A Feast Among Friends

Jay slowly became aware of the steady beep on the machine beside his bed, easing him into a semi-conscious state. He could hear the low, unintelligible sounds of conversation in another room and there was a bird shrieking overhead, somewhere outside the open window.

His grey eyes slowly blinked open, and Jay's forearm raised reflexively to shield them from the bright natural light assaulting his senses. A twinge of pain alerted the professor that he was attached to an IV on the back of his hand. The man scanned the room and noticed it was relatively bare, with only a few empty chairs, beds, and nightstands within it. He was in the hospital.

The off-white door leading out into the hallway slid open and a young man stepped inside. At first, Jay would have expected him to be a doctor, but he lacked a lab coat and held an aromatic cup of coffee in his hand. He looked to be about Sebastian's age.

"Oh, hey, you're awake." The young man glanced down guilty at his caffeinated drink. "Sorry, I woulda grabbed you one if I knew you were gonna be up."

Jay shook his head and sat up properly. "Don't worry about it," the middle-aged man assured his visitor. "It's not going to make much difference at this rate and smell is half the experience when it comes to coffee, right?"

The brunet took a seat across from Jay and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, the stuff here is stronger than I'm used to back home…" he acknowledged, lifting the white paper cup slightly. "But I guess you can thank the coffee for finding you on the beach last night. Otherwise, I would've crashed at the hotel from jet lag."

While Jay figured the young man was not from Hono I'akuné from his lack of native accent, he was sorry to have spoiled the kid's vacation. "Well, no need to stay any longer on my account," the professor said, shooing the young man toward the door with a wave of his free hand. "Go enjoy yourself, you're on a tropical island!"

The brunet shrugged off the dismissal. "I've got nowhere important to be," he replied casually, setting his coffee cup on the side table. "I can at least stick around until your family gets here." The young man bobbed his head in Jay's general direction. "The doctors called your emergency contact on your medical bracelet when we got here."

Well, this is awkward… Jay sighed. "I hate to break it to you, but no one is coming," he told the young man, leaning back against his pillows and smoothing a hand over his now-greasy black hair. "My emergency contact is my oncologist back in the Ferngill Republic."

"Oncologist?" the visitor repeated. Jay could tell the young man knew what that meant from the troubled expression on his face. "So, you've got cancer and you're here by yourself?"

It was Jay's turn to shrug now. "It was on my bucket list," he countered plainly.

The guy across the room frowned and picked up his drink from the table beside him. "Why Hono I'akuné?"

"What about you? Are you a cop?" Jay shot back, dodging an interrogation from the stranger.

The younger man, entertained by the accusation, pondered his question. "I wanted to get somewhere far away where no one would know who I was…" he responded, leaning forward to rest his elbows onto his knees. "I went to see my ex to try and bring her back home with me recently."

"I guess it didn't work out?" Jay ventured to guess. The professor could see in the man's expression that he had hoped for a different outcome.

"That obvious, huh?" He did not go into the specifics, but instead decided to bring the conversation back on topic. "She's actually the one who suggested I travel for a while," the brunet admitted, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "It's… kind of a lame reason."

"I guess that means we're both in the lonely-hearts club," Jay jested, exhaling sharply in a low chuckle. The guy gave him an amiable look but did not join in the laughter.

Part of the reason Jay deflected originally was because he did not have an answer ready. But since the kid told him his reasoning, Jay figured it was only fair he did the same. He had to think for a moment, it had been so long. "I think for me… It was because my wife and I dreamed of coming here someday for the honeymoon we couldn't afford when we got married."

"And she's not here with you?"

Right, anyone would find it strange that my spouse isn't here when I'm practically on my deathbed. Jay knew he did not look well. His condition nose-dived for the worst lately. He was glad he chose to make the Fall his last semester of teaching so the student would not worry about him.

"She's my ex-wife, actually," Jay admitted sheepishly. The young man's quizzical look spurred him on to elaborate. "I made some terrible mistakes early in our marriage, so we've been divorced for far longer than we were married."

Jay's finger instinctively grasped at the ring he wore around his neck. "She moved on years ago. Both she and my son seem to be doing just fine without me."

