THE MOON HAD MOVED nearer the horizon, and it cast long shadows over the land. Scudding clouds and a brisk wind made those shadows dance and stippled the landscape with an eerie light that looked as if ghosts had been set free to wander. The third time Laurie had jumped at a shadowy movement, a tiny voice in her mind muttered that she had been mad to keep quiet about May’s plan and madder still to follow her alone. No longer feeling very bold, she pushed on nonetheless. Her only plan had been to catch up with her sister and talk her into returning to Aylewood, but she had feared for the success of that plan from the moment she realized that May had slipped out of the castle without challenge. May was too far ahead now, and in any event, she would not stop merely because Laurie shouted at her to do so, even if Laurie caught sight of her and were close enough to make May hear her. In fact, Laurie realized belatedly, if May truly believed she was in love, she was unlikely to listen to anything that her older sister said, in any event.
