The Cinder Bullies (21)

"Sometimes royalty has a way of bullying other people. I am not sure that bringing someone who might turn out to be a cinder bully to live with us, is such a good idea," thought Bessie to herself, the following morning. Bartley did not seem to be apprehensive about the prince's pending visit to the estate. In fact, he seemed to be looking forward to it. Bessie knew that this particular prince might try to make life difficult for her and her husband, as well as for the young folks who had been, or had worked as scullery maids, including Nadia and Rosa.

"I guess time will tell," she said aloud. Her husband looked up, but did not say anything.

"There is something not quite right about all of this," thought Nadia to herself, later that same morning. "I have an uneasy feeling. Princes don't usually consent to living on estates with strangers, unless for some reason they cannot live in their own homes, which are normally castles. I wonder what is really going on? Maybe his parents have been friends with the estate owners for a long time?"

Nadia decided that she should speak with Rosa about him before she talked to Cindy, or the other the young folks about their new project proposal. Rosa was coming over shortly, with some new table napkins she had made especially for the welcome home party. Nadia wanted to formulate a concrete plan with her, in advance of the prince's arrival.

Millie showed up with Rosa, a little while later, as she wanted to talk to Cindy about the welcome home party.

"I may not have the social graces I need," she said to Millie, quietly. "Let's talk about what is proper for young ladies and what is not."

Millie smiled, because she knew that Cindy was far more gracious and proper than the majority of the boorish, cinder bullies would ever be at any party. Regardless, she assured Cindy, they would deal with them together if any of the guests became difficult, or obnoxious in any way. Scullery maids had built in armor when it came to cinder bullies. She knew that Cindy, being very shy by nature, would never go out of her way to confront them, but she certainly would know how to ignore them. Millie would stick up for her, and if necessary, get help from Rosa and Nadia.

Nadia was actually more concerned about the prince, than the local cinder bullies.

"Let's talk to the young ladies about this young prince first, just in case he turns out to be a cinder bully too," said Nadia to Rosa.

Rosa agreed that it might be a good idea to do it immediately, because he could show up at anytime, unannounced.

"I will speak to Xaviar about him later."

"We don't even know his name yet," Nadia said to Cindy and Millie. "But, one of the guests for the welcome home part is a prince."

Millie became excited immediately. Cindy did not appear to be particularly interested in him. She was much more interested in Xaviar.

"Since we don't know the prince, when he does show up here, let us know immediately. Hopefully, he will prove to be a wonderful young man," said Rosa. "Like Xaviar."

"Dancer will bark if there are strangers here," said Cindy.

"I can't believe we are having a royal visitor," said Millie excitedly.

"As long as he is not a royal pain," replied Cindy, laughing at the antics of her puppy.

Later, Xaviar became quite apprehensive when Nadia told him about the prince, simply because he did not want to encounter any conflict or competition with respect to Cindy and Dancer. He felt very protective of them. But, if the prince and Millie were able to be friends and get along well, having him visit would be fine. Nadia understood.

"Hopefully, he is not a cinder bully," he thought to himself. "He could make life hell for all of us."

The Cinder Bullies (20)

Cindy was totally amazed when she met the owners of the estate. In spite of its enormous size and their obvious wealth, Bartley and Bessie were the most humble couple she had ever met. Millie was pleasantly surprised too, because like Cindy, she had been fearful about meeting anyone new.

Bartley and Bessie both took an immediate liking to the two young women, but they were puzzled about Xaviar and his past. Once they spoke with him directly, they understood, and realized that Nadia's concern for her son was legitimate. They also agreed that no one should be forced into the role of a scullery maid.

Dancer proved to be a total delight to them, because he danced on his hind legs to every tune that Xaviar played on his flute. Never had they seen anything like it before.

All in all, the dinner with them went very well, and the evening was a happy one for everyone. Nadia and Rosa were delighted to be treated like ladies being waited upon hand and foot. After dinner, the young folks went outside to sit in the gazebo with Dancer, and they had a chance to speak to Bartley and Bessie alone, about their proposed project.

