"'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,'" I quoted from Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities.

Mama lay back on her divan and sighed. I had not spent adequate time with her since the Plumbs arrived. Each time I entered her suite, Charlotte appeared with her sisters and mother. They monopolized Mama's time with last-minute wedding preparations.

"Are you feeling quite well, Mama?" I asked, placing my finger in the book to hold the page. She looked more pallid than usual.

"I am fatigued, my dear," she languidly responded. She adjusted her quilt to just beneath her chin and shivered. "I wish the wedding into the past. I won't settle until it's finished."

"Soon, Mama," I stated, lifting her hand and kissing it gently. I momentarily held her palm against my cheek and tucked it beneath the thick covering. "Joel is taking her to Florence and Venice for their honeymoon. He intends to stay away for at least a month."

A relieved look crossed Mother's face, and I continued to read from Dickens. Suddenly, the door banged open, emitting Charlotte, Bertha, and Despina.

" ... seen the look on his face," Bertha remarked, continuing a conversation begun in the corridor. "Shocked him, I did. I swear he's a Molly Boy."

"I came on to him strong, too, and he simply walked away," Despina stated, sashaying with her hand on her hip. "Tweren't interested in what I had to offer."

"Whatever are you talking about?" I demanded, rising. Behind me, Mama reached out to grasp my hand.

"Never you mind, sweet cheeks," Lottie cut in, patting my face deftly. "Innocence is bliss; you, my dear, are as innocent as they come." The three sisters laughed uproariously.

"I'll ask you to close your conversations before entering this room," I stated, my temperature rising. "And kindly address my mother properly when you arrive."

"Tsk, tsk," Charlotte commented rudely. "Good morning, her ladyship, I'm sure." She swept a deep curtsey.

"Good morning, her ladyship," Bertha and Despina echoed, dipping also.

"Since you are here," Charlotte cooed, turning toward me, "I have a small errand for you. Kindly take this note to the Reverend." She dug into the top of her low-cut bodice and pulled an envelope from her bosom.

"Whatever for?" I countered sharply. "Am I the post office now?"

"You are whatever I want you to be," my brother's fiancée snapped, her cheeks reddening.

"I most certainly am not!" I shouted, raising my voice in ire.

"Oh, Priscilla, do take the note," Mama pleaded, placing her hand against her forehead. "Don't become so confrontational. I do feel a migraine coming on."

"Yes, Mama." Outwardly, I gave in; inwardly, my heart rebelled.

A condescending expression crossed Lottie's face, and she shoved her envelope into my hands. I pinched it between my thumb and forefinger, holding it like it might catch fire.

"Toddle along, Miss Prissy," Charlotte directed, moving her hands in a shooing manner. "It can't wait all day. It's a matter of great importance."

"Don't stand about like a tree," Bertha intoned haughtily. "Leave."

I rushed to the door to make a quick departure. It wasn't as though I wished to hurry with the letter; I wanted to escape the gruesome sisters as quickly as possible. As I exited, Despina's chortle followed me into the corridor. Hastily, I slammed the door and chastised myself for making a loud sound. Mama cringed at the noise, and she had enough to put up with since the Plumbs arrived.

The vicarage lay only a short distance away on the edge of the village. I hurried across the parkland and entered through the white picket fence. My cousin Dinah answered the door when I knocked.

"Is Uncle Everett at home?" I asked promptly.

"He's in the church," Dinah answered, "preparing for the wedding." The wry look on my cousin's face told of the vicar's displeasure in the situation.

"I think I have instructions for him," I stated ruefully, "from Miss Charlotte."

I turned quickly and marched along the path toward the Norman church. Dinah raced behind me and grabbed my arm, stopping me. I turned to her and smiled.

"Come back when you finish," my cousin invited, smiling. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"All right." I smiled back. "I'll see you after I deliver the royal command." Dinah and I shared a giggle, and then I rushed toward the church porch.

"Uncle Ev?" I asked, hesitating in the aisle. My uncle knelt before the altar as though in prayer.

"Yes, my child?" The vicar stood, his lean body obstructing the beams created by the large stained glass window.

"A note from Charlotte Plumb." I extended the white envelope in his direction.

"I see." Uncle Everett glanced at the outstretched missive, deep frown lines developing on his forehead.

I pointed it further in his direction, yet he continued to evade it. Finally, I pushed it into his hands. The vicar opened it, read, and shook his head sorrowfully. Crumpling the paper in his fist, he strode toward a wastebasket. Tossing it in, he stepped from the sanctuary. Curious, I fished it out and began to read.

'You need to omit to obey from the ceremony

You need to speak clearly at all times, no mumbling

You need to address me first, then Joel

You need to...'

I recrumpled to paper and returned it to its rightful place. Poor Uncle Everett, I thought. My father's second brother had enough on his mind without dealing with Miss Plumb and her demands.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I hugged myself against the chill. Suddenly, the church's inner sanctuary became cold. Turning on my heel, I followed Uncle Everett into the warm June sunshine.

