Chapter Twelve
“I can’t. I just can’t do this.” Sitting on the edge of a squat bench in the kitchen, Lucy’s hands trembled around the cup of hot tea, nearly sending the steaming liquid over the rim. The blanket perched on her shoulders gave her little comfort. Her eyes burned from tears and her throat ached from the retching. “Why did it have to be that? She was trying to look after me, protect me. That’s all. That’s not so horrible, is it?”
“She defied Massa Beau’s decision and in front of all his friends and argued with him.” Lucy heard the cook’s words through the emotional fog.
“He can’t always be right. Nobody is always right. I’m not always right though I really used to think I was, you know?” Lucy spoke faster and faster, repeating herself and not at all clear even in her own mi
