“Let her go. She needs time.”
Mary turned to face her friend. “How much of that did you hear?”
“Most of it.” Polly shrugged. “If she’d done more than slap you, I’d have stepped in. But she needed to get it out. She’s been nothing but angry and bitter since she got here. Now I know why.”
And here Mary had thought it was about having to accept an illegitimate sister. Maybe Nugget was the least of their problems. As much as Mary thought she’d been listening to her siblings, perhaps she’d been making a lot of assumptions.
“I had no idea.” Sure, she’d seen the flirtatious glances in church, but with everyone knowing that Silas and Annie had been promised for just about forever, Mary had assumed it to be meaningless. If only her sister had been more forthcoming, perhaps her heartbreak could have been prevented.
Of course, Mary herself hadn’t been all that forthcoming, either. She’d never been as close to Rose as she had been to their brother Joseph. When Joseph had left to search for their father, she’d kept her own counsel about things she’d usually have talked with him about.
“You and Rose will work things out.” Polly gestured to the pile of dishes they had yet to wash. “How about we get to work, and you can tell me all about this beau of yours?”
Her friend gave a wicked grin, then splashed her with some water. “All this time you’ve had a secret engagement and didn’t even tell me!”
If Mary thought that facing her angry sister was hard, this was going to be an even tougher conversation. Rose was right to hate her for her deception over Ben’s courtship. Though her sister was wrong about Mary’s part in her failed romance, she was all too correct about the damage Mary’s absences had done.
How could she tell Polly the truth? It was something that would make Polly turn from her in disgust.
So much to atone for. An entire lifetime wouldn’t be enough to earn absolution for her sin. Mary had already made up her mind to take on most of the burden of raising her younger siblings so that Joseph and his new wife, Annabelle, had the chance to raise their own family without the burden of their siblings. They deserved a chance at happiness. Especially Joseph, who’d worked so hard to keep the family together. Hopefully, Mary would find a way to extricate herself from whatever mischief Ben was cooking up without causing even more damage to her family.
But just as she put her hands in the dishwater, Mr. Lawson passed by the kitchen window, sending her a meaningful glance. He hadn’t forgotten their meeting. She watched as he strode purposefully toward Frank.
Frank could not be told the truth, particularly now that Mary knew Ben still had Aunt Ina’s brooch. Of all he had taken, the brooch had cost Mary the most. Aunt Ina had been merciless in her accusations of Mary, Rose and their other siblings. She’d even snatched the spectacles off poor little Bess’s face, demanding to know if her brooch had been sold to pay for them. It hadn’t been Mary’s doing at all. Their Sunday school teacher, Miss Beverley, had noticed Bess’s reading troubles. When Mary confessed it was due to Bess needing spectacles they couldn’t afford, Miss Beverley had purchased them and told Mary she wished to remain anonymous. So, Mary had said she’d taken on extra work to purchase them. At the time, Mary had thought herself so smart, because saying she’d taken on extra work had given her more excuses to go meet Ben.
If she could take it back, she wouldn’t have lied about those spectacles.
But wishing didn’t solve the problem of having to meet Mr. Lawson. Mary glanced over at Polly, who was hard at work doing her share of cleanup. She’d never lied to Polly and didn’t want to start now. When Ben had left town, Mary had promised herself to never lie again.
How was she supposed to keep her promise and keep her secrets?
“You’ve barely touched the dishes.” Polly caught her gaze, then looked down meaningfully at the pile. “You’re worse than useless now that your beau is back in town. Combine that with your disagreement with Rose, and I’d just as soon do all the work myself for all the help you’re being.”
Mary swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
This was the point at which she should have confessed, but her throat tightened.
“Don’t be. We all have our days. Go get some air and I’ll finish up in here. You’ve done my share of the chores a time or two.”
The weight should have fallen off Mary’s shoulders, but it only seemed heavier. Polly was being a true friend. And Mary had nothing to offer her in return. At least not while the troubles with Ben hung over her.
Chapter Three
Mary joined Mr. Lawson and Frank in the yard. Ordinarily, Mary would never dream of interrupting one of Frank’s conversations, but this was no ordinary discussion.
“Mary!” Frank smiled warmly at her. The gesture only made her feel worse.
“Good evening.” Mary tried to think of a reason for having interrupted the men, but her mind went blank. It was as though all of her excuses had been worn out with Ben.
“Mr. Lawson was just telling me how welcome you made him feel at tonight’s dinner.”
She glanced over at Mr. Lawson, who smiled innocently. Oh, he wasn’t innocent at all. He was a conniving, manipulative snake who—
Was making her miss the rest of what Frank said about their conversation.
“I’m glad he told me, Mary. You know how I feel about you girls wandering the streets of Leadville alone. There are too many unsavory elements, and I’m extremely grateful Mr. Lawson came to your assistance. Had someone of less exemplary character been present, you might not have fared so well.”
Mary closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking at Frank.
