The two girls blinked twice, jaws dropped in awe as they stared at the older woman. Though she always answered the "Mrs." title in front of her name, none of them had ever taken time to think of the possibility she could be married, not to talk of having children! Perhaps there was much more to this woman than they knew.

Emerald found herself squeezing the hem of her black gown with her lean fingers. She was not sure if she was ready to revisit the dark days of her life. She had worked ...