Whew! We've crested the mountain and are heading into our descent.

A great big thank you to everyone who is reading and/or commenting. It makes the effort put in to every word worth it and is much appreciated. ~ D

Chapter 29

No one paid any attention to the composed, slender woman who moments before had forfeited a fortune. Everyone talked excitedly amongst themselves, and there were even one or two hugs exchanged. Miranda remained seated, arms crossed, her bottom lip thrust out in a pout so far an ostrich could have perched on it. Eve Wyman, silent for the entire presentation following her daughter's unmistakable warning, was now clinging to Jameson Street's arm to support knees made wobbly by pain medication as the formerly married couple spoke with Sarah and Lawrence Allensworth.

Perry eased himself out of his chair and reached for Della. She let him pull her up and into the comforting safety of his embrace, collapsing against his broad chest and clutching at the lapels of his suit coat as tension disguised as composure drained from her.

"I have never been more impressed with you," he whispered into her hair.

She tightened her hold on his lapels and burrowed her face more deeply into his chest. "I c-can't s-s-stop sh-shaking," she chattered.

Perry rested his chin on the top of her head and rocked her gently. "It's over, baby. Just hold on to me."

"I c-can hear my-my knees knocking."

"When everyone is gone we'll raid the liquor cabinet and toast to what you did today."

"If the toast is anything like the last toast you made, I can hardly wait."

"There's my sassy girl. Feeling better?"

"Beginning to. I am, however, disappointed that you knew about your shares of the mill."

"I didn't know," he told her. "It was a total surprise."

"But you said you wanted me to stick to the original plan because you benefitted greatly from it."

Perry brought one hand up to stroke her cheek. "I do benefit greatly from it. That plan releases you from your childhood and sends you home with me tomorrow."

Della pushed herself away from him just enough to gaze up in wonder. "I don't think you could say anything more perfect if you tried."

"Do I dare kiss you in front of all these people?"

"Oh, I dare you – "

"Hand check, Perry," Jeremy Brandis called out.

"Son-of-a-biscuit," Della said under her breath in irritation. "He's just like his cousin."

Perry squeezed her tightly to him. "Let's sneak out of here and find somewhere to be alone. Jeremy, Hank, and Emmett can handle things at this point. That's what we're paying them for."

"Take me, I'm yours. Where's the booze?"

Perry set her from him with an amused chuckle. "Maybe we'll forgo alcohol for a bit longer."

Della opened her mouth to retort but the lightest touch of a hand on her arm made her close it without uttering a word. She turned and wasn't terribly surprised to meet the moist eyes of her former step-mother June Barton.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to leave now and pick up my daughter from school," she began in a tremulous voice. "What you did, Del...it was…you're a special woman to give up your grandmother's money."

"I couldn't agree more," Perry said. "Perry Mason. I'm pleased to finally meet you, Mrs. Barton."

June offered her hand, which Perry shook almost solemnly. "I'm glad someone else appreciates Della, Mr. Mason. She's that cliché'd rose among the thorns in the Street family." She held up her hand when Della would have protested. "I know you think Danny was the best of the Streets, and he was truly special in his own way, but what you don't realize is that you had a lot to do with how wonderful he was. He idolized you, Del. You taught him to climb trees and throw a baseball because Jameson and Carter couldn't be bothered to. You were the first person he asked for when he woke up in the morning and the last person mentioned in his prayers at night. You are a good person and Danny knew that. Despite what went on between your father and me, you loved that little boy unconditionally and I thank God you were his big sister." Her hand lowered once again to Della's arm. "He was like that jar of stones you gave me. Remember? You said they were miraculous and I couldn't get over a six year old pronouncing that word correctly. Danny was miraculous and I am so grateful you have honored him with this scholarship."

"I don't want him to be forgotten," Della said shakily, "because he was important. People will find out about him and get to know him and talk about him when the scholarship grants are handed out every year. Mr. Brandis will provide a biography about Danny for the newspaper when the formal announcement of the scholarship is made because each recipient will be chosen based on how closely they embody Danny's spirit. I've instructed Mr. Brandis to invite you to sit on the scholarship committee."

June's eyes glimmered with unshed tears of happiness. "Bless you, Della. You are as miraculous and beautiful as your pretty stones. I still have them, you know. They remind me of when Danny was born and of what a lovely, lovely little girl you were. I'm honored you want me to sit on the scholarship committee and I will gladly accept the invitation." She squeezed Della's arm and turned, but a sudden thought brought her back around to face her former step-daughter. "By the way, the dress you're wearing…my youngest daughter made it. If you look at the label, it will say 'Sewn With Love by Carol'. You look marvelous in it. Take care and be happy, Del."

