filled with much joy.
Carolly sighed, mentally adding Miss Hornswallow to her list of people to assist.
"Look! Look, I got one!"
Carolly turned as Margaret held up her butterfly net to show what looked like a huge black grasshopper. It jumped around in the net, scrambling for an opening, but Margaret cut off the poor creature's escape.
"That's wonderful," said Carolly, suddenly feeling a kinship for the little thing, trapped as it was in delicate gauze, suddenly snatched from its peaceful world without explanation. "Now what do we do with it?”
"Miss Hornswallow! Miss Hornswallow! I got one." Margaret scrambled up the grassy hill. Both governess and guardian turned at the child's scrambled approach, each with a fond smile.
As Carolly watched, Miss Hornswallow pulled a glass jar with a wet rag at the bottom from the picnic basket. She moved with innate grace, and Carolly was startled to see James watching the governess with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, Carolly felt her heart clench within her chest, seeing what James must now be noticing.
Miss Hornswallow was beautiful!
True, she still had hawklike features and a tight pinched look to her face. But right now, as she fiddled with the jar, the sun danced in her dark hair revealing blue highlights hidden beneath her tight bun.
Carolly narrowed her eyes, picking out the carefully obscured features of the woman's figure. Where before she had seemed iron-rod thin, Carolly now noticed the governess's slender bone structure. She'd thought the woman's face severe, almost harsh, but it also possessed pearly skin tones and a high aristocratic bearing.
All the poor woman needed was a little push—some new clothes, a new hairstyle, and a few lessons in smiling—and bam, she'd make the perfect countess.
"Uncle James, I dropped it! Get it!"
Carolly saw James start in surprise, his attention suddenly pulled to his niece who pointed at the grass near his knee. Quicker than she thought possible, he swooped down as he tried to catch one very terrified grasshopper. He very nearly succeeded, but then it jumped up over his hands, straight at his nose. James reared back, and Margaret squealed happily before chasing after it, bowling over her governess and uncle in her eagerness. Then came a rollicking, pell mell battle of three humans against one grasshopper. Laughter filled the air as they chased and tumbled over one another.
After a few moments, Carolly turned away, unable to watch the free-for-all anymore. She ought to be pleased, she told herself. In one flash of sunlight, she'd seen her goal revealed with sparkling clarity.
James and Miss Hornswallow were perfect for each other. With Margaret to bind them together, they could build a wonderful aristocratic family. It might not turn out quite as casual and bubbling over with hilarity as Carolly would have preferred, but clearly, they would be happy. And that should make her happy. She'd be able to get her wings.
But she wasn't happy. She was lonely.
For ten years, she'd been shifting around in time, trying to do good deeds, straining to make up for her very selfish first life. But ten years was a long time to be engineering other people's happiness without doing anything for her own. Sure, Carolly liked helping people, but she also wanted a rest, a place where she had friends, a place where everybody knew her name.
Carolly groaned and kicked a stone. She was spouting television slogans. She always did that when she got depressed. It reminded her of who she was, where she came from, and most of all, that she was as superficial as the boob tube that had helped raise her. She wasn't meant for long-term relationships. She'd known that growing up. She knew it now.
That's why she'd make a great angel. She would come in, be angelic while helping people, and then leave. Except for the last few lives. With each incarnation she'd found it harder and harder to escape her emotions. And this life felt the worst of all.
Glancing back
Carolly sighed, mentally adding Miss Hornswallow to her list of people to assist.
"Look! Look, I got one!"
Carolly turned as Margaret held up her butterfly net to show what looked like a huge black grasshopper. It jumped around in the net, scrambling for an opening, but Margaret cut off the poor creature's escape.
"That's wonderful," said Carolly, suddenly feeling a kinship for the little thing, trapped as it was in delicate gauze, suddenly snatched from its peaceful world without explanation. "Now what do we do with it?”
"Miss Hornswallow! Miss Hornswallow! I got one." Margaret scrambled up the grassy hill. Both governess and guardian turned at the child's scrambled approach, each with a fond smile.
As Carolly watched, Miss Hornswallow pulled a glass jar with a wet rag at the bottom from the picnic basket. She moved with innate grace, and Carolly was startled to see James watching the governess with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, Carolly felt her heart clench within her chest, seeing what James must now be noticing.
Miss Hornswallow was beautiful!
True, she still had hawklike features and a tight pinched look to her face. But right now, as she fiddled with the jar, the sun danced in her dark hair revealing blue highlights hidden beneath her tight bun.
Carolly narrowed her eyes, picking out the carefully obscured features of the woman's figure. Where before she had seemed iron-rod thin, Carolly now noticed the governess's slender bone structure. She'd thought the woman's face severe, almost harsh, but it also possessed pearly skin tones and a high aristocratic bearing.
All the poor woman needed was a little push—some new clothes, a new hairstyle, and a few lessons in smiling—and bam, she'd make the perfect countess.
"Uncle James, I dropped it! Get it!"
Carolly saw James start in surprise, his attention suddenly pulled to his niece who pointed at the grass near his knee. Quicker than she thought possible, he swooped down as he tried to catch one very terrified grasshopper. He very nearly succeeded, but then it jumped up over his hands, straight at his nose. James reared back, and Margaret squealed happily before chasing after it, bowling over her governess and uncle in her eagerness. Then came a rollicking, pell mell battle of three humans against one grasshopper. Laughter filled the air as they chased and tumbled over one another.
After a few moments, Carolly turned away, unable to watch the free-for-all anymore. She ought to be pleased, she told herself. In one flash of sunlight, she'd seen her goal revealed with sparkling clarity.
James and Miss Hornswallow were perfect for each other. With Margaret to bind them together, they could build a wonderful aristocratic family. It might not turn out quite as casual and bubbling over with hilarity as Carolly would have preferred, but clearly, they would be happy. And that should make her happy. She'd be able to get her wings.
But she wasn't happy. She was lonely.
For ten years, she'd been shifting around in time, trying to do good deeds, straining to make up for her very selfish first life. But ten years was a long time to be engineering other people's happiness without doing anything for her own. Sure, Carolly liked helping people, but she also wanted a rest, a place where she had friends, a place where everybody knew her name.
Carolly groaned and kicked a stone. She was spouting television slogans. She always did that when she got depressed. It reminded her of who she was, where she came from, and most of all, that she was as superficial as the boob tube that had helped raise her. She wasn't meant for long-term relationships. She'd known that growing up. She knew it now.
That's why she'd make a great angel. She would come in, be angelic while helping people, and then leave. Except for the last few lives. With each incarnation she'd found it harder and harder to escape her emotions. And this life felt the worst of all.
Glancing back
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