Gates of Paradise (Casteel 4)

lovers, secret lovers."

He stood up, went to one of the front windows,

and gazed out so long, I thought he was not going to

say another word. Luke reached for my hand and we

waited patiently. Suddenly all the clocks struck the

hour and a light blue music-box clock that was shaped

like the cottage opened its front door and the tiny

family within emerged and then retreated to the sweet,

haunting melody I had come to know so well. "Troy . . ."

"I'm all right," he said, and returned to his seat.

"Some of what I am about to tell you, your mother

might have told you herself.

"Years ago, when she lived the hard life in the

Willies, she met your father and they became young

lovers, pledging their hearts to one another. If your

mother had remained in the Willies, she might very

well have married your father and lived a quiet, happy

life in Winnerrow, but Fate would not have it so. "After Luke Casteel broke up his family by

selling off his children, your mother lived with a very

selfish, jealous woman, Kitty Dennison, and her

husband Cal. It was a hard life for her because Kitty

became jealous of your mother, and Cal . . .

eventually took advantage of her. It's not hard to

understand how such a thing could happen. Your

mother was young and desperately searching for

someone to love and cherish her. Cal, an older man, a

father figure, sensed that.

"For a while that soured Logan, and even after

Kitty's death, when your mother came to Farthy to

live while he was going to college in Boston, he