The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

Author:Tamzin Merchant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Published: 2020-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

THE AIR INSIDE THE HATMAKERS’ HALLWAY WAS cool on Cordelia’s burning face as Aunt Ariadne slammed the door behind her.

“I can explain,” Cordelia began.

“For shame!” Aunt Ariadne gasped. “Cordelia, I am deeply disappointed in you.”

Cordelia shook her head. “No!” she protested. “I was only trying to—”

“There are principles of Hatmaking that you have no idea about. Principles of balance, of equanimity. Do you understand them? No!” Aunt Ariadne snapped.

“I wanted to help! I wanted to do something!” The tadpole of shame in Cordelia’s belly squirmed and she felt sick. “It was the only way I could think of to get to the princess—I had to do it—”

“You heard Lord Witloof,” her aunt went on. “These are treacherous times. The Makers’ fates hang in the balance. We cannot afford to have the Hatmaker name smeared by scandal! How many hats did you add things to that afternoon?”

“Only that one, I promise!”

“Cordelia, this is very serious.”

“YES!” Cordelia found herself shouting. “It is serious! My father’s life is at stake! And nobody cares! Nobody except me has done ANYTHING to try to find him!”

A terrible silence filled the hall. It ate up all the air. The kitchen door opened a crack and Cook peeped through. Miss Starebottom craned over the bannister upstairs.

Cordelia felt the squirm of shame again. It bloated into a gloating toad, crouching heavy in her belly.

“I’m the one who tried to get a boat from the princess!” she cried. “I’m the one who went to find Jack! I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO’S TRYING TO GET MY FATHER BACK!”

Aunt Ariadne’s lips flattened into a line as straight as a cane.

“Jones told us last night that he woke up the old seadog in the sickbay,” she snapped. “He said there had never been a cabin boy there at all.”

“What?”

“You wasted our time with a made-up story, Cordelia, and you made us hope for a moment—”

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