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“My sister would never have liked Lucille,” I said.
“How do you know?”
“I know.”
“From what I hear about her, especially from your father, she wasn’t so different from Lucille. She was intelligent, determined, and very protective of Heaven-stone. They’d probably agree about many things.”
“No. They wouldn’t agree about anything.”
“Well, that isn’t important now,” he said. “She’s not the one who has to coexist with Lucille. You are, and you’ll do just fine.”
I didn’t like the sound of the word “coexist.”
“I meant what I said about moving out of here, Ethan. If we’re going to get married that soon, we should begin to look for a new home.”
He was thoughtful for a while before speaking. “Well,” he said, “let’s not pile it on them tonight. We’ll break the news in a day or so, okay?”
“Okay.”
He held me, but it was as if he weren’t there. His thoughts were so far off.
“Let’s go back in,” I said. The sky was overcast, and it wasn’t as pleasant as most of the nights we had spent out there.
We rose and started back toward the house. Cassie was waiting at the door. She said nothing, but followed us in. I knew she was waiting for an opportunity, waiting until I was alone. Ethan wanted us to join Daddy and Lucille in the den.
“They’ll gang up on you,” Cassie whispered. “They’re not giving you a chance to think.”
“You go on ahead,” I told him. “I’ll be down in a while.”
I headed up the stairway, Cassie right behind me. We went into my room and I closed the door. I could feel her rage.
“How dare you?” she asked.
“What?”
“I heard what you said. How dare you give up Heaven-stone, surrender to that woman? Get married and then find your own home? What are you, some common, average person looking forward to a life in oblivion? Don’t you realize what you’d be turning your back on if you did such a thing? Go down and look into the face of every Heaven-stone on the wall of portraits. See if there is one coward among them.”
“I can’t live here with her. She won’t have Ethan only at work; she’ll run our lives through him here. Look at the influence she has on Daddy already. If he can’t stand up to her, what do you think Ethan would do?”
“Then maybe he’s not the one for you. You can decide that later. You are moving too quickly, or should I say you are being moved too quickly? You’re so pathetic sometimes with that mealy-mouth look, that desperation for someone to love you. You’ve always been this way, no matter how I tried to change you, to protect you.
“You go right back downstairs and make it clear to them that you’re in charge of your own destiny and what will be the destiny of Heaven-stone. The very idea of Lucille determining your wedding date . . . doesn’t that make you sick?”
“Yes. But what will I say?”
“Simple. You want time to let everything settle in. You’re still not sure about what you want to do career-wise. It was Lucille who talked you out of joining Uncle Perry, wasn’t it? Not only is she deciding what you’ll eat here and what you will and will not do every day, she’s laying out your entire future. It’s ridiculous to think you could find an adequate new home that quickly, anyway. Ethan knows that. He’ll ‘yes’ you to death so you’re happy and she’s happy. Well, take control. Think of yourself as me for a change.
“Go on. Straighten your shoulders. Firm up your voice. Claim your birthright,” she ordered. “Daddy will respect you more.”
“Will he?”
“He respected me, didn’t he? He still does. Ethan told you how he talked about me.”
“Will you be there with me?”
“Of course. I’m with you forever,” she said.
I picked up my picture of Mother and myself, pressed it to my heart, put it back, and started out. Cassie was there in the hallway. She walked alongside me and was right behind me as I descended.
