Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

— ready —

April 28th, 1939

"IT WORKED," GISELLE said, her eyes swinging from her mother to her father and back as they sat up from their prone positions on the forest floor. "You're here!" she exclaimed. "You're actually here! I can take two people back with me!"

She jumped up from her spot on the ground, smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt.

"My head feels funny," George said, looking up to his daughter. "Is that normal?"

Giselle nodded. "When you first travel, it is."

"So this is 1939, huh?" Maxine questioned as she looked around. "It looks exactly like 2019."

George stood up, offering a hand for his wife to take. "We're in a forest," he said as he helped Maxine up, "how would you be able to tell the difference?"

"Oh, is that the house?" Maxine asked, ignoring her husband as she looked through the trees towards Dare Manor.

Giselle nodded, following her mother's eyes. She felt her heart jump a little in her chest. Two of her favorite people were about to meet her other favorite people. It all felt surreal.

"Yep," Giselle answered. "That's Dare Manor." She suddenly felt giddy, her feet aching to rush towards the manor. She suppressed the urge as she bent down and picked up her suitcase, glancing at her parents. "Now, are you ready to meet my other family?"

With a nod from both parents, Giselle led the way to the manor, unable to keep her smile from her face.

Marguerite was the first person they ran across, hanging clothes out to dry. As if she could sense them, her head whipped around as soon as they exited the forest, her eyes bulging.

She quickly let go of the shirt she was holding, leaving it halfway pinned to the line.

"Heavens!" she exclaimed, hurrying to meet them in the middle. "You can bring two people with you?" She threw her arms around Giselle when she got to her.

"Marguerite, these are my parents," Giselle announced as she pulled back from the hug, "George and Maxine Saunders." She turned to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is my best friend Marguerite."

"Oh, I know all about you, Marguerite," Maxine said as she pulled Marguerite into a hug. "Giselle has told me so much about you."

Marguerite laughed. "Well, I suppose I should hope you only heard good things."

"Of course we did," Maxine said as she moved away for George to greet Marguerite.

"Thank you for being such a good friend to our girl," George told the girl.

"Oh, I should never be thanked for such a thing," Marguerite replied, smiling towards Giselle briefly before her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, Ellie," she moved in closer, lowering her voice. "They know about the wedding, yes?"

Giselle nodded.

"And they are alright with it?"

Giselle nodded again.

"Wonderful!" Marguerite spoke, turning back to George and Maxine. "Oh, we can go shopping for the dress now!"

Giselle waved a hand. "Oh, I don't care about a dress. I told you to just pick one out for me."