Chapter 16

Back at the house, Kane went off in search of John, and Elise found Helen in the kitchen once again. She was busily making sandwiches and chatting to three other women who were also helping prepare lunch. They all moved about the kitchen with the ease of familiarity, obviously having spent a lot of time here. Looking up, Helen smiled.

“There you are! Elise, I want you to meet two of my daughters, Zoe and Phoebe.” Helen nodded at two young women who looked to be in their early to mid-twenties. Both bore a strong resemblance to Helen except that their hair was still dark brown, rather than liberally streaked with grey and their figures hadn’t rounded out yet.

“And this is Zoe’s friend, Rose. She lives near the edge of the territory with her parents and works at the local bank.”

Rose gave Elise a shy smile and then leaned over the sink so that her hair hid her face. The girl was non-descript with pale blue eyes, brown hair, average height, and weight. She wasn’t unatt