Sorry for the long time between updates! On a bit of a Preston-episode binge at the moment! Please read and review xx

The journey was undertaken in relative silence, Rebecca rather afraid to even look at her mother-in-law for fear of her reaction. After witnessing what she had, Alice had absented herself from Rebecca's company that morning and when they had met in the parlour in the early afternoon to make their way to the ladies' circle, the atmosphere had been somewhat strained.

The meeting of the ladies circle was being held in the home of Elizabeth Drake, a well-to-do and well-known woman from Beacon Hill, whose large home was a short carriage ride away from the Lodges'. Neither Alice nor Rebecca had spoken since being helped into the carriage by the footman but the latter was keen to try and make amends, despite her embarrassment.

"Alice…" she started slowly, "I want to apologise for earlier. It was completely…"

"Nothing to worry about," Alice interrupted dismissively. "I've quite forgotten all about it."

"Yes…" Rebecca didn't quite believe her, "but I wanted you to know that…well Preston and I…we don't normally behave as if…I mean, we would never take advantage…"

"My dear," Alice looked at her, a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth, "you don't have to apologise. If anything, I should be the one who is sorry for barging into your room without knocking and waiting to be admitted." She reached over and patted Rebecca's hand. "I'm just glad that you and Preston appeared to be reconnecting. I was worried about you for a time when you first arrived."

"You were?"

"Of course I was. I could see how far apart from each other you were and how you both seemed to blame yourself for what happened to Caroline. I was afraid that you might find it too much of an obstacle to overcome. But I am reassured by what I saw this morning, even if it was something not meant for my eyes."

Rebecca smiled, "I'm glad."

"Oh, here we are!" Alice announced as the carriage drew to a sudden halt. "I haven't seen Elizabeth since she returned from England last month, so it will be nice to hear all her news. I have so often dreamt of seeing London."

Rebecca followed her mother-in-law out of the carriage and looked up in awe at the house before her. It was bigger than any other house she had ever seen with blooms at every window and a large, ornate front door guarded on either side by two well-dressed footmen. Instinctively, she looked down at her pale green dress and worried that it wasn't suitable enough for such a visit.

The footmen bowed to both ladies and opened the door which led into a large, marble-floored vestibule with all manner of exquisite paintings adorning the walls. A large, deep mahogany staircase spiralled upwards at the far end and a crystal chandelier hung down from the ceiling completing the look of undisguised wealth.

"Alice!" Rebecca turned to see an older woman come hurrying out of an adjoining room, her arms open to receive her friend. "How lovely to see you again!" She and Alice kissed on each cheek. "You're looking lovely, my dear."

"Thank you Elizabeth," Alice replied, stepping back and gesturing to Rebecca, "Elizabeth, this is my daughter-in-law Rebecca."

Rebecca only just managed to stop herself from curtsying and accepted the other woman's outstretched hand. "Of course," Elizabeth smiled broadly, "You must be Preston's wife."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rebecca replied, handing her bonnet to a gentleman who suddenly appeared at her side.

"How nice that you decided to come along to our gathering while you're in the city," Elizabeth continued, "please, both you of you come through." She turned and led them through the door and into the drawing room where a number of other ladies had already gathered. She introduced them, but Rebecca knew she would never remember their names. "This is Mrs Helen O'Connor and, of course, you know Mary…"

Rebecca paused as she caught sight of the last two women to be introduced. Helen was sitting nearest the window, a dress of pale yellow highlighting the blonde of her hair, a fine china cup in her hand and a supercilious smile on her face. Next to her, was Rebecca's sister-in-law Mary, Peter's wife, whom she had only had the misfortune to require to dine with on two occasions in the past.

"Mary, darling…" Alice bent and kissed her other daughter-in-law before taking the vacant seat next to her. "Rebecca dear, do sit down," she gestured to the chair next to Helen.

Slowly, Rebecca moved towards it and sat down, wishing with all her heart that she had decided not to come.

"It's lovely to see you again, Rebecca," Helen said, "it's high time you got out of that house. You can't stay locked away forever, can she Mary?"

