"Charity." Marlena came forward eagerly and took her hand. "I'm so glad to meet the woman who has changed my brother's life."
Charity murmured something polite, thrown off guard a bit. Suddenly she realized she'd expected hostility, not this warm welcome.
"I… changed his life?" she asked, bewildered.
"Yes, you did," Marlena said firmly. "He's been a dour workaholic for years. Knowing you has brought him back into the real world, put some fun into his life, and I, for one, appreciate it."
Charity looked at Ross. He was grinning as though he agreed with what his sister was saying. Charity began to smile. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a terrifying visit after all.
And it wasn't. Ross's parents were just as nice as his sister, though not as enthusiastic. But their smiles seemed genuine and they were friendly. The five of them had drinks and a nice chat before the other guests arrived, and once the party began, it was a knockout, with a hired orchestra and dancing on the ter race. Charity had a wonderful time. Just enough young men wanted to dance with her and just enough young women wanted to chat. With Ross's arm around her most of the time, she felt like a valued visitor. And she met all kinds of Carringtons.
Her favorite was a beautiful young woman named Terry who had recently married Rick Carrington, a cousin of Ross's who was a widower with two young children.
"Here's the deal," Terry told her confidentially. "The Carringtons all think they're hot stuff. And in some ways, they are. I mean, how can you deny it?" she said, gazing lovingly toward her ridiculously handsome husband.
"But the bottom line is, they aren't stuffy as a whole. They're regular people. After all, when Rick married me, he married the family butler. Snobs don't do things like that."
"Are you serious?" Charity laughed.
"Very serious," she responded. "I come from a father who was a butler and I tried to follow his lead. I craved validation. Instead, I found love."
"I'd say that's a fair trade," Charity opined.
Terry nodded. "I had some dreams that got lost in the shuffle, but in the end, I won the lottery. I can't tell you how happy I am to have such a wonderful husband and two such great kids."
"More coming?" Charity asked her, then cringed, wondering if she'd gone too far.
Terry's eyes suddenly took on a haunted look. "It's a work in progress," she said, trying to smile. "I…you never know, do you?"
Charity quickly changed the subject, but her heart ached for Terry. Obviously and for whatever reasons, she hadn't been able to add to her family with a child of her own-at least not yet.