Jennie softened about Suzanne when Edward returned from that trip. She had been all fire-and-brimstone before he left but while Edward was in New York she spent time assessing her faith. It was much the same process as Kate and Edward engaged in. The ridiculousness of a seemingly arbitrary condemnation. It was not “arbitrary” in the abstract. It was foundational as part of the Catholic Church’s teachings. But the abstract was not her family. Suzanne was not an abstraction. She was a kind and loving woman, among the kindest Jennie knew. Jennie and Edward spoke each night while he was in New York. Before he left, he pointed out that the disownment was felt far more in California than in New York, that Suzanne had by Lizzie’s account a wonderful life and a wonderful family where she now lived. The rumors, he reported back, were true. Suzanne was happy.