Four Mornings in Winter

December 1416

Lily opened her eyes. The evening before she had fallen asleep to the fleeting sound of raindrops against the windowpane. Now there was no sound at all. She got up, pulled the curtains back from the window… and gave a breathless gasp of delight.

The glass was covered with delicate flowers, and the rising sun made them shimmer and sparkle in hues of brilliant pink and pale gold. They reminded her of the flowers she had stitched on the green velvet of the new waistcoat she would give him today, and a secret joy started to bloom in her heart.