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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Until the following morning Maria
"Fluffy," Maria
Fluffy meowed. She jumped off the bed and marched to the door, where she meowed again and stared demandingly at Maria
She let the cat out and watched it saunter down the hall, its tail waving.
The room was so dark she thought it must be very early, but when she looked at her watch she saw that it was after eight o'clock. The sounds she had heard in the night had not been the product of nightmare after all; the wind still howled around the eaves and drove rain against the windowpanes. The air felt damp and chilly. Maria
A
That alarming question dispelled the last vestiges of drowsiness. She could not remember whether she had locked her door, but it had most certainly been closed. Or had it? Perhaps the latch had not caught and the cat had pushed the door open. Maria
She was about to ring the bell again when A
After the fire was blazing, Maria
"Thank you, John," Maria
A
"Stop being so silly, A
"They say…" A
"They? Who? The other servants? Who is spreading wild stories about me?"
A
"The Duchess has been conducting seances for years," Maria
A
"No, I am not!" The vehemence of the statement startled Maria
"Yes, miss." A
"All right, you may go," Maria
"Oh, miss, he's not my sweetheart." A
"If he is not, it is your fault; I saw how he looked at you. Run along, now."
A
It was possible that someone had opened her door during the night, allowing the cat to slip in. The sighing of wind and rain would have concealed any sound. But there was another possibility. As she knew from her reading, old castles were replete with secret passages, hidden rooms, and other such features. Indeed, young Henry had bragged of his familiarity with the passageways that honeycombed the castle walls.
Maria
More excited than frightened, Maria
She was not a cat – or a careless, agile, small boy; the steep pitch of the stairs was more than she cared to attempt. Furthermore, she had no idea where the steps led. She might find herself in some cul-de-sac from which exit was impossible. And what if the door closed and she was unable to discover the catch that would release it? Maria
With some difficulty she dragged a table in front of the panel and put a bowl of flowers on top of it. If someone tried to come in, table or bowl or both would fall, and the crash would awaken her.
Complacently pleased with her morning's work, she changed her dusty frock and went to see how the Duchess was doing.
The long day dragged. Since it was too wet to ride, Maria