"What a fantastic idea!" said Bartley, the elderly, gray haired gentleman. He was obviously excited about it and his enthusiasm soon got Bessie interested, as well. At first, being fragile, she was skeptical about it, until she realized that while the school would be established right on their estate, she would not have to take matronly responsibility for it. Rosa and Nadia would be the matrons. Thus, it was not long before Bartley gave them his permission to pursue the project further, with a promise of whatever financial assistance he could offer.

Rosa and Nadia decided to approach the young ladies and Xaviar about it individually, but later on, as the opportunity arose. The first major hurdle to overcome was going to be the welcome home party. This would be the first social event for all of them together.

"By the way, I promised a surprise for you." said Bartley. "We are going to have someone staying with us, a royal guest who will be attending the welcome home party. He is a young man and a prince, at that."

"That might complicate everything for our two young ladies and Xaviar," said Nadia, immediately.

"There is nothing to worry about, I promise you," replied Bartley. "You will love this young man, too!"

Rosa smiled. She could see that he had something up his sleeve.

"That is perfect," she replied, smiling. "It should prove exciting for everyone."

What Bartley had not told them was that this particular prince was in exile, and that he had agreed to take the exiled prince into his home for an unspecified length of time.

"There will be time enough to tell them that later, if the matter does come up," he thought to himself. "In the meantime, my wife and I have our work with him cut out."

"He is about the same age as your young folks," he said to Rosa and Nadia. "He should fit in well," Bartley assured them.

"I don't know about this, Bartley!" said Bessie, after everyone had left.

"Part of the problem with being raised as royalty, is the total lack of responsibility," Bartley replied. "He has to be taught how to live like a responsible human being."

She knew that Bartley was right. Like other young men, the prince had to learn to accept responsibility for others too, otherwise he never would be able to fulfill his royal tasks, later on in life.

"This might take some of the pressure off our other young folks," Bartley said. "Remember that I was a royal rascal like him, at that age, too."

Bessie chuckled.

"You certainly were, dear, and so was I."

"I know we can help all of them, dear," he said, taking her hand. "Bear with me on this."

"I will. We had so much fun then, too! Maybe they will help each other."

"Young folks usually do."

The Cinder Bullies (19)

Nadia was busy finalizing the plans for the welcome home party, when Cindy got up the next morning.

"How was your walk with Millie and Xaviar, last evening?" she asked. "I hope you all enjoyed yourself."

"It was wonderful, and thank you for asking. But Nadia, you did not tell us that Xaviar had been forced to do the work of a scullery maid, too!"

"He told you and Millie about that?" She seemed surprised.

"Yes, he did. We were shocked, but now we know that he understands how terrible the experience was for us, too."

"Yes, but it was for him, Rosa and myself, as well! It is never fun for anyone!"

"Do the owners of the estate know about this?"

"Yes, they do and they have always offered us a place of refuge. They do want to meet you young folks."

At almost the same time, Millie was telling Rosa the same thing. 

She was quite surprised at Xaviar's disclosure, as he had just met the young ladies.

"I am really glad that Xaviar talked to you about it. I did not know if he would yet," Rosa replied. "I thought he might wait, but I am glad he didn't. It is better to have everything out in the open."

"I don't think that being forced to work is something any of us should ever be ashamed of, Rosa. Neither do Cindy or Xaviar," said Millie.

"Neither do I, but I think we all have many emotional wounds that may take a long time to heal," said Rosa. "In the meantime, we have to get rid of our excess, emotional baggage, so that it does not burden us down any further."

"We don't ever have to forget about it. I doubt that any of us can either, but we cannot let our past control our lives," said Millie, quietly. "I know it still hurts."

"I think the next person we need to try to help will be Maddie," Rosa said, with a smile. Obviously, talking to Xaviar and Cindy about it, had been good for Millie. "I don't know how we can reach her though."

