my father, and I think I'm going to faint."
Before she hit the floor, the uncle Greenwood who had hugged her caught her and lifted her gently onto a sofa.
"There, there," he said. "You're right, Copper. I am your father. I'm Cedar."
"But you can't be, you're dead, or disappeared and went away. What are you doing here?" And as she spoke, she knew the answer. "You couldn't have been hiding here all the time." She gulped. "You couldn't have, but you have, haven't you? It was you spying on me, wasn't it? And it was you that Robin sent the message to last night."
"Let me explain," said Cedar.
"You can try," said Copper, sitting up and looking at him grimly, "but it's not going to be easy."
"No, it isn't," he agreed. "But I'll try. Copper, it's so wonderful to see you.... Just to know you're alive, after all these years is so, so incredible. I wish I could explain how it feels. How am I ever going to make you understand?
"I'll go back to when Granite wounded me in that fight, all those years ago," said Cedar. "He swore he would kill me if he saw me again. And he meant it. If he ever knew I was alive, I'd be dead—if you see what I mean. So I had to hide. That's why I'm hiding now." He was staring at Copper anxiously, but she wasn't going to help him. "Greenwood and I look so similar," he went on, "we devised this plan: one day I come out and do all the things Greenwood would do, and the next, Greenwood comes out and does them. One of us is Greenwood all the time."
"That's crazy," said Copper. "Mad. But now I see why Questrid thought you were so odd: different people on different days."
"It was all we could think of. Without Amber . . . without you ... I didn't know what to do."
"Did Aunt Ruby know? No, she would never be so cruel." Copper stared at Cedar. "I can't believe it. I've dreamed about having a real father and a real mother but not one like this. Not one who hides from me."
"Copper, don't say that. You must realize that the letter from Aunt Ruby was the first we ever knew about you being alive. Before that I had always assumed you were dead, like Amber."
"And when you did know I was alive," said Copper, "why didn't you come and see me? How could you stay up here when I was down there? How could you go on hiding when those Rockers nearly got me? And everyone lied to me. Everyone! How could they?"
"I did come and see you. I watched you ...," he began, but Copper got up from the sofa and began backing away from him.
"Don't touch me," she said as Cedar reached out to her. "I can't stay with you. You're not my father. I want Aunt Ruby."
She turned and ran.
She fled down the ladder and burst through the first door she saw, completely forgetting about the dumbwaiter.
She found herself racing down a tiny spiral staircase. It was only when she got to the bottom and found a rack of coats blocking her way that she wondered where she was. She plunged on through the coats, pushing them aside, until seconds later, her fingers touched a handle and pushed it. A door swung out in front of her.
She had opened the doors from the inside of the cupboard on the landing, and now she was standing at the top of the stairs.
So that was where the stairs were hidden! But she couldn't stop to think. She was escaping, running away.
Don't cry, she told herself. Don't cry. She knew she would if she set eyes on Robin or Oriole or even Questrid's silly grinning face, but they were out looking for Silver and the kitchen was empty, so she rushed in and grabbed Ralick.
"Ralick," she said, picking him up and kissing him. "This is all so awful."
"Being squashed and kissed, you mean?"
"No, no, finding a father."
The sound of footsteps clattering down the stairs spurred her on. She stuffed Ralick up her sweater, pulled on her coat, hat and boots and ran out into the snow.
Cold, cold air splashed against her hot cheeks like iced water, and Copper staggered back as if she'd been hit, but she put her chin down and stormed off, plowing
Before she hit the floor, the uncle Greenwood who had hugged her caught her and lifted her gently onto a sofa.
"There, there," he said. "You're right, Copper. I am your father. I'm Cedar."
"But you can't be, you're dead, or disappeared and went away. What are you doing here?" And as she spoke, she knew the answer. "You couldn't have been hiding here all the time." She gulped. "You couldn't have, but you have, haven't you? It was you spying on me, wasn't it? And it was you that Robin sent the message to last night."
"Let me explain," said Cedar.
"You can try," said Copper, sitting up and looking at him grimly, "but it's not going to be easy."
"No, it isn't," he agreed. "But I'll try. Copper, it's so wonderful to see you.... Just to know you're alive, after all these years is so, so incredible. I wish I could explain how it feels. How am I ever going to make you understand?
"I'll go back to when Granite wounded me in that fight, all those years ago," said Cedar. "He swore he would kill me if he saw me again. And he meant it. If he ever knew I was alive, I'd be dead—if you see what I mean. So I had to hide. That's why I'm hiding now." He was staring at Copper anxiously, but she wasn't going to help him. "Greenwood and I look so similar," he went on, "we devised this plan: one day I come out and do all the things Greenwood would do, and the next, Greenwood comes out and does them. One of us is Greenwood all the time."
"That's crazy," said Copper. "Mad. But now I see why Questrid thought you were so odd: different people on different days."
"It was all we could think of. Without Amber . . . without you ... I didn't know what to do."
"Did Aunt Ruby know? No, she would never be so cruel." Copper stared at Cedar. "I can't believe it. I've dreamed about having a real father and a real mother but not one like this. Not one who hides from me."
"Copper, don't say that. You must realize that the letter from Aunt Ruby was the first we ever knew about you being alive. Before that I had always assumed you were dead, like Amber."
"And when you did know I was alive," said Copper, "why didn't you come and see me? How could you stay up here when I was down there? How could you go on hiding when those Rockers nearly got me? And everyone lied to me. Everyone! How could they?"
"I did come and see you. I watched you ...," he began, but Copper got up from the sofa and began backing away from him.
"Don't touch me," she said as Cedar reached out to her. "I can't stay with you. You're not my father. I want Aunt Ruby."
She turned and ran.
She fled down the ladder and burst through the first door she saw, completely forgetting about the dumbwaiter.
She found herself racing down a tiny spiral staircase. It was only when she got to the bottom and found a rack of coats blocking her way that she wondered where she was. She plunged on through the coats, pushing them aside, until seconds later, her fingers touched a handle and pushed it. A door swung out in front of her.
She had opened the doors from the inside of the cupboard on the landing, and now she was standing at the top of the stairs.
So that was where the stairs were hidden! But she couldn't stop to think. She was escaping, running away.
Don't cry, she told herself. Don't cry. She knew she would if she set eyes on Robin or Oriole or even Questrid's silly grinning face, but they were out looking for Silver and the kitchen was empty, so she rushed in and grabbed Ralick.
"Ralick," she said, picking him up and kissing him. "This is all so awful."
"Being squashed and kissed, you mean?"
"No, no, finding a father."
The sound of footsteps clattering down the stairs spurred her on. She stuffed Ralick up her sweater, pulled on her coat, hat and boots and ran out into the snow.
Cold, cold air splashed against her hot cheeks like iced water, and Copper staggered back as if she'd been hit, but she put her chin down and stormed off, plowing
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