“He…he said what?” Doris felt as if the world around her had slightly shifted as her focus grew a little fuzzy. The dress she was wearing was much too hot for her to handle this news. “Mr. Carson said you can’t leave unless I return?”

Beth nodded, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “He just told me when I came here to say goodbye.”

Doris squeezed Beth’s hands as she talked, but her mind was far from her words. It was William who put this order, it had to be. He must have thought this would guarantee she wouldn’t try to escape while they were in the north. It hadn’t...