"We will, I promise!" replied Millie. "Somehow!"

"Servitude like this, is akin to slavery and God did not create human beings to be slaves to one another," said Rosa. "Even young ladies who were never taught differently, should never be reduced to the status of slaves."

"I think we all learned this the hard way," said Millie. "But, now we have broken free of it, and Maddie can learn how to do that too."

"There will always be young ladies who are forced to work as scullery maids, or assigned  more difficult roles in life against their will, but that does not make it right." Rosa was becoming more and more emphatic about it, as she spoke.

"Sorry, I did not mean to upset you," Millie said, quietly. "Let's get ready for this dinner and I will help you to do whatever still needs to be done for the welcome home party next week,"

Later that afternoon, Xaviar went over to talk to Nadia about it.

"Last night, I told the young ladies about having been forced to do the work of a scullery maid, Mother," he said, quietly. "I thought they ought to know, so that there is nothing for them to worry about with respect to their own lives. They both were quite shocked, but they understood."

"I am glad you had the courage to tell them, son," replied Nadia, with a smile. "These are wonderful young ladies, aren't they?"

"They certainly are! I love that dancing puppy, too. He is so much fun!"

The Cinder Bullies (18)

"The owners of the estate are home already?" Cindy asked Nadia, wondering if she had understood her correctly.

"Yes, and we are all invited to go up to the huge mansion on the hill, for dinner tomorrow evening," replied Nadia. "It should be fun!"

Immediately, Cindy became a bit apprehensive. "We are going to go?"

"Of course!" said Xavier. "They are wonderful people. You will love them."

"I know that they will love you too, just like Rosa, Millie and I do," Nadia reassured her, sensing her fear.

"Dancer does, too" continued Xaviar. "And so do I," he whispered to her. "Don't worry, I will take care of you and Millie, too."

Cindy was relieved.

"Thank you, Xavier," she said. "Thank you, everyone." 

"Let's take Dancer for a walk," Xaviar suggested to Cindy and Millie, with a smile. "Maybe he will dance for us again."

Rosa and Nadia were both thrilled to see how well Xaviar was relating to the young ladies. They were responding well to him, too.

"Just one moment, I must take my flute along!"

After the younger folks had left to go for their walk, Rosa said, "I have an idea, but I want to talk to you about it first, Nadia, and then maybe we will approach the owners of the estate about it, too."

"Does this idea of yours include our young ladies and Xaviar?"

"Of course," replied Rosa. "I would never exclude Cindy and Millie, or your son."

What she wanted to do was to establish a trade school for scullery maids who managed to break free from their oppressive roles of servitude. 

Nadia was totally amazed with Rosa's idea.

"I would like our young ladies and Xaviar, to be their mentors," said Rosa, with a smile. "Cindy does wonderful work with roses and dried flowers, Millie is an excellent seamstress and Xaviar is an amazing musician."

"You are right on all accounts. What a wonderful idea that is!"

"Can you imagine how exciting this could be for them?" asked Rosa. "Of course, you and I would be the matrons of the school and they could come to us for advice or assistance, at any time."

"Do you think the estate owners would be supportive of a project like this?" asked Nadia. "On this estate?"

"If they meet our young folks first, and then, we approach them about this project proposal later, we may be able to get some feedback from them!" suggested Rosa. "They will probably love the idea and be supportive of it, too."

"A school like this could help a lot of young folks to break free of this kind of oppression," said Nadia. "There are not a lot of options for them otherwise."

"Shall we talk to the young ladies and Xaviar about it first, or wait?" asked Rosa. She was not about to say anything unless Nadia was in agreement.

"Let's wait," said Nadia. "Xaviar is going to be at the dinner tomorrow evening. I think he can speak for himself. He seems so much more confident now, after being at boarding school."

"The young ladies are also becoming much more confident too."