Maybe it was the regret in his tone that prompted Jay's visitor, but the young man's interrogation began to get more personal. "Do they know about the cancer?"

They were interrupted as the door slid open again. It was a nurse making her rounds and they both turned their heads to welcome her. She greeted Jay like a ray of sunshine. "You gave us a scare there, Mister Edge!" the woman scolded him teasingly. "But I'm glad you're awake again." She noted his vitals with a quick scratch of her pen. "We'll do what we can to get you back out there to enjoy the sun and sand, alright?"

"Now that he's awake, is he okay to eat?" the young man inquired.

The nurse flashed a crooked, charming smile that accentuated the crow's feet at the corners of her deep brown eyes. "Of course, honey. I'll get your dad something ASAP," she promised, winking at Jay's visitor. The professor was about to correct the misunderstanding when the young man signaled to grab Jay's attention, shaking his head.

When the nurse shut the door behind her, Jay confronted the stranger. "Why did you tell them we're related?"

"I didn't," the brunet denied the accusation, but his expression betrayed a slight sense of guilt. "I just let them make that assumption when I called for an ambulance," he confessed. "I felt kind of responsible for you after I found you and it made it way easier to check in on you when you were still passed out."

While Jay was troubled by the deception, the kid's heart was in the right place. "So what is my new son's name?" he requested with a chuckle. The younger man rose from his seat and strode over to shake his hand.

"My name's Kyle," he replied, his green eyes gleaming with amusement. "What's up, pops?"

"Sweet, it really works!" Sam exclaimed when he saw the puffs of steam escaping the pipes near the mine cart just outside Clint's smithy. Sure enough, the Junimos had come through after he and Abigail delivered the fire quartz to the Community Center last night. The spiky-haired blond hopped in without a second thought and examined the small map beside the tracks. "It looks like the closest stop to the farm is at the bus stop," he declared, offering a hand to Abigail to help her climb into the oversized metal basket.

His girlfriend accepted, her eyes glancing at him briefly before darting away the instant their gazes met. Both he and Abigail were distracted from their current predicament for most of yesterday between their quests in the mines and hanging out with their friends at The Stardrop Saloon. But today, not much happened until the sun had already begun to sink low in the sky. Doing nothing led Abigail to overthink.

Sam invited Abigail to sit in his lap, but she pretended not to notice and sat facing him, their legs tangled in the center of the cart between them. His partner still avoided looking at him. The blond pulled the lever to get them moving and braced himself to the icy breeze caused by the movement of the cart. This mode of transportation was surprisingly fast, but Sam could not help but think it would have been faster to leave directly from Abigail's house rather than double-back toward the smithy.

Several seconds passed with no words exchanged between them. Silence made him uneasy, so Sam spoke up. "Abi, I know we made a poor life choice when we were super fucking horny the other day, but I promise everything will turn out fine," he pronounced confidently with a reassuring grin.

Abigail's eyes flickered toward him. "I'm probably not even pregnant," she muttered sourly. Her fingers twitched nervously under her wooly mittens. "It just means there's a chance and I hate not knowing."

Sam could tell from his girlfriend's body language, despite her best efforts to sound like she was not freaking out, she was terrified by the idea. Honestly, Sam was doing his best not to think about it unless it became the reality. Ignoring his problems was probably not the healthiest way to deal with them, but for now it was working okay.

The main problem was that he loved Abigail and she always looked smoking hot whether she was dressed up or completely dressed down. What kind of man would not want to be all over their girlfriend 24/7? Sure, they slipped up in the heat of the moment, but otherwise they were safe. Sam chose to believe - at least for now - that the odds were in their favor.

Still, he could not leave all the worrying to Abigail. "I get it," he began, "But I meant it when I said I'd support you no matter what, babe," Sam reiterated, holding out his hand to comfort her. His partner appeared doubtful, but clutched his hand.

Abigail muttered a reply, but her words were lost in the wind as the metal cart clacked along the tracks. Sam opened his mouth to ask his amethyst-haired girlfriend to repeat herself when they screeched to a halt. They both jumped out and brushed the dirt off their clothing.

