A Birth day

Ruby paused by the open door watching them as she stood she felt a hand on her shoulder but turning she expected to see Tara but saw nobody and so turned back to where they all stood in the grave yard.

Aria walked over with Marcus " I could feel a coldness, but that's all, I guess each person see's and feels things differently ,But I think Marcus is right, she was here for you Angus and not us" she said and took hold of Marcus hand in her own.

Ruby moved back to the tea room and sat down opening the book where it had been left off she continued to read quietly and sip her tea . " he'll be fine" she said softly as she turned a page with a smile and feeling relaxed. As she read she found an envelope inside the pages and looed to Tara " um this has Angus name on it " she said handing it to her " looks old though."

"At any rate, she's not here now," Marcus said. "Let's go inside, shall we? It's getting chilly out here."

"I'm sure you're right. Okay, we'll go back," Angus said. He turned and walked back to the house, shivering. It was chilly, and he hadn't worn a jacket outside.

"You could always ask Edward about it. Or maybe Kate. Maybe Kate would have some insights," Marcus suggested.

"Yeah. Good idea," Angus said. When they went back in, Angus could smell food cooking. It smelled like an Italian beef stew. Rosaria's was always slow cooked beef with all sorts of vegetables that had cooked for hours in the flavorful thick and creamy beef stock. She always made homemade bread to go with it, always polenta, and then she finished it by serving a very traditional dessert pie that was a flaky rye crust with a filling a sweet goat cheese and honey filling--like the best of cheesecake, served in a pie crust., and always served with a cup of espresso. It was a favorite of his in cold weather.

"I don't know what she's cooking but I'm starving," Marcus said.

"It won't be long," Angus said. "Smells like her Italian beef stew. She knows I like it."

"Where's the photo album?"

"Um...Edward's office, I think. I'll go look for it," Angus said.

"I'll see if we can't get some something warm to drink," Marcus said. He went to ask Rosaria for something hot to drink while Angus went to find the photo album.

Ruby put the envelope on the table beside her and thought nothing more about it as she heard her stomach rumble " wow didn't realize I was so hungry" she said with a chuckle again at the smell emanating from the kitchen " smells divine I think Rosaria has out done herself with supper" she said closing the book with the book mark in and heading to find Angus.

Aria nodded as they walked back to the house once there she went to the book cases to see if she could find any phot albums to show Angus but she found none " hum maybe there in the attic?" she said to her self " or another room but that food smells great."

Marcus went into the kitchen and asked for some sort of warm beverage to warm everyone. She nodded and asked Carlo to make a batch of Bombardinos, and she promised it would be ready in no time at all.

Meanwhile, Angus found several thick photo albums on the bookshelves in Edward's office. He got them all down off the shelves. Marcus found get the albums and start to look through them. Marcus believed they needed to zero in on the younger images of Caprice, so when he found the right book, he handed that volume to Angus.

"Let's start there. Look. Look at her height next to Edward. Edward is nearly 6'6". Your grandmother is well over a foot shorter. Looks like almost a foot and a half. That puts her well within the height of the woman you saw. And look here. Vacation photos. Look how she's wearing her hair. It's a bob style. It's the right length for what you said you saw. And almost every image in these pictures, she's wearing jeans and a white button down. Angus, I think you very likely saw your grandmother."

"It was her," Angus said, studying the pictures. "It's just so hard to wrap my mind around it, but it was her. I'm sure of it." He got out the next to the last photo album and found the last images of Caprice that there were. She had been so sick then. Bone thin, her lovely translucent skin gone gray, her hair thin and grayish white. It was his last images of her, and this was the image of Caprice he had held in his mind for many years. He had nearly forgotten about how stunning she had been when she was younger. "This was our last Christmas with her. That's the image I've always remembered, but you're right. That Caprice was not the one I just saw outside. It was this one." He pointed to a much younger version. "This is what I just saw outside."

Marcus took two images from the albums. The one Angus remembered, and the younger one that looked like the figure Angus had seen.

"Let's show the others. That'll make more sense to them," Marcus said. They went back to the billiards room.

"Any good?" Evan asked.

"Yes," Angus said. Marcus handed the pictures to Evan.

"Yeah. That's the image I remember. The last images. That's so sad looking," Evan sighed. "And this is her younger? Wow. That's a lot of difference. I don't remember her looking like that."

