They had their answer in the Boston Atlas the following morning. Whoever it was intended on throwing her to the fishes.

The article was posted in the society page along with who wore what and who'd made a match with whom. It didn't come right out and name them, no doubt the paper protecting itself from being sued for slander, but it gave enough clues to their identities that it left no room for doubt.

"Well, Josef, see what your inaction has caused?" Elizabeth said, pointing out the offending piece.

Josef had been reading about the Whigs' nominations for the upcoming election. He always gave Elizabeth the society page. The only news he didn't care for. He remained unconcerned even after he read it. "It could have been worse."

The comment didn't cheer her up even the slightest bit.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Mrs. Quinn," Kid said, "but most people ain't no good. Sad but true."

"Only One is good," Ruth added.

Elizabeth was in no mood to be preached at. She ignored them altogether.

The breakfast dishes had barely been cleared from the table before a servant from another household arrived with a letter. A letter uninviting Rebecca to a dance being held that evening.

"And so it begins," Elizabeth muttered after Harrison had given it to her.

"It doesn't bother me," Rebecca assured her mother. "I'm sure it would have been dreadfully boring. I'd much rather stay home and work on my French. I fear I'm falling behind in it."

The cheerfulness grated on Elizabeth's nerves. She was much too like her father. Why couldn't she just throw a tantrum like a normal teenager? Like Elizabeth herself felt like doing. "That's not the point. The point is no one uninvites a Quinn anywhere."

The invitation wasn't the only disruption to the day. Around lunchtime, Elizabeth received a visit from the president of the league to which she belonged, a visit that didn't last long.

Madame President carefully sipped the hot tea Elizabeth had offered without saying anything as if she had stopped by for no reason in particular, but when she had made her way through most of the cup, she finally said what she'd come to say. "I think you need a break from the Leading Ladies League. Just until this unfortunate talk dies down you understand."

Elizabeth gave the woman a hard look. "If that's the way you're going to be, you can keep your membership. I don't want it."

She gave a patronizing smile. "It's true then what they say about Irish tempers."

"Get out of my house" she said coldly. She'd known her friends were false. If she wanted to be honest, had it been some other lady facing a crisis of this sort, she would have shunned them as well. At least, she would have before today.

She followed her to the door to make sure the infuriating woman left immediately. After she watched her get into the carriage, she turned around and caught a whiff of something coming up from the kitchen. She didn't normally venture into the kitchen, but she was intrigued. She'd only requested sandwiches for lunch. Clearly something else was cooking.

She found Sister Ruth at the stove rather than her cook.

Ruth looked up and noticed her on the stairs that led down into the kitchen. "Hope you don't mind. Your cook said you and Dr. Quinn wouldn't care and I really wanted some taters. It's been a month of Sundays since I had any."

"Taters?"

"Potatoes. You ain't had them till you've had them fried. Got some soup beans and cornbread going too. You can have some if you like. I made enough for anybody who wants some. This lunch'll stick to your ribs. Won't need no teatime to fortify you till supper."

Elizabeth didn't look too sure of that and eyed the golden slices and the popping grease with an upturned nose. "That's kind of you, but no. No meat?"

"Well, the beans got salt pork boiling in there just for flavoring and it's bacon grease that I'm frying the taters in, so I reckon it ain't a complete departure from meat."

"I'd say not."

Elizabeth looked as if her stomach turned at the thought in much the way Ruth's had at the look of oysters. It was all in what you were used to, Ruth supposed.

"Where is my cook?" Elizabeth asked, looking around the empty kitchen.

"The tomatoes went bad, so she went out to buy some fresh ones. She'll be back any minute."

"You must be enjoying this," Elizabeth said abruptly.

"Enjoying what?" Ruth asked in confusion.

"My downfall. I haven't exactly been fair to you or your husband in the matter."

"I don't rejoice in anybody's misery. I'm kind of surprised you suspected we stole from you though. Be kind of dumb to steal and then stick around afterwards to get caught."

"I imagine it would," she said, hinting she had thought them that dumb.

Ruth reached for the spatula to flip the potatoes to make sure both sides were golden brown and Elizabeth caught a quick look of Ruth's feet as her skirt twisted in the action. "Are you in your bare feet?"

She gave her a guilty-as-charged grin. "I guess you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl."

"That may be, but you're in the city now. It's time to start acting like it."

"If you knew where all my shoes had been, I think you'd be grateful to me for not wearing them in the kitchen." She used the spatula to scoop some of the fried potatoes into her plate. The beans went onto the other side where she then crumbled the waiting cornbread over the beans. She said a quick blessing before digging in right there in the kitchen.

"Then I'm going to take you to the shoe store where they have been nowhere but the store."

"I got to get to the hospital. I promised to be there after lunch. Got a nun there that's been working almost 18 hours and needs a break to sleep. I pray they send another nun to their order soon. They need one."

"It can wait. I'll drop you off there after we finish and you can ride back with Josef when his shift ends. I don't need anymore humiliation in my house than I'm currently facing."

Ruth could choose to be offended by that statement, but she saw it for what it was, a desire to get out of the house and away from any more letters or visits as well as do something that made her feel she had a measure of control over something. "Sure thing, sister, if it's that important to you. Just let me a place of these fixings up to Kid and we'll be on our way."