And so, they agreed to wait.

The Cinder Bullies (17)

Cindy and Millie, along with Rosa and Nadia, worked busily together, knowing that the day of the welcome home party for the estate owners was approaching very quickly. There was so much to do, but it was pleasant work, with no discord between them.

"Is Xaviar going to come to the welcome home party?" Millie asked Cindy, quietly.

"I have no idea what his plans are for that day," replied Cindy. "I really don't want to pry into his affairs either, as that would not be very polite."

"You are right," said Millie. "But, I would like to meet him sometime."

"Young ladies," said Nadia, "If you would like to take a break, go ahead and do so. I think Rosa and I will have a cup of tea shortly, and you are both welcome to join us. You have worked very hard today."

Cindy looked at Millie, and Millie looked at Cindy, as if they read each other's minds.

"Thank you, Nadia," replied Cindy, shaking her head. "But, I think we will take Dancer down to the brook first, and give him a quick bath."

"Go ahead," replied Nadia. "He does need one now."

"That was a really good idea," said Millie, quietly. "That way, the two of them can chat together for a while, and so can we."

"You called him, Dancer?" Rosa asked Nadia, after the girls had left with the puppy.

"Yes, that is the puppy's new name," replied Nadia. "I hope you don't mind that I gave him to Cindy. She named him Dancer, because he danced on his hind legs with her, to the music of my son's flute. It was so delightful to behold!"

"That is perfect!" replied Rosa, as Nadia poured tea. "She needs a friend. Your son will be staying for the welcome home party, I hope."

"Yes, he will be here. He just finished boarding school last week," replied Nadia. "He seems to get along well with Cindy, but they are very shy. Playing with the puppy is good for both of them."

"That is wonderful to hear."

"I have some more good news for you, but I have not told our young ladies yet. The estate owners arrived home earlier this morning. We are all invited to get together for dinner with them tomorrow night, up at the big mansion," said Nadia. "I understand that they will have some wonderful news for us."

In the meantime, Cindy and Rosa, who had never bathed a puppy before, were busy trying to persuade Dancer to get into the water.  He was not about to comply and kept running away from them.

"Maybe he will go the water, if we do, too," suggested Cindy. "Let's take off our outer clothes and that way, they will stay dry."

"Do we dare?" replied Millie. "I have never been swimming before."

"Neither have I, but I don't see any reason why not. Come on, it will be fun!"

Moments later, they were playing happily with the puppy, in the brook.

Suddenly, in the distance, Cindy could hear Xaviar coming. He was playing the flute again. This time, it was a much happier sound. The puppy quickly got out of the water and ran up the road to meet him.

"That is Xaviar!" said Cindy. "Hurry and get dressed!"

"It is a good thing we heard him coming!"

Moments later, Xaviar and Dancer came down to the brook, where the girls were waiting, sitting quietly on a log, chatting together. Xaviar was still playing his flute, and the puppy was dancing on his hind legs, to the sweet sounding music.

"That is so delightful!" exclaimed Millie, who appeared a bit flushed from the sun. So did Cindy.

"Now you see why I called him Dancer," said Cindy.

"He is dancing!" exclaimed Millie.

The Cinder Bullies (16)

Maddie was furious when her mother let it slip accidentally, that she was going to be excluded from the welcome home party. She knew that her sisters and their friends, including all of her own, former friends were all going to attend, even though they had not been invited. Scullery maids would not be included, like always.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" she screamed at her mother. "I was raised to be a young lady, not a scullery maid!"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" her mother yelled back, angrily. "You will do what you are told. Someone has to be here to tend the fire!"

There was no doubt that her assigned role was just like Cindy's had been, previously. She knew that the only way to get out of it, to change anything associated with her assigned life as a scullery maid, she would have to find a way to escape.

"Don't even think of leaving!"

It was as if her mother had just read her mind.

"Maddie, get these floors scrubbed, now!"

