Chapter 8 - The Return of the Rabbit
Two weeks after the incident in the ballroom, a black town car pulled up to the Callaway estate. The silver-haired restoration expert got out, carrying a small white box tied with a satin ribbon.
Nathaniel met her in the entrance hall. He took the box himself and carried it out to the garden, where Grace and Lily were sitting on a bench near the rose bushes.
"Lily," Nathaniel called out.
The little girl looked up from her dirt pile. Nathaniel knelt on the grass and set the white box in front of her. "The bunny came back from the hospital."
Lily’s eyes went wide. She scrambled over the grass, her knees getting green stains that Grace didn't even bother to notice. With trembling fingers, Lily pulled the satin ribbon.
The lid of the box fell away.
Inside lay the stuffed rabbit. It was nearly identical to the one her aunt had made, but if you looked closely, the right side of the body was woven with a slightly tighter, stronger yarn, and the silver button eye seemed to catch the afternoon light like a tiny star. It carried the faint scent of lavender and clean wool.
Lily gasped. She reached in and pulled the rabbit out, hugging it to her face with a force that nearly flattened its ears. "Bunny! You're all better!"
Grace stood up from the bench, her hand pressed to her mouth. She walked over to Nathaniel, looking down at the toy, then up at his face. "How... how did they do that?"
"They used the original pieces that survived," Nathaniel said, standing up and brushing the grass from his knees. "The eye is the same. The left ear is the same. The rest is new material, but it’s built around the old heart."
He looked at Grace, his voice dropping into that private register meant only for her. "Like us, I think."
Grace didn't hesitate. She threw her arms around his neck, her face burying into his shoulder. This time, Nathaniel didn't freeze. He caught her instantly, his large arms wrapping around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground. He held her as if she were the only thing keeping him anchored to the earth.
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"Thank you," she whispered against his skin. "Thank you for saving us."
"You saved me first, Grace," he murmured, his face buried in her hair. "You brought the lions out of the dark."
