"Yes, all his efforts of past years, most of which he had accumulated before he met and married her, steadily went down the drain and he had taken it very hard," she recalled.
"So, how is Matt faring Madam?" The words had been spoken by the maid who had come to stand behind the sofa while Lindsay had been lost in thought.
"Very well thank you Emily. I see that you have managed to keep the house tidy, despite the fact that it's just you," Lindsay replied.
The youthful maid blushed at the gracious words from her boss's wife and kept her gaze on Matt. "She had been in the employ of Mr Rex and was glad he brought this wonderful woman to be his wife," she thought to herself.
So when his fortune had gone downhill she had offered to stay until the end of year even though her paycheck had stopped coming over a year ago.
His generosity had helped her complete night school and she wanted to repay back the kindness plus she got on well with the whole family.
"I am sorry that your wages have not been paid yet but I will work something out and will ensure that you get it all just as soon as everything works out fine," Lindsay promised her.
"I understand it all Mrs Rex. I am glad I was able to save something for the rainy day and my long-time boyfriend has been very supportive," Emily told her.
"Whoever did this to Mr Rex will be found out very soon, I hope, because how does one explain the repeated damages to his business in a very short time!" Emily added.
"I have prepared a late light lunch for everyone from the foodstuffs the church brought to the house while you were away. Let me set up the table," the maid announced and quickly left.
After that, Ashley and Danny ran down the stairs together complaining about their tummies rumbling, they each held a cookie each, definitely given to them by their grandmother.
Soon after, Lindsay's mother gradually walked down the stairway, her eyes fixed on the stairs, very careful not to lose her balance.
"It has been a ritual with her ever since coming to live with them. Her mother wasn't used to it and her late father wasn't either."
"Her parents were country folks and grew up on the farm, in fact, their relationship began from there and fostered into something more after their families decided to expand their farm and work together," Lindsay loved their story.
Soon the table was laid out and Lindsay, "marveled at what the church had managed to contribute on their behalf." She was going to call the pastor and his wife later to express her thanks.
"The meal was very nutritious, even Matt fell in love with the spread and for once didn't ask about his father as he accepted mouthfuls after mouthfuls," she realized.
The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, Lindsay set about organizing things at home, glad of something to keep her mind busy.
Later that night, she was alone in her bedroom looking out into the still night from her bedroom window when the maid's words returned to her.
"So, was someone behind the sudden loss of her husband's wealth or was it just natural disaster and coincidences?" she thought.
"Who did her husband have issues with, such that would warrant such wickedness? Rex Michaels was a well known philanthropist, loved by many, he was driven but that was a characteristic of successful business men, right?" she reasoned.
"He came from a happy home, his mother died when he was still a baby and his father had remarried with time, she had met with them before the wedding," she recalled.
"He was at peace with almost everyone and had great friends, where did the enemies come from?" she pondered.
"Or was there something he wasn't telling her? Realizing just now, "that for him to appear to have had a perfect childhood after losing his mother at a very young age, was too perfect!"
"He wasn't handling the loss of his business too well, he shut her out for almost three years, not just her but their children, and this wasn't fair to the little ones," she thought painfully.
"She told him repeatedly over the years that she could get a job to support the home, their marriage didn't have to suffer because of this obstacle in their lives but he had been adamant," she recalled.
"He had become obsessed with getting back his former glory, and forbade her from looking for a job."
"I have been an independent man for most of my life, Lindy and I have single handedly supported this home, I don't need your pity," he had hurled out angrily at her when she told him about going job hunting.
"I love you darling and I am only trying to help, we are losing each other and I am only trying to save our marriage, believe me, pity has got nothing to do with it," she had replied, countering his words.
Their situation only got worse after that, he stayed out of their way, her mother tried to wade in but only met a brick wall. Intimacy became a thing of the past, the old Rex Michaels was no more.
"The last straw was his absence from the hospital throughout Matt's ordeal, it was clearly affecting her children and she couldn't turn a blind eye anymore," she decided.
Leaving her bedroom, she went in search of her mum. Knocking lightly on her door, her mother let her in.
"What is the matter my dear?" her mother began by saying as she stared at Lindsay's slight frame.
"I can't do this anymore. I love Rex and I know that he loves me too but I need to get a job. He might not want my help but I have you and my children to think about," she said, her voice filled with determination.