The old woman’s words, sharp as shards of glass, hung in the air long after they were spoken. "I'm not inventing this! It's the truth! Linsy was working as a secretary before she even graduated—closest to the water, she got the moon first. Of course she married well! She's clever, unlike the rest of you. And what of Sophia now? No job, a ruined reputation—what kind of future can she possibly have?"

Delly’s mother was a vicious old crone, and her words were deliberately cruel. Sophia, ...