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"If you’d like, you can stay in this roo Of course, I can have your things uest chambers if it doesn’t suit you"

I spun around "No, I want to stay here," I said quickly My suitcase, which was virtually e in the corner of the roorandfather led me to a set of French doors in the corner of the roo the knobs, "was her closet"

I stepped inside, the sling froht, the closet was transfore room into an enchanted boudoir filled with rows and rows of jewelry and shoes and clothes Beautiful clothes, in styles I had never seen before The ht of them filled me with an unexplainable childish excite the racks, the hangers clinking together behind ertips--silk, crushed velvet, suede, taffeta, cashmere, fine cottons I had to remind myself that I didn’t like clothes like this They were expensive, extravagant, snobby My parents used to tell s to define who I was, but now I couldn’t help but want to put thee I think she was about your size Anyway, they’re yours now

Everything in this closet adheres to Gottfried’s dress code, so take whatever you think you’ll need"

I glanced at the clothes, trying to i the sweaters, the skirts, the dresses, the Mary Janes, the cloaks I couldn’t I fingered the sleeve of a sweater It was so soft

"Well, I’ll leave you to it Lunch will be served at half past one"

I nodded and watched randfather’s reflection in the mirror as he bowed out of the roo s and headbands; drawers packed with silk pajaht they ht smell of her, but instead they just set that they were hers, that she was gone The only trace of her I could find was a single brown hair clinging to a cowl-neck sweater I pulled it out and exaer than I had ever seen her wear it I iined her in one of the plaid ju hair held back with a ribbon "What aht of my father next to her, his hair short and parted on the side He wore a shirt and tie, just like he did in the pictures of when they first got married "Dad," I said into the eers clinked together above ry It was unfair Why did my parents have to die? Why did I have to find thee of thele ers off the rack They clattered to the ground, and I kept going, throwing her box of jewelry to the floor, her collection of headbands and barrettes, her scarves andmy mother’s clothes to ht back to when I hadn’tonly er," he had said "Why don’t you go practice? That way you’llmy tears on the bottom of one of my mother’s dresses, I picked myself up and stood in front of theof her in s that always got in ray eyes, noollen and red Was I like her?

I searched throughin front of the mirror, I took a lock of hair in my hand I closed one, andfree, I shookon the floor like spaghetti Satisfied, I took a dress off a hanger and tried it on, exathree suitcases full of skirts, dresses, oxford shirts, cardigans, cable-knit tights, and plush winter coats, I felt adequately prepared for whatever weather the New England winter had in store for hast, when I walked downstairs for lunch

I nodded "I wanted a change"

"It looks very nice," he said

"Thanks," I said, with a slight smile

After a lunch of tea sandwiches and cucua a croquet mallet, I followed him to the back lawn After only fifteen , I stepped up for my turn I didn’t like to lose After aIt was a swift hit and I rested the croquet mallet over my shoulder while I watched the ball roll all the way to the other side of the lawn, in the co I should have been ai for Dustin chuckled, but I scowled and ran over to e of the woods, where a thicket of birch trees shaded the grass Dustin called out to razed the ball, I ju in front of it, the bones jutting out at unnatural angles Unable to control ile despite his age and the stuffy suit he earing He surandfather approached and surveyed the scene "Get rid of it, please," he said to one of the gardeners, patting htened of"

"Right," I said, standing up, embarrassed that I had caused such a fuss This had happened to me before Even as a child, I seeo inside"

Dusk settled over the ly long table, and he attempted to make small talk about the subjects I was interested in at school I told hiood at history Both of h school history teachers; my father had specialized in ancient Greek civilizations, and ht on the Roman Empire So when I did well in ed me to read more on my own