Will you be my bridesmaid, please? I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have.”“What on earth do you think I am?” demanded Martha, “I wi...l no way be a bridesmaid at this ghastly wedding. In fact I won’t even be there, and you can’t have it in my church.”Jennifer debated with herself, and then said, “The Bishop says we can, as we both live in the parish, and he offered to officiate. He says it will be a splendid occasion to use the refurbished organ for the first time.”“But I wanted the organ. What would M think, she wondered, if he knew that under this tight blazer, which buttons up high enough not to reveal even a hint of cleavage, she had on neither a blouse nor a bra. And under the conservative knee-length skirt, she wore neither stockings nor panties. She felt more comfortable like that, and she felt deliciously wicked and sexy, knowing that only a thin layer of opaque fabric separated her from men’s lustful intentions. Still, there was only one man whose lustful intentions she. Charlotte decided she couldn’t take any more. She got down on her knees in front of her and held Alison’s hands.“Ali, listen to me. He isn’t going to change. He will never change. Men like that don’t change. They carry on striking out, saying sorry then doing it again until they move onto the next girl and the next and the next.”Charlotte could see the tears welling up in her sister’s eyes.“You’re wrong!” Alison cried. Charlotte could see the hurt and pain in her sister’s face as she defended. "I bet the RA is happy to find a roomy for that weird girl. She's been through two of them before Erin. Always the same: screaming in the night and ya know like freezing up when a guy comes near."Claire felt realization wash over her. Deirdre was traumatized. She had nightmares and was afraid of guys. For Claire this spelled just one explanation: sexual abuse victim. She kept her mouth shut though. If she told Marge of her suspicion the story would be all over the campus before this night was.