Rebecca's gaze moved to her sister-in-law whose look of contempt could hardly be missed. "Of course not," Mary replied. "There isn't much to do indoors all day."

"Oh but Rebecca is a great reader, aren't you?" Helen said. "And the Lodges' do have an extensive library, don't they?"

"I've certainly managed to amuse myself, thank you," Rebecca replied as evenly as she could. She looked past Mary to try and elicit some help from Alice but she was engaged in conversation with another woman.

"And how are you feeling now?" Helen asked. "You were terribly pale that day I saw you in the park, but I do believe that you have a little more colour today."

"I'm feeling better, thank you."

"I heard that you and Preston attended the opera last night," she continued.

"I see that not much escapes your notice, Helen," Rebecca replied.

Helen's gaze flickered slightly at the veiled insult, "Indeed," she replied. "Well, for all its size, Boston is a fairly close-knit community. Word gets around."

"I hardly see how my attending the opera with my husband would make for interesting gossip," Rebecca accepted some tea from Elizabeth's maid with a smile.

"Oh it wasn't so much that," Helen continued, accepting another cup, "it was more you dashing from the table in La Gardenia before so much as eating a mouthful that caught the city's attention."

Rebecca froze, cup halfway to mouth, as Mary tried, and failed, to cover a snort of laughter.

"Was there something wrong with the food?" Helen asked, her eyes wide and innocent.

"No," Rebecca replied, as controlled as she could. "It was fine, thank you."

"Then what on earth would make you leap out of your seat and take to your heels?" Mary asked. "I heard that the whole restaurant was quite shocked."

"I didn't notice," Rebecca replied through gritted teeth.

"No, you wouldn't have," Helen said. "You would have been too busy running." She and Mary laughed again and Rebecca was only prevented from hurling an insult in return by Elizabeth starting to speak and bring the meeting to order.

For the next half hour, she tried to feign interest in whatever it was Elizabeth was talking about, but found she couldn't and indeed, immediately after the other woman had finished talking, found that she was completely unable to remember what the topic of conversation had been. Instead, she found herself cursing the two women next to her under her breath. Helen's bold assertiveness never ceased to amaze her, given her own situation. As for Mary, well Rebecca thought little of her anyway given that she was so like her husband and Peter had never exactly endeared himself to her.

It was soon time for more tea and a selection of cakes and sandwiches which Elizabeth's maid brought through, allowing the women to mingle and help themselves. Rebecca, eager to get away from her tormentors, made her way quickly to the table to obtain more tea and try and engage Alice in some form of conversation, but Helen and Mary followed her and her mother-in-law was too busy talking to another group of ladies.

"Tell me, Rebecca," Helen said standing, as she was, close behind her, "what are your chances of conceiving again? I mean, it must be difficult after losing a child in such tragic circumstances to even consider the possibility. A woman needs to be of a strong constitution to bear children, particularly sons." She glanced sideways at Rebecca, "And of course, we all know that is what men want, even if they do deny it. Especially a man like Preston," she added, "Coming from a family of five brothers, it would only be natural."

"We can't all be as fortunate as you, Helen," Rebecca said, trying valiantly to hold her tongue.

"Yes, I was lucky in having Jackson. He really is a handsome boy and quite the apple of my eye."

"It's simply a shame he has no father, isn't it?" The words were out before Rebecca could stop them and she momentarily felt a cold wave of shame course through her. But then she saw Helen's face and the feeling was replaced by one of sweet revenge.

Helen stared at her, "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, you are still separated from your husband, are you not?" Rebecca asked. "And I understand that the gossip at the time was that your husband wasn't the father of your child. It's funny how you've forgotten that in your pursuit of ridicule."

"Rebecca!" Mary exclaimed, her face the picture of horror.

"At least my child had a recognised father and at least I have a husband that I am still living with," Rebecca ignored her sister-in-law, enjoying the look on Helen's face. "There can be no talk of my situation. And at least I am not some bitter, twisted old bitch who cannot seem to move past the rejection she received all these years ago now and spends her time delighting in making the most of other people's misfortune!"

"How dare you!" Helen spluttered.