Perry slipped his arm around Della's shoulders as June walked away. "If you don't cry," he managed say without choking on his words, "I will."

Della shook her head. "I'm not going to cry about Danny ever again. My memories of him are happy and should be celebrated."

"I still have my jar of pretty stones, too, Della." Bitty Sherwood appeared at Della's elbow, small and thin in a flowered dress. Della had grown up with one stern, sturdy grandmother who wore nothing but grey dresses and one fluttery, frail step-grandmother who wore nothing but brightly colored dresses. Today Bitty's dress was an explosion of pink cysthanamums. "I use it as a bookend for my cookbooks in the kitchen."

"Oliver Velting displays his jar in his rock shop," Sarah Allensworth added, sidling up beside Bitty. "He tells anyone who will listen about the 'pretty little gal with all the curls' who gave it to him and got him started rock hounding. I keep my mother's jar on a shelf in the guest room. She was very attached to it. I often saw her turning it around and around in her hands, especially toward the end when she was in a lot of pain."

Della felt overwhelmed and bewildered by the testimonials regarding those simple jars of stones. To be truthful, she had forgotten about the beribboned jars until catching sight of Oliver Velting's in his shop. Dredging up the memory of the day her father had scattered the painstakingly gathered stones in deep grass had hurt more than she let on to Perry, and she didn't know what to do with the knowledge that four out of the five jars she'd given as gifts still existed.

"You did good things today, Della." Bitty Sherwood peered at her step-granddaughter through thick round lenses with rheumy eyes. "None of us did right by you when you were a child, yet you were practical and more than fair, even to Evie, who deserves nothing from you."

Della impulsively hugged her tiny grandmother and then stepped back into the protective circle of Perry's arm. "I couldn't take what belongs to all of you and this town," Della demurred. "I didn't fit in here when I was a child, and I'm an even poorer fit as an adult."

Sarah Allensworth grasped Della's hand. "Miranda will turn herself in to the police and explain what happened that day," she promised earnestly. "And she will offer her profound apologies personally to everyone she hurt or offended. Lawrence and I over-compensated for the situation with Tony by spoiling Larry and Miranda and I'm ashamed to say neither are the upstanding person you turned out to be. Part of me wishes you would stay so we can get to know you again. And maybe some of your character would rub off on Miranda."

"I can't remember a day when she wasn't my friend," Della said slowly and thoughtfully. "I'm afraid, however, that what she's done has irreparably severed our friendship. If she reaches out to me I will be cordial, but that's all I think I'll be capable of for a long, long time."

Sarah Allensworth regarded Della with profoundly sad eyes. "I'm so sorry, Della."

Della squeezed the hand of her oldest friend's mother. "So am I, Sarah. So am I."

The knock on her bedroom door was so timid she almost didn't hear it. "Come in," she called, and turned in her seat at the vanity to greet whoever had knocked.

The door opened a crack and Henny's shiny blonde head slipped through tentatively. "Do you have a moment, Della?"

Della stood and crossed the room swiftly. "I'll always have time for you, Henny. Come in."

Detecting how her conversations with Bitty and Sarah had drained her emotionally, Perry, ever her protector, insisted that she run upstairs to regroup while 'the gang' made their exits. She wanted to protest being separated from him, but the idea of a few moments alone suddenly appealed to her and she gratefully slipped away from the small group of people mingling in the parlor.

"Are you sure…?"

"Henny, I said it was all right. Please come in."

The curvy woman stepped fully into Della's bedroom. "I – I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, and I didn't know when you and Mr. Mason would be leaving…what you did today…you changed my life. I'll be grateful to you forever."

"Has Carter proposed already?" Della smiled despite realizing she had created perpetual ties with her family by clearing the way for Carter to marry Henny.

Henny's answering smile held the power of several suns. "Not only did he propose, he actually set a date!"

"I wondered what you two were talking about in the corner after the meeting. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Henny nodded her head vigorously. "I'm positive. No more doubts. He'll be so much happier in production and development and I'll work on him about his stuffiness…" she broke off with a peal of laughter that sounded like bells. "He wants us to have a house of our own and to start a family right away, and I'm so happy I could burst! And it's all because of you."

"I'm glad you're happy, Henny. That's all I want."

