Annaliese stopped in the parlor doorway, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. Julia sighed. “Come here, Dear. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Talking ceased as all eyes turned to Annaliese. “Frogs. Robbie likes frogs, but he doesn’t know the rules. He tried to give me one, even though Justin told him not to. Then he laughed when I told him I don’t like frogs, and he’d better not come near me with it.”

Jacob motioned to her. “Come here, Annaliese.” When she complied, he asked, “Did he come near you?”

“No.”

“Then why are you angry?”

“He laughed at me.”

“Maybe he was laughing at the idea of being afraid of frogs.”

Annaliese gave her head a firm shake. “He laughed because he thinks I’m a silly girl, and that’s not nice.”

Julia took her daughter’s hand in hers. “We can’t know what other people are thinking.”

“We can if they tell us. He said, ‘You’re a silly girl.’”

Seven years later, the day for the long-awaited California trip with Robbie’s family would begin. She only hoped he wouldn’t ruin it with his attitude. When the families were together in Boston for Christmas a few years ago, he’d been obnoxious.

As the train rolled to a stop, Robbie and his family were at the windows waving. As soon as the steps were lowered, Robbie bounded out with a grin.

Annaliese caught her breath. The eighteen-year-old had grown into a handsome young man. Not only was he taller, but his thick gold-streaked brown hair ended is soft curls around his ears and the back of his neck and his hazel eyes sparkled. Nose, mouth and ears all fit perfectly with his face. She didn’t remember him looking like this a few years ago.

Robbie slumped back against his chair. “Alright. You win, but I’ll challenge you again later. Right now, my brain is too tired to think.”

Robbie’s sister Eveline said, “Since your brain is tired, how about a game of Old Maid with the girls?”

“Ha!” Robbie turned to his sister. “You don’t even need a brain to play that, so I should be good to go.” He shifted his focus to Justin. “We can play cards with the girls for a while then get back to the manly game of chess.”

Annaliese told herself Robbie was only teasing about chess being a manly game, but a part of her didn’t want to let it go. She casually asked, “Are you saying girls can’t play chess?”

His eyes widened. “No, not at all. Anyone can play, but the female brain isn’t capable of thinking the way a man does. Understanding rules and the strategy of the game are beyond the fairer sex.”

Seeing her narrowed eyes, he held up his hands. “I was speaking in general terms. There are always exceptions to the rule.”

“When your brain has rested, the next chess match will be between you and me. Best two out of three.”

He hesitated. “Uh, okay, sounds like fun, but don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Over the sound of her brother’s laughter, Annaliese said, “You had better not.”

***

Robbie pasted on a smile. He hoped she wasn’t some kind of suffragette. Those ladies were crazy.

She glanced at Justin and Robbie as they played a fast-paced card game. Her gaze rested on them as they either laughed or groaned. Remembering the grimace on Robbie’s face when she’d asked him about having a chess tournament made her smile. He needed to get over his fear of a female beating him in a game.

Robbie slapped a card on the table. “Ha! I win!”

Justin grinned. “That’s a crazy game, but fun.”

Annaliese joined them at the table. “Have you played this with your parents and sisters?”

He shrugged. “No, it’s a little complicated. I didn’t think they’d want to take the time to learn it.”

“This isn’t one of those games you think is too hard for a girl to learn, is it?”

A tinge of red spread over Robbie’s face and he frowned. “What makes you think I believe men are superior to women?”

“Mostly because of your belief that chess is too difficult for a female.”

He gestured toward her with his hand. “Clearly there are exceptions, but overall, I believe God made men more intelligent. I’ve never once heard the reverend at church read a passage from the Bible that says women should lead the way.”

Annaliese paused. “Maybe we can discuss this when you’re not upset. I don’t believe you’ll be open to reason right now.”

Robbie threw his hands in the air, strode to his bedroom and closed the door. She sighed. It probably would have been better if she’d left that last part off.

Annaliese glanced at him and nodded, then went to a window in the large room. The manicured lawn, formal gardens, and the surrounding countryside were breathtaking. On the other side there were more formal gardens, a greenhouse, a vegetable and herb garden, an orchard and beyond all that, the lake.

From the corner of her eye, Annaliese saw Robbie beside her, soaking in the view as well. She shifted to face him. “You love it here, don’t you? Can you imagine yourself living anywhere else?”

His lips curved up as he turned to her. “Yes, I love it here. No, I don’t want to live anywhere else. This won’t make a lot of sense to an American, but Harringtons have been living here for hundreds of years. It’s where I belong.” He paused, then shrugged. “Unless God tells me to go somewhere else.”

“I think I can understand a sense of belonging where your family has owned land for generations, but I don’t know anyone at home who can say that. Great Britain is much older than the United States.”

Robbie clasped her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. “What about you? Do you feel you need to live in Iowa or Boston all your life? Would you be able to live somewhere else if you felt God leading you?”

Annaliese swallowed past her tightening throat. Was Robbie asking if she’d be willing to live at Ashby Hall? She wasn’t ready to give a real answer to that question yet.

“I wouldn’t say she’s radical, but she believes men and women are equal.”

George stared at him. “And you approve of it.”

Robbie gave a wry chuckle. “She wouldn’t care if I did or didn’t. There are exceptions, and she’s one of them, but generally, women don’t have the intelligence or logic to make big decisions. Men need to do the voting and run businesses. I hope I can convince her to see my point of view.”

“Is that right?”

He swallowed hard as he turned to see Annaliese in the doorway.

***

Annaliese stood in the door of the billiard room. The sting of his words about women hurt. Her eyes focused on Robbie as red stained his cheeks.

He hurried to her side. “That sounded bad. Let’s talk about it.”

She shook her head. “Your position is clear. At least, I was willing to meet in the middle. When two people want to change each other, the relationship won’t work.”

Robbie dropped his chin, then met her eyes. “You’re right. Will you give us time to think about where we stand?”

She sighed. “I won’t change my mind. I know women are as smart as men. I won’t act inferior.”

“I would never expect you to.” He clasped both of her hands and held them against his chest. “Give us time.”

“We need time apart. Time to understand what’s most important to each of us and if we could ever bring them together. Consider this goodbye.”

Annaliese, along with Mama, Papa and Justin greeted her grandparents and the Harringtons in the drawing room. It was wonderful to see Edward, Abby, Lydia and Eveline. But the one she most wanted to see entered last, and when he did, her question was answered. Her heart responded with longing.

Robbie shook Justin’s hand, greeted Mama, then stopped in front of her with a hesitant smile. “It’s good to see you.”

She gave him a welcoming smile. “You, too. Would you like to sit down?”

His features relaxed. “That would be great.”

Annaliese sat on a loveseat, shifting to face Robbie when he joined her.

“How did your first semester of school go?”

He lifted his shoulders. “It was fine. One and a half years to go. How about you? What did you end up doing these last few months?”

She chuckled. “I accepted Grandmama’s invitation to experience Boston’s social life. The nice part was spending time with Olivia, who is the daughter of a friend Mama grew up with. Olivia and I are a lot alike in our interests and opinions.”

“Ah. I take it she believes men and women are equals.”

“Yes, and I’ll admit while I was in the company of young men, I found they have a disturbing similarity to you and the boys you go to school with.”

A smirk settled on Robbie’s face. “It sounds like men on both sides of the pond agree. That must mean we’re right.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “It means you haven’t been enlightened.”

“How does one become enlightened?”

“You look for evidence to prove you’re right, or that I’m wrong. It’ll work either way. In another year or two I hope to find an enlightened man.”