Maria waved an object at Kara as she came from the house, bearing baby Anna on her hip. Kara's other two children, four-year-old Peter and two-year-old Sarah, were happily and obliviously getting themselves covered with mud in the garden patch. Maria placed the object on the table where the Señora Castellan sat watching her grandchildren.
'Kara,' she said, an odd note in her voice, 'perhaps you should come look at this. It is a letter from North America. I think it is from Camilla.'
Surprised, Kara got to her feet, retrieved the letter with a frown, and tore it open.
"Dear Kara:
I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Your brother and I were married three years ago, and have a little girl now. I was alone when she was born, because your brother was killed in a mining accident four months ago. I am sick at heart, and I want to come home, but I realise that it's too late for that.
I am so lonely, and I've been such a fool, and not a day goes by that I don't think of Port Haven. I want to write to my papa, to ask him to take my little girl, but I'm afraid of what he will say to me.
I've no right to ask, but I'm desperate. I can't look after my little girl on my own, and it's not her fault that I've been such a bad person . . ."
The rest of the letter was so stained with tears that, apart from Camilla's signature, Kara was unable to make much sense of it.
'What is it? Is it bad news?'
Kara sighed, and sitting down across from her mother-in-law, handed her the letter to read.
Señora Castellan read the letter in silence, then set it down on the table, deep in thought.
After several moments, Kara said, 'Camilla's in trouble. She needs to come home, where she belongs. It's finally over, Mama Castellan.' She picked up the letter once more and considered it, sadly. 'I guess that's good news.'
Here ends The Road To Port Haven