Her jaw dropped and her stomach hardened with rage. “Why would youeveragree to something like that? You claimed to be a supporter, you invited me into your aunt’s home—I don’t understand.” Her voice broke on the last word, enraging her further.
“It’s like I told you yesterday on the steamer…”
The mention of the steamer sent pain shooting through her chest. She had been so moved by his story, so touched that he would bare his soul to her. “What part—if any—of that tale was real?”
He stared at her. “All of it.”
“I don’t believe you. I think you wanted to weaken my defenses, make it easier to take advantage of me. I’m ashamed to say it almost worked!” She turned to Mr. Anderson. “Did you know about his father’s supposed deathbed request?” At the editor’s mystified look, her teeth ground together. “There’s my answer.”
“Only two other people in the world know that story, and Emil is not one of them.” His words came out gravelly, like they were dragged over coals. “I wanted you to understand whyI didn’t fight my uncle’s wishesat first, but I swear I’m on your side.”
There wasn’t enough air in the room, and she stumbled back a step. “You’ve only ever been on your own side.”
“Sweetheart, please.” He reached for her, but she dodged his grip.
“Nevercall me that again. In fact, I never want to see you or hear from you again.”
She could barely see through the tears, but she held her head high as she sailed down the interminable hallway to the front doors. Mack didn’t run after her. He must have known she would not listen to any more lies. Voices raised behind her, as if he and Mr. Anderson had begun to argue.
Once upon a time, she would have been shocked by the notion that the placid Mr. Mack Donnelly had raised his voice in the office, but not now. He was nothing but a liar, a manipulator, capable of anything. It shouldn’t surprise her he was just like all the other men in her life. Men who had underestimated her, devalued her, and ultimately, disappointed her.
So why did it feel like her heart had been ripped from her chest?
* * *
Winnie liftedher tear-stained face off the embroidered pillow and peered at her friends in despair. She was sprawled on the settee in the Longfellow library. Clem occupied a brocade hardback chair beside the settee, Olive another, and Rhoda sat cross-legged on the floor. They watched her with various shades of concern. “So that’s what happened. And I haven’t been able to stop crying ever since.”
“He’s obviously a bad card,” Clem said.
“A selfish ne’er-do-well,” Olive agreed.
“He’s a bastard,” Rhoda declared.
Everyone froze at the harsh language, but when Rhoda gave a careless shrug, a helpless snort bubbled out of Winnie, and soon they were all giggling.
“I adore you, Rhoda. You really tell it like it is.”
“Glad someone appreciates my candor.” Rhoda picked a piece of lint off her skirt and flicked it to the ground. “Can you tell my mother that?”
“If I ever meet her.” Winnie’s mirth faded, and she sank back to the settee, cradling her chin in her palm.
“I, for one, am proud of you,” Clem said. “You acted on your ambition. Even though it didn’t work out the way you wished, no one can take that from you.”
Olive hummed an agreement. “I never could have dealt with Mack Donnelly the way you did. You’re terribly clever and brave.”
“Not to mention you made some kind of sex list,” Rhoda said. “Three cheers for sexual liberation.”
“Swimming in the ocean doesnotmake ita sex list,” Winnie spluttered, and they all dissolved into giggles again.
Rhoda wagged a finger at her. “I can read between the lines, though Iwishyou’d spare no detail.”
Winnie’s face burned, but when her friends exhibited only curiosity and openness, she decided to give them a few details. “I didn’t expect to experience such intimacy, such… pleasure. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome.”
“Do you regret it now, knowing what he was capable of?”
She was already shaking her head by the time Olive finished her question. “Mack brought me back to life. For the first time, I let go of other people’s expectations and lived in the moment. It was a type of freedom I’ve never experienced before, and I discovered things about myself that I never want to lose again.”
Clem, Olive, and Rhoda sighed in unison.