From the silence, Sam could tell Abigail was still troubled. He did not want this to be a storm cloud hanging over her head all night when this was supposed to be a fun feast for everyone to enjoy. Trying to lighten the mood, the blond nudged Abigail teasingly. "Hey, look on the bright side, if you are pregnant, you can eat for two and no one can judge you!"

"Sam!"

Okay, wrong move. The skater was promptly shoved back into the cart like an overturned turtle as Abigail stomped off in a huff toward the farmhouse. Flailing his limbs, Sam was finally able to right himself and follow her.

When he caught up, Sam gestured for her to stop. He cupped Abigail's face in his hands and angled her upward to look at him. "Babe, what can I do to help you just relax tonight?" He stroked his girlfriend's long, silky hair to soothe her.

Abigail's mouth twitched in an awkward, lopsided smirk. "You don't happen to have any amethyst I can sprinkle into all of my food tonight, do you?" It was not a serious request, but luckily for Sam, he was not someone who took himself too seriously.

The musician yanked a small drawstring pouch from his coat pocket and presented it to Abigail. "All crushed and ready to go!" Sam announced, beaming proudly at his own forethought. "Turns out smashing things is fun, so Vincent helped, too," he explained. "Gotta give credit where it's due."

Abigail rested her forehead on his chest and exhaled audibly. Sam massaged her back and she took several deep, cleansing breaths. "I just can't stay mad at you," she grumbled through the thick fabric of his Winter coat. "You're such a weird, thoughtful goofball."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the blond declared, slowly releasing Abigail from his embrace. Sam smiled as he noticed Elliott coming their way from town. "Now let's get inside. You don't want someone else to eat all the blackberry cobbler that Violet made, do you?"

The look of horror on Abigail's face was priceless, but he stifled his laughter. Food was his woman's love language. "Let's go!" she cried urgently, leading him toward the farmhouse to scarf down her favorite dessert. Sam was not going to tell her that she was the only one in the valley who loved blackberry pie, but it was good to see Abigail calm down. They would worry about this another day. Tonight, was for stuffing their faces full of good food and hanging out with all their friends.

Sebastian never understood how much time and effort went into making holiday feasts. Gus did it every year for multiple festivals in Pelican Town and after assisting his girlfriend for the bulk of the day, the hoodie-wearer finally appreciated the chef.

Violet insisted he was a big help and reduced her workload, but Sebastian did not feel like his contribution was worth the compliment. He just chopped a lot of things and followed some pretty basic instructions in a cookbook for preparatory work on some of the other dishes. The pastel-haired woman, meanwhile, fluttered around like a small, industrious sparrow in Springtime.

The major downside to all of this was that the house smelled incredible, and Sebastian was not allowed to touch any of it until everyone arrived. Violet set aside a portion of pumpkin soup for him to sate his hunger in the meantime, but the enticing mixture of scents was torturous. Sebastian had to keep his watering mouth shut so he would not drool into the food.

He finished chopping the apples for a pie and mixing them with the dry ingredient when Violet came over with a bowl full of and some lemon juice to add to his ingredients. "We're almost done!" she announced happily, topping the pie with a crust and showing Sebastian how to crimp the two layers together. "These desserts can be baked while we eat dinner."

His girlfriend stood beside him and emptied the chocolate from her bowl into a cake tin heavily lined with parchment paper. "This will be the last thing that goes in the oven, since it needs a low temperature," she explained, swiping the spatula across the glass.

Violet must have seen how longingly he stared at the molten dark chocolate. Sebastian looked up at her to see her offer him a lick of the batter right off the spatula. "We don't need this anymore, so you can have your way with it," she teased.

Sebastian just finished cleaning the utensil when Violet leaned over and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth unexpectedly just as she pulled away.

"Mmm, we did well for our first time!" she remarked, taking the spatula with her, and savoring the flavor of the batter she stole directly from his mouth.

The raven-haired man coughed, trying to conceal how turned on he was from the French kiss. Sebastian could tell from Violet's face that she planned that all along just to fluster him right as their friends were scheduled to show up. He would have to get her back for that later, he decided. But for now, Sebastian was going to let his girlfriend think she got away with it.

