Chapter Fourteen, Part One

Amalia had sat quietly through Robert's story, but she didn't cry, and Robert was grateful for that.

"She's buried near Northwind," he said. "There's a little cemetery used by several of the horse farms and small land-owners in the area. It's very green, very nice, although I suppose if you wanted to have her brought here..."

Amalia shook her head. "At first I thought about asking, or even insisting, but the body means little without the spirit that made it special."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, Sam knows all the details and I won't question your decision. It just seemed like the best thing to do at the time."

"I understand." She got to her feet. "It's past lunchtime. Are you hungry?"

Robert managed a smile. "Not particularly."

"Good. Me, either. Since Sophie probably won't be back before dinner, I think I'll go for a walk. You're welcome to join me."

She was being polite, of course. Robert could tell that she needed time alone to process what he had told her. "I've got work to do here, thank you."

After she had gone, he returned his attention to his ledger sheets and the letter from his friend in Santa Fe, but the words and numbers blurred and wouldn't stay on their appointed lines. In frustration, he gathered everything up and took it to his room. As he was putting his papers away, the sound of children's happy shrieking caught his attention. He went to the open window and saw in the distance a game of soccer being played in one of the fields. Grateful for the distraction, he went outside to watch.

As he neared the field, he gave a friendly wave to the teacher coaching the game, then leaned against the fence. It was a pleasant diversion, the boys and girls in their colored vests kicking the ball back and forth, cheering when their team scored and redoubling their efforts at each loss. Robert forced his thoughts away from his conversation with Amalia and allowed himself to remember some of the games the boys and girls of Northwind used to play. No doubt Sophie would enjoy being able to test her skill against the other children here. She excelled in outdoor activities and was fiercely competitive.

By the time the game was over, Robert was feeling a little better and was imagining so strongly that Sophie was nearby that he was surprised to find that she hadn't yet returned from her ride. He frowned at the overcast sky and wondered where she was. He considered going after her, but that would involve tracking her, and he had always been a poor tracker. If Diana were here...

Enough of those thoughts. If Amalia didn't need his help with dinner, and he rather hoped she didn't, he would take a little nap. For some reason, he was exhausted.