Section 1

Chapter 1
“Annie! Annie! Where have you gone?”
With her heart pounding, Candy was running down Pony’s Hill and,
while arriving in front of the firewood, she almost fell upon Sister
Lane.
“Oh, Candy, have you found Annie?”
“I haven’t seen her anywhere, Sister Lane...not even on Pony’s Hill.”
“What can we do? It’s almost time for her to leave...Where could she
have gone?”
Sister Lane looked around with a worried expression.
“Don’t worry, Sister Lane! I swear I’ll find her! Nobody can escape
me, not even when we play hide and seek!”
Candy said those words cheerfully, hoping to encourage Sister Lane,
and she started running again. She had not searched in the chicken
coop yet. If she did not find her as soon as possible, the Brighton
couple might think that Annie had changed her mind. And what
would happen if they had already decided to leave, without adopting
the little girl?
Annie, your wish has finally come true...Now you have a wonderful
mother and father, and you, on the contrary...
About one hour ago, when Mr. and Mrs. Brighton had come to take
her, Annie seemed very happy wearing the dress they had given her,
blue as the morning sky. However, as the moment of her departure
was approaching, she had suddenly disappeared.
Annie, don’t you want to be adopted anymore?
As she was going towards the chicken coop, a sweet hope had risen in
Candy’s heart. In fact, to be separated from her friend was very
painful to her. She was feeling like someone was tearing out half of
her body.
Since babyhood, and during those six years of their lives, they had
always been together. Annie, weeping all the time, did nothing else
except following her everywhere.
If we don’t find her anywhere, she will not become the adopted
daughter of the Brightons and we can stay together forever...
But Candy drove this thought out of her mind immediately.
No, no, Candy! If Annie has hidden, it is only because she is afraid, as
always. Shouldn’t you know better than anyone how much she wants
to have a mother and a father?
“Yes, yes, I know that very well,” she replied to herself, nodding
energetically, and turning to the chickens, which had approached
cackling and waving their necks.
She left the chicken coop. Annie was not there, neither in the old
barn. Where could she have gone? There was only the forest, but
would it be possible that she might have gone there alone, since she
was so scared?
However, there is that possibility...I want to make sure.
Candy headed quickly towards the dense forest that grew behind
Pony’s Home. She ran with all her might under the shadow of the
trees, getting deeper and deeper in the fringes created by the sun that
was filtered between the branches. She must hurry to find Annie.
“Annie! Answer me, Annie!”
The little birds, frightened by her nervous voice, flew away, flapping
their wings loudly. Under her running feet, the dry branches were
breaking with a crunch. At that moment, Candy stopped suddenly.
For an instant, she had caught a glimpse of a blue reflection behind a
tree. Taking a deep breath, Candy ran to that tree, which was covered
with moss.
Annie was there. Illuminated by a ray of light, she was crying, sitting
at the foot of a huge trunk.
“Annie...I’ve found you!” said Candy, after catching her breath.
Hearing that happy voice, her little friend looked up with her eyes full
of tears.
“Candy...”
“Oh, Annie! I was so worried! What happened to you?”
Although Candy was trying to speak cheerfully, Annie’s eyes were still
filling with tears.
“Candy...I don’t want to go anywhere...I don’t want to leave you...”
“Annie, why are you saying these things again? You will have a
wonderful mother and father, you know that!”
“But...I’m afraid, Candy...”
Annie’s long dark brown hair was shining in the sunlight. Candy sat
beside her. She could not believe that her playmate, who was usually
so afraid to go to the forest, had decided to take refuge in that
particular place. Surely her heart was breaking because of the anxiety
of having to face a new life, but she was also full of hope.
Candy smiled and moved closer to Annie.
“You are afraid? Well, I understand that...But I don’t think that the
Brightons look like Dracula,” she said, showing her teeth and twisting
her eyes.
“Candy, you will never change...” said Annie laughing and wiping the
tears from her eyes.
“That’s right, Annie! You have to smile! Today is a happy day for
you!”
Candy grabbed her friend’s hand to help her get up, then she removed
the leaves that had stuck on her blue dress.
“Besides, it will be a trouble for me if the Brightons don’t come to
adopt you. We have given a promise, remember? You will invite me to
a house full of bedrooms, and I could eat a lot of delicious things! I
can’t wait for that, Miss Annie!”
“You are right, Candy...I’ll become a lady and live in a grand house...”
replied her friend, with a dreamy expression, while her eyes had still
some traces of tears.
“Come on, Annie! You’ll see that your mama and papa will be waiting
for you!”
Annie smiled and nodded. Holding her hand, Candy hurried to leave
the forest, trying to hold back her tears. The warmth of that
hand...They could never again run together holding each other’s
hand. But she mustn’t cry; she wanted to say goodbye with a smile to
her beloved Annie, who was ready to start a new and happy life.

A little later, when Annie climbed into the carriage of the Brightons,
which was pulled by two horses, the other children surrounded her,
watching sadly and without saying a word.
Candy hurried to go near her friend and couldn’t help noticing that
her eyes were filling with tears again.
“Annie, I told you to stop crying, didn’t I?” said Candy, raising her
eyebrows, until she saw Annie’s face smiling.
After saying goodbye to the teachers, the Brightons climbed into the
carriage too, and the coachman pulled the reins to make the horses
move. Sister Lane ran towards the carriage and said in a muffled
voice:
“Annie, be careful not to get sick...”
