In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

you as well Antoinette. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but as you may have heard, we've had a lot of trouble keeping us busy lately."

She drew Bethany forward. "This is my eldest granddaughter, Bethany. Bethany just got married."

"How do you do, Ma'am," Bethany said, dropping a curtsy.

Antoinette chuckled. "My, what lovely manners! It's nice to meet you Bethany. Congratulations on your marriage." She turned to Giselle, "I heard about your son. I'm so sorry."

Giselle nodded. "Thank you. He will live. That is what matters. Your note said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes. Oh, my goodness where are my manners! Please sit down."

Once they were all sitting, Antoinette nervously pleated a fold of her dress. "I don't know if you heard, but my daughter Sandra and her husband were killed in a rockslide four years ago."

"I'm sorry," Giselle exclaimed. "We have lost touch, haven't we? Why didn't you let me know?"

"I sent a message to the house in Copper City, but I guess you didn't get it."

"No, the war between the Jones and the Smiths was heating up, and everyone was having a hard time getting any letters out or in; both sides intercepted private messages right and left during those years. Didn't they have a child? Was she killed too?"

"No, she was staying with her father's parents at the time. They asked if she could continue to live with them, and since I didn't want her living here, I said yes. That is why I wrote you."

"What can I do for you, old friend?"

"Glenna is old enough to get married now. She wants to come out here to see me. She doesn't understand what it would mean; if she lived with me, people—men—would assume she is what I have become."

"Are you sorry you chose as you did? If you want to start over somewhere else—"

"No, I made my choices, and I will live with them. But I don't want Glenna to have to make the choices I did. If she had a respectable family to sponsor her when she comes..."

"Why couldn't she stay with us?" inquired Bethany. "We could arrange for the two of you to meet away from here, if it troubles you. I think there is a cabin on this side of the river. It could be fixed up. The two of you could spend time there together."

Both older women turned to look at her in surprise. "Have I said something wrong?" she asked.

Giselle smiled at her. "No, you haven't. I think it would be an excellent idea. If you will give me her direction, Antoinette, I will write to her and invite her to stay with us. We will say she is a friend of Bethany's."

Antoinette wiped tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Giselle. I shouldn't have doubted you, but when I didn't hear from you after Sandra and Frank died, I thought—well you can probably guess what I thought."

"I saw Amy in Junction City. I know she would be glad to hear from you. Why don't you write to her?"

"I'll do that. I am glad you came, Giselle, but I know you are still having troubles, and if what I hear is true, they aren't over yet."

"What have you heard?"

"I heard Frank Lutz plans to foreclose on your ranch and mine with some papers a man named Hennessy forged for him."

Giselle nodded. "I need an edge," she admitted. "What do you know about Lutz?"

"I know Lutz isn't his real name. His real name is Smith, and he's originally from Copper City."

Giselle frowned. "I thought I knew all the players in both families. It's strange he didn't go back when they came to power last year."

"He can't. He's hiding from Caleb Jones."

"But the Jones, lost the war," Bethany said, puzzled. "Why would he still be hiding?"

"Caleb Jones didn't die, and he's been hunting Jake Smith for years. Caleb was Jones's toughest enforcer. He can use a variety of weapons, including martial arts, and he's mean as a sander. You see, Jake Smith raped and killed Caleb's baby sister ten years ago." She paused and looked at Giselle. "Caleb Jones is in Bitterstone right now, or at least he was two weeks ago."

Giselle snapped her fingers. "Of course! I remember now. It happened a few weeks before the final battle. Caleb wasn't in town so he couldn't go hunting Smith but he is a hard man. The Jones lost the Clique war but I'm guessing Caleb still wants revenge."

"The grapevine says he does. He adored his little sister. The man who told me this recognized Lutz and wanted to warn me about him. Lutz likes to rough up the girls, and he prefers them very young. My friend didn't need to tell me that though. Two years ago, I had a young girl working in the kitchen. She was only thirteen, too young to work the backstairs, but Lutz saw her. He cornered her one night when we were especially busy and tried to rape her. I threw him out, but he told me unless he got to use her, he would see to it I was put out of business. I got her away and he backed off (I have friends here too), but Lutz still comes around and threatens me. My friend gave me the name of a man in Bitterstone who knows how to reach Caleb Jones."

She rose and went to her desk and took a piece of paper out of a drawer. "Here, this is the address."

Giselle took it. "Don't you want to keep it in case you need it?"

Antoinette smiled grimly at her. "I already used it, but Lutz doesn't know the damage has been done, does he? If you tell him you won't use it, to make him give you the forged documents, who is going to tell him you aren't the only one who knows who he is?"

The two older women exchanged looks of understanding. Bethany kept her mouth shut.

Giselle stood up, "I need