"You were really little when she got sick," Angus said. "You wouldn't have remembered her younger." Evan was almost three years younger than Angus, and Angus had been pretty small when Caprice had died, so Angus wasn't surprised that Evan did not remember Caprice when she wasn't sick.

"You're sure that's who you saw?"

"I am now," Angus nodded. "I just don't know why."

"Maybe she'll appear again, and we can figure it out," Evan said. "If you say you saw her, then you saw her. I believe you."

Carlo came in with a tray full with glass mugs with hot, steaming bombardinos in them.

"Bombardinos!" Evan beamed, taking a mug for himself. "Perfect! Try them, you all. Think about a hot coffee drink that has a somewhat egg noggy taste. It has brandy and also a liquer from Holland called Advocaat, and then its topped with whipped cream and just a dash of cinnamon."

"Carlo makes the best," Angus said, taking a mug. Marcus took a mug too, leaving one for Aria and one for Ruby.

Aria followed Marcus to Edwards office and watched them loo threw old phots of Angus's family before finally finding the one they were looking for . Aria walked over and smiled looking down at the photo " she was a beautiful woman" she said smiling to Angus as they then closed the album and walked to the billiards room to show Even.

After a moment Ruby stood up and walked into the billiards room seeing the cups she walked over and took one then took a drink loving the creamy warm flavour as it slid down her throat. " these are delicious" she said taking another sip as she looked to the photo " that's Caprice?" she asked " I'm happy our daughter has her name, she's beautiful and from what you have told me about her , she had a good heart. " she echoed Arias words who stood and nodded she agreement.

Once done with her drink Aria took the glass into the kitchen and washed it placing it on the drainer to dry then she walked back into the room sitting on a bench people would use to sit and watch a game. " that was perfect thank you" she said to Even.

"She was," Angus nodded when Aria said she was beautiful. "Even when she was sick, she was still beautiful. Edward's whole world came apart the day she passed. I only saw him really grieve one day. I'm sure he grieved after that because I remember spending a lot of time in the kitchen with Rosaria for awhile." He llistened to Ruby talk about being glad they named the baby after her.

"She did have a good heart," Angus nodded. "She would have loved for the baby to be named after her. She would have felt so honored by that."

"Well, from the date on the gravestone, you'd have been just six when she died," Marcus told Angus.

"Yeah, I was pretty young. I remember that much."

"Well, that would also explain why you don't have many memories of her when she was well."

"I suppose it does. After Edward took me from Benjamin and Eileen, most of what I remember was life just being Edward and me. Well, and Rosaria and Carlo, of course." Carlo looked over and saw the images of Caprice, and he smiled. Marcus asked Carlo if he or Rosaria had ever seen Caprice since her death.

"Carlo, tu o Rosaria avete mai visto Caprice da quando è morta?" Marcus asked.

"Non l'abbiamo vista, ma sappiamo che è spesso in giro perché sentiamo spesso il suo profumo. È molto distinto, odora di iris. Edward l'aveva fatto apposta per lei. Ogni tanto compra una bottiglia fresca e la lascia sulla sua toeletta in modo da non dimenticare mai il suo profumo."

"C'è una bottiglia al piano di sopra in questo momento?"

"Oh, Si. Sempre."

"Carlo says they haven't seen her but they know she's around frequently because they smell her perfume. He says Edward had her scent especially for her, and says it smells like irises. Evidently, Edward buys a fresh bottle of it every now and then and keeps it on her vanity so that he never forgets what her scent was like. He says there's a bottle upstairs right now." Evan asked Carlo to bring the bottle down. Carlo smiled and nodded and went to get it.

"So you're not crazy after all," Evan grinned at Angus. "Seems like everyone else knew she might be around but maybe you and me."

"I never even considered that she might be," Angus said. Carlo brought the perfume down, and Angus smelled it. In a moment, his mind flashed to a million little memories that he had locked away and forgotten long ago. "That's it. That was exactly what she wore, every single day," Angus said. He passed the bottle to Evan, and he sniffed it.

"Oh, God, I had forgotten, but I do remember it," Evan nodded. He passed it to Tara so they could pass it around to everyone to smell it.

