“And I am reminding you that they sleep under my roof.”
Grace reached for my hand.
Margaret noticed.
Her mouth curved slightly.
“A woman who cannot produce a son does not get to dictate the future of this family.”
Grace’s fingers tightened around mine.
She understood more than Margaret realized.
I bent down.
“Go get your sisters, sweetheart.”
“Mom—”
“I’ll come get you soon.”
That was the promise I made.
I had no idea that within three hours, I would be running toward that locked room believing Margaret might keep them from me forever.
The guests began arriving at eleven.
Richard Bennett came alone.
I recognized him immediately.
Everyone did.
He was fifty-three, tall, graying at the temples, dressed in a dark blue suit that looked expensive without advertising itself.
Bennett Healthcare operated hospitals in eleven states.
Business magazines estimated his fortune somewhere north of four billion dollars.
