“No, I guess not,” Addison said as she stood up.

Joanna pursed her lips. She had expected to see joy on Addison’s face or at the very least a smile, but her expression had yet to change from shock. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am. I just...I just need some time to let this sink in,” she said as she leaned over and placed a light kiss on Joanna’s cheek. “Okay?”

Joanna weighed the question and then pushed aside her worries. “Okay, that’s fair. Take all the time you need.”

***

Joanna had intended for Addison to be the first to know, but her joy at finding out she was carrying Addison’s child apparently was something she couldn’t hide. Feeling as if she was floating on a euphoric cloud, when she had walked into the house earlier that day, as soon as Evelyn saw her face, she pulled Joanna into a hug which seemed to go on for forever. Quickly following suit, every member of the staff congratulated her with hugs and faces crinkled with laugh lines, and like her, they floated too.

A contagion made its way into The Oaks that day, an infection of happiness and joy that Joanna was sure would last for a very long time, but one it seemed Addison was immune to.

During dinner, Addison had gone quiet, but keeping her promise to give the woman time, Joanna harnessed her glee. Refusing to allow it to bubble over at dinner, they ate in silence until Addison excused herself to fetch her nightly glass of scotch.

For a while, Joanna busied herself around the house. She played with Chauncey and gave him his evening romp across the lawns, but when she finally settled in the parlor and picked up her book, she tossed it aside just as quickly. In her mind was an image she couldn’t erase. The image was of Addison the moment she found out Joanna was pregnant, and that image showed not one ounce of joy. Joanna drew in a quick breath and stood up. Reaching down, she scratched Chauncey’s head as he snoozed on a chair, and then she went in search of Addison.

***

It had been months since Addison had last sat alone in her study, but tonight her mind was not consumed by business, and it hadn’t been for quite some time. She stared at the green-shaded lamp on her desk wondering how many times over the years the bulb had been replaced. It had burned so brightly through all those nights in the west wing, lighting her way to a better place. A place containing success and money, power and influence, it was all she had ever wanted. It was the force behind her drive...and it was slipping away.