Once Maria felt the situation was adequately heated, she left the room. Ensuring no one was around, she expressed her concern to Albert:
“That wretched girl ran off with her uncle. Rosalie asked us to keep an eye on her…”
Maria and Albert had sons, but their daughter, Whitaker Rosalie, was their pride. They treated her words as gospel. Suppressing his anger, Albert replied:
“How dare you bring this up? Didn’t you say Scarlett cracked her head open and was on the verge of death? I even deliberately delayed coming back for two days. And now, she’s alive and well, running off with William!”
Rosalie was right—Scarlett was the type to hold grudges. She would surely remember this against their family.
But Walter Janson chose Rosalie because of her excellence. Albert didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
He followed his daughter’s advice. If Rosalie said Walter Janson had great potential, then he couldn’t let Scarlett have him. No matter how well his niece did in life, as her uncle, he wouldn’t benefit from it. Only if his own daughter succeeded would his life improve!
Whitaker Scarlett had temporarily left behind everything about Larkspur Village.
Elizabeth’s family home was in Wellwater Village, a three-hour walk from Larkspur Village—one was to the east of Greenfield County, the other to the southwest. Scarlett’s maternal grandparents had fled famine and settled in Wellwater Village in Greenfield County. Still, they had passed away early, leaving behind three children with no relatives to care for them. When William was younger, he had been a bit of a drifter but had somehow managed to raise his two younger sisters. Scarlett also had a younger aunt who had married into a neighboring county, though they didn’t visit often.
William himself hadn’t married until his thirties, and he’d fathered a son—Scarlett’s little cousin—who was now six years old and the only male descendant in the family. William brought Scarlett and Elizabeth back to Wellwater Village after night had already fallen, so their arrival didn’t attract much attention from the villagers.
Scarlett’s aunt, Amanda, couldn’t sleep and was still sitting in the main room, holding her child.
Hearing movement at the door, she hurried to open it.
“You’re finally back! How are Scarlett and her mother?”
William stepped aside, allowing Scarlett to step forward and call out, “Aunt Amanda.”
Hearing Scarlett’s voice, which was full of energy, Amanda’s tone lightened unconsciously.
“I heard you hit your head back at home; you almost scared me to death! And then this little cousin of yours had a high fever—I couldn’t spare a single moment to leave… Thank goodness you’re alright!”
For not going to check on Scarlett in time, Amanda and William had gotten into a big argument after he returned.
Amanda felt a little wronged but was mostly afraid. If anything had happened to Scarlett, William wouldn’t have let it slide.
Seeing that Scarlett seemed fine, Amanda quickly explained herself.
Scarlett wasn’t an unreasonable person. Amanda, after all, was not a blood relative like William. And who wouldn’t care more about their own child? Men like Whitaker Chris, who doted on someone else’s daughter more than his own, were rare exceptions.
“AuntAmanda, I’m fine. How’s Michael doing?”
Michael was Scarlett’s little cousin. The child was being held by Amanda, looking listless and spiritless.
William, growing impatient, said, “Go inside and talk. My younger sister is here too. She and Scarlett will be staying here from now on.”
Only then did Amanda notice Elizabeth silently following behind Scarlett. William’s bicycle was also loaded with a lot of luggage. Amana’s mind filled with questions—this seemed like far too much for just a short visit.
Had they completely severed ties with the Whitaker family?