He stood to collect the remaining dirty dishes on the table. "I'm going to need to hibernate until Spring after tonight," Sebastian joked, acknowledging he would likely overeat during the feast. Violet had an impressive spread, even for as many people as they expected.

"Just in time for my birthday!" Violet revealed as she began to tackle a few of the dishes in the sink.

Sebastian stiffened and he felt the blood drain from his face when he realized he did not know Violet's birthday. What kind of shit boyfriend did not know something so important? He tried to find a subtle way of confirming the date, but floundered.

Violet turned to see his deer in headlights expression and giggled. "It's okay, we hadn't even met on my birthday last year," she assured him, leaning against the counter behind her. She had a smudge of chocolate on her nose. It was adorable.

"So… somewhere between Spring 1 and Spring 3?" Sebastian knew the night he met Violet had been a Thursday because he had to hide from her at first in The Stardrop Saloon the following evening. He recalled the way the moonlight made her look

Her dark blue eyes lit up. "You remembered the day we met!" Violet crooned with happiness, throwing her arms around Sebastian in a hug. Sebastian could appreciate the display of affection, but his girlfriend was changing the subject.

"So, are you going to tell your birthday or am I going to have to keep guessing?" he questioned, prodding at her cheek gently with his fingertip.

Violet leaned into him, and Sebastian noticed how exhausted she was already. He was wiped, too, and it was about to get worse with all the people coming over for the party. Part of him just wanted to nap for a few hours to recuperate and drag the pastel-haired woman to bed along with him to make sure she got some rest.

"It's the first of Spring," Violet finally muttered as she nuzzled her face into the soft cloth of his hoodie.

Sebastian frowned. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I wasn't going to go around on my first day in town and announce it to everyone!" the farmer argued. "I'm not five!"

Sebastian smirked at her huffy objections and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Fine, but let me take you somewhere this year…"

Violet shook her head. "The first day of the season is always the busiest!" she objected, taking a half-step out of his arms. "And I've got to re-organize everything now that I'll have sprinklers." She went on for a while about the list of things she had to do on her birthday and Sebastian did his best to listen. Not of each individual task, since she tended to get off-topic half-way through talking about one thing or another, but generally what she would need that day. He wanted to think of some ways to make Violet's next birthday special.

Sebastian was trying to decide what to do to celebrate when the first guest knocked on the door. He grumbled, but Violet kissed him on the cheek as she went to answer the door.

"Tonight will be fun!" she promised him. Sebastian knew she was probably right, but he was already exhausted. He only hoped he would not sleep the day away tomorrow trying to recover from all this people time.

Maru set out from the clinic for the dinner party at sunset. The moon - only a small sliver in the vibrant pink and purple hues of the receding sunlight - rose silently overhead. She wondered if this party would be anything like the last one in which all the younger adults in town were invited. While Maru could appreciate the annual festivals that included all the villagers in Pelican Town, she enjoyed having time to spend exclusively with people her age.

The nurse recalled that she left the last party a bit early, since Harvey had run off away from the bonfire after one of the game prompts brought unpleasant memories back to the surface. Now that she had been the doctor's substitute for nearly two seasons, she respected Harvey more now. It must be difficult to maintain any sort of social life with the villagers when he had not grown up in the area like Maru. Even then, she was having a tough time balancing her work obligations with projects she wanted to pursue and a healthy dose of social interaction.

With that in mind, Maru decided that she would do better at inviting Harvey to do activities together with other people when he returned. Doctor or not, the man ought to have fun, too.

To Maru's surprise the sounds of partygoers were already pouring out from the farmhouse windows that were kept slightly ajar to keep the guests from overheating. Am I late? the auburn-haired woman wondered. She was sure that Violet said that everyone was welcome any time after sunset. They must have all been eager and showed up earlier than their host anticipated.

The multitude of voices beckoned Maru inside the instant she knocked at the door. Stepping inside, her glasses fogged up, temporarily blinding her from seeing everyone. As the condensation cleared up, the researcher noticed a sprig of mistletoe hanging just out of reach.