“You will always be in our prayers, Annie,” added Miss Pony behind
her, nodding and trying to smile.
Annie, not being able to contain herself anymore, began to cry.
“Miss Pony, Sister Lane...Candy...children...”
Then she couldn’t say another word. While the Brightons patted
gently her shoulders, the carriage took off quickly.
“Goodbye, Annie!”
“Good luck!”
Hearing the voices of the children who had gathered around the
carriage, Annie turned back with a tearful countenance. Candy...Had
her little mouth pronounced her name maybe? Candy, unable to
speak, was watching the carriage that was getting smaller and
smaller. She did not even have the strength to run after it, as her
friends had done. When the carriage disappeared in the horizon, she
suddenly began to run towards the tallest oak tree that grew in the
surroundings of Pony’s Home. She climbed up among the branches
which were covered with new sprouts.
“Candy, it’s dangerous...Come down!” shouted Sister Lane, wiping
away her tears.
“Sister Lane! From here I can still see Annie’s carriage!” replied the
little girl from the top of the huge tree. “Annie, be happy! I’m waiting
for your invitation!”
“Candy...Hold firm to the...”
Miss Pony touched gently Sister Lane’s shoulder, interrupting her.
“Let’s leave her alone today, Sister Lane. At this moment the person
that suffers most of all is surely this little girl...”
“Yes...yes, Miss Pony,” agreed Sister Lane, wiping again her tears
and looking up to watch her.
Candy, sitting on a strong branch, was looking far away in the
distance.
“We have to congratulate her, Sister Lane. From the moment she
knew that Annie would be adopted, Candy has not even once said that
she was sad, and has never cried...” murmured Miss Pony, looking up
too.
“You are right, Miss Pony. They were abandoned on the same day...I
wish Candy will find happiness too...”

Sister Lane’s thoughts went back to that beautiful sunny day of May,
six years ago.
The wind was blowing softly the white petals of hawthorns that grew
along the path, almost as if wanting to show to a certain direction. In
front of Pony’s Home, there was a newborn baby. Kicking inside a
worn basket, it was crying at the top of its lungs. It was such a loud
cry that it seemed to chase away the white petals that were falling on
the baby girl. Pony’s Home was an orphanage run by two nuns. At the
entrance of that building, attached to a small and simple wooden
church, they often abandoned newborn babies.
“But look, apparently today is the day of little girls!” said Miss Pony,
looking at Sister Lane.
She lifted lovingly the baby girl, who, wrapped in a ragged towel, was
crying and clenching her fists.
“Do you see, Sister Lane? She has already stopped crying, and look
how she is smiling now!”
When she entered Pony’s Home with the little girl in her arms, Miss
Pony leaned to observe the other baby girl who was sleeping
peacefully in an old basket.
“You two were abandoned on the same day. In some way we can
consider them as sisters...Let’s see, what names can we give them?”
Indeed, just two hours ago, another newborn baby girl had been
abandoned in front of Pony’s Home. It was Annie.
“The one is very quiet, the other is the exact opposite, really
vivacious! Sister Lane, we are going to have our hands full from now
on,” said Miss Pony, with a smile on her chubby face, looking at the
happy baby.

“Today they are both six years old...How they have grown since
then...”
“That’s true. Although Candy seems to have too much energy for a
girl of her age...”
The two women were still watching her while she was sitting on the
tree.
“You are absolutely right, Miss Pony. When we found her, she was
white as snow, that’s why we named her Candice White. And look
how tanned she is now...”
As soon as the teachers were sure that she could climb down the tree
safe and sound, they hurried back to Pony’s Home, when suddenly
they heard a voice:
“Miss Pony! Sister Lane!”
Mike the snitch was running towards them screaming.
“What’s the matter, Mike?”
“Sister Lane, today it was Candy’s turn to clean the chicken coop, but
instead of doing that, she is going to the hill! Look at her!”
Following with their eyes the direction pointed by the child, they saw
the figure of the little girl, who was climbing at full speed. Miss Pony
and Sister Lane looked at each other and realized that they were
thinking the same thing.
“Sister Lane! Are you not angry?” insisted Mike, annoyed at the
silence of both.
Candy had hardly ever been separated from Annie. For Pony’s Home
that farewell was a great event. The children would forget quickly, but
Candy...How could they possibly scold her? She had not even once
cried. How she must suffer keeping all that pain in such a small body!
However, even at that moment, Candy seemed to be climbing up the
hill, pouncing.
 Chapter 2
Arriving out of breath at the top of the hill, Candy dropped herself
down among the bushes.
The smell of the fresh grass was tickling her nose. She turned around
and remained lying on her back, looking at the almost dazzling blue
sky. As they were moving away, the white clouds seemed to take the
form of a carriage that was getting smaller and smaller, until it
disappeared, taking Annie away. Had her friend still been crying?
Candy could still see the little girl’s picture, with her head lowered, as
she was sitting between kind Mr. and Mrs. Brighton. She was trying
to keep her eyes wide open, fearing that if she blinked them, that
picture might disappear.
“Annie, have you really gone now?”
As soon as she whispered that phrase, all the emotions that she had
retained until that moment began suddenly to break free, searching
for a way out through her eyes. Annie was going to Chicago, a city
Candy had not even heard about. For her this was a place so distant, it
almost seemed to be in another world.
“Soon the hill will be covered with flowers, but we won’t be able to
play here anymore...or go fishing, or swim in the river...”

