Ever since her father had disappeared, Victoire had been in a downward spiral. Her mother was brilliant and there whenever Victoire needed her, of course, and Victoire was endlessly grateful for that; but there was part of her that couldn't find it in herself to be upfront with her mother, not when she'd just lost her husband and was going through so much. She didn't need the extra burden.
Victoire had plenty of family in the village, of course, but they were from different times, and most had already grown close enough to Teddy that by talking about them, she only felt as if she were putting them in the middle of things. She knew her family was there for her, but they were also Teddy's family, and that made it all infinitely more difficult to deal with. She'd never felt more alone in her life, and with an infant to take care of, one who reminded her every moment of every day of what she'd lost, she was quietly falling apart.
"Hi, Aunt Ginny," she said, opening the door and forcing a small smile. "C'mon in. Kitty just went down for a nap, but there are silencing charms in her nursery, so we ought to be all right. Thank you for this," she added, taking the biscuits and cakes and leading her aunt into the kitchen. It'd been odd to see her Aunt Ginny so young at first, but it wasn't so different from how she'd been in Victoire's earliest memories. And if she could adjust to her mother being younger than her, then surely she could do the same for her aunt.
"I'm sorry about this," she said, setting the biscuits and cakes down on the table and getting the kettle. "It just--" She swallowed tightly. "Hasn't been easy, that's all."