Maddie could guess the reason she had left, and was quite certain the leave would be permanent. She remained speechless.
"Since you are a housekeeper, surely you can be spared a few days or a week."
"Perhaps, but…" She had only meant to respond to the first statement.
"Good, then it is settled." She rose quickly from the chair. "We shall see you at first light tomorrow morning."
Mrs. Sommers seemed to float through the room as she spoke. "That will definitely give you plenty of time to pack your things." As she stopped at the entryway, Maddie felt powerless to control what was happening. She had learned never to interrupt and had no time to get a single word out of her mouth.
"I will send someone by to gather you and your belongings."
The bright rays of the sun stung Maddie's eyes again as she watched Mrs. Sommers rush past the door and rush to her carriage. The sun, she now thought, was not the only thing that was overwhelming and irritating.
_ _
"I cannot believe you have waited until now to tell me!" Hayley squealed to Maddie, as she watched her lay her clothes into her travel bag.
"I did not get immediate permission."
"That is not what I meant." Her tone revealed her frustration. "I wish I had known that Austin would be picking you up."
"I saw him in town yesterday, and he told me that he had insisted his mother allow him to pick me up." Maddie continued to fill her bag. Hayley puffed her cheeks as she threw herself on Maddie's bed. She knew she was acting childish, but she did not care. She felt as if she had been left out of a secret.
"Even though Austin does not want to be with me, I do not feel the same." Hayley stood up and walked to the water basin. As she peered into the bowl, she felt as though she could fill it with her tears. She instinctively picked up a hairbrush from the dresser and brought it to Maddie. "Soon I will be eighteen years old, and I have no one to love."
Maddie laid the brush in her bag, latched the top and placed it in front of the bedroom door. She walked back to Hayley and took her by the hand as they walked to the door. "You are indeed a beautiful young lady, and you will find someone wonderful." She gently placed her hand on Hayley's shoulder. "Please do not spend your days crying over Austin Sommers."