Chapter Twenty-one
Charlie climbed the stairs and stopped at the door to the study. She hadn’t entered the room in ages. She pushed on it, crossed the floor, and jerked the sheet off the painting over the fireplace, exposing a large image of a couple. The man in a dark suit appeared facing his wife, long sideburn whiskers covered his face, a receding hairline still featured black hair. The woman was much shorter, her red ringlets pulled up in a loose bun behind her head. Her hands rested together on her husband’s arm, her hoop skirt full. Would her parents have ever changed their opinions of her? People did change. Had she?
Charlie wadded the sheet in her hands and pulled down a second, revealing a picture encased in a gold leaf frame that featured a younger man. His eyes were light, his
