Living in a mansion as an only child surrounded by servants, cooks, maintenance workers, maids, and other adults intent on their household tasks left Sarah without any real human companionship. Because she went to a private school some distance from her home, she had no friends within easy access, and if the truth were told, even those at school with whom she had contact were not really friends at all. The occasional help like Brockton Smith, who was hired to keep her out of everyone else’s hair, provided her no friendship. The Brockton Smiths of her world weren’t there to listen to her problems or to advise her how one might deal with an issue or even join her in some fun activity. They were there simply to watch over her, make sure she was safe, discipline her where necessary, and always report the day’s events to Miss Grundick so she could assure Sarah’s father that Sarah was indeed active each day. Sarah loved her father, although not the way she did when she was little, of course.