Candy’s mind was full of memories of the past days she had spent
with Annie: of the time when, while making garlands with buttercups,
they had decided to call that hill “Pony’s Hill”, or when they were
trying to guess about their mother and father, picking the petals of the
little daisies, in order to find out if someone would come some day to
take them. For Candy, that little girl, who had been abandoned on the
same day with her, was like her real sister. No matter what they did,
Annie was always close to her. Annie, the fearful, the crybaby.
“Annie...even now, if anyone makes fun of you, you know that I can’t
protect you.”
Hearing her very own words, Candy shuddered and wiped away her
tears. It was no longer necessary for her to run to the rescue of her
friend. Now she had found two wonderful parents.
“But I am the one who has lost something. Now there is no one to
apologize for me...”
That was exactly the case. Annie always defended her:
“Miss Pony, don’t be angry with Candy, forgive her, please...”
Every time Candy did one of her pranks and happened to be
discovered, Annie begged the teachers in that way, so that they would
not reprimand her too harshly. How many scoldings and punishments
she had escaped over the years, thanks to her interventions...Maybe it
was her who always needed Annie’s help, not the other way around.
“I’m afraid of what might happen to me...”
Candy stood up again, rubbing her eyes with her hands. However, the
tears did not seem willing to stop. She tried to hold her breath, but her
eyes continued filling with tears.
Oh, that’s enough...I understand that I tried to repress my tears for
too long...If I go back looking like this, Miss Pony and Sister Lane
will be worried...Oh, I also have to clean the chicken coop...It’s all
right, at this moment I want to cry all I can!
Having made her decision, Candy inhaled deeply and started crying
loudly and screaming with all her might. Listening to the great noise
she made everywhere, the tears stopped and Candy started feeling a
little silly.
My crying sounds like the howling of a hungry wolf.
At this thought, she could not suppress a giggle.
“That’s exactly what I thought. You are prettier when you laugh than
when you cry.”
Hearing that gentle and unexpected voice, Candy looked up in
surprise. Against the sky was highlighted the figure of a boy dressed
in a strange outfit. He was looking down at her smiling and he was
carrying a peculiar object, similar to the shape of a heart, which she
had seen once in an illustrated encyclopedia. Candy blinked her eyes.
Who was that boy, who seemed to have fallen suddenly from the sky?
“You...are an alien?” she whispered in astonishment.
The boy started laughing and replied:
“You say very funny things, little girl! However, although you see me
dressed like that, I assure you that I am a human.”
“But why are you wearing a skirt, when you are a boy?”
“This is not a skirt. This is a kilt and it is the traditional costume of
Scotland.”
“A kit from sutland?” repeated Candy.
It was the first time she had ever heard these words.
The boy laughed again.
“No, no! It is a kilt from Scotland. And this is a bagpipe, a musical
instrument. Look, this is how it is played.”
Looking merrily at the incredulous Candy, the lad brought the
bagpipe to his mouth, producing suddenly a mysterious sound.
“That sounds like a group of snails when they are crawling!”
exclaimed Candy in surprise, jumping up.
The boy laughed one more time and the sound of “the group of
crawling snails” stopped.
“You are really a funny little girl!”
Watching his smiling face, which seemed to shed a light of its own,
the bright blond hair that fell lightly on his forehead, and those tender
blue eyes, that were almost the same as the clear sky of that day,
Candy had the impression that she could tell him anything.
“Where are you from? My name is Candy. Do you see that church?
That is Pony’s Home, and although from here it looks very small, it is
a church and an orphanage too. It is also a school for the village
children! There is chubby Miss Pony, and skinny Sister Lane, and
I...”
Candy was absorbed in talking and pointing to the building at the
foot of the hill, but when she turned to see the boy, she couldn’t
suppress a little cry. He was no longer there. There was no sign of
him.
“He disappeared...” she said, looking around her with her mouth
open.
There was nobody there. He had disappeared as suddenly as he had
appeared.
Maybe it was a dream...
No, it wasn’t a dream. Candy could still hear clearly that voice
echoing in her ears, saying:
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry.”
“He looked like a prince...” she murmured dreamily.
Suddenly, she noticed something sparkling through the grass. On the
ground there was a silver badge in the shape of an eagle, with a little
bell hanging under its wings.
“This...must belong to the Prince...”
Candy picked it up and smiled. That badge was so fine and
expensive, that it must surely be of great value.
“I must give it back to him. Who knows if I can meet him again
tomorrow...”
As hope was rising within her, Candy felt like her heart had been
illuminated by a bright ray of light and caressed by a gentle wind.
Prince on the Hill was certainly a wonderful boy. If she met him again
next day, she would tell him many more things.
However, Candy didn’t see the boy the following day, nor later. She
went every day to the top of the hill, full of expectations, but she never
found her mysterious Prince on the Hill.
The day Annie had gone. The day she had met the Prince. All that
was left was the silver badge, as if it were the fragment of a memory.
 Chapter 3
Between the branches of the oak tree, bending under the weight of
the leaves, the world seemed to turn green. The air was impregnated
with the scent of the wind and the earth full of foliage and, looking
up, one could glimpse magnificent pieces of the sky. Sitting on one of
those branches, Candy was eating an apple. When the little birds, that
had the intention of perching on the tree, saw her, they were
frightened, flapped their wings in the air, and flew away.
Candy smiled.
“They must have thought that I was one of them, but much bigger.
Oh, how I wish I could fly...”
