Azura responded, "of course I'm interested in the position."

"Oh, good," Lana breathed a sigh of relief, "a few applicants have actually said {no} to that question, once they find out how -- unconventional -- Mr. Chance is." She leaned toward Azura. "So, tell me a little about yourself."

"Where would you like me to start?"

"Well, what brought you to Collinsport?"

"I actually came to visit my father, Adam Von Stein. I just left my husband."

"If I may ask, what happened?"

"I had irreconcilable differences with his mistress," Azura responded with a wry grin.

Lana returned her smile, "And how much education have you had?"

"I have a bachelor's degree."

"In. . . "

She grinned sheepishly, "accounting." She appended quickly, "but I'd be willing to go back to school to get my teaching certificate if you would need me to."

Lana nodded, impressed by both her candor and her willingness to do what was necessary to get the job. "And why, exactly, do you want to work as a governess?"

"Well, as I told you before, my husband and I are in the process of getting a divorce. I felt that if I'm going to have a fresh start, I might as well really go for it, you know?"

* * * * *

Devin was tired and hungry by the time he returned home, and the wound on his right wrist hurt like hell. All of that paled into insignificance, however, when he laid eyes on his fiancee, who was sitting on the steps of the front porch.

"Hi," he began, tentatively.

"Hi." He could tell by the circles under her eyes that she hadn't gotten much more rest than he had.

He sat down next to her. "I want to come back to Collinsport with you."

"Why?" She folded her arms over her chest and inched slightly away from him.

"Because I think I need to speak to Chris. Partly, I want to understand this curse. Partly, I just realized that I never asked him for his daughter's hand."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Are you telling me that you still want to marry me?"

"More than anything."

"I'm not sure what to say."

"Well, you could tell me if you're still interested in marrying me."

She turned to face him then, "Of course I am, Devin, it's just that . . . "

"When I ran out on you, you didn't know if I'd ever come back, or if I'd still want to marry you."

She nodded. "That about sums it up."

Devin put his hand, palm up, on the step between them. Beth put her hand down on top of it and closed it, lacing their fingers together.

They both knew that everything would be all right.

* * * * *

Brad Bradford pulled his car up in front of the crumbling mansion. {Sally said that she was living in an old house, but she didn't say anything about how creepy it looks!}

Reaching into the back seat for the box he'd brought with him, he headed for the front door.

He pressed what looked like the doorbell and waited a minute. When nothing happened, he knocked. Nearly a minute later, a blonde woman came to the door. "Yes?"

"Hi. I'm Brad." When she looked confused, he elaborated, "Bradford. Sally's brother."

"Oh! Hi!" she burst out laughing, "Sorry. I've just been talking to . . . an old friend, and I guess I just don't have my brain back in gear yet. Come on in. Sally's around here, somewhere."

He stepped up into the house. "First things first. Where should I put the litter box?"

* * * * *

David drove up the road leading to Collinwood. Sally seemed to be getting along well with Laura and Burke, although Roger seemed unimpressed. Of course, Roger was the only one of his three children who took more after Hallie than after David.

When they reached the house, David stepped out of his car and walked around to meet Sally. "I was wondering," he began, "if you'd like to go out and see a movie next weekend."

"Ummm, sure."

They reached the door of the house. "Great! I'll give you a call in the next few days and we'll make our plans then."

"I look forward to it."

"Me too."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, each uncertain how to say farewell. He opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, then leaned in towards her.

"Dad!" Roger called, "We've got to get going!"

Whatever David had been about to say, or do, was forgotten for the moment. "Well, see you later," David said.

"Bye," Sally replied.

When David reached his car, she opened the door of the house, and was immediately attacked by a grey furry object. "Bubbles!" she cried scooping her feline companion off the floor, "I've missed you so much!"

"And what about me?"

With a delighted shriek, Sally unceremoniously dropped Bubbles on the floor, and ran to hug her brother.

* * * * *

"Dad!" Benjamin Hoffman Collins hugged his father, then moved on to his mother.

"Happy anniversary, you two!" Victoria Eileen Collins hugged her parents each in turn.

The glint of something red caught Barnabas' eye, and he looked closely at his son's right hand. "Ah! I see you finally broke down and wore the ring I gave you. Now if your sister would only wear her necklace sometime."

Aware that she knew that the ruby he had given their son had been his wedding ring when he was married to Angelique, Barnabas hesitated to look his wife in the eye. When he did, he saw only love and understanding. She knew how painful losing Angelique had been, not just once but twice in the same month. The thing that only he knew was that the necklace he had given to Tori had been intended for him to give to Angelique the day she gave birth to their first child. A day that never came.

"Dad! You know why I never wear that necklace! It's so -- expensive," the last word came out in a whisper.

Barnabas leaned towards his daughter and whispered his response. "It's also been in our family so long that it's no longer worth anything unless it's appreciated. And it can't be appreciated if it isn't worn."

Tori sighed. "All right, I'll wear it the next time I come to visit you. Is that OK with you?"

"You'll make me a very happy man indeed when you wear it, my dear," he said as he kissed his daughter on the cheek.

* * * * *

As Lana concluded the interview, she said, "Mr. Chance and I have spoken, and we would like to offer you the position."

"Really?" Azura was not only pleased, but amazed that they offered the position to her.

Lana nodded. "But before you decide if you're going to take the position, I need to give you one more . . . warning."

"What?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that there are a large number of mirrors in the house."

"How could I miss them!" Azura exclaimed.

"They . . . aren't exactly regular mirrors." Lana paused to examine Azura's face for understanding. Not finding it, she continued. "They're two-way mirrors."

"You mean that someone sits behind them watching what's going on?!?" The thought genuinely frightened Azura.

Lana nodded. "Don't worry about your privacy, though. Mr. Chance knows that the governesses need some privacy. That's why, if you accept the position, you'll have to go out and purchase a mirror for your room."

Azura looked at Lana, a confused expression on her face.

"The two-way mirrors are built into the walls of the house," Lana explained. "And so, if you purchase your own mirrors, you'll know that they're just mirrors, and that the wall behind it is just a wall."