Free Innocent by Eric Walters

that.” There was so much I didn’t know.
    “The two of you used to play all the time,” Mrs. Meyers said. “Now that I think of it, I remember the two of you sitting at a little table, having afternoon tea with your dolls.”
    I remembered that! It was like a dream that now was real. I could picture sun shining through the window, the table set with little pink plastic plates and cups, my dolls sitting at the chairs, and there was a man…was it Richie?
    “So now you only have one more member of the Remington family to meet,” James said. “His Worship himself is going to be gracing us at dinner tonight.”
    “He is?” Mrs. Meyers asked.
    “I’ve been asked to pick him up from city hall in time for dinner, although that doesn’t mean he’s actually going to come,” James said.
    “He’s a very busy man,” Mrs. Meyers said. “Being the mayor of a city as large as Kingston is a very demanding job. I know how happy it always makes Mrs. Remington to have him for dinner. Let’s put on our very best tonight.”

Nine
    THE SOUP HAD already been served, and Mrs. Remington was still the only person seated for dinner. The other three places were set but unused. She was trying to put on a brave face, but it wasn’t hard to see that she was disappointed, even a little sad. It must have been lonely, always eating by herself. It was so much better to be part of a family—the way I had been back at the orphanage. We hadn’t had fancy plates and silverware or candles on the table, or even fancy food on our plates, but we’d had each other. There was always talking and giggling, and even the occasional harsh word was better than silence. I wondered if Mrs. Remington had music on in the background so that she would feel less alone.
    For the first time since arriving, I felt sorry for her. She was rich and had everything money could buy, but really she didn’t have much at all. One son was out in the yard with his pigeons and shovel, and the second wasn’t going to come—exactly as James had predicted. I guessed we’d all be eating well that evening, dining on the leftovers.
    “Good evening, Mother. I’m so sorry for being tardy!”
    Edward—it had to be Edward—swept into the room. He didn’t so much enter as make an entrance.
    “It’s so wonderful to see you, my son!” Mrs. Remington called out. She beamed as he bent over and gave her a big hug.
    “I just wish I could have gotten away sooner, but there were pressing matters.”
    “The important thing is that you’re here now,” Mrs. Remington said.
    He was tall and slender, dressed in a black suit, a red tie and shiny shoes. He was distinguished-looking, as you’d expect the mayor to be. But more than that, he was so handsome. If somebody had told me he was a movie star, I would have believed them. He sat down at the seat beside his mother, reached out and took her hand in his.
    “So tell me, what has my dear mother been up to these past few days?” he asked. “Fill me in—tell me everything.”
    “Oh, that’s not worth talking about. My days are all pretty much the same. How about you, my son?”
    “Busy as always, between fulfilling the duties of the mayor’s office and tending to family business. Which reminds me, I have a few papers for you to sign.” He pulled them out of the pocket of his jacket. “But let’s not talk business now. Surely there must be something new that’s happened?”
    “Well, yes, it’s not some thing new, but some body new,” she said. “Or, really, not new so much as newly returned.”
    I realized she was talking about me, and suddenly I felt very self-conscious.
    “Lizzy, I’d like to reintroduce you to my son, Edward.”
    He looked up and greeted me with a warm, open smile that made my nervous feelings vanish. I walked over to Mrs. Remington’s side.
    “Oh, my goodness,” he said. “It is unmistakable. You look so much like your mother.”
    “So I’m told.” And now that I had seen the pictures, I