CambridgeThough it was still rather hot outside for a late September day, Charlie didn’t mind the temperature so much as long as they sat in the shade. Visiting the park in the spring or late fall was always more appealing—even the winter was generally better than the summer—but this was the best place for him to meet Stella without anyone of consequence taking note, so he waited on their park bench for her now, his thoughts darting back between the conversation he’d recently had with his father and the letter he’d sent to Mary Margaret a few weeks ago.The last year and a half had been a whirlwind ever since Quincy introduced him to a new sort of social life he’d never experienced before. While part of him wanted to blame Quincy for being a bad influence, Charlie knew that his friend had only been the catalyst. A young man with money, influence, a new set of wheels, and eventually, alcohol, along with a few girls with coy smiles, a

New York City“I can’t make heads or tails of it,” John Ashton was saying as he sipped a whisky in his study, Charlie and Pamela seated nearby. “She swears she’s not the one who contacted the newspapers, but if she didn’t, then who did?”“Why would she make a declaration in the press—in Southampton, London, and New York—and then deny it? It honestly makes no sense at all,” Pamela agreed, shaking her head.“Well, what did she say when you asked her if she intended to honor the content of the newspaper article?” Charlie asked. Though he thought it was ridiculous of Mrs. Westmoreland to deny making the announcement of his engagement to her daughter public, when clearly she had to have done it since his parents had not, what really mattered was whether or not this meant he was, in fact, engaged to Mary Margaret, and what should happen next.“She said it would be difficult to t

As the months passed, Kelly recovered nicely, and by late spring she was showing. Though Mildred struggled with displaying kindness to others, she was willing to give some leniency, and Kelly’s duties lightened after the incident. Clearly, she had a soft spot in her heart for Patsy, though Meg was a bit surprised to see any evidence that her mother had a heart at all.When Meg questioned her about the newspaper, Mildred insisted she knew nothing about the article or who had posted it. She said she would inquire to see if the Ashtons had released the information, but whenever Meg brought the subject up again, she would simply change the topic of conversation to something else or pretend not to hear. Meg was certain her mother must have been the one to make the information public, but she couldn’t understand why she would do such a thing and then not take responsibility for it. Was she just trying to see how far the Ashtons were willing to go?Meg continued t

Meg found the letter on her pillow, and hesitated to open it. On the one hand, she hoped with each letter that Charlie would say he refused to be her husband and they could call the entire arrangement off. On the other hand, she hated to disappoint her father, and while she wasn’t sure whether or not God was looking down on her or not most of the time, she was fairly certain her father was. With a shrug and a sigh, she tossed herself down on the bed and tore the envelope open. April 9, 1909 Dear Miss Westmoreland, I apologize that it has been quite some time since I have written. I wish that I had an excuse, but in all honesty, it has been out of aggravation more than anything else. I will apologize for my frustration, since I’m certain there was no way you could have guessed that my father and I were planning to pay you a visit on our trip to Southampton, but I was sincerely looking for

SouthamptonThe change in her mother’s disposition since Charlie had agreed to begin sending them a bit of money was unbelievable to Meg; it was as if she had transformed into some sort of happy-go-lucky girl. It wasn’t what Meg would consider a fortune, but it was enough to make sure necessities were accounted for and the lights stayed on at least.Mildred had instructed her daughter to describe a party she wanted to have and to ask for enough money for an auto in the first letter. Of course, the money would go to neither of those things. Meg didn’t even need a motor coach of her own anyway. She would much rather ride on horseback if she had to go somewhere close by, and her uncle was rarely home anymore, but his own auto was often parked in the garage where she could get Bitterly to drive her if she needed.In her last letter, she’d asked for enough for a new dress and some proper jewelry, and Charlie had sent it, asking for a picture o