From above, Candy could see Pony’s Hill. Covered with flowers of
yellow, pink, white, blue and all the other colors, the hill was like a
queen’s gown.
In five days Candy would turn thirteen years old.
When she was little, at that time of the year, she always spent her days
on the hill. She was never tired of picking flowers together with Annie
and, no matter how many they were collecting, they were blooming all
the time. It was like a gift meant only for them. As little girls, they
were weaving necklaces of flowers to celebrate their upcoming
birthdays. None of them knew the exact date of their birth. The day
they had been abandoned on Pony’s Hill, that day was their birthday.
Thirteen years already...I wonder how Annie will celebrate.
With a sigh, Candy put one third of the apple on one of the branches,
leaving it there for the birds.
Seven years had passed since Annie had been adopted by the
Brightons. Time had passed, and Mike the snitch, Tom, Candy’s
companion in mischief, and even little Milly, had found a family. Now
Candy was the oldest child left at Pony’s Home.
During that time, Annie wrote to her frequently only at the beginning,
and now she rarely sent her news. Candy was almost always the one
who sent letters. Even last Christmas she had not received the much
desired invitation she was expecting every year.
Annie must be very busy with her studies and her piano lessons...After
all, now she is a young lady living with the Brightons...
With her gaze towards the sky, Candy half-closed her eyes. That
transparent color reminded her of the dress Annie was wearing the
day of their farewell.
Thirteen years...I think that I’m growing too old to... Oh! That is
Sister Lane...
When she saw the nun passing under the tree, Candy bent between
the oak leaves trying to hide herself.
However, maybe the thing that is the oldest of all is Sister Lane’s
robe...
Through the branches, Candy observed the robe which, after so many
washings, had completely faded. It even had several very visible
patches. The girl was aware of the difficult financial situation of
Pony’s Home.
“Candy! Have you climbed on that tree again?” exclaimed Sister
Lane, looking up towards her direction.
“She found me! Sister Lane, you really have a very good eyesight,”
remarked Candy, peeking through the leaves.
The woman gave her a look of mild reproach and replied merrily,
pointing to the girl’s legs:
“That’s the pure evidence! How could I not see those long things
hanging from the branches?”
“Oh, I had forgotten about them!”
“Come on, hurry down!”
“I’m coming!” she answered cheerfully.
Candy moved nimbly to a lower branch, but, unexpectedly, that
branch from which she was clinging broke, and she fell to the ground
with a crash. Of course that was not the first time she was falling, but
not in such a precipitate way...
Sister Lane ran immediately and helped her get up with a worried
expression.
“Candy, I have told you not to climb trees anymore...”
“But, Sister Lane, I assure you that I have never had any trouble! Ay!”
Rubbing her back, Candy looked up at the tree doubtfully.
“I’m amazed that nothing like this has ever happened to you before!
Soon you will be thirteen years old, do you realize that? Anyway, even
leaving aside your height, you have exceeded the average weight for
your age, and...”
Candy interrupted her, continually imitating, in a funny way, the
sounds of animals, until Sister Lane started laughing.
“Oh, I forgot, I have a lot of work to do! I have to clean the chicken
coop, go and get water, wash the aprons of the children...Oh, how
many things!”
Smiling, Sister Lane was watching Candy, who was leaving in a hurry.
“That girl is incorrigible...Oh, look, she has lost something...”
On the ground, shining in the sunlight, was the silver badge. Picking
it up, Sister Lane rushed to call its owner:
“Candy, you’ve lost something important!”
“Thank you, Sister Lane!”
Candy, who had just gone to fetch water from the well, dried her
hands on her skirt and took back the badge, blushing.
“I see that you look at it from time to time. It must be something
quite valuable to you.”
“So it is, Sister Lane...It is my little treasure, my lucky charm,” she
replied smiling and firmly holding the badge close to her chest.
The Prince on the Hill...That object was the proof that their
encounter so many years ago had not been just a dream. She was sure
that, if she kept it, one day she would meet again its owner. Such a
wonderful boy...Candy remembered perfectly well that smiling face
that had been able to relieve her pain.
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry.”
His voice was so sweet...She would think of those words whenever she
was sad, and then she would smile again. But she couldn’t tell anyone
about the Prince, not even her beloved Sister Lane: that was her most
precious secret.
“How unusual it is for you, Candy, to stand there laughing by
yourself...Come on, hurry up to finish your chores and then help me
prepare the dinner. Today Miss Pony will be late.”
“Where has she gone?”
“She had something to do about Becky...”
“About Becky? Really? Then she will surely be adopted!”
“Yes, we hope that everything will be all right...Don’t forget what I
have asked you, Candy.”
When she was left alone, the girl took a deep breath.
So Becky will be adopted too...Why am I the only one who has not
found any family...?
Occasionally, in the town church, they would organize meetings for
children and perspective adoptive parents. On those occasions, some
of them approached Candy, but afterwards the matter didn’t make
any progress at all.
Years had passed. It was the first time that such a grown up child had
remained at Pony’s Home, and Candy knew that the orphanage
couldn’t afford to take care of older children.
“Don’t people in this world have eyes to see? Can’t they think that
here is such a pretty girl, so kind and hard-working...?” she told
herself, giving a tap to the bucket, in order to cheer up.

Nancy had recently turned three years old and couldn’t sleep without
her. That night, when she put the little girl to bed, Candy went out
into the hall.
“I’m worried about Candy.”
