differences.â Penny leaned forward and picked up one of the muffins, then tucked her feet up under her and got more comfortable in the large wicker chair with the big down cushions. âHere in the States, we pretty much want to be known for what we do, rather than who our parents were or where we came from. Itâs what we make of ourselves that we want to be known for. Donât you think?â
âI think you might be right. Whereas in England, I suppose it seems, well, I donât know, this will probably sound elitist or something, but people would rather be known for their ideas, not what they do for money.â
Penny laughed. âOh, you sound like Sarahâs grandmother. Have you met her?â
âYes, Iâve met her a couple of times. Sheâs extraordinary.â
âShe is. I remember Sarah telling me how appalled her grandmother was that Sarah had decided to go into trade ! Isnât it funny that there are still people who think like that? Trade! â Penny laughed at the sound of it.
Abby smiled but she was a bit ashamed to admit that her own mother had raised her with the same contradictory set of values. One, especially if one happened to be female, was meant to be productive but never money-grubbing, busy, but never truly obligated to an employer. It was an impossible balance to strike.
âIâm sorry, did I say something wrong, Abigail?â
âOh, no, nothing.â She looked up and saw compassion in the womanâs eyesâjust like Eliotâs. Something sweet and concerned that made Abby want to cry. âReally nothing. Just how we all sometimes get mixed messages from our parents.â Abby smiled again, trying to change the subject.
âOh! I know all about that!â
âReally?â
âYep. This was my parentsâ house.â Penny gestured around her head. âI was born in this house. Thatâs why I sound like Iâm from a farm and Eliot sounds like heâs from⦠Harvard. That boarding school bred the farm right out of him. Anyway, my people were what was known as upstanding . Methodists. Hardworking farmers. No nonsense. And I went and fell in love with the boy in school whose father was a truck driver. His people were from Kentucky no less.â The way she said Kentucky made it sound like a plague on both their houses. Which it probably was at the time.
âSo⦠you and Will were star-crossed lovers, then? How romantic!â
Penny took a bite of her muffin and stared at Abigail. âIt sounds romantic now, when you say it like that, but we eloped and it was more like the end of The Graduate than anything else. So scary.â
âOh dear!â Abby brought the palm of one hand to her cheek. âThat bad?â
âI know! Can you imagine? My poor mother. Bless her heart. Those few weeks were probably the worst of her life. I was her only child and my father swore heâd never speak to me again.â Penny gave a quick laugh. âHe was always one for blowing his top on Monday morning and then making amends by the weekend. But they were long weeks, Iâll tell you what.â
âMy mother can hold a grudge for months. Years even. Youâre lucky.â
Penny tipped her head to one side. âIâve never met your mother, but Eliot mentioned she is⦠formidable.â
âThatâs an understatement! But go back to your mother and how you worked it out.â
âOh. My father came around eventually. What else could he do? Heâd raised me to be honest and trustworthy and all that, and Will was the man I loved.â She shrugged as if it had all been out of her hands. âSo there really wasnât any way around it. I had complete faith in Will Cranbrook. He promised me he would always love me and that he was going to take his fatherâs one truck and turn it into a hundred trucks.â Penny took a slow sip of coffee. âAnd thatâs just
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