The Nightingale family dinner had been on the calendar for days, but Aria's news gave it a charge that had everyone arriving early. The main dining room had been laid for an occasion—the good china, flowers from my mother's garden, candles that actually smelt of something—and somehow still felt like home.
I came with Stella, Reika, Rose, and Cecilia, and the party was a good deal bigger than the one Aria had planned for. The moment Rose and Cecilia had heard about the dinner, both had insisted on coming, though not, I suspected, for quite the same reasons.
"Remember," I said quietly as we came up the front steps, "tonight is about Aria. Whatever else happens, that's the point."
"Of course, Daddy," Stella said gravely. "Aunt Aria's engagement is a major family development and deserves proper celebration."
