“No, but you are very special to me.” They were sisters of sorts, with a shared mother, of sorts, who kept secrets from them both.

A slow grin curled Ruth’s lips as she tucked a rebellious strand behind her ear. “Okay.”

Carlotta framed her lens on the girl’s face, taking time to catch the sun haloing her curls. “Now give me a big smile.”

Ruth grinned.

Carlotta focused, refocused, and then snapped. “You’re a pretty young girl, Ruth.”

She rolled her eyes. “I guess.”

“No guessing. You’re pretty.”

“I would rather look like you. I want to have more . . .” She glanced down at her flat chest.

“They’ll grow in time.”

“That’s what Mama says, but it’s taking forever. I look like a little kid. How old were you when you, well, yours grew?”

“Too young. Which isn’t the blessing you think it might be. There’s no rush to grow up.”

“That’s what Mama said.”

“Edna knows best.” The comment carried enough animosity that even a quick smile didn’t quite hide. Logically, she understood there hadn’t been a path forward for the young Edna and her fatherless infant twins. She’d done her best, leaving them in the care of family and sending home letters with worn dollar bills when she could.

Only on rare times now did the little girl who’d grown up believing she was less than resent Edna. And here that little girl was now, stepping from the shadows.

Ruth didn’t seem to notice Carlotta’s shift in mood as she hopped up on the wreck and walked toe to toe along the edge. “Do you think Henry’s story was true?”

Carlotta cleared her throat. “About the ghosts?”

“The ghost and the lady. She left her baby in a chest wrapped in a blanket. Sad.”

“He swears it’s true.”

“Mama and Daddy say they’ve never heard about Francesca’s baby.”

“Perhaps a family took in the child and decided to keep her story a secret. Sometimes the truth is too much trouble.”

Ruth raised her hand over her eyes, peering out as a captain might. “Would you do that?”

“Hide a baby? If it meant protecting the child, I might. Why the questions?”

“Because Henry’s story makes me remember the lady who left me here wrapped in a pink blanket. I want to believe she was like Francesca.”

“I have no doubt she was,” Carlotta said softly.

“I guess that lady has kept me secret all her life,” Ruth said.

“Maybe.”

“I don’t have any good secrets,” Ruth said. “Mama says that’s just as well. She says they can get mighty heavy.”