Inside, the house rang with conversation.

A teenage grandson explained a card game to Sophie, who immediately questioned the rules.

Hannah helped Ruth set plates without being asked and then worried she had behaved like a guest who needed to work for her meal.

Ruth simply pointed to a chair and asked her to sit.

On the mantel was a photo of Caroline in a red scarf holding a toddler at a neighborhood fundraiser.

Hannah recognized her from Nathaniel’s account of his marriage.