hospital.
âFourteen full-time,â she said. âThereâs a lot to do. Youâll see.â
Neither of us had mentioned her yet, but I didnât see how I could go much farther without bringing her up. âWhat about Kiera?â
âWhat about her?â
âDoes she know about me?â
âShe knows about you.â
âBut does she know Iâm coming to live in her house?â
âItâs not her house,â Mrs. March said quickly and sharply. Then she smiled and added, âDonât worry about it.â
âBut she knows?â I asked.
âNot yet,â Mrs. March said. âRight now, Iâm not concerned about what she thinks or how she feels about anything.â
Her answer shocked me. How could such a thing be kept secret from her daughter? What sort of a family was this, anyway?
Maybe Mama and I, even during the struggle, had been more of a family after all.
It wouldnât be long before I knew.
6
Castle
N othing I had seen in magazines, on television, or in a movie had prepared me for what I was about to see. I had thought castles were only in Europe and only kings and queens lived like this. We turned off a main road, went down a side road, and began to climb a hill. As we climbed, I realized there were no houses along the way.
Mrs. March sensed my curiosity. âAll this land is ours,â she said, âon both sides. Thatâs why there are no other houses on the road.â
Eventually, we reached what I could only describe as a hidden entrance to the road on which the Marchesâ house was located. There were no signs, mailboxes, or anything, just tall, full pine trees on both sides, so that when anyone drove in, he or she couldnât see the March house just yet.
âThis isnât a public road,â she said. âMy husband built it, and we maintain it.â
They own their own road? How can anyone own his own road?
I wondered.
We came to a tall, solid, light orange wall at least ten or twelve feet high. Now, just over the wall, I could see the top of the house and what looked like a tower. Just looking at the wall ahead of us wouldnât tell anyone it opened, but when Grover pressed a button by the sun visor above him, the wall began to part. It revealed a beautiful cobblestone driveway that curved upward toward what I could only call a storybook house.
âIs it a castle?â I asked breathlessly.
Mrs. March laughed. âDonald thinks so. He was determined to build something different, so he built whatâs called a Richardsonian Romanesque house. It has the round-topped arches over the windows and entryway and masonry walls with a pattern of ruby and white. And yes,â she said, laughing again, âthat tower makes it look like a castle, but Donald will tell you a manâs home is supposed to be his castle.â
As we approached and we could see beyond the high bushes and trees, the house seemed to unfold to my right and to my left.
âItâs so big.â
âIt might be the biggest house in Southern California, for all I know. I forget, but I think Donald said itâs ninety thousand square feet. There are three floors if we count the rooms in the tower. Weâve been here nearly twenty years, but Iâm still furnishing it. I suppose it will never be finished, but thatâs what makes it fun to go shopping here and in Europe. Thereâs furniture from all over the world. Persian and Turkish rugs, French chandeliers, cabinets from England, settees and chairs from Spain, tapestries from both Franceand Spain. You can understand why we need so many employees.â
She pointed to her left as we drew closer. âOver there, youâll find the swimming pool and the tennis courts. You canât tell, but part of the house is our multicar garage. The garage entrances are all around the side, so it makes the house look much bigger. Of course, there is an apartment over the
Christine Zolendz, Frankie Sutton, Okaycreations