Henny stood before Della, trembling from head to toe, nearly jumping out of her skin with indescribable joy. "Can I hug you?"

Della burst into delighted laughter as Henny's happiness hit her like a tidal wave and she held out her arms. The other woman fairly jumped into them. "Well, sister-in-law, shall we go tell Father and Perry the good news?"

Henny unwrapped her arms from around Della and wiped at tears sliding down her glowingly pink cheeks. "No, you stay here and rest. I heard Mr. Mason tell Mrs. Wyman you needed some time to yourself, but I just had to tell you. I hope you'll forgive me for barging in."

"There's nothing to forgive. Perry and I are leaving in the morning, so this is probably the only time we'll be able to talk between now and then."

Henny folded Della in another deliriously happy hug and headed for the door. "I'd better get downstairs and tidy up the parlor before I go home to change. Carter wants to have dinner at the club to celebrate. We're inviting Jameson and I suppose we'll have to include Mrs. Wyman because she really shouldn't be by herself right now. We'd like it very much if you and Mr. Mason joined us."

Della shook her head, touched by Henny's sincerely gracious invitation, but knowing that Carter wouldn't be too happy if she and Perry attended the celebratory dinner. "I'll be down in a few minutes to help you clean up, but Perry has something in mind for us tonight. Thank you for inviting us, though." She felt a bit guilty about the tiny fib, because they had no concrete plans for the evening, but she felt confident in declining and blaming him.

Henny's tinkling laughter pealed again. "Of course he has something in mind! You'll warn me if you'll be up in the caretaker's quarters, won't you?"

Della had the good grace to blush. "Actually, that was my idea. Perry was worried you'd be blinded or some foolishness like that."

"Whatever gave him that idea? I was surprised is all because Mrs. Wyman led me to believe he was alone," Henny assured her. "I'm not a prude." She opened the door but didn't exit the room. "I wish I had thought of that apartment a long time ago. It would have come in handy evenings when Jameson was home and Carter couldn't keep his hands to himself."

"Why Henny, are you saying you and my brother…"

"Enjoy a physical relationship?" Henny interrupted with a sly grin. "I'm not saying anything like that at all."

"Well I'll be damned," Della said under her breath.

Della dried her hands on the dishtowel and satisfied with the cleanliness of the kitchen, spun away from the sink, and let out a little scream. "Carter! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on a person like that?"

"I was about to announce myself," her brother defended himself.

"A good time to announce yourself would have been at the door," she grumbled, untying her grandmother's apron from around her waist and tossing it over the back of a kitchen chair.

"Can you for once not antagonize me, Della?"

Della stared at him in astonishment. "I antagonize you? I antagonize you?"

"You pick and crab at me relentlessly. Nothing I say or do is ever good enough for you."

"Nothing you do is good enough…good grief, Carter, you're the one who's lectured me my entire life about the obligations and expectations of being a Street. Everyone in this family had an idea about what I should do in any given situation, but no one listened to what I wanted."

"It's always about you, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" She fairly shouted. "I was standing here, minding my own business, and you scared the dickens out of me. The next thing I know, somehow having the dickens scared out of me is antagonizing you."

"No, antagonizing me was pointing out I could have announced myself at the door by shouting instead of addressing you at a conversational distance."

Della collapsed in a chair and put her head in her hands. "What is the point of this conversation?" She didn't have the strength to remind him of the fact he had no compunction about standing at the bottom of the stairs and shouting for her.

"The point is that you are constantly jumping on me before I can make a point." He pulled out a chair opposite her and lowered his long, lean frame into it.

She massaged her temples vigorously before replying. "Okay, let's for a moment suppose I do that."

"Why should we suppose when it's something you actually do?"

"I'm willing to go along with you on this, Carter, but you have to play nice, too, okay?"

"Where's Mason?"

Della counted to ten before answering. "He had an errand to run. He'll be back soon. Do you want to talk to him?" The meeting had concluded over ninety minutes ago and she desperately needed to flee somewhere with Perry, but things kept popping up to keep them apart, such as Perry's sudden need to 'run an errand'. She'd questioned him as to what kind of errand he could possibly have to run two thousand miles from home in a strange town, but he'd merely deflected her inquiry in that annoying lawyer way he had.

"No, I've talked to him all I care to. I just wanted to make sure we had time to talk before he came barging in."

"Carter…point?"

"Henny told you about us."

"We've spoken. You came up a couple of times in casual conversation."

Carter stared at his sister for a few uncomfortable seconds. "Thank you."

