Chapter 34
Danielle turned around. Jean-Claude was standing there, smiling. “Glad to see this morning. I was worried about you.”
Danielle looked at him. He is a strange boy, she thought. He is four years older than I. Well then, if this is the way they act when they grow up, I want no part of it, especially you, Jean-Claude. Now Henry, on the other hand,….
“Glad to see you, too, Jean. Now if you will excuse me…”
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Down at the other end of the hay field, Henry stopped running. He stared at the other end. Some one was there other than Danielle, someone was standing next to her. Who was it?
He moved in closer this time, still staring at the other end. He squinted against the morning sunlight and frowned. Then he became angry.
“Jean-Claude,” he said. He began to run. Then something suddenly occurred to him.
Why were they going to the manor? Danielle’s father was at the castle, wasn’t he?
“Danielle, wait,” he called out and he began to run as fast as he could.
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“Are you going somewhere, Danielle? Your tutor was here and gone, you know. She went over to the castle to give you your lessons.” His smile grew wider and more sinister. “And your father isn’t here, either. Do you think that he ran off somewhere with my mother?”
Danielle was trying to side step around him, but he wouldn’t let her. “Get out of my way, Jean-Claude du Lac and stop making ridiculous accusations. Your mother left with my uncle last night. You know that full well.”
“Do I?” Jean Claude asked, moving closer. “That’s probably why I haven’t seen the two of them all morning.”
My father isn’t here? Danielle thought. Could he still be at the castle? What were they doing here in the first place? “What about my uncle then, Jean. Isn’t he here?
“Well, if it isn’t Jean Claude,” a voice called from behind Danielle. She turned around and caught sight of Henry, huffing and puffing in her ear. “Where is your sister?”
”Right here,” Monique said, coming out from her hiding place. “How nice to see you again.” She smiled until she noticed that he held a book under his arm.
“What is this?” she said, reaching out for the book, but Henry grabbed it with his other hand and put it behind his back. “This is none of your business. It’s only for me and Danielle to…”
“Ah,” Jean Claude said, “so this must be the famous journal we’ve been hearing so much about. “Might we look at this, also? My mother talked of it quite often.”
“Leave him alone, Jean-Claude,” Danielle said, “or else..”
“Or else what?” Jean said, laughing, reaching out to grab the book, but it wasn’t necessary anymore.
Monique had grabbed it from behind, right out of Henry’s hands.