In the days immediately following Cecily's phone call, Izzy tried to rally herself and carry on as usual. She met with little success, especially since carrying on as usual meant exams at a time when no new information seemed likely to stick in her head. Her professors were remarkably understanding and said they would allow her to postpone sitting the exams, as long as she finished them sometime before the next session began.

Her father and Muriel were also solicitous, lending a hand with her chores and keeping her supplied with all of her favorite foods and books. Izzy would have preferred to have chores added instead of taken away—although she couldn't study well just now she desperately felt the need to be doing something—but she didn't feel like trying to explain that. Arthur was a bit more helpful. He would come for her and they would take long walks, talking about everything and yet nothing, because they didn't talk about Felix.

Nobody in her family talked about Felix. It was as though talking about him might make the nightmare real. The only person who brought up his name was Gus Pike, who had dropped by from time to time since being stationed in Halifax as a naval telegraph operator. He had shown up on their doorstep the evening after they heard.

"Felicity called about Felix," he said. "Seemed to think my visitin' you would do us both good, an' as usual, I tend to agree with her."

The visit did do her good. They sat and talked about Felix for hours—all their favorite memories, all of his character traits that would help him through this, all of the things they were looking forward to about seeing him again. (Well, many of the things. Izzy kept a few to herself.)

For as much as the recollection of Gus' own disappearance made her imagine the horrors Felix might be going through, it was a concrete reminder that somebody could still be alive, even if nobody had heard from him. It also reminded her of another resource she hadn't turned to yet.

The next afternoon, Muriel had a meeting to attend and Izzy convinced her that she could be left alone in the house. As soon as her stepmother was out of sight, she turned to the phone and placed a call.

"Avonlea Foundling Home, Felicity Pike speaking."

"Felicity, hi. It's Izzy."

"Hello, Izzy," Felicity responded, and Izzy could tell from the tone of her voice that she knew the purpose of the call.

"I needed to talk. About Felix. I couldn't think of anybody who'd understand like you would."

"He's the second person who has disappeared from my life with no trace," Felicity acknowledged. "And I expect him to be the second to come back out of the blue."

"How did you handle it? When news came about The Maid of Calais? How did you keep from going mad?"

"I didn't, exactly. I didn't want to talk to anybody, or see anybody."

Izzy sighed. "My father and Muriel...Arthur.... I feel horribly unappreciative, but they're so...."

"Sympathetic?" supplied Felicity.

"I should be glad for that."

"It's hard to be," Felicity said. "They don't understand. They don't know Felix like you do."

Izzy shook her head, forgetting that Felicity was miles away from Halifax and had no way of seeing her.

"I know this is difficult, but try to remember that they're grieving, too. I didn't realize until after Gus came home just how much my parents, and Felix, and Aunt Hetty, and so many other people had been grieving his loss. They were afraid to show it because they thought it was trivial next to mine. And I probably made them feel that it was."

"I guess that's true."

"It's easy to be heartless when your heart is in so much pain," said Felicity. "But Izzy?"

"Yes?"

"It's worth it afterwards."

"How do you mean?" Izzy asked.

Felicity paused before she spoke. "Well, it's certainly not to say I would ever have wished Gus' accident on him. I wish he and I hadn't been separated, that he hadn't lost his sight. But…there is something more real about our life together now because of the time we spent apart. Even as we're separated now, I feel closer to him because I feel how much I miss him."

"He misses you, too," Izzy offered.

"I know. And I'm sure Felix knows you miss him."

Izzy suddenly thought of a new reason for concern. "What if Felix is injured and doesn't want to come back because he thinks I deserve someone better?"

Felicity let out a sigh of exasperation. "Gus Pike was always too chivalrous for his own good. I think you can trust Felix to have learned by example that you don't do anybody who really loves you any favors by staying away, for whatever reason."

Anybody who really loves you. Izzy hadn't put it quite that way before, even to herself. But there it was.

"Thank you, Felicity," she said.