Read Annie's Song for Free Online Page A

her way through the bushes to escape him a few minutes ago, Alex Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    had reason to wonder if terror wasn’t more reflexive than anything else, an instinctive emotion inherent in morons and geniuses alike. He wished she might forget quickly, but somehow he doubted she would.
    His throat felt parchment-dry. The faint scent of wood smoke coming from the hearth blended with the acrid smell of the cigar. “If there should be complications, please feel free—”
    “God forbid!”
    Alex didn’t blame the man for rejecting all thought of a pregnancy, but that being a natural consequence of what Douglas had done, it was a possibility neither of them could completely eliminate. “All the same, please contact me if problems of that nature should arise. I’ll happily lend assistance in any way I can.”
    The judge gave a disheartened nod. Coming abreast of Alex, he reached up to pat his shoulder, his expression reflecting his utter dejection. “I appreciate your coming over. It took guts.”
    More than he could know. Alex felt heat crawl up his neck. It wasn’t in him to hang his head, but he wanted to. “You know how to reach me.”
    “Rest assured I’ll be in touch if it should prove necessary.”
    There seemed nothing more to say. Alex exited the house, his mind swimming. Incredible though it seemed, Douglas had once again gotten off scot-free. Alex knew he should feel relieved. But he didn’t. It wasn’t fair that Annie should be the only one to pay for the wrongs that had been committed this day.
    Not fair at all.

Chapter Three
Four months later
    August 16, 1890
    Saturday. Pressing her forehead against her knees so her mother could scrub her back, Annie mouthed the word exactly as she had seen her mother say it and tried to think how it might sound. Some words were easy because she could remember hearing and saying them when she was a small girl. But Saturday was more difficult. In her recollection, she’d never heard the word spoken. Not that it mattered if she imagined the sounds wrong. Her mama slapped her mouth whenever she tried to talk. Annie wasn’t sure why and had long since ceased to wonder. The rules were different for her than for other people, and she had come to accept there were lots of things she wasn’t allowed to do.
    She didn’t really care. Not anymore. When she went up to her secret place in the attic to play, she could do anything she wanted. Except for her pet mice, no one was up there to see and tattle on her. In the attic, she could dress up like a lady in old clothes from the trunks. She could have tea parties just like her mama did and pretend she could talk. Sometimes she even danced. And when she grew bored with doing all of that, she could sketch with the pads and pencils she’d sneaked from Papa’s study. The attic Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    was a lot of fun, and being able to do forbidden things there made up for not being able to do them the rest of the time.
    Saturday. Annie mouthed the word against her knee again and promised herself that the very next time she went to the attic, she’d practice saying it in front of her mirror. In her younger years, before she had completely mastered lipreading, she had believed the word Saturday meant “bath” because her mother always said it with great emphasis as she shoved her into the tub. Now Annie realized Saturday was the day preceding church day, and in preparation, everybody in the family had to bathe.
    Since Annie hadn’t been allowed to attend church in a very long while, she didn’t think it was fair that she had to take a bath right along with everyone else. In the morning, she wouldn’t be allowed to put on a pretty dress like her mama and three sisters always did, and when it came time for everyone to leave for services, she would be left behind with the servants. Who was going to notice if her