The girl stood still when she heard Miss Pony murmuring from one of
the bedrooms.
Are they talking about me? Why is she worried?
With a sigh, she tried to understand what was happening.
“Miss Pony, I would like her to stay forever with us...”
“Sister Lane, I wish the same thing, but really, is that the best for
Candy? She can never get a suitable education here, and I would
rather she had the opportunity to learn much more. Besides, from
next month we will have to take care of a two-year old child and we
can’t count on any other donations...”
Miss Pony sighed, and so did Sister Lane.
“Certainly, nothing would make me happier than to see her adopted
by a good family, but...she is such a good girl, that I wonder why she
is so unfortunate.”
Unable to listen to those painful words any longer, Candy returned to
the bedroom. She couldn’t bear thinking that the two teachers were so
sad because of her. If it was possible, she would also prefer to stay at
Pony’s Home, but the present situation was complicated.
If I leave, they can have at least three more orphans...
Candy went to each one of the beds to tuck the children in, and then
she rested her forehead against the window and looked at the night
sky. The moonlight was falling softly in the bedroom, while the stars,
almost smiling, seemed to dance all around. She took the Prince’s
badge out of her pocket and moved it slightly. The little bell tinkled
gently, as if it wanted to cheer her up.
Thirteen years old is an inconvenient age...I’m too young to work and
maybe too old to be adopted...Do you think so too, little bell?
Candy smiled at the object that had answered her question, but
suddenly a cloud came over her eyes and she hurried to put away her
valuable amulet. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want it to see
her cry.
What must I do now?
The only one whom she could ask for advice was Annie. Their
correspondence was often one-sided, but probably that was because
of her many tasks. Her friend would surely understand the problem
she was facing.
I will try to ask for help. Even if I can’t be adopted, maybe the
Brightons can help me find a place to work.
To leave Pony’s Home and start working: yes, that was the best
decision. But although she was convinced of her choice, Candy felt so
sad that she wanted to cry.
No! Enough with tears! Here I need a little exercise to scare sadness
away!
Encouraging herself, she went in front of the mirror, separated her
feet from each other, bent her knees and extended her lips forward.
She was ready!
Well, the exercise to scare sadness away begins! Let’s go! One-two-
three! One-two-three!
When she established her rhythm, Candy started jumping like a frog.
She had invented those movements herself and, when she repeated
them in front of a mirror, she always ended up looking so funny, that
she forgot the reason of her sadness. The same thing was happening
this time.
One, two, three! Jump! One, two, three!
“Candy, what are you doing?”
“One, two...eh?”
She turned around in surprise and was face to face with Nancy, Slim
and the rest of the children who, instead of sleeping, were looking at
her confused.
“Well, I...you know, my leg was a little...Oh, come on! Go to sleep!”
Candy turned off the lamp with a quick blow.
That night she would write the letter to Annie, illuminated by the
moonlight.
 Chapter 4
“Dear Candy,
Thank you for writing to me. I am fine.
My piano recital will take place soon and I’m very busy with the
rehearsals every day.
Candy, thank you for all the letters you have sent me. When I read
them, I always think about the past with nostalgia and I almost feel
like crying. I’m sorry for not replying to you regularly. I always
wanted to write to you honestly about my feelings, but I didn’t have
the courage.
Today, however, I have decided to be brave.
I’m sure you will be angry, but I want to be sincere: Candy, please,
don’t write to me anymore.
Seven years have passed since I was adopted by the Brightons. They
treat me like their real daughter, and I love them very much too.
I don’t want anyone to know that I lived in an orphanage, nor that I
was abandoned. I don’t even want to remember all that.
Now I have many new friends. All of them are children of good
families, and they are convinced that I am true daughter of the
Brightons. But if they knew where I came from...just thinking about it
makes me tremble with fear.
Candy, under no circumstances do I want this to be known.
Forgive me, I have not even been able to keep my promise to invite
you to my house.
I will not write to you anymore, so please do the same. Forgive me.
I really wish you can find happiness, Candy. Believe me! And forgive
me!
Goodbye, Candy.
Annie Brighton

P.S. I could not talk to papa about the matter of work of which you
have written to me. I deeply apologize for that too.”

It had been such a long time that she had not received an immediate
answer from Annie, that Candy, being so happy, had pressed on her
heart the envelope that had arrived. Pouncing joyfully, she ran to
Pony’s Hill to read the letter without being disturbed.
Annie had surely understood her critical situation and maybe the
Brightons would find a place for her to work. She sat among the
swaying grass and ripped anxiously the envelope.

As she was reading on, her fingers began to tremble.

“Goodbye, Candy.”
Had she read right? She could hardly breathe. Annie couldn’t have
written something like that. Surely it was another person who had
signed with her name, or had forced her to do that. Trying to convince
herself, Candy read those pages over and over again.
“Goodbye, Candy.”
No, she was not wrong. Annie’s delicate handwriting, similar to her
voice, seemed to tremble on the pale blue paper. As if her strength
had completely abandoned her, Candy collapsed; that’s what her
friend really thought.
I should have known before...
The fact that she almost never answered her left her little doubt. She
knew well Annie’s timid character, always tending to worry about
what the others might think, but wanting to see only what was
convenient for her.
Oh, Annie...How disturbed you must have felt each time you received
a letter from me...It must have hurt you very much...
Without realizing it, the tears began flowing down her cheeks.
