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Appealingly Chris gazed intohis heart and soul vulnerable for my scorn to injure "I'd like to hear about our mother's youth, Cathy, so I can understand what made her the way she turned out to be She wounded us so deeply I feel neither one of us will ever recover until we do understand I have forgiven her, but I can't forget I want to understand so I can help you to forgive her"

"Will that help?" I asked sarcastically "It's too late for understanding or forgiving our --for if I do, I ive her"

His ar, he strode away froe now Take a bath, and by the ti unpacked" At the doorway he paused, not turning to look my way "Try, really try, to use this as an opportunity to make peace with Bart He's not beyond restoration, Cathy You heard hi ood sense He's a leader now, Cathy, when he used to be so shy and introverted We can count it a blessing that at last Bart has come out of his shell"

Huive ain"

He smiled and left

In "her" bath that joined aroom, I slowly disrobed while the black old-fraure, still sli Stripped of "everything, I lifted my arms to take out the few hairpins still left Deja vu-like, I picturedwhile she thought of her second and younger husband Had she wondered where he was on the nights he spent with me? Had she known just who Bart's mistress was before my revelations at the Christmas party? Oh, I hoped she had!

An unremarkable dinner came and went

Two hours later I was in the swan bed that had givenChris undress True to his word, he'd unpacked everything, hung my clothes as well as his own and stowed our underwear in the bureau Now he looked tired, slightly unhappy "Joel toldfor interviews tomorrow I hope you feel up to that"

Startled, I sat up "But I thought Bart would do his own hiring"

"No, he's leaving that up to you

"

"Oh"

Chris hung his suit on the brass valet, againme think of how much that valet seemed the same one Bart's father had used when he lived here-- or in that other Foxworth Hall Haunted, that's what I was Stark naked, Chris headed for the "his" bath "I'll take a quick shower and join you shortly Don't fall asleep until I'h'

I lay in the seely out offour children in a locked roouilt that surely must have been hers while thateven when he was out of sight Born bad, wicked, evil It seeain I closed my eyes and tried to stop this craziness I didn't hear any voices I didn't hear ballet , I didn't I couldn't smell the dry, musty scent of the attic I couldn't I was fifty-two years old, not twelve, thirteen, fourteen or fifteen

All the old odors were gone I smelled only new paint, neood, freshly applied wallpaper and fabric New carpets, new scatter rugs, new furniture Everything new but for the fancy antiques on the first floor Not the real Foxworth Hall, only an i a monk so rown accustoood reason he was here other than just wanting to see what reers must have told hi his chance toon? Even allowing Bart to put hihed Why was Isuch a mystery of this when a fortune was involved Always it see