Chapter 1

1: 1

My mother-in-law had a bizarre rule. Before anyone ate, a daughter-in-law had to kneel and invite her to the table.

My sister-in-law had knelt for three years.

I only found out after I married in.

The day we signed the marriage papers, my mother-in-law sat in the big carved armchair and spoke down at me from on high.

"Now that you've married in, you're part of the Fox family."

"From here on you and your sister-in-law will split it evenly, half a month each."

I thought she meant splitting the housework, and I opened my mouth to explain.

"Ma, we have a housekeeper. I've never cooked a day in my life—"

My husband cut me off just in time.

"It's not cooking, Tessie. It's kneeling to invite her to eat."

I couldn't believe it. "Is your family some feudal relic they forgot to wipe out?"

"I won't kneel."

My father-in-law and Ray Fox hurried over to smooth things over.

"You're new here, you don't understand. What if you upset Ma?"

"She's getting on in years. If she goes hungry, gets worked up, and something happens to her—"

"If something happens to her—"

I finished the line without changing my expression.

"Then we hold the funeral. I'm happy to give her a grand send-off."

1

Everyone went quiet.

They looked at me, then at each other.

None of them had seen it coming.

The first time we met I'd been sweet and well-behaved, and here I was, married in and already this much of a handful.

"Tessa Langford, you—how dare you talk to your elders with no respect?"

My father-in-law, Maurice Fox, felt his dignity had been trampled.

He was so angry his hand shook as he jabbed a finger at my nose.

"Whatever you think, you don't get to curse your mother-in-law like that."

"Funeral? Grand send-off?"

"That's just bad luck!"

Ray's face had darkened too.

"Melvin, get your wife under control. What is this?"

Melvin Fox leaned toward me with a frown, and before he could get a word out,

I shook him off, cold.

"An old man, and he really thinks he's some emperor from the history books."

"Putting on this act in front of his own children."

"All bark at home. Out in the world he's a nobody, guaranteed."

"The food's ready. Eat if you want it, don't if you don't."

Spoiled rotten, this bad habit.

"Either way, there's no chance I'm kneeling to invite her to eat."

What a joke. My parents raised me as their treasure, doted on every step of the way.

Pampered for more than twenty years.

I was willing to marry down into the Fox family because I already had the ground to stand on.

Not to come here and be pushed around.

Beryl Pruitt, seeing the standoff, took off her apron.

"I'll go call her, then."

"You just signed the papers today, sis. It'll take time to get used to."

I was about to stop her, but she turned away so fast.

She was already at my mother-in-law's door.

Knocking, careful and light.

"Ma, dinner's ready."

No answer.

Beryl pressed her lips together and raised her voice a little.

"Ma, dinner's ready. I made the chicken soup you love today. Come out and eat."

Still no answer.

She turned and glanced at me, flustered and embarrassed.

Probably because everyone in the living room was watching.

Ill at ease, she knocked a third time.

"Ma, dinner's ready. Come out and eat."

Watching this, I frowned and turned to Melvin.

"Why does she have to call so many times?"

Melvin sighed and murmured in my ear.

"It's Ma's rule. You call until Ma opens the door, and only then can you kneel and invite her properly."

"That's the only way everyone gets to sit down and eat."

"Otherwise you just keep waiting."

I was instantly burning with anger.

I was about to get up and go to Beryl when the door opened.

Pansy Fox came out, one hand braced on the frame.

Hunched over, she strolled past Beryl and settled into the recliner beside her.

Leaned back, unhurried and comfortable.

Beryl sighed and, humiliated, walked over and knelt in front of her.

"Ma, please come and eat."

Pansy didn't open her eyes, still putting on airs.

"Today the invitation came a full ten minutes later than usual."

"So now, you can kneel ten minutes longer."

Ray kicked Beryl in his fury.

"Useless. I told you to time it right. Why were you late?"

"Now look. Everyone has to wait ten minutes because of you!"

"The food'll be stone cold soon!"

Beryl kept her head down, her eyes already red.

But she said nothing, enduring the humiliation.

I gripped the arm of my chair.

"This is too much!"

I started to stand, and Melvin caught me, quick with his hands and his eyes.

"Tessie, what are you doing? Don't do anything rash."