“That sounds more like him.”
“He said everybody in town knew except the two of us.”
My eyes filled.
“And then?”
“He told me not to wait too long.”
The irony was almost unbearable.
“Two weeks later I bought the ring.”
I looked toward the velvet box.
“So my father encouraged you.”
“Yes.”
“Then why would he become involved in separating us?”
“I don’t know that he did.”
Lucas sat again.
“There may be another explanation.”
“Which is?”
“My mother believed your parents were protecting someone.”
“Who?”
“Marianne.”
“From what?”
“She never found out.”
The exhaustion on Lucas’s face told me how long his family had lived with these questions.
“After Margaret met Marianne,” he said, “she wanted to contact you immediately.”
I looked at Douglas.
“But she didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Marianne begged her not to.”
“Why would Marianne care whether I knew?”
Lucas hesitated.
“She said finding you could put the child at risk.”
