Eleanor visited the cottage in October with a small box of things from the estate.

The items had been inventoried and cleared for release: family photographs, Madeline’s handwritten recipe cards, and the two quilts she had sewn for her sons when they were babies.

The moment Mason saw his quilt, he held it against his face.

“It smells like home,” he whispered.

Kenneth’s eyes filled with tears.

He had been so focused on keeping the children away from the mansion that he hadn’t understood how much they missed familiar things.

Eleanor sat with us while the boys decorated cookies.