Donovan's Daughter (The Californians, Book 4) by Lori Wick

bedtime.

     
twenty

    Alex had to turn his face away from the pain and
confusion he saw in Marcail's eyes. He had not approached
her at church for fear of making a bad situation worse,
but the desire to sit next to her, put his arm around her,
and tell her everything was going to be fine was overwhelming.
    But telling her such a thing would be a lie. Everything
was not going to be fine, at least not for a while. Alex
knew with a dreaded certainty that in order to make
things "right," Marcail was going to have to make some
painful decisions. He missed every word of the sermon
while he prayed for Willits' young schoolteacher.

    Marcail was cut to the quick when Allie Warren walked
past her without a word. She knew her friend had seen
her, but Marcail watched as Allie kept her face averted,
even when she called a greeting to her.
    It had taken half the morning, but the innocent Miss
Donovan finally understood that this sudden, cold treatment from the people at church had to do with her
spending a night at Dr. Montgomery's home. Her first reaction was shock, and then outrage at what they must
have been thinking.

    It didn't seem to matter that she'd have frozen to death
if Alex hadn't rescued her. In the eyes of the townspeople, she had acted outside the bounds of propriety,
and that was not to be tolerated. Feeling lonely and
rejected, Marcail walked home from church alone. It was
the first week she hadn't been asked to join one of the
town's families for Sunday dinner.
    She spent the day praying, overcoming her hurt, and
working on her lessons for the following week. It was
almost a relief to realize that she wouldn't have to see
anyone but her students until the following Sunday.
Marcail, who still did not grasp the severity of the situation, hoped that everyone would be over their upset by
then.

    Marcail looked into the uncertain faces of the six children in her class and wanted to cry. She had hovered
around the door for an hour after she rang the bell,
finally accepting the fact that most of the town's families
were not going to send their children to school.
    The Austins, Vespermans, and Whites had sent their
children, and after Marcail directed them to read silently
in their readers, she sat at her desk and decided what
course of action to take.
    First of all, she knew that the children who had come to
school deserved her undivided attention as well as all the
instruction she could offer them. Second, she would
dismiss a little early and pay a visit to Mr. Flynn. Marcail,
after coming to these conclusions, settled down to the
teaching at hand.

    "Mr. Flynn, I would be happy to stand before Mrs.
Duckworth and the entire school board and attest to the
fact that Dr. Montgomery was the soul of propriety while
I was in his home."
    "I have no doubt that he was, Miss Donovan, but
you've watched Mrs. Duckworth; you've seen the way
she runs things in this town. You know that the hands
of all the people whose buildings and businesses are
owned by her are tied."
    "In other words," Marcail spoke with a sinking feeling
of dread as his words finally became clear to her, "you
want my resignation?"
    "I'm afraid I do." He spoke with visible regret. "I was
coming to see you about it this afternoon."
    'And if I refuse?" Marcail asked, telling herself not to
cry.
    "Then the majority of your class will not be receiving
an education, because they will be kept out of school as
they were today."
    Marcail had thought the way Mr. Flynn's hands were
tied concerning Sydney was awful, but this was atrocious. Her voice said as much when she spoke.
    'And if I went to Mrs. Duckworth myself?"
    'As before with Sydney, it would only make matters
worse."
    Marcail sat in silence for a moment. Mr. Flynn could
only watch her. At length she stood.
    "The word 'quit' has never been a part of my vocabulary, Mr. Flynn, and I don't care to add it now. I'm going
to continue to teach at the Willits school whether