Re-creations

Cornelia Copley's future seems to collapse in a single sorrowful summons home. Just when college and her dream of becoming an interior decorator promise independence, she is told that her mother is gravely ill, the family finances are strained, and she must return to help shoulder the burden. On the long train ride, her grief over lost friendships, ambitions, and the life she imagined gives way to an unexpected conversation with a gracious older woman who insists that beauty, taste, and spirit can matter even in a humble house. Yet Cornelia's arrival only deepens her misery as she confronts her weary father, younger siblings, and the shabby, cramped home that will now be hers. At the same time, Arthur Maxwell is still haunted by Evadne, the beautiful woman whose deception and hidden marriage forced him to choose duty over desire. Though time, work, and his mother's faith have steadied him, her renewed presence threatens to reopen old wounds. A warm letter from his mother, along with a surprising request involving a box of maidenhair ferns for Cornelia Copley, suggests that small acts of kindness may still alter both their lives. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.