It had been two days since Caroline's return, and Lola had spent much of the time thinking. As a result, she'd completed more than half of the project currently on the loom, and it glowed with sunset shades of crimson, scarlet, deep violet and vivid coral-gold. Now it was mid-afternoon, it was snowing again, and she'd finally reached a decision. When Lola had looked for her Papa the other day, after seeing Caro, she hadn't found him. He'd gone out, the servant at Alder House had told her, and wasn't expected back that evening.

Now, two days later, she had made up her mind to find him again. She pulled on a cardigan over the sleeveless turquoise-and-brown swirls of her dress, slipped on her shoes and bundled up in a warm coat. Then she hurried out the door for the long walk up to Alder House; her truck had died its final death, that night outside the Inn.

By the time she arrived at Maple Grove and Alder House tucked back into its corner of the estate, she was pink-cheeked with the cold and a little breathless. She was also rewarded when the door was answered and Georges, the butler, informed her that her father was in fact at home, in his study. Georges took her coat with a kind smile and she went tiptoes to give the old man a kiss on his cheek.

When she entered the study, Junior was standing by the window, looking out at the still-falling snow. He had a half-empty glass of scotch in one big hand, signet ring tapping against the cut-glass edges. On the sideboard, the decanter of whiskey was almost half emptied. "Papa?" Her voice carried soft into the room.

"Laura. What are you doing here?" Junior's voice was rough and uninviting. He turned to face her, and his cheeks were flushed with the alcohol. She stepped the rest of the way into the room and shut the door behind herself. These wouldn't be words for everybody to hear.

"I needed to talk to you, Papa. Caroline's back. I've been to see her, and she was hurt " so much." She walked further into the room while Junior's hand clenched around his glass. Her purse dropped to the floor with a thump. "It was because of you, Papa. She would have been returned weeks ago, if not for you. She wouldn't be so terribly hurt, if you'd just agreed to the cost."

Junior's florid face grew darker as rage flushed his features and a scowl twisted his mouth, his brows and eyes. "Be silent, Laura. You don't understand anything. Humphrey should never have agreed to pay this slaver's demands! Now everyone will know the Grangers can be threatened for their money."

Lola's eyes had gone wide as Junior spoke, shock and hurt crossing her face without any thought of hiding the expressions. Her voice came out just barely above a whisper. "But " but it's only money." She pulled in a breath, and repeated herself stronger, "It's only money, Papa. Caroline is family."

"I said be quiet, Laura!" Junior walked away from the window, set down his scotch on the desk with a thump that sloshed the liquid in the glass. His features were set in harsh and angry lines. "Do you think everything we have came without money' This house, your schooling, your stipend" You want to give up everything for one incident, live with constant fear that next time some slaver will take you instead to extort more money from us?"

"The money isn't important, Papa! And I haven't spent any of that stipend in months, not since July, not since you threw out Ollie " "

"I told you never to say that name around me again, Laura."

"Since you cast off your own son " "

"Silence, Laura."

"Because he found out about your women, even before Mama died ?"

"Be. Quiet."

"And the money you took from the Conglomerate " " SMACK!

Junior's big hands flexed, his breath a heave of rage that tore the sudden silence. His face was still apoplectic red as he looked at Laura on the floor. She looked up at him, silent and utterly shocked, with the print of his backhand already coming up red on her face, the reversed imprint of the stylized G on his ring showing in the center of the bruise.

"I told you to be quiet." His voice, in contrast to the deep rage on his face, was utterly calm. "But then, you've always been a willful, trouble-making child. Clumsy, disobedient, stupid and sluttish. Do you think I don't know about Brandon, about this new man you're 'seeing?" You're just like your mother, a selfish, spoiled, useless brat of a girl."

Lola flushed, and paled, as her father spoke. Her right hand lifted to touch the stinging, throbbing mark where he'd struck her, and she felt like she could barely catch a solid breath.

Junior looked down at Laura with fury and contempt, his voice still deadly calm. "You will not tell anyone about this, or about the rest of it. Do you understand me?"

"Y..yes, Papa.? She finally looked down, and reached over to pick up her purse. Junior nodded and turned his back on her, walked over to pick up his scotch. Laura stood and pulled her purse over her shoulder, tilted her head so that her curls fell forward over the right side of her face. Then she hurried from the room, and left Junior staring out the window at the snow, signet ring tapping on the cut glass of his scotch.