Nursery Times: Or Stories about the Little Ones (1867)

aIam an agent for the CIA,a Victor Charles Brian tells young Stephani Stevenson. aYouall never have a normal life. Youall have to make many sacrifices. You can never tell anyone the truth. And you can never ask any questions.a Stephani accepts these conditions and prepares to live a secret adventure, for that is what she envisions it will be. It is not until years later that she realizes she has been duped: Victor is not an agent for the CIA. But it is not something she can prove, and Victor will not let her leave. Instead, he threatens to kill her. In the end, Stephani must flee or die in the attempt. It is 1979. There are no womenas shelters, no counseling for batterers, no real understanding of what has become known as adomestic violence.a When Stephani leaves with her children, she knows she will be running for a long time.