29 August 1884

My Dear Eli Elinor,

My dear sister, if I may still call you such, I do not even know where to begin, but I will do my best to share my unfortunate tidings.

There is no possible way to finesse this, but father has died. I fear that when I contracted the plague during my work, I brought the plague into our home. I recovered, but father went quickly.

I do not have the words to address the time and space between the two of us, but I believed you would want to hear this news. I pray you are well and that you have found a way to protect yourself in these troubling times.

I think of you often.

Sincerely,
Clifford

Elinor Goyle

  

10th September, 1884

Clifford,

You will, I hope, forgive me my delay in responding. To say that I was surprised to hear from you is something of an understatement, and I needed some time to adjust to the news brought to me by your owl. I rejoice only to have heard from you, for though Father and I had our differences—to say the least—it is not in my nature to wish death upon anyone, particularly when there are still those who do love them.

I urge you not to blame yourself for Father's contraction of the disease; it has, as you likely know, run quite rampant and might have been obtained anywhere. Few families appear immune to its grasp.

Though the circumstances are sad, I do hope that you are well. I think of you—and of Amos, and Mother, and even Father—more often than I care to, and wonder how you are all making your way through the world. I do not know if you think of me, and do not wish you to feel guilty if you do not. If you do, however, I hope you do so without concern, for I have found a position in the Ministry of Magic and am, in spite of all that has happened, doing well for myself.

I thank you for taking the time to write, and would welcome further correspondence, should you be amenable to it. I have, for half a decade, adhered to our father's wishes that I should no longer be a part of our family, and so have a lifetime's worth of questions and curiosities about what has transpired in my absence.

Yours,

Elinor

  

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