Free Wishes on the Wind by Elaine Barbieri Page A

to his aunt and filled her ear with the truth about her from the day she had trespassed on the hill to this afternoon's unwise behavior.
        Breathing deeply against the emotion choking her throat, Meghan blinked back threatening tears. She had let Ma and Sean down, and Father Matthew, too. She hadn't lasted more than a month here, and the worst of it was yet to come when she faced Uncle Timothy and told him that she'd been dismissed.

    Still cursing her lack of restraint, Meghan turned at the sound of  a step in the doorway a few minutes later. Cook had returned, and she tensed as the woman addressed her.
        "Mrs. Lang wants to see you in the study."
        Nodding, glancing away before Cook could see the tears that welled in her eyes, Meghan raised her chin a notch higher. She'd not let any one of them see an O'Connor cry.
        Wiping her hands on her apron, Meghan walked out of the kitchen without response. Taking a deep breath as she reached the study door, she knocked lightly.
        "Come in."
        Her chin high, Meghan stepped into the room, her eyes on Mrs. Lang's troubled expression as the woman approached her.
        "You wanted to see me, ma'am?"
        "Yes, I did."
        Coming to stand directly in front of her, Mrs. Lang paused. The mistress's pale blue eyes surveyed her from the top of her head to the tips of her worn shoes.
        "David was just in here to see me. He told me he was talking to you behind the house a few minutes ago." Meghan blinked and swallowed hard as Mrs. Lang shook her head. "I had no idea…"
        Unexpectedly, Mrs. Lang raised a delicate hand to the line of irritated skin that ringed Meghan's neck. "It was extremely negligent of me to provide a uniform that would cause you physical discomfort. David was right in bringing the matter to my attention. I've already instructed Cook to give you some of Dr. Biel's salve for your neck, and I told her that I want you to change immediately into your own clothes, and that you're to be allowed to wear them until your new uniforms arrive from Philadelphia. I've also told Cook that I won't require you to wear a cap in the kitchen." Mrs. Lang looked pained. This last concession was obviously difficult for her, confirming Meg's thought that David Lang had again exerted his influence over his totally beguiled aunt for her benefit. "A simple ribbon to tie back your hair will do. I'll send one down from my room in the event you don't have one with you. And I hope you'll accept my apology for your discomfort, dear."
        Meghan blinked again. "Yes, ma'am."
        In the hallway, Meghan pulled the odious cap off her head and shook her hair free. Her frown darkened and her light blue eyes were pensive as she entered the kitchen to face Cook's and Mabel's scrutiny.
        Cook broke the silence with a sharp, "All right, you heard what the mistress said. Get yourself changed out of those clothes and into your own." Cook pinned her with her stare. "And I hope you know who you have to thank for all of this. Mr. David is a dear boy with a kind heart and a concern for all them around him, even when it ain't returned in kind. Fie on you! If anyone was to ask me, I'd say you aren't worthy of his concern."
        Responding with a brief, cold stare, Meghan turned toward the storage room, anxious to be back in her own clothes again. But Cook's words lingered, and as she slipped her worn cotton dress over her head, she wondered. What was that David Lang up to?
        The same question lingered in Meghan's mind throughout her lesson with Father Matthew, prompting quizzical looks and an occasional concerned frown as her concentration faltered several times. She carefully avoided his gently probing questions as she had since starting work at the house on the hill. She didn't want him to know about the staff's resentment toward her.
        Of course, there was one member of the staff who didn't feel the same, but