CHAPTER XI -The man Between

Europe, I shall come to America. If he comes to America, I shall go to Europe. I have taken an oath he shall never set eyes on his son, and I will keep my word.”

Ethel listened, awe-struck at the transformation in the once gentle, childlike Dora. The spirit of just retribution seemed to have waked in her, armed with a purpose implacable and torturing. Ethel understood the instinctive longing and demand of the English father for his male heir, and the extreme to which Dora pushed her revenge was both chilling and fascinating.

“You must keep me updated, Dora,” Ethel said after a pause, feeling the complexity of human emotions—sympathy for Dora’s previous sufferings, yet wary of the path her vengeance had taken. “Let’s hope for peace and happiness in your future, away from the torment of the past.”

Dora smiled, a flicker of her old self shining through. “Yes, let’s hope. But Ethel, you’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“We are,” Ethel confirmed. “Tyrrel and I are going back to America. He has interests to attend to, and honestly, I believe we’ll both be happier there.”

“A fresh start,” Dora mused, standing up and adjusting her coat. “Maybe that’s what we all need, in one way or another.”

As Dora left, her steps confident and determined, Ethel couldn’t help but feel a sense of intense anticipation for the future. Whatever America held for them, she was ready to embrace it, leaving behind the old world, with its deep-seated traditions and shadows, for new horizons that promised freedom and an opportunity to shape their destinies anew.