Part 2 of "In The Woods When First We Met"

217. Josie Tells the Truth

Josie didn't stop running until she reached her front door. She threw herself into it, still crying, and bumped right into her mother.

Her mother pulled her away from her and looked her up and down. "My darling girl, what's happened to you?"

She saw Josie's wet cheeks and runny nose. Her stockings had streaks of dirt on them and her bow had fallen out of her hair, dangling limply from a loose curl.

Josie was trying to talk, but nothing was coming out.

"Come here, pet," her mother crooned. "Now what's got my pretty girl looking so...untidy?"

"Billy-" Josie began, but broke off, unable to continue.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Pye breathed, her hand flying to her heart. "Dr. Carter...Morgan Ryland...I wasn't sure whether we should believe it, but...Josie...has he..."

Josie shook her head. "No. He didn't do anything to me. It's what I've done!"

"What you've done? What do you mean?"

Josie took a few big gasps of air and then everything spilled out. "Oh, Mother! I was so wrong! When you asked me all those questions, I lied to you! I lied about everything!"

"What exactly, dear? There's been too much confusion."

Josie sat on the sofa with her mother, and told her the whole story, from the beginning- from Ruby following Anne and Gilbert into the woods and listening as they discussed what to do about the baby Billy had given Anne, and ending with Josie accepting Billy's lie that he'd just fallen into Anne's wicked ways and had never meant to get taken in by her.

"I've been protecting Billy all this time! I protected him because I liked him and I wanted him to like me. I just...I just wanted to believe him! What an awful thing I've done!"

Mrs. Pye hugged her close, and Josie could feel her mother shaking.

"Mother, I'll never spread rumors again!" Josie cried.

"Nor will I," Mrs. Pye said softly. When she pulled away, the gravity of the situation showed in her face and in her voice. She said to Josie, "We must right our wrong."

And she told Josie to go wash her face and straighten up her appearance, because they'd have to go out for the evening. They had several calls to make.

By the time night fell, each of the families that had been told the rumor by either Mrs. Pye or Josie herself, had been visited, humbly apologized to, and told the truth of what Josie had been hiding.