Heartwood Read Online Free PDF Page B

expect them to work hard and do well. We just want to ease the way for them a little.”
    “After all, they have a long haul ahead of them,” Iris said eagerly. “Laura still has three more years until she graduates from college and I know myself how long it can take to get a doctorate.”
    “Then perhaps Laura could put her own ambitions on hold and support her husband,” Mrs. McAllister put in. “Plenty of women have done that—and without complaining about it.”
    For a second, Laura wasn’t sure she’d heard the womancorrectly. Then she looked at both of Robby’s parents and realized with a shock that this was what they expected of her. And Robby had never told them differently.
    “I plan to work while Robby’s studying for his doctorate,” she said angrily. “And I promise I won’t complain.”
    And I can’t imagine why I ever felt sorry for you, Mrs. McAllister. You deserve your horrid husband
.
    “With a college degree Laura can earn more money,” Iris said, even though she and Theo never would have thought of education in terms of dollars and cents.
    “Well, all I know is, I quit school and went to work as a file clerk when Father and I got married,” Mrs. McAllister said. “It wasn’t an exciting job, or intellectually stimulating, but we needed my paycheck, and it was the best I could do. I don’t remember anyone ever saying I had to go to college or have someone pay my way while I did it.”
    “But Laura’s mother and I
do
say she must go to college,” Theo snapped. And Laura could tell how furious he was, because his slight accent had suddenly become more pronounced, and his aristocratic face had taken on the expression that Laura and her brothers used to call “snooty” when they were young. “Laura will have the same education we have given our sons. And the same assistance.”
    It was going to get ugly—even more than it had last night. Mr. McAllister was now glaring at Dad, and Mrs. McAllister was taking in deep, angry breaths, and Dad was looking at both of them like they were something disgusting he’d found on the bottom of his shoe. If either of them said anything else Dad was going to let them know exactly how stupid and ignorant they were. And in spite of how much Laura felt she’d enjoy that, she knew it would devastate Robby. Plus, she wanted both familiesto be on speaking terms for the wedding. She was going to have to do something.
    “Mom and Dad, don’t worry about us,” she said. “Robby and I will both get jobs. We won’t need any help.”
    And no matter how hard her parents protested for the rest of the evening, and in the coming days, she was adamant. After all, she was helping Robby save face—she was sure Nana would have done the same thing for her husband.
    –—
    If she had expected Robby to be grateful to her for giving up the financial assistance that, frankly, she’d been counting on, she was wrong. He didn’t say a word about those two terrible nights until they were safely back on their campus and in bed in his room at the dorm. He stared up at the ceiling, not touching her.
    “So now you know,” he said. “My dad drinks, not all the time, but too much. I’ve never been sure if that was why all his businesses failed or if he started drinking because he was a failure.”
    “It doesn’t matter, it has nothing to do with you,” she said fiercely.
    It seemed to be what he needed to hear, because he put his arm around her. But he was still troubled. “Try not to judge my mom, okay?”
    “It seemed to me that she was the one doing the judging.”
    He sighed. “You don’t know what her life has been like.”
    “She seems to think it was ideal. Or, at least, she was ideal.”
    “No. She knows better. That’s why she … oh, you’ll never understand.” He pulled his arm out from under her and stared at the ceiling again.
    “Try me,” she said more gently.
    “You had it all when you were growing up. A home full of culture and