Vella's arrival comes faster than Lenore expects. She sent a carriage ahead of time, one marked with the symbol of the Tower and filled with magical tools. While Lenore isn't sure what each one does, she likes to look at them in the room that's been repurposed solely to store them.
Alaric told her that he'll keep the tools here until Vella comes, then let her decide on how and where to arrange them. The Tower in Barrowmere—she's told—is not in a condition that's suitable for using.
Naturally, Lenore doesn't expect to be included during the business portion of Vella's visit, but she hopes that she at least gets a chance to learn what each tool is used for after spending time just looking at them and guessing. Maybe she can bring up the topic during a meal. That way, it sounds like passing curiosity, giving Vella the chance to decline Lenore's request without being rude. She doesn't want to become a burden or end up as an obstacle that makes it more difficult for Vella to work, after all.
She spends the night before Vella should arrive unable to sleep. Not that she's surprised. It's been over a decade since she's seen her sister. She doesn't know what kind of person Vella is anymore or even what she looks like. Part of her is excited to learn about the woman Vella has become.
Another part of her is scared that Vella won't like the person Lenore has become. The guilt of vanishing from her family's life is misplaced—she knows that—but there are times when she still wonders if she could've found a way back home.
Considering how young she was and the fact that she didn't realize what happened until years later means that the answer is no. There's nothing she could've done. But her brain doesn't always take logic into account.
Lenore keeps the curtains slightly parted, letting her look at her balcony and a sliver of the world outside. Usually, the curtains help keep her room comfortably dark for sleeping and a bit warmer by blocking the increasingly cold air from slipping in through the glass. Tonight, she lies in bed and stares at the stars peeking out, dim through the cursed veil of Barrowmere's land. The sun might not be visible through the clouds in the morning, so she pays attention to the sky instead. Once it's light enough to signal dawn's approach, she'll call for her maids to help her prepare for the day. She wants to look proper when she welcomes Vella to Barrowmere.
So, when the sky starts to lighten to a soft bluish gray, she sits up in bed and pulls the braided cord beside it. After Alaric relocated her personal maids to a closer room, her cord to call them was rearranged to ring a bell in the two bedrooms they were given. Viola and Lily share one, just like they did in their previous room. Meanwhile, Mary and Eva are now learning how to coexist as roommates.
Lenore knows that sharing rooms is common for servants, but she hopes that her maids enjoy this new setup more than the previous one. The rooms are spacious but decorated simply. It puts them farther away from locations like the kitchen and laundry room, but they're much closer to Lenore, making it easier to answer her summons. As personal maids, they don't need to head to the servant quarters as often, so Lenore believes that the benefits of the switch outweigh its cons.
Mary and Lily arrive shortly after Lenore pulls her rope, both looking awake and aware, like they've also been waiting for morning.
Lenore told them ahead of time that she wants to look like a proper duchess, but she doesn't want to look too extravagant at the same time.
It takes time, but Mary and Lily style her hair in an elegant updo and pick a dress with accessories that aren't too heavy or flashy to give her an air of subtle luxury. Lenore almost wishes that the process was longer, because once it's over, she's left with a few more hours of waiting. At least when she's getting dressed, she's distracted.
Lenore eats breakfast alone, then checks the room with the tools and the guest room that Vella will use. While she trusts that the servants have prepared properly, it gives her a small outlet for her nervous energy. It's not as if she'd be able to adjust the guest room for Vella anyway. She has no idea what sort of preferences her sister has.
It's past noon when Vella's carriage appears on the path to the estate, and Lenore joins Alaric to greet her at the main entrance. Instead of Rowanhart's emblem, the carriage is marked as belonging to the Tower. When it stops, Lenore has her hands clasped together in front of her so tightly it hurts. Finally, she'll see one member of her family. She's waited for this moment, but now that it's here, she's scared.
Watching Vella step out of the carriage and walk towards them as servants unload her luggage to start hauling it to her room reminds Lenore of memories she hasn't thought about in years. Vella's stride is confident with her back straight, head held high, and her cloak held shut by a brooch at the base of her neck that marks her as a mage. She has the same pale hair as Lenore, but it's tied back and flows with each step. It's her eyes and face that show the most distinction between them. Lenore's eyes tend to be a gray-blue, whereas Vella's are a pure, deep blue. Where Lenore's face has soft curves, Vella's has sharp edges and high cheekbones. Despite the passage of time between them, Lenore still sees traces of the child her sister was before she was taken away. That sense of familiarity is enough to bring tears to her eyes that start trailing down her face.
Vella rushes up the last few steps and wraps her arms around Lenore, which breaks the last bit of restraint she had and leaves her sobbing loudly into her sister's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I know it's been a while, but we're going to be okay now."
"I really missed you." The years of emotions that Lenore tried to ignore all bubble up. As much as she tried to seem content at her uncle's house to avoid upsetting him, she really missed her family, even if he told her that they abandoned her. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"I know," Vella says. "I didn't think so either. But now we're together, and I'll stay as long as you want me to, okay?"
Lenore nods. She knows that Vella has other responsibilities as a mage, so she doesn't expect her to stay here forever. The idea alone is enough to comfort Lenore. The thought that somebody will remain by her side until she's ready to say goodbye without the fear of never seeing them again.
Lenore almost feels bad that Vella ignored Alaric to comfort her, but a glance at him shows that there's a small smile on his face. He nods, not mentioning any breach of etiquette or trying to rush their reunion. It sinks in that Vella's visit is real, and it's not for Alaric's sake or fully about the problem he wants a mage's help to solve.
At its heart, this visit is about Lenore.