The sewing circle grew to eight women in a week. The bench by the fountain was no longer enough. Someone brought a blanket; another arrives with cushions. The garden was becoming crowded, and Alina found herself at the centre of something she had never meant to build.
She sat on the bench working and listening to the women talk.
"My marriage was unhappy," Lady Brennan said. "I was alone before he died and have been alone since."
"I'm afraid of my mother-in-law," Marguerite added. "She visits me every week and tells me how to talk to my husband, and how to dress. She says she's helping but every time she leaves, I feel like I've failed something I didn't even know I was being tested on."
The following day, Alina got an idea to help Marguerite.
"Invite your mother-in- law to sew with us," Alina said.
"What?" She said, surprised. "She won't come. She doesn't like me."
"She is lonely and displaced. If she comes here, she'll feel better."
