'I promise we'll come back before it gets dark.' Her aunt knew better than to let her go. 'Please, Aunt Prim, let us walk up in the hills and see if we can't find some cool wind somewhere,' Kate begged. The thick haze just seemed to swallow it. The sun was leaving without a blaze of color. As evening came, no thunder rumbled in the hills, and no breeze sprang up to fan their clammy cheeks. The sun shone through it as a brilliant white spot, and not a whisper of wind stirred. A gray haze hung in the air, too diffuse to be called clouds, but too thick to be called anything else.

One breathless afternoon nothing could bring relief to spirit or body. The weather changed with the approaching end of summer, and clouds gathered over the Hill. Between them, they dosed Kate with a variety of strong and well-meaning remedies that did no good at all. Lips tight, she called the doctor, but neither he nor Prim could find anything wrong. Prim noticed the pale cheeks and the dark shadows under her niece's eyes. Her nightmares were wearing her out, and her worried sister's constant questions were upsetting her. But keeping a secret from loved ones is a heavy burden, and now she was keeping two secrets. Kate couldn't bear for her little sister to find out that they weren't really family, so she said nothing about what she had learned, and she tried to keep up a cheerful appearance. In the aftermath of her guardian's horrible disclosure, society parties had gone quite out of her head. Prim assured her that Hugh would give in to their arguments and take her into town, but Kate no longer wanted to go. Prim and Celia were sure Kate's restless unhappiness was due to disappointment. The change in Kate was obvious to all, but no one understood it.

Hollow kingdom book