A stilted silence followed, and Hope wondered if she should tell her aunt that she had overheard her talk with Dr. Barkley. Taking a tentative step forward, she held her hands together, her thumbnail picking at her forefinger.
“Aunt Belle, are you well?”
“Yes, of course,” she said evenly. Hope was silent and Belle gave her an inquisitive stare. “Is there something wrong, dear?”
Hope shook her head quickly.
“No, Aunt Belle, it’s just…”
Hope didn’t want to upset her, but she needed to know what was happening. The decisiveness in her aunt’s tone might have dissuaded her from pressing the issue when she first arrived, but Hope was determined.
“Just what, dear?” her aunt asked.
“I want you to know that if you were ever not well, we—my sisters and I, that is—would do anything and everything to help you get better.”
Belle squinted.
“Is that so?” she asked. Hope nodded. “My dear, why don’t you see if Dr. Barkley needs any assistance?”
Hope didn’t move.
“Aunt Belle, if you are sick—”
“If I am sick, it is my own business. Not yours.”
“It is very much my business,” she said coming forward. “Aunt Belle, you must let someone help you.”
“I’ve lived many years on my own, my dear girl, and I’m not about to have anyone start dictating my life now. You should go.”
Hope sighed. Belle could be the most stubborn woman in the world at times. Annoyed at accomplishing nothing, she leftBelle’s office. If she would refuse to accept help, there was little Hope could do about it.
Upon reaching the dining room, Hope saw Grace and Faith, staring at one another rather intensely. When Grace noticed Hope, she stood up, somewhat frantic.
“Hope, good morning,” she said, her hands coming together before her. “How is Mr. MacKinnon faring this morning?”
“Well,” Hope said, coming into the room. Both sisters appeared as though they were hiding something. “Are you all right, Grace?”
“Me? Yes. Very well,” she said, looked down at a stony-faced Faith. “We both are. Aren’t we, Faith?”
Faith sat quietly, apparently unwilling to say anything, which gave Hope pause. What was going on?
“Are you unwell, Faith?” she asked, collecting a plate at the side table.
After scooping some poached eggs over two pieces of toast, Hope came around the table and took her seat. Still, Faith wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I don’t think we should lie to her,” Faith said to Grace when Hope finally sat down.
“It’s not lying,” Grace said. “You simply misinterpreted—”
“I did no such thing!”
“Wait, wait,” Hope said, holding up her hands to stop her sisters from arguing. “What are you two going on about?” When neither seemed willing to speak, Hope pressed. “Faith?” She turned her head. “Grace?”
Wringing her hands together, Grace tipped her head nervously.
“Well, Faith believes she heard something—”
“I don’t believe I heard something. I know I did.”
