(A/N: Allyrwhitney, thanks. I'm doing very well now. I miss my old car sometimes and catching up on school work was a headache. But overall, things are just fine now.

I own nothing!)

Ten years ago

Footsteps echoed across the hall as a young boy returned from boarding school for the summer break. He couldn't wait to tell his parents his news. He turned a corner and nearly took out the head housekeeper.

"Hello there. Where are you going in such a rush?"

"To find Father and Mummy. I need to tell them something."

"Well, your mother is out to the village until dinner. And your father is speaking with someone in his private study. Someone important."

"I can't wait!"

The housekeeper reached after the boy but couldn't convince him to wait. The boy hurried to the study, surprised to see the door opened just a crack. It usually was closed when there was a guest. He was about to go in when he realized he was the subject of the conversation inside the room. He peered in through the crack as he listened with an eager ear.

"I hope you never have to have this disappointment, Cyning. My boy bungles everything he touches. If he continues like this, I'd sooner burn the estate to the ground and have my entire fortune go to my girl's dowry than see him inherit it."

The boy's eyes widened. Suddenly, the fact that he had finished school with the highest scores the school had ever seen for his age group didn't seem all that important. He turned away from the study and walked to his room. He stayed there, curled up in a ball on his bed, until he fell asleep.

Someone woke him up for dinner but he told that servant to go away and remained curled up.

He was starting to fall asleep again when his door opened.

"Go away."

"My dear boy, what's wrong? Are you sick? Exhausted from the trip home?"

"Go away Mummy."

Despite being told to leave, the matriarch of the home still came over and sat on the edge of the bed. She placed a hand on her young son's shoulder, her own shoulders drooping when he pushed her hand off him.

"What's troubling you?"

"Who was Father's visitor?"

The matriarch blinked. She had not expected that question.

"The honorable mayor of Dunwittie."

The boy scoffed. "Honorable? He's a weasel."

"That's not very polite."

"It's true! Leave me alone!"

The mother felt her heart clench. Something had happened, no doubt. But what, she couldn't seem to get her son to say. She would keep trying though. For now, all she could do was let her son have some time to himself. Maybe he would come to her in the morning. He usually came to her eventually.

Usually.

oOo

Sofia scratched Minimus' nuzzle. It had been nearly two weeks since she'd arrived at Hexley Hall and she was starting to get frazzled. Lady Hexley had said they were going to do something about her 'attitude and confidence' and Sofia wasn't sure she appreciated a single part of it. She was tempted to just take off quietly in the middle of the night, but she feared she'd get caught. Lady Hexley had threatened to hide her carriage if she tried to leave without permission.

Thunder sounded in the distance and a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. The rain that had been pouring down over the last few days seemed to get heavier. Minimus neighed nervously. Sofia patted his nose.

"It's okay Minimus. It's just a storm."

One of the Hexley stable hands looked at the young visitor and her horse.

"Is that horse always so skittish?"

"Sometimes," Sofia answered. "I think I'm headed back inside. Make sure the stable doors are closed tightly. He has bolted before during storms. If he spooks, he will try to return home but Cantata Hall is too far away for that."

The stable hand nodded. "Of course Miss. Your horse will be secure here."

"Thank you."

Sofia went back inside. Lady Hexley was giving some servants instructions. Once the servants had left, Sofia stepped over to her hostess.

"Get ready for some fun, Sofia. The rain may get very heavy soon."

Sofia repressed the urge to shudder. The previous two days, the rain had been so heavy that hardly anyone dared go outside. It was mild that day but the young lady wasn't ambitious for it to get extremely heavy again.

"Is it going to affect Lord Hexley's return from town?"

Lady Hexley nodded. "Most likely. The old fool always gets delayed by the spring showers."

Sofia resisted the urge to snort with laughter. She hadn't yet met Lord Hexley yet as he was out of town for important matters. He wasn't due back for at least another week. And if the stories about the rain storms in Mystica Prata were to be believed, it could be longer before he returned.

"I think I'm ready to turn in for the night," Sofia said.

Lady Hexley raised an eyebrow but didn't question her guest. Instead, she bid her sleep well.

Sofia went to her room and quietly changed into her nightgown. But instead of going straight to bed, she started writing a letter to Amber. She'd already sent one letter and received a response. But she wanted to write another one.

.

Dear Amber,

It's been two weeks, and I still don't know what to think of Lady Hexley. Did I mention she's insisted I call her by her christened name? Yesterday, I slipped and called her by her title and she said something about calling her 'Mummy' if her name is too difficult. Somehow, I don't think calling her 'Winnifred' will be too hard now.

A few days ago, she figured out exactly what my wardrobe looks like. Winnifred was shocked, to say the least. She dragged me to a local dressmaker, who happens to be very famous. I think you've mentioned her before. Madame Collette? Does that name sound familiar? I may be in a fight to keep MY wardrobe. I told Winnifred that she's worse than you. She only laughed. Then placed a huge order. I tried to convince Madame Collette to decrease the order but it's me against a local and extremely important marchioness. It's safe to say that she had the last say in the order.

