“And she didn’t come to you on her own?”
“Yes, once. I ordered her out.”
“But why?”
“It was not the same. I can’t explain. But I think with her husband gone, something in your mother’s psyche cracked beyond repair.”
“My mother!”
“Yes. It was Grace Ruddock.”
“No. You dominated my mother, tossed her aside and then took up with her daughter?” She was astounded.
“Years later, Mackenzie. Don’t confuse things.”
“Then why are you telling me now?”
“Because it’s part of the story and you want the truth.”
“And am I part of the story too?” she asked. Raw things in her were agitating what had once been a peaceful summer morning. Just casting her eyes on him, she thought she could see the devil in the man. Her mother, that dear, twisted, convoluted soul, who she’d tried so hard to h