"You've gotta kiss someone, Maru!" Sam hollered over the voices of the other villagers. She saw him flash a mischievous grin from his seat along the side of the table closest to the back wall. "House rules!"

Maru stiffened. She did not want to be put on the spot like this. But, to her relief, Bruno came trotting toward her with a friendly bark of greeting and licked her hand. Her neighbors hooted in delight as she reached down to pat the enormous dog's head and thanked him for volunteering. The joke saved her from potential embarrassment.

Sam complained that dogs did not count, but he was shut down. "Don't listen to him, it's not even his house," Abigail protested, ribbing her boyfriend gently as a warning.

Violet spoke up and indicated Maru toward the final empty chair at the end of the dining table. "Take a seat and we'll have a toast to get things started!" she ordered.

Originally, Maru wanted to sit by her brother so they could catch up, but as the last one to arrive, she did not get much of a choice. At least the remaining chair was between Penny and Alex, even if it was the furthest from Sebastian.

Maru took her place and admired the spread in front of her. Violet had a neat display laid out on a pair of large dining tables, which were pushed together to make one giant dining area. The well-polished wood was decorated with a Wintry themed tablecloth and small, corded branches of pine and holly. Elliott, who sat on the other side of Penny, offered Maru a glass of wine, which she declined. The author knew better than to offer his girlfriend any.

Once everyone had their preferred drink, Violet stood up to address her guests. "Thanks to everyone for coming tonight!" the farmer began. She was a little awkward at first, but Maru noticed Sebastian prompting his girlfriend to continue. "I invited you all here because I wanted to share some good food with all my new friends who made me feel so welcome to Pelican Town."

"Here, here!" Elliott bellowed in agreement, temporarily stealing the toast so that he could chime in with a speech of his own. He stood and lifted his wine glass, "And to Miss Violet, who not only produced this feast from her own harvest, but also planted the seed of change in our tiny hamlet."

The villagers nodded approvingly, and Samantha joined in the fun. "And to budding relationships," the youngest of the party announced, tilting her head toward Haley and Leah. "These two are the most useless lesbians I've ever met, but I'm glad they finally made it official."

The blonde leaned over to kiss Leah while Emily whistled in support to tease the two.

"... Does anyone else have a speech to give or can we eat?" Abigail asked impatiently, already serving herself from the trays nearest her plate.

No one volunteered, so Violet finished the ritual. "To Pelican Town!" The festivities were officially underway.

To Maru, Leah and Haley's relationship came out of nowhere. But then again, she did not speak to either of them much. Though now that she was on that train of thought, Maru recognized that Elliott was essentially correct. Violet's presence created a domino effect in the town's social dynamics and the young adults consisted almost entirely of romantic pairs.

Abigail and Sam were the first to date, shortly after the new farmer's arrival; followed by Emily and Shane. Sebastian and Violet finally began dating as of The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies, then Elliott and Penny at The Stardew Valley Fair, and now Leah and Haley. The only two young residents of Pelican Town who had not paired off were…

Maru's eyes were drawn to Alex, the only bachelor in town. He was chatting with Samantha. The researcher noticed the jock winked at her when their eyes met, despite the fact he was speaking to someone else. Maru could tell Alex was paying her special attention so that she would be comfortable joining the conversation if she wanted.

Maybe I was too hasty…?

The young woman's musings were interrupted by her best friend, who passed her a basket of handsomely made dinner rolls. "I'm so glad you came!" Penny declared. After depositing one on her plate, Maru handed it off to Alex. She marveled at the number of rolls he loaded onto his own plate. He must be fueling up for the mines tomorrow, Maru guessed, pleased that he was thinking ahead. Who knows what we'll find behind the wall of odd stones?

Maru bounced between conversations on her end of the table when Sam made an outburst across the table. "You met your dad?!" All eyes turned toward her brother, Sebastian, who froze at the sudden shift in attention.

Her brother's dark eyes were glued to the floor, avoiding eye contact with the dinner guests staring him down. "Uh, yeah. I didn't know he was my dad at the time, but it turns out the professor who offered me his place in ZuZu for the year is my dad."

"That's such a weird coincidence!" Leah exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat. "But what do you mean you're watching his place? Where did he go?"