Mystica Prata is beautiful. I hope you can come see it someday. It has been raining quite a bit the last few days and Winnifred seems to believe that in the next few days, it will get worse. I hope not. Already, some roads have been blocked. This and any further damage may delay Lord Hexley's return. He's been out on town business and is supposed to return in a week. I haven't met him yet but he sounds interesting. Winnifred constantly calls him an old fool.

From my understanding, several letters were sent by Cedric to his mother but she never received a single one of them. When I told her that he had been sending letters, she was very surprised. I get the feeling she believes Lord Hexley had something to do with that. She searched his study looking for something but never did find what she was looking for. If she was searching for letters and it was Lord Hexley, either he hid them very well or he could have even destroyed the evidence.

I hope James hasn't gotten into too much trouble since I've left. Some days, it's hard to believe he's eighteen years old.

I'll close for now. I hope to hear from you soon.

Love, Sofia

.

Sofia closed the letter. She was about to snuff her candle and climb into bed when a knock sounded on her door and Winnifred entered. The front of her dress was wet, surprising Sofia.

"Still awake?"

"I did want to write a letter to my sister very quickly."

Thunder sounded in the distance and a lightning strike caused the hall to shake. The incoming rain became heavier.

"Of course," Winnifred said, a knowing smile appearing on her face. "Cedric just returned."

Sofia sputtered. "Really? Is that why your dress is suddenly wet?"

"When you haven't seen your child for years, a silly rainstorm isn't going to stop you from hugging him. He's gone to get changed into dry clothes then have something hot to eat. He'd probably like to see you."

Sofia glanced at her nightgown and shook her head. She wasn't certain she was ready to see the new arrival just yet.

"I'm sure he's exhausted from the trip and rain. And I was just about to snuff the light."

Winnifred didn't seem totally convinced. "Well I can't force you to go see him now. Good night, Sofia."

Winnifred left the room. Sofia blew out the candle and sat down on the edge of her bed. Part of her wanted to just get dressed or at least get a dressing robe put on over her nightgown and go down to see Cedric. But another part of her was still reeling from their last conversation.

Not a liar. I am not a liar.

The room seemed to close in on Sofia and she could feel herself having a difficult breathing. Unconsciously, she grabbed at her left arm and dug her fingertips in tightly. She became aware of a trickling feeling on her arm and forced herself to look and let go of the limb. Sofia brushed her fingertips across her skin, realizing she had actually drawn blood from gripping so hard. Quickly, she grabbed a handkerchief and pressed it to the cuts.

Well, no one will notice. All my dresses are long sleeved.

After a short while, Sofia gave up and crawled into bed. But even as she tried getting cozy, she knew she wasn't going to sleep well that night.

Meanwhile, Winnifred went to the parlor where Cedric was sitting near the fireplace, finishing a hot cup of tea. His hair was still damp but compared to how drenched he had been just a short time before, it was an improvement.

"I'm surprised my things were kept in good condition," Cedric stated.

"Well, I wanted things ready for you when you returned," Winnifred replied. "Sofia was just climbing into bed. It's a shame she was so tired."

"Tired or avoiding me?"

"Oh yes, she did indicate you two have been arguing. Well, give yourselves both a night to rest and then go make up. If I have to, I will lock you both in that empty closet in the attic."

"That won't be necessary, Mummy."

Winnifred smirked. "Won't it? It would do the trick."

Cedric scowled at his mother. "Not if I can help it."

"Fine. So, are you going to tell her about whatever happened with her father ten years ago?"

Cedric startled. "Why are you bringing that up?"

"She may ask. She knows now that something happened. I have to admit, given your disdain of Mayor Cyning, it was a shock to me to learn you were in Dunwittie, much less friends with his daughter."

"That letter she wrote…" Cedric trailed off.

"So what happened ten years ago?"

Cedric gritted his teeth. "I overheard a conversation between Father and Mayor Cyning. Father told him he'd rather burn Hexley down and give his entire fortune to Cordelia's dowry than see me manage any of it if I continued the way I was."

Winnifred bristled. "That old fool needs to have his eyes and ears checked. You've never done so poorly that he needed to worry about Hexley being in your hands. Small learning experiences? Yes. But anything so major that there would be legitimate cause for concern? No."

"Where is Father?"

"Out to town for business. He's expanded his business quite a bit over the last five years."

"Of course he has." Cedric rolled his eyes. "Ever expanding the Hexley influence."

"Don't fret. He'll be gone for another week, provided he doesn't get delayed by the rain. It'll give you plenty of time to make up with Sofia. Now, off to bed with you. You've been riding in the rain for a few days, it's late, and you have a dear lady friend to reconcile with."

Cedric nodded. He was tired and his mother was right about everything she'd just said.

"Good night, Mummy."

"Good night, Ceddykins. It's good to have you home again."