Lydia stayed close to William as all three of them walked the grounds. They stopped at the patio and decided to all sit together. Lydia was remarkably beautiful as much as she was cold. Quite a bit of time had gone by as they exchanged stories of the past.

Lydia and William recounted their time going steady, and she boasted about all of the wondrous moments they shared. How athletic William was and how intelligent he was, how close they were and how much rapport they had. Her blonde hair often fell into her face when she laughed, she had layered bangs that were curled by rags. Her icy smile sparkled but slightly melted when she locked eyes with Eliza.

"Eliza, I must stay, you surely look like a city girl." Lydia commented. "It's just lovely."

"Thank you, you're too kind." Eliza answered, but still something about Lydia was off to her. Eliza's brown eyes still looked to her warmly, but inside she tried to keep her distance.

"You must show me all the fashions later on." Lydia told her. Then, she turned to William. "Now, on to you. See, you look exactly like how I remember you."

"I left in a hurry, I wasn't able to bring my wardrobe." William informed Lydia. That is when Lydia was further put onto what happened. It clicked for her.

"Oh." She said in a bit of a serious tone. Then, she looked out along the horizon of the property, and glimpsed over her shoulder into the house. "I just remembered, where's Jack?"

William's face got serious for a moment. He pressed his lips together and looked down at the botanical detailing of the brass table. "He couldn't make it. He's gotten into some trouble."

"Trouble?" Lydia asked. "Of what kind?"

Eliza figured Lydia must've known of their crimes in New York. They were, after all, constantly in the paper. And she took Lydia as the kind of girl to keep track of William despite being so far removed from the life of the city.

"He's in jail right now." William answered, and Lydia gasped. Her gasp was so overly dramatic, it annoyed Eliza a bit.

Lydia took her hand and squeezed William's, their clasped hands rested on the table. "See? I knew you shouldn't have left."

"I felt as though I had no choice." William answered her, withdrawing his hand from hers. She opened her mouth as though to mention something, but then she glimpsed at Eliza and shut it.

"William, may I speak to you alone?" Lydia asked.

"I'd prefer we didn't." William stood up from his seat. He walked behind Eliza's chair and placed his hands on her shoulders. Then softly, he bent over her chair and left a kiss on her temple. Eliza looked down at her lap throughout the entire embrace, and once she felt William walk away she looked at Lydia.

Lydia was boiling with jealousy. She could hardly believe what she just witnessed. She slightly suspected that William may have done a thing or two with Eliza, but such affection toward a black girl was unheard of to her. It enraged her, blush reddening the color of her powdered face.

"Well." She noted. "I guess I underestimated the nature of your relationship."

Eliza parted her lips, but Lydia continued speaking.

"I don't know what they do in the city— what lifestyles they lead. But I'll have you know, such behavior isn't tolerated here." Lydia let Eliza know. She strangely moved seats to get closer to Eliza, her blue eyes widening almost to the point of being crazed. "And I do not say this to threaten you. I wish to help you. To make you understand that you simply can't behave that way here."

A single year fell down Eliza's cheek.

"It makes no sense to ruin his life with your ways of living." Lydia told Eliza. "He deserves to be with someone who will add to his life."

Her words brought no comfort to Eliza, and the antsy nature of her temperament confused her.

"If you'll excuse me..." Eliza stood from her seat and walked off. She wasn't in search of anything in particular, she just wished to be alone. Lydia was all too much to handle.

Meanwhile, inside the house William spoke to his mother. Florence sat at the vanity and brushed her red hair, preparing for an evening look. She had summoned William, and for a moment he sat and watched her get ready in the mirror. "Your cousin is free."

William could hardly believe his ears. He walked to his mother and wrapped his arms around her as she sat in the vanity. She smiled at their reflection in the mirror as he embraced her from behind. "Thank you, I can't thank you enough."

Florence's facial expression slightly changed. William began to worry. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine." Florence reassured. "It's just that when I got in touch with the precinct, they said he was already let off."

"Well, they must've released him." William stood up straight. Florence stared at William knowingly. "Mother, he's just a kid. He didn't do anything."

"Bootlegging isn't doing anything?" Florence asked. William almost collapsed. He hadn't known that his mother, whom he always loved and respected, knew of the choices he made when he left home.

"I still love you anyway. You know that my love for you would never run out." She reminded William. "But making Jack get into it?"

"He wanted to join it himself." William told his mother. "It was all up to him!"

"He's just a kid." Florence told William.

"He's a man now." William chuckled, Florence didn't enjoy his smart attitude. Her stare cut him down to size. He stood next to his mother and kneeled onto his knees beside her vanity bench. He looked up at her while kneeling, like a child looking for guidance. And then suddenly, he broke down. Resting his cheek on his mother's lap, he cried out. She stroked his blonde hair while he cried, and lightly hummed one of the tunes she used to sing to him. Almost as though her humming could drift the pain away. Lightly, she hummed.