So she insisted that Thomas’s future wife could not simply be thrown from her home after his death.
Then came the final lines:
If that wife happens to be you, perhaps the world has a sense of humor.
Do not erase me.
But do not disappear for me, either.
There is room.
Evelyn.
I sat there for almost an hour.
Then someone knocked.
Claire stood outside beneath a black umbrella.
She had come because Mr. Bennett told her about my trust.
At first she accused me of knowing about Thomas’s money.
I told her I had known nothing.
Then she saw Evelyn’s letter on my table.
All the color disappeared from her face.
“That’s Mom’s handwriting.”
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
I pushed it toward her.
“You should read it.”
Halfway through, Claire began to cry.
When she finished, she whispered:
“My mother knew about you.”
