“Well, now that you mention it, I could use some help this weekend.”
She leans forward and rests her arm on the table. “Whatever you need I will do my best.”
“Shawn asked me out on a date. He thinks I should not go home on Friday after school to avoid dealing with Clarissa.”
“Smart boy,” she says. “I agree with him. You saw what happened the last time you tried to go somewhere. Those awful girls ripped your dress to shreds and sent you out the door to cry alone in the garden. You deserve better than what you have, Ella.”
“I know,” I say, deflated. “But this is all I have until I can leave for something better.”
“As you know, I’m a very wealthy woman. Money is no object for me. I can give you what you need.”
“Thank you. For now, I need a way out of my house without Clarissa finding out.”
“Just do as your boyfriend had suggested and don’t go home on Friday.”
“Clarissa’s wrath will be worse if I do that. It would only make her punishment worse.”
“These old homes all have back stairwells. I’m sure you could sneak down from your bedroom without Clarissa noticing.”
“That is where you would come in. I need you to ring the doorbell for Clarissa to leave the sitting room so that I can sneak out the back door. Natasha and Anastasia are leaving Friday night for a sorority sleepover and won’t be back until Sunday afternoon. As long as I’m home before she wakes up in the morning and her breakfast is ready, Clarissa won’t even notice.”
“Just let me know what time on Friday, and I will be there.” Mrs. F grins and gets up from the table to deal with the buzzer on the oven, sounding our dinner is ready.
Now that Operation Free Ella is in the works, I will need something to wear.
“Any chance you have another dress I can wear?”
Mrs. F spins around with a fork in her hand. Her face brightens with the smile that reaches up to her eyes. “Of course. I have something fabulous that would look lovely on you. I have just the dress in mind.”
I walk over to Mrs. F and pull her into a hug, dodging the metal in her hand. “There are not enough words to express my appreciation because this goes beyond a thank you. But I will find a way to make this up to you.”
“Just having you here is thanks enough. It gets lonely in this old house with only Bruno here to keep me company.”
Releasing my grip on her, I offer a tiny smile.
My mother always said that sometimes people take you by surprise when you least expect. I didn’t expect to meet Mrs. Feighry or have a shot with Shawn, let alone a relationship. Everything is finally falling into place, even if a few things are still in the way.
“One more thing. I need to get through the gates without the alarm going off.”
“There are other ways to get onto your property. How do you think I found you that night in the garden?”
I shake my head and laugh. “Would you mind sharing? I could use that bit of information.”
She sticks the fork into the roast to anchor it and slices the meat with a knife. “There’s a trap door of sorts that connects the properties. You can come and go as you please if you know where to look.”
“How did you know about it?”
“This house has been in my family for generations, my dear. Don’t let my accent fool you. I was born and raised in the South, but my family’s roots are up North.”
It takes me a minute before her words sink in. If the house has been in her family, then it has also been in mine. We are somehow related.
Shocked and unable to process her words, I stare at her, unblinking. “I don’t understand. No one on either side of my family is named Feighry.”
“I’m your father’s aunt and godmother. My maiden name is Fitzgerald, just like you. I promised your grandmother that I would look after your father when I accepted my role as his godmother, and I failed him. But I have a chance to make it up with you.”
I hold onto the edge of the counter to stabilize myself. “Why didn’t you say something before?”
“I wasn’t sure you would believe me. Your grandmother had stopped talking to your father after he married your mother, and I didn’t want to get in the middle of their fight. It wasn’t until after I lost my husband that I understood the heartbreak that comes with losing the one you love most. If I had known about your stepmother, I would have come sooner.”