CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

here was a thunderstorm in Mama’s eyes when we came trailing out of the woods and crossed the pasture to home. She didn’t even acknowledge Root’s happy greeting, just stood there with her hands on her hips as we came up to her.

“Now remember,” Adie had warned when we were on the path coming home. “We lost track of time and we’ll just accept whatever Mama gives us in punishment. No talk about fairy courts and Otherworlds or we’ll all be looking at a licking.”

Everybody’d agreed with her, though none of us felt real happy about the prospect of telling Mama such a big lie. Plus we still had to figure out a way to explain how Aunt Lillian had come to go away and leave all her property and lands to me.

But agreeing’s one thing, doing’s another, and Ruth and Grace were just too excited by it all to remember to keep it to themselves.

“Mama! Mama!” Grace cried as she broke from us and ran toward her. “You’re not going to believe the story we have to tell you.”