Ruth wiped her cheeks as if she was crying but made no move to leave her vehicle.
“Would that surprise you?” Lewis asked, drawing my attention to him.
“A little.”
He shrugged. “It surprised me, too. Maybe that childhood crush is still alive and well.”
I rolled my eyes and started for the porch. “I wish you could be serious for once, Lewis.”
He reached out and took my hand to stop me. “Is that what you really want, Carrie?”
Something about the way his voice had shifted, and the tenderness in his touch, filled me with apprehension. Lewis had never been serious.
Pulling my hand away, I tried to laugh it off. “I don’t know what I would do if you were serious.”
“We can find out.”
I chuckled outwardly, though inside I was not laughing. I knew how to handle the easygoing, lighthearted Lewis Cager.
This man was entirely different.
“Come inside,” I said as I wrapped my arm through his like I would an old chum, while glancing over my shoulder at Andrew. “Last one in has to help Ingrid with the dishes.”
I tried to pass off his words and actions with nonchalance, but he was stiff beside me as we walked into the house.
It didn’t take him long to relax, though, and he was soon teasing poor Ingrid, whose cheeks were aflame with embarrassment.
A few minutes later, I moved the curtain aside and saw that the men were gone, and Andrew was standing beside the open passenger door of his car speaking to Ruth.
She hadn’t moved and was still staring forward, her body rigid.
“Where are Andrew and Ruth?” Mother asked as she came down the stairs.
I stepped away from the window and said, “In their vehicle. And where is Alice?”
“In her room. She said she didn’t feel well and didn’t want to intrude on our family time.”
I closed my eyes briefly, thankful for the reprieve.
The front door opened a moment later, and Andrew and Ruth entered. Andrew bypassed me in the foyer and joined Thomas and Lewis in the parlor.
“Are you feeling alright, Ruth?” Mother frowned at her pale daughter-in-law.
“I’m fine,” Ruth said, though she wasn’t doing a good job convincing anyone.
“If you need anything, you know to ask.” Mother glanced into the parlor and said, “Now, Thomas, put that down. It was a gift from the French ambassador!”
She hurried off, leaving Ruth and me alone in the foyer.
“I’m so sorry, Ruth,” I said the moment Mother was out of earshot. “I wanted to get Alice to leave, but she tricked Mother and Father into letting her stay. They don’t know who she—”
“Don’t.” Ruth put up her hand. “I don’t want to know any more. I’ve determined to make the best of this and try to be a grown-up about it. It’s not your fault or your parents’ fault. I will take the blame.”
I frowned. “You? There is no one to blame but Alice and Andre—”
“No.” Her voice was firm. “If I was a better wife—”
“Ruth, that’s ridiculous and you know it.”
