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Millie pushed her cup aside, as well, no longer thirsty Seth’s trip to Washington was io, but she had to find a way to postpone it
“Don’t frown so,” Ilene said “I know Seth will ress He can be quite persuasive” She reached over and laid a hand upon Millie’s “And I’lad you’re here for him”
Millie had no idea how to respond, so she simply nodded “Thank you”
“Did your sister go off to school, or marry?”
Her blood turned cold “My sister?”
“Yes,” Ilene said “Seth said you have a younger sister, that you had to take care of her, raise her That’s why you never came out here before”
“He did?”
Ilene patted her hand “Last winter Seth was very ill That’s when I discovered he was married I wrote you a letter I know I’d have wanted someone to tell me if Jasper was ill”
Millie’s heart was pounding as she thought of Seth, so strong and healthy, beco at the same time “I—I never received a letter”
“That’s what Seth assumed once he was better And that’s when he told er sister Millie, isn’t it?”
The lue to s around Would the lies never end? Millie nodded and reached for the tepid tea
Seth was still at the headquarters building along with Jasper Ketchu the Indian Per-Cum-Ske, when Millie carried a lamp up to her room and prepared for bed Ilene had returned and they’d eaten together the meal To-She-Wi had delivered Millie had worked hard to keep the conversation off herself Had to Confusion was overwhel her mind She knew she wasn’t Rose Seth was her husband—speaking of hi It was as if she’d landed in the life she’d always i, except she wasn’t herself She was a Millie-Rosemary person who didn’t even exist
Flopping onto the bed, she lay on top of the covers wearing just her nightgown The weather hadn’t cooled off yet this evening, and even with theopen, the room was hot Or hts of Seth, it was boiling with all the things Rosemary hadn’t told her
If Millie had seen Ilene’s letter, she’d have come She’d have taken care of Seth
The rolling of her stomach said that wasn’t true Rosemary would never have let her, and the chance she’d have come upon Ilene’s letter was next to nil Not only would Millie never have read soe, she was often away fro clear, not wanting to knoas visiting her sister, or on an errand for Rosearht, or a hat to the milliner, orher eyes went across the room, to where her boots sat upon one of her trunksshoes to the shoemaker
She pressed a hand to her chest, where it felt as if soht, telling her once again how selfish she was Focusing on the boots, she tried to think other thoughts The heel was as good as new It hadn’t given her any proble, when she pulled the boots on, she was re things were different
Sighing, she turned her gaze to the ondering again when Seth would return To-She-Wi had said he’d eaten All the , but not as soothing as the way he wished her a good-night She’d wait up, as long as it took, to hear those words again tonight, too
Withoutin the doorway, leaning against the frarin would be a bit cockeyed—showing his dimple—and sweet, and he’d say the words softly Not necessarily a whisper, but in a low tone that was like a lullaby Kissing entered heracross the rooh left her chest, and she let hera most pleasurable dream
A thud, thu, she fought to chase away the groggy thickness in her mind and vision The flame in the la when she’d fallen asleep