[House of Secrets #1] House of Secrets by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini

Author:Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini [Columbus, Chris & Vizzini, Ned]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, General
ISBN: 9780007465866
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Published: 2013-04-24T23:00:00+00:00

The woman gave Cordelia a shocked look. “You know my name?”

“I read it in a book by Denver Kristoff,” Cordelia said. “You’re Penelope Hope, a nurse living in Frimley during World War One.”

“No . . . ,” Penelope said, utterly bewildered. “I don’t even know what a Frimley is. My name is Penelope Hope, yes, but I’m a maid. Here. At Kristoff House. And I would really like some clothes.”

“We’ll get you something,” Cordelia said, climbing down from the attic with Eleanor. She thought about how twisted this situation had become: in the book The Fighting Ace, Penelope Hope was the woman Will Draper fell in love with.

Back in the attic, Will and Brendan kept their distance from Penelope. She stared out the window at the shingled waves, wrapped in Will’s bomber jacket. The sun was up and shimmering.

“Are we floating on the sea? How is that possible?”

“First, please tell us where you come from,” said Will.

“The closet,” said Brendan.

“What?” asked Will.

“Last night she was the skeleton from the closet. This morning she was . . . her.”

“You’re confusing me,” Penelope said. “I was a skeleton?”

“Please, allow me.” Will eased Brendan aside. “Penelope, do you know what year it is?”

“1913.”

“Afraid not. According to my companions it’s 2013.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Have you ever seen one of these?” Will reached into his pocket and handed Penelope something that took Brendan by surprise.

“My PSP! Where’d you get that?”

“You steal my gun; I steal your games. Miss Hope? Any idea?”

“Not a clue,” Penelope said, turning the device around.

“Allow me to demonstrate.”

Will turned it on. Penelope’s mouth hung open. “It’s like a photograph . . . in color?! And it’s moving?!? How?!”

For the next ten minutes Brendan and Will filled Penelope in on their adventures—and Brendan related a century of world history. It was a long, involved conversation with lots of smiles and jokes, and by the end of it, Brendan had forgiven Penelope for waking up scared and kicking him. Then the Walker sisters returned, bringing a dress for Penelope: purple and green, with a crocheted collar and hulking shoulder pads. They all left the attic so she could change.

“That’s the nasty dress Grandma gave you for Christmas!” Brendan told Cordelia. “Why couldn’t you get her something prettier?”

“Brendan’s got a crush on the new girl!” teased Eleanor.

Brendan was ready to defend himself, but he got help from Will: “So? Penelope’s intelligent, well-spoken—especially for a maid—and quite beautiful. Your brother could do a lot worse.”

Brendan gave Will a horrified look.

“You two,” said Cordelia, “don’t get enchanted by this woman. There’s a character in Denver Kristoff’s book The Fighting Ace named Penelope Hope, and I’ll bet this maid was the inspiration for her. Unless you want to have a crush on the same girl as Kristoff . . . ”

“I don’t have a crush on anybody!” Brendan said.

“And I’m a free man; I can do as I please,” said Will.

Cordelia looked crestfallen. Will sighed, put a hand on her shoulder, and tried to be as understanding as possible, searching for the proper words.

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