Annie, what’s wrong with originating from an orphanage? It’s not our
fault that we were abandoned. We must be proud of ourselves...
But Candy didn’t want to blame her.
“Forgive me!”
It seemed to her that she was hearing Annie’s voice amidst crying.
Surely she must have gathered all the courage she had to be able to
write those lines.
No, you forgive me, Annie...I even allowed myself to ask you for help
to find work...You have nothing to fear anymore...I will not write to
you again...
She had not yet finished murmuring these words, when a tear fell on
the letter. Candy recovered and blinked her eyes. She didn’t want to
cry.
But maybe, if I started crying loudly now, Prince on the Hill would
appear, just like that time...
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry”.
While thinking of those words, Candy’s lips relaxed. She took out of
her pocket the silver badge in the shape of an eagle with the little bell,
which she always carried with her.
“Prince on the Hill...I will not cry anymore...”
The little silver bell tinkled gently.
“How I wish this little bell would be magic. Listening to its sound
over Annie’s letter would suddenly turn these words into an invitation
to go and see her! But that’s impossible...”
Playing with each other, two white butterflies were fluttering in the air
and Candy started thinking that they looked like Annie and herself as
little girls. She drove that thought immediately out of her mind.
The important thing is to be happy, isn’t it? But now...how can I find
a place to work?
With a sigh, she looked at Pony’s Home at the foot of the hill. That
moment the children were taking their afternoon nap. Wrapped in the
warm sunrays of spring’s end, even the building seemed to be asleep.
“There is a car coming,” remarked Candy, standing in the middle of
the meadow.
In that sleepy panorama before her eyes, a luxurious dark blue
automobile was approaching, raising a cloud of dust. It was coming
from the village and stopped right in front of Pony’s Home. A man
came out and headed towards the orphanage. Even from a distance,
his stylish poise showed that this was an important visit.
“I wonder who he is and what he is doing here. Maybe he is
interested in one of the children! ‘Good afternoon, sir...Although I’m
not very tall and I have freckles, don’t you find me pretty enough to
adopt me?’ How beautiful that would be, if he were really that kind of
person...”
While talking to herself, Candy saw Sister Lane running out of the
building and shouting:
“Candy! Candy!”
The nun looked through the oak branches, trying to find her. The girl
put the badge in her pocket and went down the hill at full speed.
“Oh, my goodness, Candy! Miss Pony is looking for you,” said Sister
Lane, as soon as she saw her. “A family in Lakewood might be
interested in you...”
Candy felt suddenly her heart beating uncontrollably.
“Then at last someone has come who wants me as an adopted
daughter! Sister Lane, is it that man who just arrived in a shining
car?”
“Yes, that’s him...I believe that the family has an enormous villa...”
Candy gave a leap of joy.
“Hurray! All this waiting has been worth it! I’m really a lucky girl!
You know, Sister Lane, I always thought that this moment would
come sooner or later.”
“Candy...it’s not about a family that wants to adopt you...”
But Candy did not hear those words that were spoken very low and
she passed the threshold jumping. When she was inside, she tried to
take a deep breath to calm herself. The long-awaited day had finally
arrived.
I must behave politely and be elegant.
She removed the dust from her dress and knocked on the door of Miss
Pony’s office, trying to act in a carefree way. When she heard her
come in, the headmistress of the orphanage looked up. She had an
unintelligible expression. The man, who was sitting in a chair a
moment ago, stood up to turn and look at her, without even smiling.
Candy straightened up her back, wondering if that gentleman, who
looked still young, would become her father. However, her hopes
were dashed in an instant.
“Candy, this is Mr. Stewart. He is coming on behalf of the Leagan
family who live in Lakewood, because the young lady...well, Miss
Eliza wishes to have a ‘playing companion’,” Miss Pony informed her,
avoiding looking at her in the eyes.
A playing companion? Not an adopted daughter?
Her heart, having been full of expectations, seemed to be empty.
Candy couldn’t help turning to Sister Lane, who had come in just at
that moment. The nun lowered her eyes, with her hands clasped in
front of her chest and with a worried expression.
“Mr. Stewart, this is Candy White. She is thirteen years old, the same
age as Miss Eliza.”
Mr. Stewart scrutinized her as if he wanted to analyze her, nodded
and said:
“She looks much younger than her age, but the important thing is to
be a girl full of energy. Well, you’d better pick up all her things.”
“But, right now?”
That cry had come from Sister Lane.
Miss Pony got up from her chair too and, shifting her anxious glance
from Mr. Stewart to Candy, objected:
“Sister Lane is right; we should know first what the person who is
interested thinks...Until this moment I did not know anything. I
received this news from the pastor at church, but...”
“I’m sure that the church will receive all the necessary information
together with a donation. Anyway, the girl must be taken to the house
immediately,” remarked expressionless Mr. Stewart.
“I...I want to go!” energetically interposed Candy who, until that
moment, had been only observing the two anxious-looking teachers.
“What do you say, Candy? First you have to know how things are.
You may as well refuse, you know,” exclaimed Miss Pony disturbed.
“Miss Pony, I have decided! I’m going! I’ll go at once to prepare
myself.”
Upon receiving Candy’s smile, Mr. Stewart nodded relieved.
It should be decided. It didn’t matter that she would be a playing
companion for Miss Eliza Leagan or any other; the important thing
was that she had finally found a family to take charge of her. Wasn’t
that perhaps the exact opportunity for her to leave Pony’s Home?
