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Of course, she told you,Juliet sighed to herself.

Juliet winked but didn’t respond to Isabella’s hushed inquiry. She glanced at the hopeful faces of her half-siblings, feeling a warmth she hadn’t expected. “I am not yet sure how long I will stay. But for now, I will be here.”

I will be here at least one more day.

Isabella took a step closer, her expression softening. “I hope you stay. We have always wanted to meet you.”

Juliet’s heart ached at their innocent words. Despite her initial wariness, the children’s curiosity and openness began to thaw her reservations.

She reached out and gently ruffled Thomas’s hair. “Well, we have plenty of time to get to know each other.”

Colin’s face lit up. “Can you tell us more about the nunnery? What did you do for fun?”

Juliet chuckled, feeling at ease with these little ones. “Certainly. But first, let us go downstairs and have breakfast.”

As they made their way to the dining room, the children bombarded Juliet with more questions.

Their lively chatter filled the air, and Juliet visibly relaxed. She relished the thought that there could be moments of joy and connection along this unfamiliar path her life had taken.

“Should I share with you some of my…shall we say adventures in the convent?”

All three of them clapped excitedly and moved closer to her to catch every word. “I know you’ve all heard stories about the nunnery being quiet and boring, but that is untrue. When I first arrived, I was a novice and did not know the rules.”

“Colin isn’t fond of rules at all,” Isabella accused her brother.

“Rules are boring!” Colin cried back, looking offended.

“Easy now, or I’ll stop,” cautioned Juliet which silenced the children.

“Well, there were others like me who simply could not resist the temptation to test some of the said rules,” she continued. “One evening, after Vespers, we gathered in secret, armed with nothing but candles and strong determination to have fun.”

The kids giggled, and Juliet nodded.

“At first, we were merely going to explore the nunnery. Old places carry a lot of secrets and stories, so we thought we would find something interesting, and we did. We had heard rumors about a treasure hidden somewhere behind the altar, and although we were doubtful, much like Thomas from the bible, it seemed like it was at least worth looking into.”

“Did you find anything?” Thomas questioned, eyes wide with anticipation.

“We did find some loose stones behind the altar and managed to pull them out. You can imagine our surprise when it revealed a staircase!”

“Unbelievable!” Colin gasped.

“Yes, yes…it was right there,” Juliet added.

“Did you find out where it led?” Thomas adjusted himself in his seat, his gaze solely on Juliet.

“We did,” Juliet wetted their eager minds. “We could hear water splashing as we went deeper, but that did nothing to stop us. We had to see what was below, and we eventually got to the bottom. Would you like to guess what we found?”

“A treasure,” shouted Colin.

“A pirate!” Isabella shouted.

Only Thomas looked on helplessly. “What did you find, Juliet?”

“We found a box,” Juliet explained. “Now, its contents could certainly be seen as treasures, but it is no fun if I tell you the entire story in one sitting. I will tell you the rest of it some other time.”

A collective groan of frustration erupted from the three of them.

“Maybe we can have our own adventures here,” Thomas suggested, his voice filled with excitement.