"I did it for Henny, not you."

Carter threw his hands up in the air. "There you go again! I was playing nice. You didn't have to say that."

He was right, damn him. Della frowned at her lack of self-control. "You're right," she agreed.

"Let's start over."

Della considered rolling her eyes, but resisted the urge. "Fine."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

There was silence in the kitchen for several long moments.

"It's killing you not to zing me, isn't it?" Carter sat back and crossed his arms.

Della laughed. She had no idea Carter had a sense of humor, let alone an ounce of intuitiveness. "I'm literally biting the inside of my lip to keep my mouth shut." What had Perry said to her? Something about not listening to him because she was constantly forming witty retorts? Did she really do that? Is that what she had been doing to Carter her entire life?

"Why did you do it?"

"Because," she said, drawing out the 's' as a hard 'z', "you sent me back to Perry once. I sent you back to Henny. We're even."

More seconds of silence passed as Carter absorbed his sister's words. "You pulled my hair," he said suddenly.

"How's that?"

Carter leaned forward on his elbows, closing the space between them. "When you were a baby, you pulled my hair and giggled as if it was the most hysterical thing in the world to do." He paused and took a deep breath. "I didn't hate it."

"Wow," she said, stunned.

"You were pretty and happy and I liked being around you. I took you on walks in your carriage and all the neighborhood girls flirted with me while they oohed and aahed over you. I didn't hate that, either." He flashed a grin and she nearly fell off her chair.

"If you liked me as a baby, what happened to make you dislike me as I grew up?"

"A lot of things," he replied evasively.

"Carter…"

"A lot of things happened," he repeated irritably, the glimpse of vulnerability and an engaging personality hidden again behind his usual irascibleness. "You know what it was like with Grandmother and Father. You thought it better to fight them than to join them. I, on the other hand, decided it better to join them than to fight them. I am what I am, and what I am doesn't understand you, and just when I thought I finally had you figured out, you go and give away everything Grandmother left you."

"Not quite everything. I kept a small amount of cash Emmett found in the house."

Carter nodded. "Seven thousand dollars," he confirmed. "Grandmother always said one should keep seven thousand dollars close at hand. One of her many quirks Emmett indulged."

"You have seven thousand dollars in your room, don't you?"

That infectious grin flashed again. "Under a floorboard in my closet. Father keeps his behind a painting in the study."

Della shook her head disbelievingly. "It's utter madness to keep so much cash in a house."

"It's what sent you home three years ago. I reimbursed myself from behind the painting." The grin appeared once more.

Della wasn't quite sure what to make of her brother at this moment. "Promise me you won't hide money in your new house."

Carter blinked in surprise. "What new house?"

"Henny said you wanted a house of your own…"

Carter waved her words aside. "If father doesn't allow us to live here we'll necessarily have to buy our own house, but I think he'll want us to stay."

Della pushed back her chair and stood. "Will you play nice a bit longer and promise to let Henny decide where you will live after you're married? A successful relationship is built on respect and compromise and a lot of hard work. At the risk of antagonizing you again, let me say that I tend to agree with Grandmother that Henny is too good for you, but she loves you and I'd like her to be happy married to you. There hasn't been a lot of happiness in this house in the century since it was built."

Della left Carter in the kitchen and encountered Perry leaning against the wall in the hallway. He'd changed from his business suit into chinos, a striped button-down shirt, and his new Converse sneakers.

"Did you have a nice talk with your brother?"

"How long have you been eavesdropping on us?"

"Only since 'a successful relationship is built on respect and compromise and a lot of hard work'. I personally think it's a combination of respect, compromise, and a lot of ribald activity, but I can see where that might have been embarrassing to say to your brother."

She took his hand and pulled him away from the kitchen door toward the stairway. "It's a good thing you're handsome, because sometimes what you say…"

Perry ducked his head and kissed her, efficiently cutting off whatever retort she had been building up to. "Did you miss me?"

"I pined for hours. Can we grab some booze and get out of here?"

"Aren't you going to ask where I've been?"

"No."

"Come on. Ask me where I've been."

"I will not. You're setting me up."

"Please ask me where I've been."

Della looked heavenward for strength. "Where have you been, Perry?"

He gave her a gleefully smug smile. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

She did a beautiful job of swallowing a smile. "You've been playing with a four year-old?"

Perry turned her toward the stairs and swatted her behind. "We're going to have so much fun this evening! Go get a jacket or wrap or something. When the sun goes down it's bound to be chilly."