They had brought her up for thirteen years, and that was enough.
Candy tried to convince herself with those explanations.
“Candy, think about it! If you don’t want to, just say that...”
“Don’t worry, Sister Lane! After all, I’m thirteen years old!” she
replied with a smile, trying to reassure the woman who was about to
cry.
They had talked about preparations, but there was not much to do.
The moment of departure came in no time and Candy got into the car
with Mr. Stewart. Even at that moment she wasn’t fully aware of what
was happening; it almost seemed to her that she was walking on a
cloud. She had never thought that one day she would have to leave
Pony’s Home so suddenly.
“Please, Mr. Stewart, wait just a moment. Let me wake up the
children so that they can see her off...” begged Sister Lane, with the
expression of a person who faces a dilemma.
“Sister Lane...It would be too hard for me to see them cry...Let them
sleep,” murmured the girl.
If she saw the faces of the little ones, she would be the first to
collapse.
“Very well. I must go back before sunset, so...”
Mr. Stewart started the engine and the car began moving slowly.
“Miss Pony! Sister Lane!” Candy called them unexpectedly, looking
out of the window.
She wanted to thank them for everything they had done for her, but
she couldn’t say a word.
“Candy!”
Miss Pony, who had been still and silent, ran towards the car as if a
sudden force had driven her, and said:
“Here, Candy, take this.”
She took off the cross that she always carried with her and put it
around the girl’s neck.
“Candy, I will pray for you to be always happy...”
Behind her glasses, Miss Pony’s eyes were moist. Sister Lane, with
both her hands over her mouth and her eyes full of tears, was looking
at her steadily.
I mustn’t cry, thought Candy.
“Thank you...Miss Pony, Sister Lane, goodbye!”
She smiled at them, waving her hand. Afterwards, she did not turn
back.
 Chapter 5
Until the car left the village behind, Candy remained silent and still
beside Mr. Stewart, who was concentrated on driving. She was afraid
that, if she spoke, she would burst into tears, and of course she
couldn’t practise her exercises to scare sadness away inside the
vehicle. She remembered the last picture she had seen, of the teachers
through the mirror; two figures that became smaller and smaller, until
they disappeared.
I couldn’t even say goodbye to the children...I’m sure that when
Nancy wakes up from her afternoon nap, she will start crying.
“Actually I must have surprised you,” began Mr. Stewart, trying to
comfort her. “Both Mr. and Mrs. Leagan are people who want to get
immediately what they want, and when things don’t come out just as
they expect, they get grumpy, causing many problems to those who
work for them...”
The man smiled bitterly but, maybe fearing that he had said too
much, he added immediately in a friendly way:
“We still have a long way to go; please sit back and rest.”
“Thank you,” replied Candy in a low voice, happy to have so much
attention.
Certainly she couldn’t appear in such a state before the Leagans.
They had considered her to be their daughter’s playing companion,
but in the meantime they would take charge of her: she must show
them a beautiful smile. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t
get Miss Pony’s and Sister Lane’s sad expressions out of her mind.
Don’t worry...I have decided to find happiness.
Candy pressed gently the cross she had just been given and looked at
those dear places that she had known all her life and that were
becoming more and more distant.

“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, as soon as they left the road that went
through the forest.
“What’s the matter?” asked Mr. Stewart startled, turning towards her.
On both sides of the road there seemed to flow two interminable blue
streams of lupines.
“I have never seen so many lupines in my life! Are there only blue
ones? On Pony’s Hill there are also pink and violet!”
“Lupines? Mr. Hawkins actually calls them bluebonnets,” said Mr.
Stewart smiling.
Now his expression was quite relaxed.
“Who is Mr. Hawkins?”
“He’s the chief gardener of the Ardlay family. He knows everything
about flowers.”
“...The Ardlay family?”
“It is a very rich family, also very well known in Chicago. They have
extensive lands in this area too. The clan of the Leagans is also a part
of the Ardlay family.”
“The...clan?” asked Candy surprised.
That was a majestic word that she could read only in historical novels:
really this must have been a prestigious family.
“Oh!”
“Now what happened?” asked Mr. Stewart laughing.
“But this is...wonderful!”
The car had left behind the road with the blue lupines and was
crossing now a meadow full of flowers of all colors. It was as if the
vehicle was passing through a flowered curtain that had opened on its
way. Beyond the meadow, there was a lake of an even deeper blue
than that of the lupines...or the bluebonnets, as the gardener of the
Ardlays called them. Illuminated by the rays of the sun that was
setting, that bright water mirror seemed to create a path that led
directly to paradise.
Candy felt recovering from her sadness and sighed:
“I have never seen such a beautiful landscape...”
“You are right. The Ardlays take good care of their possessions,” said
Mr. Stewart, almost proudly. “After we go around the lake and pass
that hill, we can see the villa of the Leagans.”
Suddenly anxiety came over the girl: in fact there was something that
worried her.
“Listen...that Miss Eliza...What kind of person is she?”
For an instant, the chauffeur seemed to jerk, but after a moment he
replied:
“Well...how can I say it...Let’s say that she is...that she is a charming
girl...”
“Just as I thought...”
Since she lived in a villa immersed in a splendid environment like
that, she couldn’t be anything but pretty.
She must have a delicate health, otherwise why would she need a
playing companion?
Candy promised herself to treat her with kindness.
I wonder if I will get along with her as well as with Annie...