Aria took the perfume bottle and smelled the scent that lingered inside and smiled " its delicate yet flowery" she said and handed it to Ruby who did the same and nodded as she handed it back smiling to Rosaria. She sat next to Aria giving Angus time with Marcus and sipped her drink " maybe we should have brought Caprice so she could have seen her " ruby pondered as she sat with Aria .

Aria chuckled and shook her head " as much as I think she could have liked that I don't think Angus would have relaxed " she said and Ruby nodded she agreed " for now be happy she has seen him even in spectral form as a grown man, maybe she came to check on him after what had happened today to let him know all's fine here so he can relax and that even from her grave she watches over him."

"Maybe," Angus said. He really felt like he needed answers, though. He went over to the floo, tossed a pinch of floo powder in and called Kate.

"I'm here, Pet," Kate said cheerfully. "How's Tuscany?"

"Warmer than there," Angus answered, and she laughed.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Kate, is it possible that, maybe, I could have seen my grandmother? I mean, I'm not a seer or anything..." he began. "And its still light outside yet."

"Well, now, you know its possible. After all, you've seen Reginald how many times? Of course its possible."

"I mean, I saw her at the exact same time that nobody else did."

"Well, now that's a little bit confusing, but I get what you mean. And yes, that's still possible. Angus, there are some theories that say that the veil becomes, theoretically, thinner the closer one gets to it. Basically, that means that if someone has a close shave with death, it's possible that they see things that some others do not. And you, my dear boy, have had multiple close shaves that were rather like having one foot across and one foot in this world. If that theory is true, then I would think that it might explain you seeing things that others did not. It also explains why some see thestrals and some do not. I don't doubt you one little bit. If you saw her, then you saw her. She may have been there in the house for all these years without anyone being able to see her. Or, she could be doing what other spirits do by coming and going wherever they see fit. Was she dark or threatening in any way?"

"No. Not at all," Angus replied.

"Then, I would just take it as it comes and enjoy it. It does not necessarily mean anything dark or foreboding. I think our loved ones miss being with us as much as we miss them. Perhaps she'll return and either show you what's on her mind or tell you. I know Edward has said he has never seen her, but I think, when you tell him you've seen her, I think that will mean a great deal to him. Does that help?"

"It does," Angus nodded.

"So, in the meantime, go enjoy your family. And keep me posted. It sounds very exciting!" she smiled and closed the floo.

Ruby heard Kate talking to Angus and smiled at her explanation walking over to him as he shut down the floo she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest holding him against her " I for one am glad she showed herself to you" she said softly as she looked up at him.

Aria looked at Marcus and spoke softly " want me to check the area for any equipment or charms that could mimic a ghost?" he said quietly " just to make sure no one is tricking him" she said patting Marcus arm as she moved away from him and out the door to head to the grave yard to check around.

Ruby shook her head and looked up at Angus " did you take your potion?" she asked glancing around him to Marcus knowing he would have giving him it but weather he took it was a whole nother ball game.

"That's a good idea," Marcus told Aria very softly. "Go ahead. for now, don't go far. Do what you can at the graveyard before supper. I think we'll probably eat in a few minutes, and we'll need to check
the area around the house and inside the house anyway. Then I'll help you cover some of the rest of it. Or perhaps Ruby might like to go with you. You can teach her what to look for. I think she'd like feeling a little less helpless. The entire grounds are going to be way too large for us to cover by ourselves, but maybe we if we cover just the graveyard, the land around the house, and inside the house, that should give us enough of an idea about whether there is some reason for us to look further. If we find something deceptive, we can ask Robert to send jack and maybe a crew from Paris to go check the entire estate. I have a sneaky feeling we're not going to find a darned thing, but checking it gives us something to rule out, and that will help ease Angus, I think."

"I think I'm glad too," Angus said, "but I'm hoping Edward gets to see her at some point. I mean, I know he loves Simone like crazy, but he's always going to love my grandmother too. You know, I know that being a seer is just everyday life for Kate, but I rather like my life without it. It's very strange." When Ruby asked if he had taken his potion, he nodded. "Yeah. I did. I'm fine."

"I'm going to go see if the girls are done with their homework. Rosaria wants everyone to eat over here tonight," Tara said.

"Let them come, even if they're not quite finished," Evan said, "so long as they understand that when they're done eating, they go right back to it until its done."

"I'll tell them," Tara said, going over to their house.