March 1853 Kent, England "My lady, if I may interfere," her maid stepped forward from behind the desk where Lady Mary Fontaine sat writing in her dressing gown, her tea growing ever colder. "Yes, Agnes, what is it?" Lady Fontaine felt impatient with this whole morning process. Recently married, she was not accustomed to answering all of these notes and cards from well-wishing neighbors. Becoming Lady Fontaine had forced Mary into a world she had little known. She was the

He was 15 when the circus rolled into town one crisp, autumn day. For a week the townsfolk patronized The Greatest Show on Earth...

Annabelle’s fingers fumbled for the matches. She lit a fresh candle with trembling hands and turned to face the figure forming in the mist.

“We survived a winter,” he had told her that morning, pressing a calloused hand against her cheek, “but it will take work to thrive in the

A splash of color caught her eye near the garden fence; delicate purple and yellow blooms pushing up through the thawing soil. Pansies.

Alina and Dr. Rigby's happy conclusion.