There's No Place Like Rhodes (Book 2)

Something Authentic

Charlotte noticed the snubs as soon as they departed the train station. Mr. Godfrey had been with the Dorsch family for years and a masterful caretaker of the house, but a naïve part of her had expected to be greeting one of her blood relatives instead of him. After all, Charlotte and her companions had traveled quite the distance and it'd been months since she'd seen them all.

Charlotte brushed it aside as nothing more than a meaningless oversight. After all, Clark's wedding party was being set up so the family was likely busy with that. She couldn't let possibly misconstrued slights get to her or she'd be agitated the entire visit.

Then Charlotte caught sight of the coach Mama had sent and she switched back to her original assumption. The carriage was older and should have been sold off years ago since its paint was chipping and the cushions inside were heavily used.

The third undeniable insult came with her mother revealing that the three of them would be staying on the second floor. Inherently, there was nothing wrong with the second floor except that it was reserved for acquaintances. The balcony views faced the street instead of the gardens and the rooms weren't as finely furnished as the third floor.

However, what grounded her from actually getting worked up was Arthur not noticing anything wrong. His reactions reminded her that none of these intended slights meant anything in the grand scheme of things. This wasn't her life anymore and they were only in town temporarily.

So, she let go of her hurt ego and watched Karen and Arthur's marvel, allowing herself to see her childhood home with the wonder of fresh eyes too.

"Now I know why your momma looked at the cabin like it weren't nothing more than a hovel," Arthur was saying as they finished readying for dinner. "The whole house would fit into the entry of this one."

"It's cozy," Charlotte said defensively, perhaps more fervently than necessary, as her mother's disapproval had been on her mind too.

"Yeah, cozy." Arthur shook his head and opened their bedroom door. "For a rodent."

"It's not that bad," she protested, trying not to laugh, but his teasing had her smile slipping out. Especially when she remembered rodents had made it their home when she'd first moved in. Luckily, Puck had taken care of the last of them.

"You gotta admit, it don't hold a candle to this place."

"It does if what I want in a home is something small," she returned, stepping past him and into the hall.

"If you say so." He shut the door behind him. "So, I wanted to ask. What's in store for tomorrow?"

"Well," she hooked her hand over his elbow. "Mama wants a private breakfast between her and I, before the reception. After that, the house and lawn will be set up for the normal sorts of wedding celebrations I imagine."

"What's that entail exactly? Ain't never been to one."

That shocked her. "Never?"

Arthur shrugged. "Nothin' real conventional anyhow." His eyes slipped into memory. "I saw Hosea and Bessie get married in '83, but it weren't done in a church."

Arthur rarely spoke of Hosea even after their visit to his grave, but his voice always softened at the mention. Charlotte replied, "I'm sure the sentiment is much the same as any wedding. All of your friends bore witness to it, yes?"

He shook his head slightly. "Back then, it was still just the three of us. I mean, we hadn't even saved Marston from the noose yet."

Charlotte itched for him to elaborate on that tale, but one was never alone in the halls of this house and she didn't want the story overheard. So, she asked, "Well, you've been to a party or two, haven't you?"