The Burning by R. L. Stine

Author:R. L. Stine [Stine, R. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Family, Fiction, Horror, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781439120354
Google: 9Z4-1tBikCoC
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2008-06-29T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Her cheeks scarlet, her eyes wild, Lucy stopped a few feet in front of Hannah, breathing hard.

What is she going to do to me? Hannah wondered, pressing against the dresser, her hands raised as if to shield herself from the maid’s attack.

“Mrs. MacKenzie t-told me—” Lucy stammered, pointing down. “About your foot, I mean.”

“Yes?” Hannah managed to utter in a tight, frightened voice.

“Well, I came up to see if there was anything I could do. To help, that is.”

“I think you’ve done quite enough,” Hannah replied coldly.

Lucy appeared stung by Hannah’s words.

Hannah immediately felt sorry.

Lucy was red-faced and breathing hard because she had hurried up the stairs to help me, Hannah realized. I have become so frightened of her, so suspicious of her, that I really believed she had come to attack me!

“I am sorry you are in pain, miss,” Lucy said, lowering her eyes to the floor. “If there is anything I can do for you …”

“Thank you, Lucy,” Hannah replied, softening her tone. “You may clean up the floor. There was quite a lot of blood. Then take that shoe down to Mrs. MacKenzie. Ask if there is any way it can be cleaned.”

“Yes, miss,” Lucy said, still avoiding Hannah’s gaze.

Limping gingerly, Hannah made her way past Lucy and headed downstairs to dinner.

The picnic was Hannah’s idea. She had been cooped up in the house for three days nursing her injured foot. Now the foot was nearly healed, and she was walking normally.

“What an excellent idea,” Julia said brightly. “I shall have a basket lunch made up. We shall go out to the woods and enjoy this beautiful day.”

Joseph, Brandon, and Robert begged to come along. “I promise we won’t be any trouble,” begged Robert. “And I shall watch Brandon and Joseph carefully.”

Fluff also seemed excited by the idea. The little dog leapt eagerly at the pantry door, whimpering to go out into the sunshine.

“Go get dressed,” Julia instructed her sister. “I shall go speak to Lucy about preparing our lunch basket.”

The mention of Lucy’s name gave Hannah a chill. She had avoided the maid for three days. Hannah realized that she was perhaps being unfair. Lucy couldn’t be deliberately trying to hurt the two Fear sisters. What reason could she have?

Just the same, Hannah had decided to avoid Lucy and to have as little to do with her as possible.

Pushing Lucy out of her mind, she hurried upstairs to get changed for the picnic.

“Why do they call it Indian summer?” Brandon asked.

“I am not sure,” Hannah told him. “But today is certainly the most beautiful Indian summer day.”

The sun was high, seeming to float above tiny puffs of white cloud. Leaves shimmered brightly on the tall trees at the back of the lawn. They were still summer green although autumn was here.

Despite the sunshine, the air carried a chill. Hannah wrapped her light blue shawl around her as she watched Fluff scamper through the tall grass.

“Joseph, don’t chase Fluff!” Julia ordered. “You’re getting the poor dog

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