examined the painting on the wall above the sideboard, even though he knew it more intimately than anyone.
“There,” Dad said, finally breaking the kiss. “You go on up, apologize, and earn yourself a kiss just like that.”
Mom’s cheeks were a rosy pink and love radiated from her eyes.
Tom rose to his feet and began to gather the dishes.
“Shoo.” His dad waved him away. “Go to her right away. The longer you wait, the madder she’ll get.”
Victoria wouldn’t be mad at him for his attempt to compliment her, would she? She was usually so strong, so sure of herself, so in control. Even when her carriage had been hijacked on her wedding day, she hadn’t cowered. She’d thrown her shoe at the driver.
“She won’t be angry at me,” Tom said. “But I’ll go up and make sure she’s okay.”
His parents nodded their approval, and he made his way up to their room. He paused for a total of five seconds before taking a deep breath and opening the door.
He stepped inside and was greeted with a scream and a flying shoe. He sidestepped, and the shoe hit the wall behind him.
Victoria was sitting on the bed with her bodice off, revealing her corset, which covered her waist and bust but left the upper edge of her soft flesh exposed, along with her shoulders, neck, and arms.
Tears streaked her face and mortification had widened her eyes. “Get out!” she shouted and scrambled to pull the coverlet off the bed. She yanked it over her shoulders, attempting to cover herself, but not before he caught sight of at least half a dozen red welts forming under her arms, where apparently the corset had chafed her skin.
“I just came to check on you—”
“I don’t need you to check on me.” A strand of hair had fallen across her face, sticking in the sweat and tears. Heedless, she wrapped the blanket around her tighter, even though the air in the upstairs room was stifling. “Just get out.”
Perspiration was forming on his back standing there doing nothing. “I wanted to apologize—”
Her other shoe went whizzing past his head and smacked the wall. “I don’t want your apology. I just want you to leave.” In spite of the tears, her eyes flashed with anger. She started to reach for a hairbrush on the bedstead. He wasn’t sure if she was intending to throw that at him too. He didn’t wait to find out but backed out and closed the door.
She apparently needed some time to herself. Or maybe she was upset at him for refusing to hire a housekeeper.
He shook his head, retreated downstairs, and slipped out the back door in an effort to avoid another encounter with his parents. No doubt they’d heard Victoria scream at him and order him from the room. And no doubt they blamed him for her bad mood and would tell him to go back to her.
But they didn’t understand that Victoria was pampered and that he had no need to apologize for telling her no about the housekeeper. It was for her own protection. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt her to start doing some things for herself. And he certainly wasn’t being overly demanding by asking her to help, Mom. Was he?
He made his way to the shed that held the fog horn. Dad had mentioned that it wasn’t working properly. Now was apparently a good time to tinker on the amplifier. But as he hunkered down and worked, he couldn’t concentrate. He kept seeing the tears streaking Victoria’s cheeks, kept hearing that sob after his comment at dinner, kept feeling the anguish in her voice.
Finally, after hitting his thumb for the fourth time, he stood, wiped his hands, and started back to the house. When he entered, Dad was in the process of situating Mom in the sitting room. At the sight of him, they both grew quiet.
Tom sighed. “Yes. I’m going back up.”
Dad smiled. “That’s my boy.”
“You won’t regret it,” Mom added.
Tom wasn’t so sure about that. Nevertheless, he knew he wouldn’t have peace until he made peace with her.
“The Bible says not to let the sun go down on your anger,” Dad said. “I’ve applied that to our marriage, and it’s helped us work through plenty of problems and disappointments.”
“You’ve had problems?”
At the surprise in his tone, Mom laughed. “Of course we have. We’re both sinners, aren’t we?”
“I never noticed anything wrong.”
Mom reached for Dad’s hand and looked up at him with respect. “That’s because your dad insisted