“No. She met me again.”
“When?”
“The morning I left.”
I felt my breath catch.
“What happened?”
Douglas looked toward the rain-streaked window.
“I went to your house first.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I had the ring. I wanted to give it to you before I boarded the train. I thought if you said yes, I would know what to do.”
“And my mother answered.”
“She did.”
“What did she say?”
“She told me you were asleep.”
I stared at him.
“You were there?”
“She invited me in. Your father was at work. She said you had been sick all night and didn’t want to wake you.”
“I wasn’t sick.”
“I know that now.”
“What happened next?”
“She told me your father had received a call from my father. She said he was furious that I had taken you away from your family. She said you had cried after I left and told her you didn’t want to see me again.”
