The evening did roll around with all its expected anxieties. We were all settled in the main hall with our eyes peeled for the man who was supposed to visit us. While I doubted Noah would go back on his word and ditch us, it wasn’t impossible. After all, he had said that he wouldn’t accept Anne until he was assured she was carrying his child.
“What should I do if he doesn’t show up, Momma?” questioned an anxious Anne, who could no longer sit patiently at her spot. “How will I raise my child without a father?”
“No such thing will happen, dear,” assured my mother, rushing to her older daughter’s side to comfort her. “He loves you and the child dearly. He will come for the both of you.”
“That’s right,” agreed my father. “He understands the importance of an heir for his family business,
