The Moon Master's Ball Read Online Free Page B

customers.
    A slight fog still clung rebelliously to the
meadow’s rolling hills and, as the sun shone down, the grass
twinkled with dew. It was a beautiful sight to the people of
Winslow and, while they rushed to get ready for the day, the
thought of it danced about in their minds. For a week there would
be nothing but fun in the village.
    Bromley’s Circus had arrived.

    While down on her hands and knees cleaning
up the broken vase and flowers, Tilly pondered Rodger’s suggestion
of the night before. Once her work was finished, she decided, she
would bundle up in her room and not come out for the whole week.
And she would ask Mrs. Gregson for tea. Perhaps she would read the
book Daphne had lent her.
    Her thoughts stopped abruptly when she heard
a noise coming from underneath the wooden floorboards. It sounded
like scratching and . . . something else. Whispering. Scratches and
whispers.
    Tilly pressed her ear to the floor, and the
whispering got louder, though she couldn’t pick out any specific
words. The noise sounded familiar, as if she had heard it once a
long time ago. But it ended abruptly when Lord Hollingberry stepped
suddenly into the room.
    “Tilly? Why are you still here?” The old man
looked around the parlor and smiled. “My dear wife loved this
room.” The smile faded a little as he looked at Tilly again. “Come
along now; leave the cleaning for another time. Do you remember the
conversation we had yesterday?”
    Tilly gulped and scrambled to her feet,
trying to think of a way to escape Lord Hollingberry’s question.
“I—I do, sir.”
    As she stepped into the foyer, he closed the
door behind her and spoke very quietly, as if afraid someone might
overhear. “My dear, I know something happened to make you afraid of
the Circus. It is a strange place, after all. But I need you
to suppress that fear and do something for me.”
    Tilly was already shaking her head
frantically, her face pale. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t. I just
can’t.”
    Once more, Lord Hollingberry’s voice and
manner became strangely young. “What if I told you that a man’s
fate rests in your hands?”
    “Sir, please, you aren’t making any
sense—”
    “When have I ever lied to you? I’ve taken
you in, given you a home, and treated you with as much kindness and
consideration as you could wish. Now grant me this one favor,” he
said just above a whisper. “I’m only asking you to go to the
Circus, find Indigo Bromley, and tell him you must see the Moon
Master to deliver this letter from me. It’s as simple as that.”
    Lord Hollingberry stretched out his hand to
Tilly, offering her an ivory letter with a midnight-blue wax
seal.
    Tilly shook her head. “I’m sorry, I—”
    “Tilly. What is happening right here, right
now, is bigger than your fear. Be brave. I will make sure you are
protected from any harm.”
    It was a simple task. Take the letter, go to
Indigo Bromley, and give the letter to the Moon Master. Simple.
    And yet she was terrified.
    But Lord Hollingberry had been so good to
her. She should stop complaining and complete this small task! With
this thought firmly planted in her brain, Tilly held out her hand
and allowed Lord Hollingberry to place that crisp letter in her
palm.
    “Thank you, Tilly. Thank you so very much.”
Lord Hollingberry turned to leave, but she stopped him with a
question.
    “Why can’t you take it, sir?”
    The lord slowly looked at her over his
shoulder, a deep pool of sadness rippling in his eyes. “I was
banished from Bromley’s Circus a long time ago.”
    With that, he left.
    Tilly walked slowly down to her room, every
step more resistant than the last. She inspected the letter and
wondered what sort of message was scribbled within it. Then she
looked in her mirror, folding back the collar of her maid’s
uniform. A long white scar ran from her neck down to her collar
bone.
    She let out a sob and sat on her bed. Why
had she agreed to go back?
     
     

     
5
     
    “