From The Secret of Nightingale Wood : Doctor Hardy stayed until about ten o'clock. He did not speak to me before he left, and Nanny Jane, who had brought me a cup of cocoa when she came to say good night, had not told me anything either. It was midnight now, and I was still not asleep.Why would no one tell me anything? Father had left us. Mama was so sick I hardly ever saw her. I wanted to help. I wanted to do something, but it was the middle of the night and I was all by myself and I was twelve years old. What could I possibly do?I stared out the window at the moonlit garden and the dark woodland beyond. There it was again--that mysterious wisp of smoke drifting up from the trees--that flicker of faery flame that I had seen on our first night at Hope House. There was someone out there in the darkness. Someone or something. I felt that familiar tugging sensation--a voice calling to me from among the trees . . .Doctor Hardy's instruction echoed in my mind: No big adventures for you, young lady . . .I smiled a small, angry smile.I would go.At the very bottom of the garden, where the wilderness began, I stopped and stared into the blackness. Then I took one long, deep breath and walked into the dark jaws of the forest. Excerpted from The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
