as she gasped and tried to sit up.
Rosie stepped forward and took her hand. “Relax, Miss Lovina. Rest easy against your pillow.” She turned to David with a scowl and said, “If she doesn’t calm down, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“I’m not trying to upset her,” he said. “I just need to know the truth about what she wrote in the journal.”
Rosie glanced at the clock on the dresser across the room. “I’ll give you five minutes, but that’s all.”
David leaned a bit closer to Lovina. “I’m Raymond Stinner’s son, David. In your journal you wrote that my father and Elizabeth’s mother … Well, you said that Cassandra was pregnant with Raymond’s child when she married Charles Canning. Is it true?”
Lovina’s pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she averted his gaze.
“Is my father Elizabeth’s real father?” he persisted.
Tears welled in Lovina’s eyes as she stared at the canopy above her head, seeming to let her memories take her back in time.
David bit his lip while waiting to hear the answer he sought.
After several minutes had passed, Lovina whispered something.
“What was that?”
“I made it all up. I never should have written that in my journal.”
A sense of relief swept over David, quickly replaced with a wave of anger. “But, why? What made you write such a horrible thing if it wasn’t true?” he shouted, straightening to his full height.
Lovina whimpered and trembled again.
“Lower your voice,” Rosie said, looking sternly at David. “Can’t you see how upset she’s become?”
“I–I’m sorry.” He drew in a deep breath and leaned close to Lovina again. “Please, tell me why you wrote what you did.”
Lovina’s tears spilled over and trickled onto her cheeks. “I wrote it out of spite and frustration.” She sniffed deeply. “I was jealous that my sister had married the only man I’d ever loved.”
Stunned by this confession, David drew in a sharp breath. “You … you were in love with Charles Canning?”
“Yes, but he only had eyes for Cassandra. My heart was broken when he married her. I—I was angry because they loved each other and I was left out in the cold … forever to be an old maid.”
“I’m sorry about that, but what does it have to do with Raymond—my father? Why would you have said that he was the father of Cassandra’s baby if he wasn’t?”
“Raymond had been courting Cassandra, and just when I thought Charles might ask to court me, he turned to her instead.”
“So you wrote that Cassandra was pregnant with my father’s child, hoping Charles would read it and refuse to marry her?”
“I didn’t think anyone would read my journal. I only put my frustrated thoughts on paper in an effort to alleviate my pain. By pretending in my mind that Cassandra only married Charles because she was desperate and needed a husband, I was able to deal with the disappointment I felt because he didn’t choose me.” Lovina shook her head slowly, as more tears fell. “I—I truly never intended to hurt anyone.”
David stood several seconds, staring down at the pathetic, ailing woman. She’d had her heart broken once, and he didn’t think he should break it again by telling her what horrible pain the lie in her journal had caused. If he could find out where Elizabeth had gone and tell her the truth about the journal, he was sure she would agree to marry him, and everything would be all right. When he returned to Allentown, his first stop would be to see Helen. Maybe by now she would have heard from Elizabeth. If so he hoped to persuade her to tell him where Elizabeth had gone.
Elizabeth sat at the table in Grandma’s kitchen with a cup of tea and the letter she’d just received from Helen.
Dear Elizabeth:
It was good to finally hear from you and know that you’re safe and living with your grandparents.
I wanted to tell you that David came here a few weeks ago, asking if I knew why you’d called off the wedding and had
Rosie stepped forward and took her hand. “Relax, Miss Lovina. Rest easy against your pillow.” She turned to David with a scowl and said, “If she doesn’t calm down, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“I’m not trying to upset her,” he said. “I just need to know the truth about what she wrote in the journal.”
Rosie glanced at the clock on the dresser across the room. “I’ll give you five minutes, but that’s all.”
David leaned a bit closer to Lovina. “I’m Raymond Stinner’s son, David. In your journal you wrote that my father and Elizabeth’s mother … Well, you said that Cassandra was pregnant with Raymond’s child when she married Charles Canning. Is it true?”
Lovina’s pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she averted his gaze.
“Is my father Elizabeth’s real father?” he persisted.
Tears welled in Lovina’s eyes as she stared at the canopy above her head, seeming to let her memories take her back in time.
David bit his lip while waiting to hear the answer he sought.
After several minutes had passed, Lovina whispered something.
“What was that?”
“I made it all up. I never should have written that in my journal.”
A sense of relief swept over David, quickly replaced with a wave of anger. “But, why? What made you write such a horrible thing if it wasn’t true?” he shouted, straightening to his full height.
Lovina whimpered and trembled again.
“Lower your voice,” Rosie said, looking sternly at David. “Can’t you see how upset she’s become?”
“I–I’m sorry.” He drew in a deep breath and leaned close to Lovina again. “Please, tell me why you wrote what you did.”
Lovina’s tears spilled over and trickled onto her cheeks. “I wrote it out of spite and frustration.” She sniffed deeply. “I was jealous that my sister had married the only man I’d ever loved.”
Stunned by this confession, David drew in a sharp breath. “You … you were in love with Charles Canning?”
“Yes, but he only had eyes for Cassandra. My heart was broken when he married her. I—I was angry because they loved each other and I was left out in the cold … forever to be an old maid.”
“I’m sorry about that, but what does it have to do with Raymond—my father? Why would you have said that he was the father of Cassandra’s baby if he wasn’t?”
“Raymond had been courting Cassandra, and just when I thought Charles might ask to court me, he turned to her instead.”
“So you wrote that Cassandra was pregnant with my father’s child, hoping Charles would read it and refuse to marry her?”
“I didn’t think anyone would read my journal. I only put my frustrated thoughts on paper in an effort to alleviate my pain. By pretending in my mind that Cassandra only married Charles because she was desperate and needed a husband, I was able to deal with the disappointment I felt because he didn’t choose me.” Lovina shook her head slowly, as more tears fell. “I—I truly never intended to hurt anyone.”
David stood several seconds, staring down at the pathetic, ailing woman. She’d had her heart broken once, and he didn’t think he should break it again by telling her what horrible pain the lie in her journal had caused. If he could find out where Elizabeth had gone and tell her the truth about the journal, he was sure she would agree to marry him, and everything would be all right. When he returned to Allentown, his first stop would be to see Helen. Maybe by now she would have heard from Elizabeth. If so he hoped to persuade her to tell him where Elizabeth had gone.
Elizabeth sat at the table in Grandma’s kitchen with a cup of tea and the letter she’d just received from Helen.
Dear Elizabeth:
It was good to finally hear from you and know that you’re safe and living with your grandparents.
I wanted to tell you that David came here a few weeks ago, asking if I knew why you’d called off the wedding and had
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