Nettie wished she hadn't sent Eli to retrieve her sewing machine. It was easily replaced, and based on the amount of time this errand had taken, something had gone wrong. Eli was irreplaceable.

The front foyer doorbell rang - a first, in Nettie's experience. Eli hadn't had a single caller in the almost two weeks she'd been there, other than those in his office. She jumped up to get it, but Diana shook her head. "Mrs. V has her pride too. Let her do her job."

The door ...