He woke in his bed, head throbbing, mouth tasting foul, ears ringing. He rolled over and groaned, opened his eyes and squinted at the picture of Christy's family which sat on the bedside table. Just like before. As he gained full consciousness he remembered it wasn't just like before, and wished he could go back to sleep, wished he could pretend Margaret's return had just been a bad dream.
He dragged himself up out of bed. For a moment, he considered making breakfast, then he thought perhaps another drink would help more. No – by the time he got down the stairs he'd seen Christy's presence or haunting absence everywhere in the cabin and realised he couldn't stay here. Not for a single moment longer than it took to get his boots on and get out the door.
Would he have to clear out Christy's things one day? Take down the pictures she'd only put up a week ago? He couldn't even think of it. No. There had to be a way.
It didn't take him long to think of it: he could divorce Margaret – surely any judge worth his salt could make that happen. Considering what she'd done, how long it had been since... surely.
He was in El Pano before the sun was high in the sky, and on a train by nightfall.
"You can't just take it back." Alice sat down on Neil's bed, watching Christy pack.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Christy sat back on the floor. The bag was a mess.
Alice knelt down beside her, opened the bag and pulled everything out, folding it and putting each item of clothing back inside the bag.
"It's all I can do. My father will help. And it will be as if we never..." Reality hit her again. She clapped her hand to her mouth and cried.
"Oh, Christy." Alice bundled her into her arms.
"The marriage'll be annulled." She said through sobs. "It has to be."
Alice just rubbed her back, her head, her arms. There was nothing to say that could help, nothing but a prayer that she could offer. She couldn't think of Margaret, couldn't spare a thought or care, and she was glad of it.
The next day she took Christy to El Pano and put her on a train to Ashville.
Her parents were wonderful. They asked the bare minimum of questions, looked after her, watched and waited.
"Daddy." She found him in his study one evening.
"What is it darling?"
"I need you to tell me how to get an annulment."
He took a deep breath. "All right. If you're sure."
"I'm sure." She willed herself to keep her emotions in check, her head clear.
"Come with me to the office tomorrow."
"All right." She left, her resolve and composure slipping.
She was a mess. For two weeks she had cried herself to sleep or else not gone to bed, just stared into the dying embers of the parlour's fireplace, until her brain shut off. When she slept in bed she had fewer dreams, but in the space between sleeping and waking, her half-conscious mind drummed up a hot body beside hers, sneaking in from working late. Waking up and realising it wasn't Neil, but rather a cruel figment of her imagination, made her dread going to sleep at all.
The next day she looked at a piece of paper, hand poised to sign.
"What is it darling?" Her father moved to stand behind her, hand on her shoulder.
She shook her head, "I'm tired." She signed, quick, before she could think about it any more. What difference did it really make anyway? This was just the bit of paper, the legal technicality, the official hard proof that it had never happened. Only it had and she couldn't imagine how this bit of paper would make it any less real.
But it had to be done.
"Where are you going, darling?" Her mother stood in her doorway.
"Back to Cutter Gap."
"No, Christy. You can't go back."
"I have to Mama. I have my work, the children."
"But you won't be able to avoid him."
"No. Maybe not. But I can do good there. I was happy there."
"Darling, you can't go back. You can't pretend it never happened."
"Isn't that why you want me to stay here – to pretend it never happened? Maybe in a few years the whispers and the rumours will stop and someone will want to marry me? I just can't Mama."
Her mother sighed, slowly nodded. "All right. I'll come with you to the station."
She slept on the train, stayed the night in El Pano, and started out early the next morning for the mission. The walk had never seemed so long. Seeing the mission house was such sweet relief, she thought she could almost just faint. She marvelled at how changed she was, how weak and emotional, easily shaken, and tired. So tired.
David was doing repairs and saw her first. He jumped down from the ladder and ran out to meet her, taking her case. "Welcome home."
She smiled, took his arm. "Thank you. It is good to be home."
"You are the strongest, most determined woman I have ever met." He chuckled, watching her.
She laughed. "I need to sit down."
And she did as soon as she got inside.
"Did I hear – Oh, it is you." Ruby Mae skipped into the room and hugged Christy. "We surely did miss you Miz Christy."
"Thank you, Ruby Mae."
"I'll put on some tea. Miss Alice is up at Cataleechie – due back today though, I reckon."
Christy drank her tea and trudged up the stairs, falling into her bed and asleep before either thoughts or tears got in the way.