Mr. Mallory to finish his business, or go with Mr. Bert or Mr. Bart. Miss Sophie’s not reliable.”
“How very odd, Mrs. Bates. I’ve always found her so and I delight in her company. That’s all.”
The housekeeper flounced off, her posture telling Lady Theo that she had made an enemy. “Oh, dear,” the lady muttered ruefully, half-raising her hand to call Mrs. Bates back. “I handled that very badly.”
Sophie grimaced. “Don’t worry. She hates me too but she’s usually all right. It’s the others you have to worry about.”
“The others? What are you talking about?”
Sophie bit her lip. How could a stranger, even one as sympathetic as Lady Theo, understand the bitterness in her family? Since she was very young, she’d known her grandpapa wasn’t normal about things British.
He defined being American, and a Mallory, by hatred — of things British, that was. Her brothers didn’t know better. Since they hadn’t had a chance to live in England or find friends there, they treated Mr. Ellice contemptuously. Sophie was sure they had no idea that his father was “Bear” Ellice, one of the richest men in England. Her brothers’ arguments mainly concerned the fact that Mr. Ellice was doing business with Mr. Mallory. Of course, the fact that their papa was going to marry Lady Theodosia Thornleigh, an English aristocrat, didn’t sit well with them either, and the thought of her living in the elegant house their grandpapa had built probably added fuel to the flames.
“The others, Sophie? What did you mean? Are you daydreaming again?”
Having nightmares, more likely, Sophie thought. She shook her head, trying to shake off her depression. Suddenly she wanted to get away from the house, away from Mrs. Bates and from her family. She wanted Lady Theo to see a different aspect of Vermont, to see some of the beauty of her United States. She’d bet every last cent of her pocket money that England hadn’t a view like the one from Mount Donne.
“Let’s get out of here. Let’s go to Mount Donne,” she exclaimed, stopping Lady Theo from asking more questions.
“Mount Donne? Why?”
“Because it’s beautiful. Particularly at this time of the year. Come on. You’ll see.”
“You were right, Sophie,” Lady Theo said a couple of hours later after she’d climbed to the lookout. “It’s absolutely stunning. I had no idea how wonderful the trees would look from up here.”
Sophie had taken the incredible colour changes of a Vermont autumn for granted until she went to England with her papa. Even though English trees changed colour as well, their shades weren’t nearly so vivid. Now Sophie looked at the reds and gold with something like affection. No matter what the ABCs, their wives, or their children did, this beauty would not change. It was her birthright.
“We own all the land between the lake,” she told Lady Theo, pointing to Lake Champlain in the distance, “over to that mountain and then north to the hill just past the crossroads.”
“That’s a lot of land,” Lady Theo commented. “It looks as big as some of our English counties. Now I understand why Bear Ellice is so eager to have your father as a partner in this new business they’re talking about. There are probably enough trees here to build an entire fleet every ten years. Bear’s right. Your father could supply the Royal Navy with masts for years. That’s a rich, rich contract.”
“Well, he won’t if the ABCs know about it. They wouldn’t trade with the British even if they were starving. Um —” Sophie broke off and stared intently at the path below her. “That’s odd,” she said eventually.
“What’s odd?”
“Nothing, I suppose. There’s a mystery boy around. I’ve seen him twice at Clart’s house, but when I ask about him everyone pretends he doesn’t exist. They say I’m imagining things. But I’m not. I’ve even seen him climb this mountain once but he came up over there.”
“There? He must be half mountain goat, Sophie.” Sophie laughed. “Maybe he’s like Pan in the Greek myths. Half man, half goat. Either way, I’m not likely to find out.”
“There’s a lot of secrets in your family, isn’t there,” Lady Theo commented, careful not to look at Sophie.
“A lot. Mrs. Bates grumbles because Papa’s doing something with Mr. Ellice that she doesn’t know about, and the only reason she grumbles is because she can’t tell the ABCs about it. I think my brothers are up to something. Sometimes when I walk into a room everyone stops talking. Particularly if Clart’s friend is around.”
“Clart’s friend. I don’t think I’ve met him.”
“That’s why I think they’re hiding something from Papa. I don’t think he’s met him either and I don’t know why. His name’s Marc and he’s very nice. He calls me Miss Sophie and kisses my hand.”
Lady Theo frowned. “How old is he, Sophie?” she asked sharply.
“Quite old. About the same as Clart, I expect. Twenty-five.”
“Well, well. Twenty-five is old? I suppose I must seem positively ancient to you.”
“Of course. You’re almost as old as Papa,” Sophie said, laughing as she ran to the path leading down the mountain. “And if Papa’s Methuselah, the oldest man who’s ever lived, as I sometimes think, will I have to call you Lady Methuselah when you marry him?” She shrieked as Lady Theo made a playful grab for her and began running down the track towards home.
The following day Sophie wondered if she’d ever joke again. Sadly she watched her papa, Lady Theo, and Mr. Ellice leave to visit the Governor to discuss some business, she supposed. Lady Theo explained they’d have to overnight in Montpelier and return the following day. When she added that Mrs. Bates would look after her, Sophie merely rolled her eyes.
“I know, dear. But it was either that or have you stay with Albert and his family. I thought you’d prefer to remain here.”
“Thank you. I do. But I’ll miss you,” Sophie told her unhappily. So many things had become clear to her. One of the reasons she liked Lady Theo so much was because she took the trouble to explain everything. She didn’t just order Sophie around like everyone else did. She ordered, all right, but she also told her why she wanted things done. The other reason Sophie liked her was because Lady Theo understood so much without actually being told anything. Already she’d sensed the undercurrent of distrust and bitterness that swirled through the Mallorys’ homes and businesses.
Lady Theo couldn’t know everything, of course. Her biggest fear, Sophie now realized, was not being left alone with her nephews and nieces. Not at all. If Lady Theo ever figured out how horrible things were, she might not marry Papa after all. That would be the ultimate calamity, the very worst thing in the world that could happen.
The next day Sophie had her morning lessons as usual, and after lunch, Elias and his twin sister Emily arrived.
“You’ve got to come, Sophie. Pegasus is limping. I think something’s wrong with his hock,” Emily exclaimed, grabbing her hand. “Come on. He’s behind the stables.”
The only thing Sophie liked about Emily was her profound love for Sophie’s old pony, Pegasus. Without a second thought, she told Mrs.
