The Lancaster Men Read Free

in chemistry. His biggest complaint against Duke is too many ‘outsiders’ are enrolled there.”
    “Outsiders?” Beth frowned. “What does he mean by that?”
    “Students from outside the State of North Carolina,” Shari explained. “Granddad is convinced I’ll end up marrying one of them and move away. He insists I’ll never be happy if I leave.” Although she didn’t admit it, she thought he could be right about that. She did love this wild and proud land.
    “How did you ever manage to persuade him to let you enroll at Duke when he feels so intensely about it?” Doré questioned.
    “I didn’t persuade him.” She shook her head.
    “I suppose your mother did,” Beth guessed.
    “No.” Shari laughed at the suggestion that her mother would oppose an edict of Frederick Lancaster. “As far as my mother is concerned, his word is law. Besides, nothing would make her happier than keeping me and Rory at her side forever. She doesn’t believe in untying the apron strings.”
    “Then how did you manage to come to Duke?” Doré eyed her narrowly, trying to understand.
    “I guess you could say that I literally ran away from home,” she shrugged to make light of the difficult decision. “One afternoon when no one was home, I packed all my things and left a note, telling them where I was going. Luckily I didn’t have to rely on them for financial support. When I turned eighteen, I was able to have control of the small inheritance my father, Robert Sutherland, left me. Between it and my scholarship grant, I’m able to pay for my own education.”
    “Your grandfather must have been upset when he read your note.” Beth’s sympathies seemed to be with Shari’s grandfather.
    “That’s putting it mildly.” Shari grimaced. “Hewas furious. He came after me, determined to take me back home. We practically had a knock-down, drag-out fight right there on campus. But I was legally of age so there really wasn’t anything he could do. He couldn’t force me to go home. Then he filled my mother’s head with so much nonsense that she came to get me, all upset and worried. It was harder trying to deal with her tears than with Granddad’s rage.”
    “What happened?” Beth asked, then immediately explained her question. “I mean, I know you’re attending Duke University so they didn’t make you leave, but did your grandfather finally become reconciled to your choice?”
    “Not hardly,” she sighed grimly. “After I’d been attending classes for about a month, I went home for a long weekend to try to smooth things out. It was a three-day, continuous argument. When I left, I swore I would never come back.” She laughed, remembering her impassioned declaration.
    “Oh, Shari, you didn’t!” Beth breathed in alarm.
    “I did,” she nodded and smiled. “Of course, that didn’t last. At the start of the Thanksgiving break, Whit arrived, packed my suitcases, and dragged me home.”
    “Whit is your stepbrother?” Doré arched an eyebrow in Shari’s direction to be certain she was correct in her assumption.
    “Yes.” Shari paused thoughtfully. “At times, Whit can be just as ruthless as his grandfather, with one major difference. Whit doesn’t argue.”
    “Does he approve of what you’re doing?” Doré asked.
    “No, he doesn’t think I needed to leave home to attend college, but he does agree that it was
my
decision to make, not anyone else’s,” she replied.
    “You really think a lot of your stepbrother, don’t you?” Beth observed and turned to Doré, not giving Shari a chance to respond immediately. “Have you noticed the way her face lights up when she talks about him?”
    “Whit is one of a kind,” Shari stated as if that explained it all.
    “What makes him so special?” Doré challenged.
    Shari had never had to describe him to anyone before. She suddenly didn’t know where to start. “He’s tall and good-looking in an austere kind of way. His hair is dark brown, but he spends so