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But Fiona kept talking. Frank, will you please tell William what your investigations uncovered?”

“Yes ma’am,” Frank said as he cleared his throat. It wasn’t an easy assignment for him, since he knew William Skeffington the Fifth was just as rich and powerful as William Skeffington the Fourth. He had to tread lightly.

He looked at William. Not at Joy, but William, as if she didn’t matter. “I traveled to Bridell, Indiana, your wife’s hometown. While you were on your honeymoon, I spoke with many residents there. The prevailing theme was that your new bride, Mrs. Skeffington, is a woman not to be trusted.”

When he got no reaction from William, although William was seething with inner rage, and Joy was too anxious to know where this was headed to react, Frank continued talking. “Many in the small town said Netta, as they all called her, was equal parts a liar, a thief, and a homewrecker.”

“That’s a dirty lie!” Joy blurted out before William could stop her. But he squeezed her waist tightly, as if to warn her not to feed into it. Although her every instinct was always to stand up for herself or nobody would, Joy settled back down.

“Several women said you stole their husbands,” Frank said. “Even your mother here said you stole her husband too.”

Joy knew, by the way he squeezed her, that William didn’t want her to feed into the lies at all, but she couldn’t hold her peace. “I have never dated, let alone stole anybody’s husband. And everybody that said I stole their husbands are bald-faced liars.”

“Even your own mother?”

“Especially my own mother, are you joking? She’ll do anything for a dollar!”

Juanita jumped up from that chair and lunged for Joy, but William jumped up and stood in front of Joy. Frank held Juanita back.

“Talking about I’m a liar,” Juanita said. “You’s a dirty lie!”

And William could hold back no longer either. He looked at Fiona. “Really mother? Is this what we’re doing? Pitting mother against child? Is that what this is about?”

“It’s about you coming to your senses before this woman robs you blind and destroys our bloodline!”

“It’s already destroyed!” William yelled. “You’re in it!”

Fiona rose to her feet in umbrage. “Why you bastard!”

“How much did you pay this woman to come here?” William asked her.

“That’s what I wanna know too,” said Joy. “Because I know for a fact that money is the only thing that’ll get her ass out of Bridell.”

“How much did you pay her?” William asked his mother again.

“That’s none of your damn business,” said Juanita. “I came on my own accord. I came to help your ignorant ass. I came to tell my truth.”

“What truth you got?” Joy asked. “Just a pack of lies.”

“Me and the whole town lying on your butt?”

“It’s no whole town,” said Joy. “You made sure he went to every one of those ladies that don’t like me. They would have said anything to make me look bad.”

“You do that all on your own,” Juanita shot back. Then her look turned hateful. “Think you’re some big shot all of a sudden because you married him. But he’ll dump you just as sure as I’m standing here. I won’t give it six months before he leaves you just like all those other boyfriends did. He’ll be begging to divorce your ass. You wait and see. Then you’ll come crawling back to Bridell. Back to Gramps. Back to us. You mark my words.”

Joy wasn’t about to get into it too deep with her mother, and especially not in front of William’s hateful mother.

But even beyond that, Joy’s mother had a way of denigrating her that always cut her short. Because it always centered on her belief that Joy was never good enough. Not good enough for all of those losers she once dated. Not good enough for William. She was never good enough. And coming from your mother meant something. She didn’t respond.

But Fiona was looking at her own child. “You aren’t even curious?” she asked him. “Somebody came to me and said the person I just married is a liar and a thief and a homewrecker, I wouldn’t be so cavalier about it. Not in the least would I be cavalier.”

“Is this the only reason you wanted me to come here?” William asked her. He wasn’t about to entertain her nonsense.

“It’s not the only reason, no. There’s more. Tell him, Frank.”

“We have proof,” said Frank, “that before the marriage she accepted a substantial payment in exchange for leaving you and never looking back.”

Joy frowned. “Another lie,” she said.