Since Everett had no children, he left his small farm to me. I sold it and gave half the money to Henry. I met Rayford when he came home with Henry after the war. They stayed a couple of months. Everett was kind to Rayford, and I thought folks would be like-minded toward me when I agreed to marry Rayford and go to Pennsylvania with him. I was wrong, but our marriage continues to survive in spite of the prejudices that still linger. My father fought for the Confederacy; his for the Union. The war has been over for years, but both sides still carry a huge grudge. I’ve adapted to the culture of the north, and my children, Jenny and Samuel, are my life. I’m expecting number three around Christmastime, and I’m hoping it’s another boy. Henry married a sweet girl, albeit a nervous woman who spends a lot of time either at the doctor’s or else lying abed. They have no children, and maybe that’s for the best with her constant illness. Looking back, I’m not sure that marrying Rayford was the smartest decision I ever made. He’s a good, hardworking man, but he has a wandering eye when it comes to women. Mama told me when I got on the stagecoach to come here that I’d have to sleep in the bed I’d made. I wonder if the time will ever come when a woman will have the same rights as men.

Oh, Matilda, Lily thought, the day did come, but human nature never changes. Her mama saw something in Wyatt that Lily’s blinded eyes couldn’t. Vera told her the same thing about sleeping in her bed on the day she got married. Her mother said that Wyatt would break her heart because he had a wandering eye, too, and she was right. But she got two beautiful children out of the marriage, so it wasn’t a complete failure.

Lily carefully closed the book and put it back. It was surreal how these women’s lives, women that she’d never met before, could have such an impact on her. She crawled beneath the covers and turned off the light. Moonlight filtered through the lace curtains, leaving abstract shadows on the walls and ceiling. Sleep was a long time coming, and when it did arrive, it was filled with dreams of a grown-up Holly moving miles away and never coming home to see Lily.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven