitaire while she'd been married. Caroline vaguely remembered it, and remembered liking the look of it on her hand whenever she'd seen her play piano. It had been modest. Caroline had every intention of winning the size war, if it came to that. She narrowed her eyes and grinned thinking about it. There were a number of areas in which she was quite determined to excel over Kate's ex-husband.

As she considered further she decided it should be some sort of solitaire. A band just seemed too plain for Kate, her beloved artist, hopeless romantic, and undisputed creative force in the home. A contrast to Caroline in so many ways that sparked her curiosity and forced a fresh consideration of the world.

A solitaire. That narrowed it. By a fraction.

Caroline sighed. She'd browsed on the computer, but found it completely dissatisfying. This was a tactile job. The brochures were better. What she really wanted was to browse. To pause and consider and point, hold the ring in her hand, and try it on and imagine it on Kate.

But she wasn't there yet, wasn't quite ready to make the trip and confess the purpose to a complete stranger. She hoped to winnow the field to just one jeweler and make just one stop. Of course she'd need to see the actual ring in person. She'd need to touch it and look at it and deem it perfect. For a lifetime. The one ring that Kate would wear for the rest of their lives; would be the symbol of their love, viewed a million times by them and by others. Incite compliments and questions; "What a lovely ring. How did you pick it out? Who proposed to whom? How long have you been married?" Questions Caroline was becoming more and more excited to answer.

So it couldn't be ordinary. And it had to be Kate. Just exactly Kate. Caroline had never in her life picked out intimate jewelry for another woman. Never gone past, 'oh those earrings look like that other pair mum loves, they'll be perfect.'

She pushed aside one of the pastel brochures. Ridiculously fanciful and impossibly Victorian. It had to be feminine, of course. But not ridiculous. She picked up a black glossy booklet. It seemed the simplest. And it didn't need to be fancy. It just needed to be right. She shuffled pages. Kept returning to the back of the book and the simple solitaire, staring at the different shapes.

Finally, she plunked her finger down with authority and took off her glasses. 'Here we go.'

"It's just that I haven't been able to find it anywhere else, this particular book, and it's the only one that says anything remotely interesting or intelligent on the subject."

"The subject of medieval alchemy? And you're all of a sudden interested because?" Kate's expression was mixed disbelief and amusement. Caroline's quirkiness never ceased to amaze and delight her.

"Because I am. One of the governors brought it up. That new woman who's always nipping at my heels. Quite out of the blue, actually. Asked a question that completely stumped me, and now it's just nagging at me."

Kate's eyes were softly skeptical, but it was little use to argue with Caroline. "Well you are right that I'd rather not make a trip to Leeds today, with the weather and all. When I'm not stupendously cold, I'm boiling hot. And it's miserable outside."

"And I'd hate to make you go. I'll just pop down. Grab a quick lunch on the run and be back before you know it."

"You will hurry back, though?" Kate smiled shyly at Caroline, the smallest widening of her eyes sweetening the question and decoding the dark wonder of the watchful gaze that held her in continual regard.

Caroline paused, bag crooked in her arm. She leaned in to kiss Kate gently on the cheek. "On Hermes wings, dear." She brushed a hand over Kate's stomach, still fascinated by it, still in wonder at her freedom to linger with her hands on another woman's body. This body.

Kate put her hand over Caroline's and they paused together for just a moment, enough quiet eye contact to satisfy both of them and leave them content.

Caroline clicked down the hall and waved over her shoulder. "Love you."

"I love you Caroline." Kate watched her through the door, smiling to herself. 'Love you to bits.'