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any more from you about canceling. Understood?”
    â€œYes, Papa.” Oh, she understood all right. The Carlyle name would be sullied if they backed out now. Anything to protect their precious reputation. Amelia pushed away her plate, her appetite gone.
    When he had left, Mama leaned toward Amelia. “My dear, I know you don’t really care for the social life like Amanda did, but this is what we do, and it’s what is expected of you. You’ll meet many nice young men who are all good prospects for marriage.”
    â€œOh, Mama, don’t you see? It’s like I’m being paraded like cattle to auction for the men to assess and evaluate my worth.”
    Mama’s eyebrows raised and her eyes opened wide. “Wherever did you get such a ridiculous notion? What do you know about cattle auctions?”
    Heat rose in Amelia’s face as she regretted her choice of words. She mustn’t implicate Ben in any way. The less they knew about her feelings for him, the less likely they were to forbid a relationship. “I believe Mr. Haynes mentioned something about cattle auctions while they were here. He said they took herds to Kansas City where a price was determined by their size and appearance.”
    â€œI see.” She tilted her head. “It’s best you remove that idea from your mind and concentrate on all that lies ahead in the next month. We’re going to be quite busy, and I need your full cooperation.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” She laid her napkin on the table and stood. “I’ll be ready when it’s time to leave this afternoon.” Her sedate exit from the dining room became a mad dash up the stairs once out of her mother’s eyesight.
    She shoved the door of her room closed behind her and threw herself across the bed. It had already been made up, and she grabbed one of the lavender silk throw pillows and hugged it to her chest. So much for that little idea, but she had tried. When her father had that look she’d just seen on his face, no argument could change his mind.
    The next few months loomed ahead as a dark blot on the horizon of her life. If only she could just go about her daily routine of reading, practicing the piano, and taking care of volunteer duties at the church. She had no taste for the luncheons and other social events in which her mother was involved.
    In addition, all the other girls looked at the season as a time of competition for the most eligible men, and hurt feelings, jealousy, and resentment often resulted. She couldn’t forget some of the things said about Amanda behind her back when Charles Bishop had proposed.
    No matter what others had said, Amanda loved Charles with all her heart. She had confided in Amelia during those days when Charles courted her. Amanda dreamed of her life with Charles and the love they had. One only had to look at their faces when they were together to see that theirs was a love ordained by God. It spoke of purity, trust, loyalty, and faith not only in God but also in each other.
    That’s what Amelia wanted. God wouldn’t show her the man of her future at some fancy dress ball. She’d prayed about it often enough to know that God would give her the best young man for her. Perhaps, just perhaps, Ben Haynes was that young man. One thing for sure, he’d at least get an invitation to the cotillion from Mary Beth, whether he was able to come or not.

    Lenora glanced up from her writing when Isaac entered the bedroom and approached her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Dear, that little outburst of Amelia’s concerns me. She has a free spirit that doesn’t enjoy being bound by the duties of her station in life, but we can’t allow her to have free rein with her likes or dislikes.”
    â€œI know, and we had a little talk after you left. She compared the cotillion to being paraded in front of the men like cattle at an auction.” A tiny smile passed her