Sebastian shrugged. "He's on sabbatical in Hono I'akuné. I assume he'll be gone until at least the end of Spring."

"What I wouldn't give to be on a tropical island right now," Alex muttered to himself, just loud enough for Maru to hear. Her friend hated Winter, except for the few Sundays big gridball games were on TV.

The room was abuzz with questions from the villagers who all knew Sebastian's biological father had not been in the picture since he was born but did not have all these new details that the man just brought to light. As the volume in the room increased, Maru's attention slowly slipped away from the scene in front of her. Why hadn't someone told her about such important news? Sure, Sebastian may not have wanted to text about something this important, but he had been in town since yesterday.

And what about her parents? Did they know? If so, why had no one told her?

As more possibilities passed through her mind, Maru sank further and further into a spiral of isolation. She was in a room full of people, yet hardly knew them anymore. Her long hours at the clinic, in her father's lab, and the little time she had left to dedicate to her own projects had destroyed Maru's social life.

The researcher had never been so unsure of herself. Yet, as she sank rock-bottom in the recesses of her mind, Maru detected the light pressure of a hand on her shoulder. "Maru?"

Her head was swimming, but the woman still recognized Alex's voice. "Hey, Glasses! Are you alright?"

Violet's Winter feast came to an end and Penny was one of the last guests to leave. While their host was distracted saying good-bye to the villagers pouring out of the house, the schoolteacher figured the least she could do to help repay the farmer for such an incredible meal - and a generous pile of leftovers - was to clean as many dishes as she could before Violet banished her from the kitchen.

When Penny heard the footsteps behind her, she was sure it was Violet coming to scold her for doing any chores, but instead it was Elliott. "How kind of you to assist Miss Violet," he beamed at her and grabbed a dish towel from a nearby hook, silently drying the plates already on the rack to make more space. "Though if you had informed me of your plan, I could have assisted earlier."

Penny noticed her boyfriend pouted slightly. He must be offended that I disappeared without wishing him good night. Elliott did have one of the longest walks home, so the brunette really should have said something so he could have left sooner. Still, she appreciated his willingness to join her in clean-up duty. She tilted her body on his tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for helping me," Penny whispered, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the rowdiness of the crowd still lingering at the dining table.

Elliott's protruding lower lip vanished as his mouth drew back in a conspiratorial grin. "It is not right to allow the chef to also clean all the dishes," he proclaimed plainly. "The meal was exquisite; would you not agree?"

Penny bobbed her head and made a mental note to get a few recipes from Violet. As she fell into a methodical rhythm scrubbing the ceramic plates clean, her attention began to wander to unexpected places. Sebastian's news of finding his father brought to mind her own father and what little she knew about him.

Elliott, who was an attentive man, noticed Penny's contemplative look. "What is on your mind, Miss Penelope?" the long-locked poet queried quietly as he began to stack the dry dishes on the counter.

The woman frowned, conflicted by her own stream of consciousness. "I was just thinking…" she opened in a mousy voice, "that it was nice that Sebastian was able to find his father." Penny was not sure why it embarrassed her so to admit that aloud. Maybe it reminded her once again of the differences between Elliott's upbringing and her own.

And yet, her boyfriend stared at her with such interest with those honey-hued eyes of his, Penny felt the words slowly tumble from her lips. "My mother has changed her story several times on how my father came to leave us…" the brunette disclosed hesitantly. "But she often mentions how he left when I was a little girl. That he claimed to feel 'trapped' by his life with us."

She scrubbed at a sticky patch of pie filling on one of the tins. "But if my father did leave when I was young, why don't I remember him?" Penny asked rhetorically. "If my father had stuck around, wouldn't I have at least one memory of him?"

Penny knew that the subject might make Elliott feel uncomfortable, so she decided to show him that she would not dwell on it. "I usually think about my father around my birthday," the schoolteacher admitted, "but I haven't felt so down about it lately." She stole a glance up at Elliott's perfectly chiseled face. "I had more pleasant things to think about."

