Chapter 18

When the world returned to me, I was stretched out on the parlor sofa with my aunt Sophie mopping at my forehead with a cool cloth.

“If there is one thing I do not miss and am happy to be free of, it is those damnable corsets,” she complained. “This child has a perfect figure.  She has no need for such contraptions.  They are horribly unhealthy.”

“They are part of our world, sister dear,” my mother said in a soft voice.

“I don’t know,” Nora said as she swirled her skirts while entering the room.  “I feel a bit like a princess in this outfit.”

“We’ll see how you feel in a few hours,” I muttered as I struggled to sit up. “Wait until the heat of the day hits you.”

Nora gave me a sympathetic look as she seated herself in a nearby chair.  “Are you feeling better?”

“What are you doing here?” I asked as my head