PA stood in the cell’s open doorway looking as though he hadn’t slept at all. Lizzie was curled up against Eliza’s back, but Ma was nowhere to be seen. “Good morning, Eliza,” Pa said. “Where’s Ma?” she asked. Moving gingerly away from Lizzie, Eliza got to her feet, her back stiff from the thin straw bed. She peered behind Pa in the dim light. “She locked me in!” “Now, Eliza, your ma only did what I would have done,” her father warned. “You should never have been in the infirmary.” “You shouldn’t be there either,” Eliza cried. “What will happen to all of us if you get cholera?” “I raised you better than that.” She could see the disappointment in his face. “Lucy needs my help.” Eliza couldn’t meet his eyes. She’d been thinking of herself, not poor Lucy. “How is she?” “She’s resting.” He pulled her into his gentle hug. “I understand that you’re worried, but I’ll be careful.” “You and Ma yelled at me when I tried to help Lucy.”
