“Everyone, stop here,” Theresa said as they emerged from the tunnel. She paused at the edge of the woods and glanced up at Crenshaw House, which stood just across an open expanse of the hill. The rest of the girls crowded behind her, camouflaged by the trees. Eliza stood at the back of the pack with Alice, her pulse pounding in her temples. She couldn’t stand how Theresa kept taking charge of every situation, how everyone looked to her as though she was some sort of messiah. All Eliza wanted to do was get inside her room, pull the covers over her head, and pretend this night had never happened.
“We’ll go across in twos,” Theresa said. “When you get there, keep to the wall and out of sight. I’ll go last and let you all in.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
“Viola, Bia, you go first.”
As the two sisters sprinted off across the grass, grasping each other’s hands, Alice leaned in toward Eliza’s ear.
“I need your opinion on the boys,” she whispered.
“What boys?” Eliza asked, keeping one eye on Theresa. She was walking along the line of girls like some sort of army general.
“Jeff Whittaker and Christopher Renaud!” Alice said, wide-eyed. “You met them.”
“Right. Of course,” Eliza said, remembering the names of Jonathan’s other friends. Theresa glanced in her direction, then turned and walked back to the front, urging Genevieve and Marilyn to go next. A cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead, stirring up the scent of freshly fallen pine needles. In any other circumstances Eliza would have been taking in the scenery, enjoying the rare treat of being outdoors at night, but thanks to Theresa—and Harrison—she just couldn’t seem to relax.
“I’m deciding which one of them I’m going to allow to escort me to the welcome dance,” Alice said breathlessly. “You seem like a levelheaded girl, Eliza. Whom do you think I should choose?”
Alice grasped Eliza’s hand, and Eliza felt a rush of sudden and unexpected affection. Alice was almost like a little girl—a little sister, which was something Eliza had never had.
“Well, Jeff might be better for conversation, with his recent travels to talk about, but you and Christopher have similar coloring, so . . .”
“Oh my goodness, I hadn’t thought of that! We would make a handsome pair, wouldn’t we?” Alice gasped.
“But Jeff is so attentive. He actually noticed my shoe had come undone and risked his pant leg on that musty floor in order to refasten it for me! Oh, why does this have to be so hard?”
She looked up into the boughs overhead as if the trees would offer some sort of answer. Nearby, Catherine stifled a laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll make the right decision in the end,” Eliza said, squeezing Alice’s hand. “Perhaps you should go see Christopher at Easton tomorrow and ask where he summers. That may help tip the scales.”
Alice nodded solemnly. “Of course. Thank you, Eliza. I knew you were the right person to talk to.”
Catherine turned around then, clearly unable to stay away any longer. “She’s right, you know, Eliza. You may claim to have had no beaux, but clearly you understand the perils of romance,” she teased.
“Thank you, Catherine. I do consider myself a student of the human condition,” Eliza replied, feeling Theresa’s eyes on her as she sent Jane and Lavender off into the night.
Catherine laughed quietly. “That reminds me! I wanted to ask you, have you read The Canterbury Tales?”
“Oh, it’s one of my favorites!” Eliza held a hand over her heart. “The language, the imagery, the dialogue! Don’t you feel as if you’re right there with the characters?”
Suddenly, Theresa cleared her throat. She eyed Catherine and Eliza, her hands behind her back. “Catherine, Alice, you may go.”
“What?” Catherine said. “But I—”
“I know we always stick together, Catherine,” Theresa said as if humoring her, yet in a somehow condescending tone. “But I’d like to get to know our new charge a bit better.” She looked Eliza up and down in a way that made Eliza’s blood curdle.
Catherine gazed at them for a moment, then shrugged.
“All right, then. But play nice,” she added, giving Theresa a shrewd look. She took Alice’s arm and turned around. “Shall we?”
“We shall!” Alice said.
Theresa watched the two girls race off into the night, then turned toward Eliza. She placed the lantern down on the dirt path. The flame cast dancing shadows along the ground, but Theresa’s face was shrouded in darkness. Eliza’s pulse began to pound with apprehension.
“You and Catherine seem to be getting along,” Theresa stated.
“We’re roommates. I should think getting along would be a good thing,” Eliza replied, casting a glare at Theresa. She refused to appear intimidated.