"Mother, do you have to be so mean?" She could not help but remember how cruel everyone including her mother, had been to Cindy.

"Cindy finally did escape," thought Maddie. "Now, I don't blame her for running away. I just wish I knew where she was."

In the other room, she could hear her sisters arguing. They were fighting over the gowns that they wanted to wear to the welcome home party. Maddie hoped that they would not try to steal her best gown, but knew that between them all, they would probably do that, too. If it fit even one of them, it would be gone for good, and she would never get it back again. They probably would not even tell her either, as none of them were allowed to speak to her. Maddie sat down on the floor by the fireplace and cried buckets of tears, real tears, not crocodile tears.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door and several of her former friends stood there looking at her. They were appalled at what they saw.

"You must have heard," said one of them. "You look like such a mess now. Let's get out of here, ladies!"

"Do you all have to gloat?" yelled Maddie. "This could be you!"

The young women laughed aloud at her words, and then left immediately. Maddie was reduced to tears, again.

"Well, she knows about the welcome home party now!" Maddie heard one of them say to the others, as they left.

"Too bad for her, too." one of the young women replied.

Maddie was familiar with how cruel the tongues of these young women could be at times, but unfortunately for her, she was the object of all the ridicule, not Cindy.

"I guess I am getting my own medicine back now," she said aloud.

"Scullery maids do not ever get to associate with young ladies," her mother said firmly, as she walked back into the room. "You had better get used to that fact!"

Maddie realized that her mother must have overheard them talking to her.

"I am really surprised that they came over here at all. I will have to speak to them, so they do not ever come back to see you."

"But they were my friends!" yelled Maddie, angrily.

"Scullery maids do not have friends!"

Her mother was determined not to allow Maddie any opportunity to see anyone, in accordance with the social rules of the day for for scullery maids.

"Mother! You are being so cruel!"

"Be silent!" her mother ordered. "You are not allowed to speak, only to be spoken to by others."

"But, I have never been a scullery maid. I was not born one and I will never be one," protested Maddie.
Her words just fell on deaf ears.

The Cinder Bullies (15)

"I see you two have already met," said Nadia, with a smile.

"I met Dancer, too!" replied Xavier excitedly, as they headed towards the kitchen. "He is just such a sweet little puppy!"

"Nadia's son?" Cindy asked herself, as she returned to her work in the rose garden. The puppy followed her and stretched out on the grass beside her. "I guess he does look like her, in a way."

Just then, Millie showed up unexpectedly, carrying the new, white shawl she had made for Cindy.

"That is so pretty and it's absolutely perfect, too!" exclaimed Cindy, as soon as she saw it.

"It will definitely keep you warm, if the weather turns chilly at the coming home party!" said Millie. "I know what a blessing mine was to me."

"I know who Xaviar is," whispered Cindy to Millie. "He is Nadia's son."

"I had no idea that she had any family, much less a son," replied Millie, with amazement as she thought Nadia was all alone.

"They are in the kitchen," said Cindy, quietly. "But, I think they probably need some time alone together."

"I cannot stay, anyhow," replied Millie. "I promised Rosa that I would only be gone a little while. She will be wondering where I am, if I don't go right back."

"Millie, thank you ever so much for the beautiful shawl. I love it and will take good care of it. I promise."

"Maybe Rosa knows Xaviar?" thought Millie, as she headed back to see what her next sewing task for Rosa would be. "I must remember to ask her."

But Rosa's lips were sealed if she knew anything about Xaviar.

"Sometimes, it is best not to say anything about others," she thought to herself. "Let them all get to know each other as friends, first. Maybe he will make Cindy his wife some day? Or perhaps Millie? Either way, it could be wonderful!"

Cindy went into the village to pick up some fresh produce for Nadia, and when she returned, Xaviar had already left.

"Maybe I will hear him play his flute again and we can do some more dancing," she told her puppy. "Do you like the name Dancer?"

