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"My dress will be fine," I said to her I took her hand "Peter and I need to leave soon I’ht like a shot at catching it"
The old wo Jilo needin’ is another man to take care of She done had ood and far away froht, the lingering crowd, and the last few strains of onna be all right now, girl," she said and shuddered Her eyes glazed over; her hand went limp in mine
FORTY-TWO
Out of all the stories people tell about Savannah, the one that truly embodies the spirit of the place is this: So a Christmas party at the home of Josiah Tattnall By the time the servants discovered the fire, Josiah realized it was too late to save the house, so he took his guests outside to continue the party by the fire’s glow To s and the people you love fro that you are alive Josiah’s guests toasted life and each other and shattered their glasses against a large tree to show that they planned to one
The place where Josiah’s house once stood is now part of Bonaventure Ce place as well as the newly dug grave where Tucker lay TheEllen’s lost love Now, a onally across frorave, we Taylors, Tierneys, and a sole Cook gathered to honor the memory of Mother Jilo Wills
Jilo’s actual burial had been a Wills family–only event held out on Sapelo Island I’d wanted to attend, but after decades of rancor, her people hadn’t quite been able to wrap their heads around the way she and the Taylor family had bonded at the last hour Martell had promised to say a prayer at the service on my behalf
Oliver had a picnic basket filled with chane flutes, and he set it down as we neared the part of the ce the All-Seeing Eye He opened it and handed a glass to each of us Peter followed behind hine He paused before me and fixed his eyes on th His soul touched back, and then he moved on Adam opened a bottle of cider for me and filled my flute
"No," Ellen said to Peter when he reached her "I’ll have the cider as well" I tried not to letaway from alcohol would be easier for her this tilasses filled, Peter returned to my side and put his arm around me I leaned into hie to stand on my own tomorrow Today, I was just happy to have hiin?" Oliver asked
"I would," Iris said She bit her lip for a moment "Jilo, I know you can hear this" Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat "I alad that it did"
Iris lowered her head, a signal that she had finished, and Ellen stepped forward "Jilo, I thank you for looking out for all of us Most people will never knohat a debt Savannah owes you, but we do, and I, for one, will always be grateful to you" She stepped back and placed her free arm around Iris’s shoulders
"Oh, hell," Oliver said, reaching down and pulling out a bottle of scotch from the picnic basket He opened it "Listen up, you old buzzard," he said, eround "This is 1937 Glenfiddich Just don’t haunt hed in spite of myself, and then all eyes turned toward me "Mercy?" Iris prompted me "What would you like to say to Jilo?"
What did I want to say? I had been struggling to find the words that would suht ones would not come I wanted to say I loved her That there would be a hole in my heart forever where she had once been That she had scared the hell out of me, irritated me beyond belief, and I didn’t kno I could possibly face the weight of the th, her churlishness I felt lass "To Mother," I said
"To Mother To Jilo," the voices echoed around lass against the nearest tree