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Lola hadn’t given her ti here No harm will come to that baby, not before it arrives or after”

Tears pressed on Millie’s eyes now, just as they had that h she believed Lola would see to the baby’s safety, she wouldn’t be going to Texas She’d known that then, but hadn’t told Lola During the train and wagon rides, Millie had tried to convince herself she could go to Texas when this was all over, but knew the entire ti a sham as this one She and Martin didn’t love each other—not like that Not as a husband and wife should

Flinching inside, she rerouted her thoughts

Weeks before theof her departure, she’d told Rosemary she would help, had even offered to clai of that She’d announced that as soon as the child was born, and her divorce settled, she and the baby’s father would marry Lola insisted the baby’s father was already married, and Millie believed that to be true Most of the men that “frequented” the house were married Millie had tried to talk to Rosemary about it over the years, only to have her insist that Millie knew nothing about the needs a woht fro

Shortly after Papa had died, Martin had told her about her sister’s trysts He’d been over in Charlottesville and seen Rosemary, who’d pretended not to know him

Millie’s stousted by her sister’s behavior, and he’d feel the sah he’d been her best friend for as long as she could reuilt that churned inside her She’d never told him about it, either That she was the reason Rosemary was the way she was As an infant, Millie had been too young to remember their mother, but Rosemary had been older, and the loss had scarred her—forever

Quiet, thoughtful, Millie sat for several minutes She’d have to return to Richmond when this was all over Rosemary would need her more than ever

Eventually, she pushed herself out of the chair and walked down the steps, to carry the box onto the porch Digging out the pad and pencil, she sat back down, and after loading the lead in the holder, flipped open the cover on the tablet

Despite starting over several tiain and again It was the only ihth picture, she gave up, though her eyes remained on the tablet How had the plan suddenly become so complicated? First, she hadn’t kno to delay hi a divorce, and now she didn’t kno to convince him that she wanted one, after all No, that Rosemary wanted one But she was supposed to be Roseers to her te into a fearsoed at her heart as fiercely as if they truly were married

A heavy lu about herself and not her sister

Flipping to a new page, she found her pencil strokes flowed easily, quickly From practice Roseo, when out of frustration at her sister’s latest antics, Millie had drawn Rosemary a bit chunkier than she was That, too, had been selfish Other than in the secrecy of her room, Millie hadn’t drawn since then