"I do," said Nadia, who had spotted her returning from the village. "I think it suits him."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but Cindy was too busy playing with her puppy then, to see them.

"My son has had such a tragic life," she thought to herself. "How could he have been forced to do the work of a scullery maid, at such a young age?"

She wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes as she was thinking about him.

"He was such a good boy and so well behaved. He never said one word. It is my fault for not recognizing what was happening sooner."

No one had seen it coming. He was just one more person that had been abused by the cinder bullies.

"How can I ever forgive myself for the cruelty, degradation and humiliation that he suffered? I wonder if he will ever be able to get over it!"

She watched Cindy and Dancer playing happily in the grass.

"Maybe there is hope for all of them yet!"

The Cinder Bullies (14)

Suddenly, from the distance, Cindy could hear the sound of a flute playing a very sweet, but mournful song. She stopped to listen.

"I love that kind of music!" she said to her puppy. "But, I wonder why is it so sad."

Nadia was overjoyed when she heard it and knew immediately, that Xavier had come home, as she recognized the sound of his sad, mournful music.

"Maybe Cindy will be able to help my son to overcome his sadness," she thought to herself. "I can only hope!"

"Better to dance to it, than to cry," decided Cindy, who was determined to remain upbeat in spite of the fact that it was sad and now, she was alone. "But I am not alone, puppy. I have you now. Will you dance with me?"

The puppy was delighted to play together like this, and so they danced.

Nadia watched Cindy sway to the music, holding the puppy's front paws, as he swayed on his hind legs.

"They both look so natural as dancers," thought Nadia to herself. "It is completely natural and effortless for both of them. There is no doubt that Cindy can relate to Xaviar's music, too. Not many people can, because it soon brings them to tears. Perhaps she has shed enough tears in her lifetime to find joy in his music."

The music came closer and closer. 

Cindy and her puppy were almost lost in their world of dance.

"I know!" She said to her puppy, excitedly. "I will call you Dancer!"

Suddenly, the music stopped.

"Who are you?" the tall, dark haired, young man holding a flute asked her quietly. "And who is your little dance partner?"

The puppy immediately ran over to him. When he bent down, the puppy licked his hand and tried to grab his flute.

"You are so cute!" he said to the puppy. "But no, you cannot have my flute." He held it high above his head.

To Cindy, who smiled, he seemed to be very shy.

"Your flute music is so beautiful," she said to him kindly, being careful not to scare him away like her sisters had often done with the young men who came to court them.

He smiled and blushed.

"I am Cindy," she continued. "I was just thinking about naming my puppy, Dancer. Do you like that name?"

"I was watching the two of you together and you both dance beautifully."

Now, it was Cindy's turn to blush.

"Toss something for the puppy to fetch and then call out the name 'Dancer', and see if he will go and get it for you. A pup will usually respond to a name he likes."

"May I ask your name?"

"Oh, I am sorry, I should have introduced myself to you. I am Xavier. I came to see Nadia. Is she here?"

Just then, Nadia came outside to greet him.

"Welcome home, son!" she said, as she hugged him tight.

Cinder Bullies (13)

"Nadia, I think that because I have been a scullery maid in the past, I have also learned a lot of life skills that will prove invaluable to me in the future," said Cindy.

"We all have," replied Nadia, who realized that Cindy was wise for her age. She had decided to teach her the joy of baking cookies for the welcome home party together. She enjoyed Cindy's company and she was fun to work with, too.

"Can you imagine being married to someone you love and not knowing how to build a fire in the fireplace, or make tea for him?"

"There are a lot of eligible young women in that exact predicament, nowadays," replied Nadia. "What if they had never learned how to peeled potatoes, either?"

Cindy laughed heartily.

"Or bake bread?" Cindy was obviously having fun, too.

"Many of these young women appear to be beautiful on the outside, but marrying them could prove disastrous for young men." 

Nadia was enjoying getting ready for the welcome home party with Cindy. Two pairs of hands made a huge difference in her work load, too.