"How dare I? How dare you!" Rebecca shot back. "You've done nothing but try to make me feel worthless and inadequate since the moment you realised that Preston loved me and not you. And my misfortune has only succeeded in giving you ample ammunition to throw at me. Well let me tell you something," she stepped closer to the other woman, "I'm tired of your games and your snide little remarks. They only show you up to be the uneducated, ill-bred, morally questionable woman that you are. And as for you," she turned to Mary, "I haven't so much as seen a hint of a child in your immediate future and you've been married a lot longer than I have. So you might want to hold your tongue in future!" With that, she turned away from them and moved over to where Alice was standing.

"Rebecca," her mother-in-law greeted her, "I'd like you to meet Mrs Worthington."

"How do you do," Rebecca said politely, "Alice, I'm sorry but I have a dreadful headache. Would you mind if I slipped away? I don't want to be impolite…"

"Of course not," Alice reassured her, "Have them bring the carriage for you and then you can send it back later."

"No, no," Rebecca replied, "I'd really rather walk. I think the fresh air might do me some good."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"I am thank you. And please thank Mrs Drake for inviting me." Without wanting to incur further questioning, Rebecca made her way out of the room, retrieved her bonnet and stepped out into the cool afternoon air. As she began the walk back to the Lodges', she let out a long shaky breath and replayed the conversation with Helen and Mary in her head. It had felt so satisfying to finally say what she had been longing to for weeks, but with the heat of the moment having passed, she wondered if it had been the right thing to do. No doubt Mary would tell Peter and then it would get back to Preston and his father and she found herself not at all sure that they would be pleased with her. Then she thought about how both women had gone out of their way to make her feel unworthy and unwanted and she felt more sure than ever that she had done the right thing.

When she arrived back at the house, it was in virtual silence, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. "Is my husband here?" she asked Lily who greeted her at the door.

"Yes ma'am, he's in the study with the master," Lily replied.

"Thank you." Rebecca made her way along the corridor to where her father-in-law kept his study, a large, forbidding room that she had only been in once before when she had got lost. As she approached the door, she could hear the sound of voices, one of which she recognised as being Preston's.

"Come in," his father said when she knocked on the door.

Pushing it open, she stepped inside to see Preston, James and their father sat around the large desk in the corner which was strewn with papers. "I'm sorry to intrude," she said.

"You're not," Preston said, getting to his feet. "We didn't expect you and Mother back for another few hours."

"I came away early," she explained. "I wasn't feeling very well. Your mother is still at Mrs Drake's but she said she would be home in time for supper." She paused. "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course," Preston replied, following her out of the study and along the corridor into the parlour. "You look a little pale, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied, turning to face him. "But I want to go home."

He looked at her uncomprehendingly, "I don't…"

"I want to go home," she repeated, "to Colorado Springs, to our house…I don't want to stay in Boston any longer, Preston. I don't belong here anymore."

"You've only been here a matter of weeks," he replied, "and you've spent most of that time here in the house. I thought that once you got out…"

"To the ladies' circle?" she looked at him. "It was one of the most…insufferable afternoons of my life having to sit and listen to a conversation in which I had no interest, not to mention having to put up with Helen and Mary making me feel…" she broke off.

"Making you feel what?"

Rebecca sat down in one of the chairs. "We had words."

"Who had words?" Preston asked, sitting down opposite her.

"I did, with Helen and Mary. They were both delighting in making me feel like I had no business being there that I just couldn't help myself. I told Helen that she was a bitter, twisted old bitch and…"

"You said what?" Preston stared at her agog.

"Don't pretend that you haven't thought it yourself."

"Well…yes but…I mean…I wouldn't…"

"Well I've said it now so if you want to be angry with me, go ahead and be angry with me, Preston, but I really don't care! I'm tired of that woman thinking that she can say whatever she likes to me and never getting any response. And as for Mary…well she's clearly been taking lessons from your brother." Rebecca shook her head. "We will never escape these people as long as we remain here and I don't want to, not any longer. There's a train tomorrow afternoon. Please, please say we can go home." She leaned over and clasped his hands in hers.

