Eve’s American neighborhood seemed untouched by the war. But while everything looked neat and clean and orderly, it seemed barren. The sparse trees and bushes would take decades to grow. Audrey missed the stateliness of Wellingford Hall, the beauty of its spacious rooms and wooded grounds.
She turned to face Eve again. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to leave England behind and come here? And to face Robert’s family after turning away from them four years ago? Especially after the way Robert died . . .” She paused to swallow the choking grief that still welled up whenever she thought of him. “You know how much Wellingford has always meant to me, and I thought I would always live there. The reason I came to America . . . the reason I’m here is because I had no other choice.”
Eve sighed and passed her hand over her face. “Listen, we can figure out a way for you to get a new start here. There are plenty of nice little towns where you can live. You can have all of the Barretts’ money—”
“I don’t want money! I’ve had money all my life and it never provided what I needed the most. Or what my son needs. We want a family, Eve. The one you’ve stolen from us.”
“You threw it away—！”
“Yes! Because I was grieving! But that still didn’t give you the right to take it!”
They’d reached an impasse. How long were they going to stare at this roadblock before one of them gave in and tore it down? It would have to be Eve. Audrey wasn’t going to budge.
Bobby stirred in her lap. “I don’t feel good, Mummy,” he murmured. He looked pale and listless, his eyes red-rimmed as if he had cried all night. She brushed his dark hair from his eyes. His forehead felt warm. Was it the summer’s heat or was he feverish? She wished Wellingford’s housekeeper were here to advise her.
“You need to eat something, darling.” He shook his head and buried his face against her shoulder. For some reason, Audrey thought of her brother. She often wished that her son had Alfie’s spark of humor, his mischievous streak. Instead, Bobby was quiet and reserved like his father had been, often gazing into space as if pondering deep mysteries. Did Eve miss Alfie as much as she did? Audrey knew she and Alfie had enjoyed an extravagant life when they were Bobby’s age, and they had taken it for granted. She closed her eyes, silently praying the way Rev. Hamlin had taught her, asking God to show her the solution to this dilemma. His solution.
“Hey, you wanna play in my sandbox?” Eve’s son asked, tapping Bobby’s shoulder. Bobby moved away from him, squirming deeper into Audrey’s arms.
“He doesn’t feel well, I’m afraid.”
“What’s wrong?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know. He feels warm to me. Can you tell if he’s feverish?”
Eve stood and placed her hand on his forehead. “He does feel warm.”
Audrey’s fear spiked. Reports of infantile paralysis filled the newspapers back home and struck fear in every mother’s heart each time her child ran a fever.
“My tummy itches,” Bobby said with a moan. Audrey lifted his pajama top. He was covered with tiny pink spots.
“Is there a physician we can call?” she asked, her heart pounding.
“I’ll phone Mrs. Barrett. I’m sure she knows someone who will come out to the house.”
“You don’t think it’s polio, do you?”
Eve waved away the question as she walked toward the kitchen telephone. “I’m guessing it’s measles—which means Robbie will probably catch them, too. We’ll be stuck in this house for a week!”
Audrey listened as Eve dialed the telephone, then chatted with Mrs. Barrett with easy familiarity. “Hi, Mom, it’s me. Sorry I’ve been out of touch but my visitor from London is still here. . . . Yes . . . yes, we served in the Army together. . . . Listen, her son is running a bit of a fever and has a rash. . . . Mm, I thought it might be, too. Do you know of a doctor who—？ . . . Thank you. That would be super. Thanks. . . . No, you’d better not visit us, Mom. Robbie is sure to catch them, too, and we’ll need to keep the boys quiet and in bed. . . . Yes . . . Yes, I’ll call and let you know what he says. . . . Bye for now.” Eve returned to the living room and heaved a sigh. “Mrs. Barrett promised to send a doctor. There are dozens of them at her country club.”
“You call her ‘Mom’？” Audrey asked.
“It’s what she asked me to call her.”
Audrey felt astonished and angry at the same time. And cheated, all over again. Eve had stolen her son’s family. Her family. Yet Audrey doubted if she would ever be able to call Robert’s mother Mom. That word held an entirely different meaning for her than it did for Eve. “Well. It seems we’re going to be your prisoners for a few more days,” she said, exasperated.