I did not know that I was about to meet, through the contents of that bag, the real Julian, the whole vast tragic loving life of him, and that in meeting him I would find, unexpectedly, a kind of healing for my own grief that I had stopped believing was possible.

Chapter 6 — The Red Dress

I unzipped the heavy green backpack with trembling fingers, while Arthur stood by the window of the empty hospital room, watching me in solemn silence.

Inside rested three distinct items: a worn, leather-bound notebook, a legal deed wrapped carefully in oilskin, and a folded piece of bright red silk.

I pulled out the red silk first.

And as it unfolded in my lap, I realized that it was not simply a piece of fabric.