"Are you going to tell me about Xaviar?" asked Cindy, as her little puppy tried to get her attention, too. "I'd love to know more about him."

"Maybe take your pup outside for a few minutes, first," replied Nadia. "I see that he is becoming restless and he is very attached to you now. You have bonded very well with him, so he is yours!"

"Thank you," replied Cindy. "He is the best little pup ever, but he still needs a name! I don't know what to call him."

"You will figure it out," said Nadia, who knew that Cindy and her pup would become even closer, if she named him, rather than someone else. "You can't call him pup forever," she said with a smile.

Nadia knew that having to focus on naming the puppy would take Cindy's mind off Xavier. Nadia wanted her to meet him first, and then have him tell her about himself.

Nadia watched through the window as Cindy romped in the grass with her puppy. "Every young woman should know that kind of joy and freedom," she thought to herself. "So should Xavier."

She recalled how her own joy and freedom had not been fully realized until she was an adult. She had vowed then, to help as many young women and men, as possible to restore their lives to the level of freedom they deserved.

"I don't know what to call you yet," Cindy said to her puppy, playfully. "I will think of something! Maybe I could call you Pepper or Buttercup, but neither of those names elicited a response. You don't really look like pepper and buttercup would be better for a little female puppy, I think."

The Cinder Bullies (12)

"Who is Xavier?" Cindy asked Millie, as they worked together on dried, floral arrangements for the welcome home party. She assumed that Millie would be familiar with the name and thus, able to tell her something about him.

"I have no idea!" said Millie. "Why are you asking?"

"I heard Nadia saying that he would be coming to the welcome home party, and she seemed to be very excited about it."

"Maybe he is one of the estate owners?"

"I don't think so, as I have met them all before. They are wonderful, kind, compassionate and caring people, but there is no one in the family with the name of Xaviar."

"Then, he must be someone very special to Nadia. I guess we will have to wait and see!" said Cindy, as she worked with different kinds of dried flowers. She had learned how to do make bouquets and corsages with them, because there were never any roses in the garden where she was a scullery maid.

"I simply love what you do with these dried flowers," said Millie. "You do have a magic touch!"

"Almost anything can be made to look beautiful," replied Cindy. "Many of them have a wonderful scent, too!"

"You have an eye for beauty!" replied Millie, who had decided to give her the new shawl she had made. She would bring it over on her next visit.

"Would you like a bouquet for yourself and one for Rosa?"

"That would be wonderful, but don't you need these ones for Nadia?"

"There are lots more!"

So, Cindy gave Millie two, scented bouquets of dried flowers to take home with her. Millie was delighted and knew Rosa would be, too.

"Maybe Xavier is the kind of young man that women swoon over?" suggested Millie.

"Maybe even Nadia swoons over him?"

The two young ladies giggled happily, as they worked on the dried floral arrangements.

Nadia was eaves dropping, but decided not to intervene.

"By the way," said Millie, quietly. "Yesterday, I went over to see Maddie."

"You did? How was she?"

"Maddie is in a very, difficult position right now, caught up between two different worlds, so she is not very happy."

"I did not think she would be."

"Rosa says that she will need more time to adjust."

Millie almost regretted bringing up the topic of Maddie, as immediately, she saw the sadness return to Cindy's eyes again.

"I left a bouquet for her," said Millie.

"That is very kind of you, but if I recall, she was not very nice to you before."

"I remember that. Sometimes, a random act of kindness can make things better. Someone has to take the first step. By the way, Maddie won't be invited to the welcome home party, either. Your other sisters and their friends may show up so be prepared, because if they do they may give you a difficult time."

Cindy laughed aloud.

"What else is new?" she responded.

"I think it is more fun to try to figure out who Xavier is than talk about sad things. I hope he will be tall, dark and good looking."

"That he is," said Nadia, with a grin. "And he just loves beautiful young ladies!"