*
There was a dinner party in the dining room of the house. The room was longer and thinner than usual. Edward sat at one end, far away from me, next to a young woman with thick, red hair and full lips. She wore a red, lacy robe that concealed very little and I could see the slope of her breasts beneath the fabric. He was holding her hand under the table as they drank their wine. This infuriated me, but I had other guests to entertain and didn’t want to make a scene.
My mother was there, a few places away and she seemed smug about the whole ordeal. She wore the Christmas brooch in her hair, glued to a barrette. She had too much make-up on and I was embarrassed for us both. She hadn’t bothered to conceal the purple bruise about her neck and that bothered me, as well.
Moorely sat to my ri
