and sat, resting the picnic basket on her lap. The lobby was quiet, and there was not the fast-paced comings and goings of people that would be expected in a regular hospital. It was an eerie stillness, as in the moments after the air-raid-shelter doors had closed in London while everyone sat in silence, awaiting the rain of bombs.
She had hated those quiet, in-between moments the most. In those gaps, the past, present, and future would be irrevocably changed for so many.
“Olivia, darling,” Edward said as he pushed back a lock of his dark hair. “What are you doing here?”
She raised her gaze to her husband’s bemused expression as she stood, allowing him to kiss her on the cheek. “I have brought you lunch. Roast beef and fresh bread.”
“That’s marvelous. I’m starving.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the door. “But how did you get here?”
“I drove.”
His eyes brightened, as if she had told him a joke. But when she did not deliver a punch line, he grew serious. “Darling, how could you have driven here? You don’t drive.”
“I do, as a matter of fact. And I’m fairly good at it. Though getting into first gear on a hill still vexes me somewhat.”
He took her elbow in his hand and guided her out the front door to the porch. “Who taught you how to drive?”
The crisp fall air did little to cool her warming cheeks. “Sadie.”
“Sadie.” The softness hardened into disapproval. “When?”
“Over the spring.” Though tempted to take a step back, she held her ground. “I was the one driving the car when we crashed. Not her.”
He held her hands in his grip, tightening slightly. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Cover for that girl. I know you had a fondness for her. You have always worried about the less fortunate. It’s one of the things I love most about you. But she’s not the kind of person worth your time.”
“I do have a soft spot for the girl, but I’m not covering for her. I was driving when we crashed. The front tire hit a slick spot and then seemed to have a mind of its own. Once in the ditch, I took the coward’s way out and asked her to switch places. She agreed.”
He pressed his long fingers to his temple. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I don’t want you to blame her for anything. She’s a good girl.”
He drew in a slow and steady breath, as if he was trying to control his annoyance. “I’ll not be rehiring her, if that is what you’re asking.”
“I understand that is not possible, but I would like to visit her from time to time.” She nodded toward the Pontiac.
“I don’t like this or the effect she is having on you.”
“The only consequence of my knowing Sadie is that I have a friend, and I can drive. I could have visited her without consulting you. However, I would rather have your blessing.”
“Why do you want to visit the girl?” he demanded.
“Her mother is ill, and her brothers are away at war, fighting for my country. I don’t see why it would be so terrible for me to try and help out the family.”
“The girl is trouble. Malcolm has warned me a couple of times, but I didn’t listen.”
“Malcolm.” Anger rose up in her, chasing away any uncertainty. “I wasn’t aware you had seen him lately.”
“He’s my cousin and calls me from time to time.”
She tugged at the pearl button on the cuff of her sleeve. “And what did he say about Sadie?”
“That she is a wild girl. He saw her at the spring dance unescorted, which is exactly the kind of thing I would expect from a girl like her. Johnny would be mortified. This was after I had fired her, so I didn’t give it much thought. She was out of our lives, so it all worked out for the better.”
“It seems Malcolm knows quite a bit about Sadie.”
“All I know is that he has sound judgment, and I take him at his word.”
“So he was at this dance alone and drinking as well, I presume.” She tugged at the edge of her white glove, flexing her fingers against the soft cotton.
“You and I both know it is different for men than women.”
That Olivia knew all too well. “Where is Malcolm these days? I haven’t seen him since that March weekend.”
“He’s in Richmond finishing up his law degree. He’s smart as a whip and already has several