Oh no. These fits of panic were rare now, and Annabelle couldn’t imagine what had triggered it, but she moved the pot to the back of the stove and put a reassuring arm around Elaine.
“Come, sit down,” she urged. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Elaine fanned her face with her hands, struggling to breathe normally. “I don’t know how to tell you,” she finally said.
“Tell me what?”
At least Elaine seemed to be getting her composure back as she beat back the panic. She dried her eyes with her cuff and took a calming breath.
“You have been so good, bringing me all the way across the country so I could work at the library. I don’t ever want you to doubt how grateful I am. The library was a miracle for me.” Elaine’s breathing became ragged again and her face tortured.
“Don’t panic,” Annabelle urged. “Just keep breathing and tell me what’s bothering you. It will be all right.”
“I’m going to quit working at the library. I plan to tell them tomorrow.”
Annabelle was baffled. Both of their lives had been upended so Elaine could find meaning and hope for the future by helping at the blind reading room, and now she’d decided to quit?
“But why?” Annabelle asked, completely flabbergasted.
“Because I’m going to work in the Talbots’ grocery store.”
The Talbots? They were nice people, and the birthday party last month had been filled with laughter and good food and badsinging. But no matter how nice, work in a grocery was a comedown after the Library of Congress. They could have stayed in Kansas if all Elaine wanted to do was work in a grocery.
“Will they pay you?”
Elaine was a little taken aback by the question. “I don’t think so. I never really thought about it. Actually, I’m going to marry Mr. Talbot. The owner.”
Annabelle rocked back in her chair, her mind reeling. She remembered Mr. Talbot—a gentlemanly figure who stayed in the background most of the evening, leaning against the wall and watching the younger people celebrate. She had never once sensed a hint of attraction between her sister and the much older Mr. Talbot. She said as much to Elaine.
“Really?” Elaine asked, seeming genuinely confused. “I can’t stop smiling whenever he is near.”
It had certainly been true the night of the birthday party. Elaine had been glowing with happiness, but Annabelle had attributed it to the unexpected treat of a birthday party. Probably because she’d been wallowing too deeply in Gray’s rejection to sense anything beyond her own despondency.
“How long have you been engaged?”
“A month. Every day he comes to the library to bring us lunch. He’s been so kind, and I love him very much.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Elaine shifted on her chair, and apprehension fell across her features again. “I didn’t know how,” she said. “You’ve done so much for me, all so I could work at the Library of Congress. Now I’m leaving, but if we hadn’t moved here, I would never have met Walter. I know I should have told you, but after all the sacrifices you made on my behalf, I just didn’t know how.”
The news felt like a weight on Annabelle’s chest, making it hard to draw a deep breath. She plastered a fake smile on her face. Elaine claimed she could hear a smile in a voice, and Annabelle was determined to seem happy.
“Congratulations,” she said. “When is the wedding?”
“Two weeks. Walter is fifty-two and isn’t getting any younger, so we don’t want a long engagement.”
The plan was for Elaine to learn how to help in the grocery store, and then she would move into the Talbot family home above the store after the wedding. They wanted to have a child as soon as possible, and then Elaine would stay home with the baby.
Annabelle ought to be overjoyed, not low and gloomy. But this was such a dreary little apartment, and after Elaine left, it would be lonely. Should she even stay in Washington? Elaine wouldn’t need her anymore, and her parents desperately needed help on the farm.
The only thing that Annabelle knew for sure was that after Elaine married, life would never be the same again.
Annabelle’s parents arrived in Washington the following week. The intention was for Maude and Roy Larkin to meet Walter, help with the wedding preparations, and then enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime visit in the nation’s capital.
It didn’t work out that way. Their mother was critical from the moment Walter welcomed them at the train station. As he helped stow their luggage above the rented carriage, Maude pulled Annabelle and Elaine aside.
“His hair is entirely silver!” Maude whispered harshly.
