Catherine nodded the remark had hit its target.  “Go on.”

            “Well Tina and I had split up.  I was unfaithful and she could not forgive me for that at the time. She even turned back to men for a short while. I was lost and floundering trying to put the pieces of my life back together. I had just started as the Dean at UC when Rosanna came into my life.” Another smile crossed Bette’s face as she remembered the command dinner where they met. “Rosanna wanted to make a donation to the School of Art on the condition that the new Dean have dinner with her.”

            Catherine raised her eyebrows at this bit of information. She had heard that her daughter was a shrewd businesswoman for all of her heart and grace. Looking at the beautiful fiery woman whom her daughter had taken to wife she was a bit surprised that Bette would have agreed to such a meeting.

            Bette correctly read Catherine’s surprise.  “I was not happy to say the least at this ‘condition’.  I didn’t even know it was a woman. Imagine my surprise when Rosanna introduced herself to me at the hotel bar.”

            Catherine laughed.

            “We had a lovely dinner and I was blown away the next day when I learned that she had donated three quarters of a million dollars to the Art School effectively surpassing my fundraising goal in one shot. I did not know of her or her family. We were not of the same social circle as you know. Helena Peabody filled me in on her background.”

            “Helena!” Catherine’s mirth spread. “The Peabody brat?”

            “One and the same.” Bette smiled tightly.

            “I like Peggy a lot and I must say she handled Helena’s sexual orientation much better than we did at the time.” Catherine mused.

            “I like Peggy as well.” Bette admitted. “I met her before I met Helena and Helena and I never quite got along.  She was with Tina during her pregnancy with Angelica.”

            “This gets more and more interesting.” Catherine murmured.

            “Anyway Rosanna and I started dating.  Just as we were really getting close, Theresa came to town wanting Rosanna back.  She finally came out and was ready to fully live the life she could have with Ro.”

            “No.” Catherine gasped.

            “Then Tina told me that she wanted to try again.”

            Catherine just looked at her.

            “We found out that we had a love worth keeping and we chose each other. We loved each other very well Catherine. I can’t compare Tina and Ro. I can only tell you that we were deeply and truly in love.”

            They sat there in silence each lost in her own thoughts.

            “Whose name will he carry?” Catherine asked after a time.

            “All of ours – Rowan, for Rosanna, Kennard for Tina, Montclair as Ro chose, and Porter for me.”

            “Angelica?”

            “Remains Kennard-Porter.”

            “And you?”

            “Porter.”

            “Tina?”

            “Kennard-Porter.”

            “Perhaps you should remain Montclair, Montclair-Porter to even things out?”

            “Have you met Tina Kennard?” Bette fixed her with a look.

            Catherine chuckled. “Porter is a nice compromise.”