"That's what I wanted to talk with you about anyway," Preston replied. "Father, James and I have been doing a lot of talking over the last few weeks and they're both very keen for me to come back to National Trust. We've been discussing ways to take the bank forwards and I have some good ideas and…well…" he looked at her, "it would mean staying here in Boston."

Rebecca stared at him, "How long for?"

"Well…permanently."

"But what about your bank back home?"

"Mr Foster has been doing an excellent job keeping things going whilst we've been here," he replied, "and he did say he was thinking about a permanent move to the west when I offered him the position."

"But you left your father's bank on a point of principle," Rebecca reminded him.

"Yes, which no longer exists," he said. "The whole point of my leaving was because Father wouldn't accept my feelings for you. Now that he has, there's no reason why things couldn't go back to the way they were before I left."

"I thought you loved Colorado Springs."

"I do, but…now I could have the best of both worlds; my work here and you here with me. I'm not saying we have to sell our house. We could keep it and visit from time to time."

Rebecca got to her feet, pulling her hands out of his and walking over to the window. "And what about Caroline?" she asked. "What about our daughter buried in the cemetery there? You're suggesting that we just leave her there alone?"

"It wouldn't be like that," he reassured her. "I'm sure that Michaela and Sully would make sure that her grave was well tended."

"So you'd rather forget that she existed?"

"Of course not! I'm just saying…"

"Only last night, Preston, we were talking about how much she meant to us and what we had lost and now…now you want to just forget all of that?" she turned back to look at him. "Where would we live?"

"There are a number of eminent properties on the market at the moment. I'm sure we would have no trouble finding something that would suit us both."

"And what would I do all day while you worked at the bank?"

"Whatever you wanted to, darling," he came and stood beside her.

"Could I get a job?"

He hesitated, "Well, I…"

"So the answer to that would be no."

"Rebecca, you've hardly given me a chance to explain all of the benefits of remaining in Boston," he persisted. "You've not even given it any consideration."

"Because all of the benefits will be for you," she replied. "The bank, being with your family, being in polite Bostonian society again. What do I get out of it, Preston? Seeing Helen and Mary everywhere I go? Being kept indoors with nothing to do except entertain while you spend all day every day working?"

"You're being a little quick to judge…"

"And what if I say no?" she glared at him defiantly. Preston looked lost for words, as though he hadn't even really considered that as a possibility. "What if I say that I don't want to stay here?"

"I…"

"Tell me!"

"I don't know, Rebecca!" he snapped. "I had hoped that you might see this the same way that I do, as an opportunity for both of us to make a fresh start away from all those…those memories that are waiting for us back in Colorado. You might think it a welcome notion to go back there but how will you feel when you step off of the train and all those feelings come back? When you remember all that's happened there?"

"I can handle it!" she replied angrily. "I've thought long and hard about everything since we've been here and despite everything that's happened, I know that I will be much happier there than I ever will be here! Perhaps you're just afraid of how you'll feel!" She saw a flicker cross his face and her temper immediately dissipated as she feared she's reached the nub of the issue. "Preston…" she moved closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders, "it would be the easiest thing in the world to hide here and never go back. But we have a life there, jobs there, friends there…coming here was the right thing to do at the time but it's time to go home. Besides…" she moved closer to him and brushed her lips against his, "there's no privacy in this house…"

Preston chuckled lightly and pressed his lips against her forehead before drawing her into his arms. "I just want…" he broke off.

"Me," she finished for him, pulling back and looking up at him, "and I want you. But I want you in Colorado Springs, not Boston." She kissed him lightly, tugging gently on his lower lip.

"Why do I feel as though you've already gotten your way?" Preston murmured, catching her mouth with his and pulling her close to him.

"No, no," Rebecca whispered, sliding her hand down his stomach to the waistband of his pants and then lower, "this has to be a decision that you come to with no interference from me." They kissed again, "It has to be what you want."

"What I want right now isn't fit to be mentioned in public," he replied, his breath hot on her neck.

"Well then," Rebecca grinned, stepping away from him and holding out her hand, "perhaps we should keep it for the privacy of the bedroom."