“Uncle Heven says?—”
“Yes, I remember,” Hera interrupted. “Uncle Heven told you he can break any rule. It’s different for him. He’s a man. And a duke. You are a lady...”
Fee put her hands on her hips.
“...although you are also the daughter of a duke, so I suppose that does give yousomeadvantage.”
She squinted suspiciously. “What doesbendthe rules mean?”
“Well...”
She weighed her doubts about the wisdom of providing an explanation against the certainty that Fee would persist in pestering her until she explained.
“...when an intelligent personfullyunderstands the reason behind a rule, they can often figure out a way to break the rule in a way that will not bring harm to themselves or anyone else. That’s what’s known as bending a rule. In other words, you adhere to thespiritof the law—the reason for its existence—without necessarily obeying theletter, or the exact dictate.”
Fee considered. “Why didn’t you ever explain rules that waybefore? I would have been far more likely to listen!”
Hera winced inwardly. And yet, perhaps, she should have approached rules in such a manner. With Fee’s family history and her fiery spirit, she would, by necessity, be compelled to cut a unique pathway through the world.
“Was there a reason you shouted my name?” Hera changed the subject, hoping to distract Fee from the schemes Hera could see developing behind her eyes.
“Oh, yes,” Fee replied.
“And...?”
Fee looked doubtfully off into the distance. “Before I tell you, I need to decide if we are, right now,bendinga rule orbreakingone. If we’re just bending, then I don’t have to?—”
“Lady Felicia,” Hera interrupted, “what do you meanright now?”
Fee lowered her chin and raise her eyes, looking sheepish. “I’m afraid Delmare has played a trick on you.”
“A trick?”
“Last summer, when Mama, Papa and I came here to collect Delmare, we stayed on a few days. When Uncle Heven took Del and I on a walk down this path, he told us we were not allowed to come back on our own. But, since I don’t knowwhyUncle Heven did not want us to come back, I suppose this counts as breaking, not bending, his rule.”
“Youknewyou were not supposed to come this way when we set out?” Hera demanded.
“Notexactly.” Fee bit her bottom lip. “Del just said the bridle paths. There are quite a few, you know. Onlythisone is forbidden.”
She should have realized! “We strayed from the main path more than ten minutes ago! Why didn’t you warn me then?!”
“I didn’treallyrecognize where Del was headed until I saw the haunted house.”
“Pardon?”
Fee pointed down the lane to an overgrown patch of trees and brush Hera had assumed was simply a thicket.
“Delmare!” she called ahead.
The boy promptly disappeared into the brush.
Rascal.
Hera scooped up Felicia and then doubled her pace. As she came close, she could discern earth-colored bricks through the weeds. Just as Fee had described, the plants hid a building—and she could see why Fee had called the place haunted.
The building was in the style of the castle, though clearly not as old, nor made of stone. Several of the windows, though boarded, appeared to be missing glass. And the visible beams had not only faded but cracked.
What was this place? A crofter’s cottage?
