The Secret Window by Betty R. Wright

Author:Betty R. Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781504013321
Publisher: Holiday House

CHAPTER 9

Linda’s Party

Linda Bell’s house was dark gray with white shutters, a rambling picture book house partly hidden by a row of precisely trimmed shrubs. A narrow drive curved up to the door and framed a bed of yellow tulips. Tall birches stood at either side of the drive.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Gracie said solemnly. “Don’t you just love it?”

“I love it.” Meg wondered if anything bad could happen to people who lived in a house like this one. Surely the children would be beautiful (Linda was beautiful) and the father would love his family and never want to leave them. No one would argue. The mother would be happy. Meg imagined herself and her family living here, serene and happy. Rich.

“We must be the first ones to come,” Meg said. “There aren’t any lights.”

The door opened before Gracie could reply. Linda ignored their shy hellos.

“Can you believe it—the darned stereo isn’t working right!” she stormed. “I just knew something like this would happen! It always does!”

Well, maybe little things could go wrong, even in this house, Meg thought. They followed their hostess into the foyer and toward a stairway that floated upward in a graceful curve.

“Take your stuff upstairs,” Linda ordered. “Any bedroom where the door’s open. I have to go back and see if the guys can get the stupid stereo going. It’s making a noise like a jet plane, but Ricky thinks he knows what’s wrong. He’d better! My folks will kill me if they come home and find it broken.”

She darted across the dark living room and out of sight. Meg and Gracie went upstairs, letting their hands slide over the silky-smooth banister.

“Linda says at Christmastime they pin their greeting cards on a wide red ribbon and let it hang from the second floor all the way down to the floor in the foyer,” Gracie said. She was talking fast, as if she wanted to keep Meg from saying anything. “And they wind real holly around the banister.”

At the top of the stairs was a carpeted hall with doors on either side, some opened, some closed. The girls peeked into each of the opened ones. Knapsacks and overnight cases were dropped on some of the beds. The rooms were beautiful, and each of them was at least twice as big as Meg’s bedroom at home.

“This’ll be okay.” Gracie turned into the last room on the left and dropped her bag on the twin bed nearest the door. “Let’s go,” she said. “The party’s down in the rec room. Hurry up, Meggie.”

Meg found her voice at last. “Where are Linda’s mother and dad?” she asked. “I thought you said they’d be home.”

Gracie grabbed Meg’s hand and pulled her toward the hall. “Maybe they had to go out somewhere,” she said impatiently. “What difference does it make?”

“Well, it just seems kind of strange.…” Meg needed time to think. “This is a pretty room, isn’t it?” she said lamely. “I wouldn’t mind having it, would you?” She looked at the braided rug, the white chenille bedspreads, the full, ruffled curtains.

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