Dinah waited for me on the church porch. Two years my junior, she wore her blonde hair in ringlets fastened with large pink bows. A pinafore covered her rose-patterned calico dress. Smiling warmly, she took my hand and led me into the vicarage garden. She sat in the swing beneath the oak, and I pushed her.

"Higher," Dinah shouted, her laughter floating behind her. "Higher!"

I shoved her back harder and set her sailing into the sky. Her legs pumped wildly, propelling her still higher. Then, we switched places, and I began to fly on the swing. Finally, filled with summer joy, we left the swing and promenaded around the garden path.

"I haven't had this much free time since Joel came home," I stated, collapsing onto the white bench beneath the arbor. I plunked a white climbing hydrangea and brought it to my nose. "Miss Charlotte keeps everyone on the run, day and night."

"Papa doesn't like Miss Charlotte," Dinah stated pensively. "He cringes when she comes into the church. Papa says she's a heathen. He says she a..." My cousin pressed her lips together, halting her statement.

"She's a what?!" I demanded, standing with my hands on my hips. "What does Uncle Ev say she is? Come on, Dinah, out with it."

My cousin worried her lip with her upper teeth, hesitating to respond. I noticed fear creep into her eyes, and she wiggled uncomfortably on the bench. I continued to stand above her menacingly.

"Dinah!"

"Okay, okay," she finally relented. "Papa says she's a meretrix and a gigelot."

I stared at her incredulously. Then, I sat down beside her promptly. The wind seemed to rush out of my lungs.

"You know what a..."

"Indeed I do! Grayson speaks Latin, and he taught me those nasty words when he learned them," I breathed, my eyes rounding with awe. "Oh, Joel!" I moaned mournfully.

The day's joy departed quickly. Dinah and I continued to sit in the arbor, but our happy chatter ceased. The sunset in the west, and we sat on and on. Finally, Aunt Betsy came out on the veranda and called Dinah in. She hustled into the cozy vicarage, leaving me to my dismal thoughts.

Finally, I stood and crossed the parkland. Entering stealthily through the patio doors, I marched through the foyer toward the swooping staircase. As I began to climb, Lottie's shrill voice called me. I hesitated momentarily, allowing her to catch up with me.

"Where were you?" she demanded crossly. "You left me waiting for the vicar's response all day. I expected you back promptly."

"There wasn't a response," I answered, continuing upward.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte rushed after me and grabbed my arm roughly. "No response? Indeed. The wedding is only four days away. My note was imperative. I expected an answer."

"The vicar doesn't respond to demands, Lottie," I remarked coolly. "He'll conduct the service as he always does. He's married many people, you know. I think he knows what he's doing."

"You are impertinent." Charlotte's cheeks grew florid, and she loomed above me. "You have a lot to learn, girly-girl. I will become your superior in four days—one step beneath your dear invalid mother. How long do you think she'll last? She's on her last leg. When she's gone, I will take her place, then you will learn."

I stared at my brother's fiancée incredulously. How dare she imply Mama's death? My temper rose swiftly, and I did not attempt to control it. I stretched out my hands, using all the force I could muster, and shoved Charlotte as hard as possible. She tumbled and, grasping for the banister, fell to her knees. Angrily, she glared up at me. I drew back my foot and kicked her squarely in the stomach. Her screams echoed around the foyer.

Spinning, I raced up the stairs and dashed along the corridor toward the next staircase. Finally, I raced into the nursery and passed Miss Young. A startled expression covered her face as I dashed toward my bedroom. Slamming the door hard, I plunged across my bed and sobbed.

"What now?" my governess demanded, hovering above my bed.

I sat up and glared at her. My red, puffy eyes felt sore from the tears I shed. Grabbing my pillow, I hugged it against my chest. Claudia Young continued to stand above me with a look of ire sketched across her usually calm face. I considered my statement and began to explain. However, the corridor door banged open, and Joel stormed in.

"What have you done?" my elder shouted angrily. "Lottie could have lost the baby!"

"You don't even know if it's your baby," I countered hotly. "Really, Joel, you should consider..."

Joel's face blanched and then reddened. I rarely saw my older brother nonplussed.

"How many men do you think she's been with, Joel?" I continued, holding him in place with my statement. "You cannot believe you are the only one. Mightn't that child belong to someone else? You're her patsy, big brother of mine, a means to an end. All she wants is your title. She talks about Mama like she's about to take her last breath. Can't you see what's going on?"

"Enough!" Joel shouted, covering his ears with his palms. "Enough! Lies! All lies! You took sides against Lottie from the moment we arrived, Priss. You created the problem since day one. You're spoiled, willful, and arrogant. You've always gotten your way. You're not going to stand between me and happiness."

Spinning on his heels, my brother departed from my room. I noticed a figure hovering in the corridor as the door closed behind him. I closed my eyes, and the tears began to flow again. Miss Young sat beside me on the bed and embraced me. My brother echoed the harsh and cruel words Miss Charlotte dictated to him. Otherwise, he would have never spoken roughly toward me. I was always his beloved sister; now, because I spoke out against his paramour, I became his nemesis.