The front doors swung open before we even reached them, and out stepped the Greaves family. Lord Greaves was first, tall and broad-shouldered with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard that screamed authority. Beside him, Lady Greaves, elegant in a flowing green gown, her dark hair pinned up, eyes sharp but warm. And trailing behind, Laurence, Isobel's brother, maybe a year or two older than her, lanky with the same black hair but tousled, wearing a simple vest and trousers like he was allergic to formality.
"My little girl!" Lady Greaves rushed forward first, pulling her daughter into a hug that Isobel returned tentatively at first, then fully. It was the first time Isobel had spoken to them since the move, the longest stretch ever without contact, she'd said. It was no wonder, then, that both women were already shaking, emotion clearly having overcome both.
"I missed you so much," Lady Greaves said, voice shaky.
"I missed you more," Isobel responded, barely above a whisper.
