Violet remembered even less.

They both remembered Amelia’s habit of drawing smiling suns on paper napkins and the sound of her singing while she washed dishes.

Their maternal aunt, Caroline Mercer, lived ninety miles away.

She worked as a school librarian and had tried to visit regularly after her sister’s death.

The visits became less frequent when Richard began insisting the twins’ routines were too fragile to interrupt.

Invitations went unanswered.