~Pennsylvania, 1880~
Josie Birch hated being pretty. She'd always been acutely aware of her looks ever since she was a little girl. People were always making comments to her mother, saying things like, “She'll never have to worry about catching a husband, that one!” and “She'll have an easy life, it's always easier for the ones who have a pretty face.” They spoke with admiration and envy of her dark, silky hair, her sapphire eyes and smooth skin. .
Though most people saw the possession of a pretty face as a benefit. To Josie, however, it only brought problems. What people saw as blessings, Josie saw as a curse. She had few friends because most of the girls in her small Pennsylvania town were jealous of her, partly because of all the attention she got from the boys in town. The last thing that Josie wanted was attention; she was shy and didn't like standing out. After school, she'd hurry home and hide away in her room, reading books, her only solace.
Unfortunately for Josie, though, the unwanted attention carried over to her home life. Her widowed mother had married a man named George Prentiss, and she and Josie had moved into his house in town. After living through the nightmare of having lost her father, she thought that she and her mother had found happiness at last. Little did Josie know that her nightmare was only beginning.
At first, it started with the way he looked at her, staring at her a little too long. Josie could feel his eyes on her, making her uncomfortable, burning a hole into her. Then it was the kind of look he'd give her, a hungry smirking look, eying her as if she weren't wearing any clothes at all!
After that, to her horror, he would find ways to be close to her and touch her, whether it was brushing too close to her when he passed by, or touching her hair, they were encounters that made her skin crawl and they started occurring more frequently.
In the beginning, Josie felt that she could not tell her mother what was happening. Her mother had been through so much, they both had, after Josie's father died. The sickness that had ripped him out of their lives had made Josie sick, too, and her mother worked herself tirelessly nursing Josie back to health while grieving the loss of her husband. They used up their savings to pay funeral expenses, doctor bills and living expenses until the money went out. Her mother took jobs as a laundress and a seamstress, teaching Josie how to sew, too, so that she could help bring in money as well. But it wasn't enough and they had to sell their home, the only home Josie had ever known.
Her mother had taken the move very hard, losing their home was like losing the last piece of her husband, and she sunk into a depression. They rented a room at a boarding house in town, her mother taking on another job as a cleaning lady there to pay for their room. But after falling into the pit of depression, she could no longer work and would she'd sleep all day. Josie took over cleaning the boarding house for her mother as well as taking in sewing jobs, while her mother would spend her waking hours staring at the wall or crying, no matter how Josie tried to console her. It was a bleak existence and Josie's loneliness consumed her.
Then, something happened. It seemed as if her prayers had been answered. Josie wasn't exactly sure what had caused it, but something sparked a change in her mother's behavior. She was able to work again, she would sit and eat with Josie, help her with her homework, talk and laugh with her again. Josie couldn't believe the change. Soon after, she figured out why her mother was acting this way...she was being courted by Mr. George Prentiss.
George was an attorney from Philadelphia who wished to live a quieter life in a small town after losing his first wife. While he was setting up his practice and having a house built for himself, he was staying at the boarding house and that's how he met Charlotte, Josie's mother. Josie usually took her meals
Josie Birch hated being pretty. She'd always been acutely aware of her looks ever since she was a little girl. People were always making comments to her mother, saying things like, “She'll never have to worry about catching a husband, that one!” and “She'll have an easy life, it's always easier for the ones who have a pretty face.” They spoke with admiration and envy of her dark, silky hair, her sapphire eyes and smooth skin. .
Though most people saw the possession of a pretty face as a benefit. To Josie, however, it only brought problems. What people saw as blessings, Josie saw as a curse. She had few friends because most of the girls in her small Pennsylvania town were jealous of her, partly because of all the attention she got from the boys in town. The last thing that Josie wanted was attention; she was shy and didn't like standing out. After school, she'd hurry home and hide away in her room, reading books, her only solace.
Unfortunately for Josie, though, the unwanted attention carried over to her home life. Her widowed mother had married a man named George Prentiss, and she and Josie had moved into his house in town. After living through the nightmare of having lost her father, she thought that she and her mother had found happiness at last. Little did Josie know that her nightmare was only beginning.
At first, it started with the way he looked at her, staring at her a little too long. Josie could feel his eyes on her, making her uncomfortable, burning a hole into her. Then it was the kind of look he'd give her, a hungry smirking look, eying her as if she weren't wearing any clothes at all!
After that, to her horror, he would find ways to be close to her and touch her, whether it was brushing too close to her when he passed by, or touching her hair, they were encounters that made her skin crawl and they started occurring more frequently.
In the beginning, Josie felt that she could not tell her mother what was happening. Her mother had been through so much, they both had, after Josie's father died. The sickness that had ripped him out of their lives had made Josie sick, too, and her mother worked herself tirelessly nursing Josie back to health while grieving the loss of her husband. They used up their savings to pay funeral expenses, doctor bills and living expenses until the money went out. Her mother took jobs as a laundress and a seamstress, teaching Josie how to sew, too, so that she could help bring in money as well. But it wasn't enough and they had to sell their home, the only home Josie had ever known.
Her mother had taken the move very hard, losing their home was like losing the last piece of her husband, and she sunk into a depression. They rented a room at a boarding house in town, her mother taking on another job as a cleaning lady there to pay for their room. But after falling into the pit of depression, she could no longer work and would she'd sleep all day. Josie took over cleaning the boarding house for her mother as well as taking in sewing jobs, while her mother would spend her waking hours staring at the wall or crying, no matter how Josie tried to console her. It was a bleak existence and Josie's loneliness consumed her.
Then, something happened. It seemed as if her prayers had been answered. Josie wasn't exactly sure what had caused it, but something sparked a change in her mother's behavior. She was able to work again, she would sit and eat with Josie, help her with her homework, talk and laugh with her again. Josie couldn't believe the change. Soon after, she figured out why her mother was acting this way...she was being courted by Mr. George Prentiss.
George was an attorney from Philadelphia who wished to live a quieter life in a small town after losing his first wife. While he was setting up his practice and having a house built for himself, he was staying at the boarding house and that's how he met Charlotte, Josie's mother. Josie usually took her meals
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