Well so far I've gotten two "Wow's" over the last chapter. Lol is that a good thing or a bad thing? I guess I'll have to wait for more reviews before I know for sure: )

Janell: Let's not worry about babies yet, I was pretty surprised to read that some people actually think that, but its cool that they're thinking ahead.

Dinner will be next chapter!

Norma Jean: You crack me up!

Chapter 40:

MG: lol Harry's family will be introduced soon, but it will probably be a bit before we actually meet them. You'll definitely be rewarded for your help with that whole subject though ;)

Neverlandsprincess: Awe! Thank you, I'm so glad you're liking the story!

Anarra: I was lol when I read your review, short and to the point : )

Sara: Wow, 16 seems like it was so long ago! Thanks for having faith in me though. It's fun having George and Harry being so chummy, I really love writing the conversations between the two. Grandfather has been kind of challenge, going from meanie to sweetie isn't very easy, but I'm trying! Thanks for the review

I really hope you guys don't hate me after the last chapter, my dearest sister looked at me like I was nuts, but hey its my story lol!

Chapter 42

When we got back to grandfather's house he took me into his study and sat me down on the leather sofa. He then went over to his bar and poured some brandy into a glass and brought it over to me,

"Take a sip of this, it will calm you down."

I did, letting the hot liquid run down my throat and spread out inside of me. To my amazement it did help, even if it did leave a lingering tart taste in my mouth.

My tears completely stopped and he let me wipe my face one final time before sitting down next to me and asking what had happened.

I opened my mouth to tell him, but then shut it. He had to have known about this; after all he was my father's father. What if he felt the same way about it that Nan did? What if I did tell him and all he did was ridicule me for my actions? I had to take that chance though; I had to know who was on my side and who wasn't.

So I told him; every little detail I recounted to him, from Aunt Ruth's animosity towards me over the years, to when she told me and the way she and Nan had fought. He sat there and listened, giving me his full attention and made sure I was completely finished before he spoke.

"As horrible as it is, my dear, I'm glad you finally know the truth."

"So you did know? I asked, in a somewhat accusing voice.

"Of course I knew. How could I have not?" he got up from beside me and went back over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He took a long swig of the liquid before turning back to me.

"Jonathan was only 22 when he asked Ruth to marry him. He was mature, but in my opinion not mature enough for marriage. It was against my wishes that he asked her. He asked for his mother's engagement ring to give to her, but I refused it and that's how the rift between us began.

"He proposed to her about this time of the year, if I remember correctly, and she accepted. The date was set for June of the next year, which would have been 1890 I guess. In May or June, Corynn came home from finishing school. She was 19 then and a real beauty, but she knew that. Young men doted over her and she would use them for the gifts and affection before tossing them out with the other rubbish. Jonathan told me he fell in love with her the moment he saw her."

I listened carefully as he spoke, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"I'm not sure when their affair began, but it all came out during the engagement party in August. Right after we had toasted the couple, he disappeared, then Corynn and then Ruth. It was her screaming that interrupted the party and brought Hailey and I running upstairs. We saw them in bed together, and it was more than obvious what they were doing.

"Ruth called off the engagement and I took Jonathan to a seperate room and proceeded to lecture him about his behavior. Jonathan and I came back here the next day and I thought that it was all over with. The weeks went on and I thought it was behind us when Hailey wired me and told me that Corynn was going to have a child."

"George." I said in a barely audible tone.

He nodded, "Yes, George." he paused for a moment as he took another drink and then continued.

"Hailey had a sister, Isabel, who had married some Russian duke and Hailey decided to ship them both over to Russia to marry and avoid the gossip. I didn't attend the wedding; I couldn't bring myself to do it. That spring I received a letter from your father along with a picture…" he reached for a photo album near him on one of the shelves and opened it to the exact page he had intended and handed it to me.

The picture was of my mother, father and brother. George couldn't have been more than a month old when it was taken. They were sitting on the veranda of a house on a wooden bench. No one smiled, but you could see the happiness in their faces.

"…He told me I had a grandson and that they had named him George. And that was the last time I heard from him for nearly 5 years when there came another letter, informing me that I had a granddaughter and that Corynn had died from complications during the birth. He wrote that he was coming back to America and I graciously decided to let him stay here.

"The three of you arrived in March and Hailey was here to dote on her grandchildren. Especially you, she claimed you looked exactly like Corynn, although I don't agree with her at all on that one. Well, time passed, Jonathan found himself a job and moved the two of you to Pittsburgh. You had just turned 5 when he died in that train crash. It was horrible. I'm sure you remember that though."

I nodded, how could I forget that day? My nurse, Mrs. Reynolds, told George and I just as we were sitting down for afternoon tea. The next thing I knew we were going to live with Nan in Philadelphia and not long after that it was off to school in England.

Like he could hear my thoughts, Grandfather began to talk about Nan and England.

"It's obvious that she sent you two there so she could shield you from the gossip that was still going around about Jonathan and Corynn. Ruth had married of course and had a child of her own, but she was still bitter about it and I think she was the one that was keeping it going. I wanted custody of you and George, but Hailey fought me every step of the way and eventually I just didn't have the energy to fight her anymore."

"This is all so unbelievable. I never thought my parents could be so…" I couldn't even finish my sentence for I feared that saying out loud would make the situation even truer.

He came back over to me and sat down, his brandy glass in hand. "You mustn't think that you parents were bad people. They were very much in love; the problem was the timing of when they met. As you are finding out, young people can be irresponsible and that's what happened with those two. They loved both you and George very much and realized how much they had hurt Ruth and I know Jonathan did all he could to make up for it when he moved back here, but Ruth held very tightly onto her grudge."

"All the same I feel so betrayed."

"And you have every right to, but they're both gone Sarah and you need to make peace with them. As for Hailey and Ruth, I can't tell you what to do about those two. George decided to let bygones be bygones-"

"George knows?"

He nodded, "He found out not too long after he started college. People still talk to this day about it and I guess some boys there mentioned it to him. Hailey doesn't know that he does, he came to me when he found out about it and I told him the same thing I'm telling you."

"Why didn't he ever tell me?"

He smiled, "He wanted to protect you. Let you keep hold of innocence for as long as you could. Can you blame him for that?"

I shook my head, smiling at the thought.

"Ignorance is bliss, eh?"

I nodded, Yes, I guess it was.