Marissa leaned her head back against the plush headrest of the first class carriage and closed her eyes against the tears. Her hand automatically reached for the locket around her neck, seeking the comfort she so badly needed. She hated train travel – it was dirty, tedious, and could be dangerous for a lady alone, but she had no choice. Dan had died so far away and she had no one to send in her place to make the arrangements. Why had he insisted on going to Chicago to evaluate the gem collection himself? If he had stayed with her, he wouldn’t have gotten hit by a trolley in that horrid city.

She opened her eyes to find a young woman dressed in unrelieved black standing before her, an identical locket around her neck. Impossible! Dan created hers for their first anniversary. Marissa reached for the woman’s locked, but stopped herself in time. She watched the woman’s eyes grow large and fill with shock as she studied the locket Marissa still held in her hand. Marissa opened the clasp to reveal a miniature of Dan – knowing in her heart the other locket would contain one also.

At the woman’s nod, Marissa slid over, inviting her to sit. They spent the rest of the journey, not in grief over a beloved husband, but in solacing each other of the betrayal of a scoundrel.