them against her pillow. She didn’t hear her door open. She didn’t know anyone was in the room until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She jerked herself upright and found herself reflected in Rachel’s worried hazel eyes.
Rachel sat in her nightgown on the edge of the bed, one leg tucked under her. The first rays of morning light touched her tangled hair and turned it golden. “Delia? Are you all right?”
A tear crawled its way down Delia’s cheek. She brushed it angrily away, and clutched her pillow tight against her chest. “Do I look all right?”
Rachel stared down at the hands knotted tightly in her lap. “Did Daddy hurt you, too?”
Delia’s heart stopped. For a whole second. “What?”
Rachel glanced up, and Delia saw the ageless look of despair in her sister’s eyes.
“I cried, too, Delia. It hurts awfully, doesn’t it?”
“Rachel . . . Did Daddy . . . ?” She didn’t need to ask. She knew. And felt a terrible, ungovernable rage. Ray John had said if she let him keep using her, he would leave Rachel alone. But he hadn’t.
Rachel’s revelation also explained why Ray John hadn’t come to Delia’s room once in the past three weeks. Delia had thought it was because he was angry with her. He must have been going to her sister’s bed instead. Oh, poor Rachel!
“He loves us, Delia. He doesn’t mean to hurt us,” Rachel said in a small voice.
Delia recognized the words. They were what Ray John had told her in the beginning, too. She knew them now for the lies they were.
“He doesn’t love us,” Delia countered. “He doesn’t love anyone but himself.”
“I . . . I hate him, Delia,” Rachel whispered. “I wish he were dead.”
Delia watched the tears spurt from her sister’s eyes at this horrendous confession. “Oh, Rachel.”
The two sisters clung to one another.
“We have to tell Mama,” Delia said. “We have to go to her and tell her what he’s done to both of us.”
“We can’t!” Rachel said. “Daddy said—”
“I know all the things he’s said to keep us from telling on him,” Delia said. “But Mama has to believe both of us together. She won’t have any choice.”
“I can’t tell Mama. I can’t,” Rachel wailed.
“Shh,” Delia crooned. “Don’t cry.” She brushed the blond curls back from Rachel’s face and kissed the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll do it for both of us. Mark my words. If Mama gets mad at anyone, it’ll be Ray John, not us. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
Rachel looked at her with hope . . . and fear. “Are you sure, Delia?”
“It wasn’t your fault, Rachel. And it wasn’t mine.”
Delia felt very powerful suddenly. She would never be a victim again. Ray John had crossed the line when he defiled her sister. Delia was going to make sure he paid for his sins. It was a good thing, she realized, that she would be speaking to her mother alone. Rachel didn’t need to hear the full extent of their father’s heinous deeds. She didn’t need to know he had impregnated his elder daughter.
Delia thought of having to leave home to go have her baby somewhere else. Somewhere nobody knew her. She felt an ache of loneliness. And a deepening hatred for Ray John Carson.
“I’ll go see her now,” Delia said. “You go to your room and lock the door and don’t let anyone but me or Mama in.”
“What if Daddy comes? Sometimes he does, when he gets back from the Kincaid. What if he orders me to unlock the door?”
“Tell him he isn’t allowed in your bedroom anymore.”
“I can’t do that,” Rachel said, aghast.
“You can. And you will.”
Delia escorted her sister across the hall and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, Rachel,” she murmured. “I’m so very sorry.”
“For what, Delia?”
“I should have found a way to stop Daddy earlier. Before—” Delia’s face scrunched up as she fought tears. She pounded her fist against the doorjamb. “If only I had gone to Mama sooner!”
“Stop, Delia.
She jerked herself upright and found herself reflected in Rachel’s worried hazel eyes.
Rachel sat in her nightgown on the edge of the bed, one leg tucked under her. The first rays of morning light touched her tangled hair and turned it golden. “Delia? Are you all right?”
A tear crawled its way down Delia’s cheek. She brushed it angrily away, and clutched her pillow tight against her chest. “Do I look all right?”
Rachel stared down at the hands knotted tightly in her lap. “Did Daddy hurt you, too?”
Delia’s heart stopped. For a whole second. “What?”
Rachel glanced up, and Delia saw the ageless look of despair in her sister’s eyes.
“I cried, too, Delia. It hurts awfully, doesn’t it?”
“Rachel . . . Did Daddy . . . ?” She didn’t need to ask. She knew. And felt a terrible, ungovernable rage. Ray John had said if she let him keep using her, he would leave Rachel alone. But he hadn’t.
Rachel’s revelation also explained why Ray John hadn’t come to Delia’s room once in the past three weeks. Delia had thought it was because he was angry with her. He must have been going to her sister’s bed instead. Oh, poor Rachel!
“He loves us, Delia. He doesn’t mean to hurt us,” Rachel said in a small voice.
Delia recognized the words. They were what Ray John had told her in the beginning, too. She knew them now for the lies they were.
“He doesn’t love us,” Delia countered. “He doesn’t love anyone but himself.”
“I . . . I hate him, Delia,” Rachel whispered. “I wish he were dead.”
Delia watched the tears spurt from her sister’s eyes at this horrendous confession. “Oh, Rachel.”
The two sisters clung to one another.
“We have to tell Mama,” Delia said. “We have to go to her and tell her what he’s done to both of us.”
“We can’t!” Rachel said. “Daddy said—”
“I know all the things he’s said to keep us from telling on him,” Delia said. “But Mama has to believe both of us together. She won’t have any choice.”
“I can’t tell Mama. I can’t,” Rachel wailed.
“Shh,” Delia crooned. “Don’t cry.” She brushed the blond curls back from Rachel’s face and kissed the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll do it for both of us. Mark my words. If Mama gets mad at anyone, it’ll be Ray John, not us. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
Rachel looked at her with hope . . . and fear. “Are you sure, Delia?”
“It wasn’t your fault, Rachel. And it wasn’t mine.”
Delia felt very powerful suddenly. She would never be a victim again. Ray John had crossed the line when he defiled her sister. Delia was going to make sure he paid for his sins. It was a good thing, she realized, that she would be speaking to her mother alone. Rachel didn’t need to hear the full extent of their father’s heinous deeds. She didn’t need to know he had impregnated his elder daughter.
Delia thought of having to leave home to go have her baby somewhere else. Somewhere nobody knew her. She felt an ache of loneliness. And a deepening hatred for Ray John Carson.
“I’ll go see her now,” Delia said. “You go to your room and lock the door and don’t let anyone but me or Mama in.”
“What if Daddy comes? Sometimes he does, when he gets back from the Kincaid. What if he orders me to unlock the door?”
“Tell him he isn’t allowed in your bedroom anymore.”
“I can’t do that,” Rachel said, aghast.
“You can. And you will.”
Delia escorted her sister across the hall and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, Rachel,” she murmured. “I’m so very sorry.”
“For what, Delia?”
“I should have found a way to stop Daddy earlier. Before—” Delia’s face scrunched up as she fought tears. She pounded her fist against the doorjamb. “If only I had gone to Mama sooner!”
“Stop, Delia.
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