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“I wish I hadn’t said that. Like I said then, I’ve never told anyone.”
“Why not?”
“Too hard to talk about. Easier to forget.”
“Maybe you should talk about it.”
“Yes, Clarisse, maybe you should.”
London gasped. Ace slowly turned around. Jennifer stood in the doorway, her expression horrified.
CHAPTER 25
“Mom!”
“Is that true, Clarisse? Have you been molested?”
“Why were you eavesdropping?”
“Honey, I wasn’t. The intercom went out. I came up because Junior called and invited us to join them at the club. I hoped you two would join us. But I can’t ignore what I overheard.” She turned to Ace. “Would you mind giving us some privacy?”
“No, ma’am. Not at all.”
“You can rejoin Ike downstairs if you’d like. He’s either in his office or the library. At the bottom of the stairs, make a left and head down that center hall.”
“I’ll find it.”
He reached out and gave London’s arm a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be okay, London.”
Jennifer crossed over to a love seat, sat and patted the space beside her. “Come sit down, honey.”
“Mom, I really don’t want to do this.”
“I know you don’t. My heart is breaking that you even have to, because it means that something tragic happened to my darling baby girl on my watch and I didn’t even know.”
London walked over and sat next to her mother. She took Jennifer’s hands. “Don’t blame yourself, Mommy. It wasn’t on your watch. By the time I saw you, I’d already buried the pain. There’s no way you could have known.”
“Please, sweetheart. Tell me what happened. Who did this to you? When?”
London slowly rose and began pacing the room. When she spoke, her back was to Jennifer as she gazed out the window.
“It was in New Orleans. During the time all of us kids would be down at Grandpa Walter’s farm. One day I was wandering around the property and heard a sound in the barn, like a baby crying. I was curious and went inside. It was dark and I’d just come out of bright sunlight, so I couldn’t really see. Once my eyes adjusted I saw one of the farmhands, Mr. Williams, standing over by a stall. I was frightened, didn’t know anyone was in there. But he smiled and beckoned me over. Said a horse had just had her foal and asked if I wanted to see it.”
She turned then, leaned against the window ledge and stared into her history. “You know me, I was never much of a farm girl. Had never seen a baby horse. But I liked Mr. Williams, so strong and handsome. He was always so polite to Grandpa and nice to me. I didn’t hesitate. I went over, saw this beautiful little replica of the horse beside it. He told me to touch it, but I was scared. He said, ‘Rub her coat, just like this.’ And he rubbed a finger up and down my arm. It made me feel funny, uncomfortable. A tingling in places I’d never before experienced. I backed away, told him I didn’t want to touch the horse. That I wanted to go back outside. He told me I couldn’t. Not until I…did certain things.”
“Did he rape you, honey?”
London looked at her mother. Watched tears, one after the other, run down her face and off her chin.
She shook her head. “Not…exactly. He touched me and made me touch him. He warned me to not tell anyone. Said that no one would believe me, a kid, that I’d get in a whole lot of trouble. That I’d shame Grandpa Walter, Grandma Claire and the family. Then he used those words as blackmail to get me back in the barn almost every day for a week, until vacation was over and we finally came back home.”
“Clarisse, baby, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? I couldn’t!” London returned to the love seat. The two women faced each other. “Drake pride has been instilled in me from the time I was born. All of my brothers and Teresa, they lived up to the high expectations. I was trying to do the same and knew it couldn’t happen if my secret was exposed. I couldn’t bear shaming my family. I knew you’d be so disappointed and ashamed.”