Elliott's lips curved toward his cheekbones. "I am flattered, Miss Penelope." From the way he reacted, Penny could tell he was pleased by her words. "And I pray I continue to serve - at the very least - as a pleasant distraction from your troubles for many years to come." He threw the damp dish towel over his shoulder and collected her hands in his own. "But please do not concern yourself over a man so unworthy of your consideration."

Hearing that Elliott intended to remain a part of her life for the foreseeable future made Penny giddy. "You're so sweet, Elliott…" Her emerald eyes flickered up to meet her boyfriend's. "But I worry that your family may think differently." The prospect that Elliott's family may look down upon her for her humble lifestyle and broken family weighed heavily on her lately.

"Banish the notion!" Elliott asserted firmly. "They have no right to judge you."

"But my father walked out on us…" Penny's voice trailed off. She was still unsure where she stood regarding her mother. Pam was still the town drunk and while they had made up in their own way, there was still a lifetime of hurt to wade through to truly heal their relationship.

Elliott appeared torn, but quickly decided. "I have not shared such sensitive information with anyone, Miss Penelope. Not even Leah," the poet stated gravely, leaning in closer to her. "But my family is not without scandal."

"I know your father disowned you," Penny countered in protest. While it was unfortunate, she loved Elliott all the same. Her boyfriend was a good man and surely his father would see that one day or live to regret it. "That doesn't matter to me, Elliott."

His long, tawny locks shone in the light of the porchlight as he shook his head in dispute. "No, my dear Penelope," he stated solemnly. "I mean that yours is not the only family with a shameful history. My father least of all would have any right to judge you."

Elliott's eyebrows furrowed contemptuously as he elaborated. "If one were to open a dictionary in search of the definition of 'rake,' my father's portrait would most assuredly be displayed." The acrid tone of his voice told Penny that her partner harbored no fond feelings for his father.

"He disappeared for nearly two years when Edmund and I were boys, but my mother insisted that he was away on business." Elliott grimaced at the memory. "I believed her for longer than I should, but I had no reason to think my mother would deceive me."

"Where did he go?" Penny inquired; her curiosity piqued. At this point she had forgotten about the dishes in the sink.

"I doubt even my dear mother knows," Elliott answered with a nervous laugh. "Though there were an abundance of rumors circulating the manor."

The brunette lifted her narrow shoulders in an anxious gesture. "At least he came back…?" Penny responded with reluctant optimism. "Your father cared enough to return home to his family." After all, her dad never returned, as far as she knew.

Elliott scowled. "I sincerely doubt it," the poet argued, though Penny could tell the edge in his voice was not directed at her. "My grandfather eventually cut him off financially while he was 'out on business' and the scoundrel only returned when he ran out of funds."

"How awful of him," Penny sympathized. She would have comforted Elliott further, but they were discovered by their host.

Violet gasped in scandalized horror. "Are you two cleaning?"

The couple exchanged guilty looks. Penny tried to defend her actions. "W-we just thought it would be the least we could do to thank you for-"

Penny realized at that moment that she correctly assumed their newest neighbor was the sort who did not allow guests to contribute to the household chores if she could help it.

Violet would have none of their excuses. "Get out of my house!" she barked as she stomped toward them. The wavy-haired woman guided her guests away from the kitchen with an amount of force that surprised Penny. Violet was strong for a woman her size.

The farmer allowed the stragglers to retrieve their coats prior to their unceremonious expulsion from the farmhouse. "Be careful walking home!" Violet called after Penny and Elliott sweetly.

Elliott let out an amused chuckle as the farmer closed the door behind them. "It seems we were caught red-handed, my dear Miss Penelope."

"I suppose we were," Penny giggled and Elliott's laughter rang out in unison. While it was a harmless crime, they had done it together. Something about that made Penny happy.

On this near-moonless night, the light pouring out from Violet's home gave Elliott's eyes a dazzling sparkle to match his charming smile. Penny was glad the dark cloud of their family discussion had not clung to Elliott for long.

The well-mannered man lifted his arm, "Shall we, my dear?"

Penny allowed her partner to lead beyond the safety of the rays of light emitted from Violet's farmhouse windows. Though Penny scolded herself for not at least bringing a flashlight, she did not feel so frightened with Elliott there to steady her when she stumbled.