When the light of the sunset highlighted the sky, like a lady’s
unfolded shawl, Mr. Stewart announced:
“We have arrived. This is the villa of the Leagans.”
Startled by the man’s voice, suddenly devoid of any kind of
enthusiasm, Candy began looking through the window. Beyond the
trees that were getting dark, she could see a brown building
surrounded with flowers. Fascinated, the girl was observing it, as she
was approaching.
“What a magnificent house! It looks like a castle from a fairy tale!”
Candy sighed. Surely Eliza must be as she had imagined her: a young
girl similar to Snow White. Thinking that she was truly fortunate to be
able to live in such a house and suppressing her emotion, she got out
of the car. Following the chauffeur, she walked towards the large gate,
when she heard a voice shouting:
“There she is!”
She was just wondering where that cry had come from, when from the
balcony of the second floor fell a cascade of water. Completely
drenched by the sudden violent rain that had fallen upon her, Candy
looked up astonished, as if to understand what had caused this
unexpected event.
A girl with splendid curls of light brown color was watching her
maliciously from above. Close to her was a boy holding in his hand a
large vase. He was also looking at her with a mocking smile on his
face.
“Well...This is Miss Eliza...And beside her is her older brother,
Master Neal...”
“Eliza? That is Eliza?” exclaimed Candy, turning to look at Mr.
Stewart.
The man lowered his gaze. He was clearly ashamed and didn’t know
what to do. Some water had also dropped on his jacket.
So this is Eliza...She doesn’t seem sick at all to me...but maybe it’s
just my impression...
Candy thought that probably this was only an incident. She gathered
up her courage and, looking up with a pretty smile, she waved her wet
hand in greeting.
“Hello!”
“Goodbye! I don’t need any playing companion,” replied Eliza coldly.
Then, with a mocking laugh, she turned and entered the house with
her brother.
“Come on, hurry up, you have to change before meeting madam...”
But Stewart didn’t have time to finish his sentence. Followed by a
maid, a woman with piercing eyes and angry aspect made her
appearance. She was wearing a splendid indigo satin dress and a large
pearl brooch on her chest. She was a very beautiful woman, but those
cold eyes were the same as Eliza’s. Undoubtedly that was Mrs.
Leagan.
“You are late, Stewart. Is that the girl? Why is she soaking wet?
Certainly she hasn’t fallen in the lake, has she? Good heavens, she will
wet the carpet. Let her change quickly and join us to be presented
properly!”
After hardly looking at her, the woman walked away with a quick
step.

The room that had been reserved for her was in the north wing of the
house. It was a small room with spider webs in the corners. It had all
the appearance of having been an attic until the day before and it had
only a wooden bed and an old closet, but, at any rate, Candy was
enthusiastic.
This room is all mine!
She had always wanted to have a room all by herself. She changed her
dress quickly, but the truth was that she only had one more dress.
Eliza Leagan...Is that the “charming” girl?
Remembering the rigid profile of the chauffeur while pronouncing
those words, Candy couldn’t help finding that scene funny. Now she
understood the real meaning of that sentence, but certainly she
couldn’t deny that, at first sight, Eliza was beautiful.
From now on I’ll have to try to be her friend...I wonder if I will
succeed.
Absorbed in her thoughts, Candy left the room and almost tripped
over Neal’s foot, which he had purposely extended. But she was not
one of those who fall to the ground with something like that.
The boy stared at her irritated and said:
“You come from the orphanage, don’t you? You’re nothing but a
beggar abandoned by her parents!”
Realizing that the boy was accustomed to speaking in that harsh and
hateful tone, Candy was so unprepared for this that she could not
even get angry. Seeing that the girl did not respond to this attack and
just stared at him with her eyes wide open, Neal was satisfied and
walked down the hall whistling victoriously.
That’s incredible! If Miss Pony had known she would have given a
memorable punishment to those two! But these things don’t affect
me.
Candy remembered that, after all, in the village near Pony’s Home
there were also many children who were mean and hateful to the
orphans. But at that moment she didn’t have the slightest idea how
far the two offsprings of the Leagan family would go.

Mary, the maid, led her to a luxurious living room completely

decorated in dark green. Mr. and Mrs. Leagan were waiting for her
there.
When she entered the living room, Candy observed Eliza and Neal in
astonishment: they were both sitting beside their mother with a docile
expression, and even showing off an impeccably innocent smile. They
seemed completely different from those she had met a little while ago.
“Your name?” asked Mrs. Leagan, pointing at her.
“My name is Candice White.”
“Good. We want you to help Eliza with her studies and be her playing
companion. In fact, we would have preferred someone who would
come from a good family, but apparently we will have to conform,
since our teacher has suddenly left and we had little time to take care
of this matter. Eliza, for some strange reason, has a difficulty in
making friends, despite being a very good girl.”
Saying these words, the lady took the hand of her daughter who, at
the same time, cuddled gently next to her.
“I will have to be leaving frequently for work. I recommend that you
obey my wife’s instructions,” intervened Mr. Leagan, while puffing
his pipe.
Without being discouraged by the man’s hard look, Candy made a
little bow and replied merrily in a loud voice:
“Of course! I assure you that I’ll do my best!”
That night she had dinner in the enormous kitchen with the servants.
They told her that it was just leftovers, but for her it was such a rich
banquet, that she wanted to go and share it with everyone at Pony’s
Home. On that occasion they told her so many stories about how
spoiled and cheating Eliza and Neal were that later she couldn’t
remember all of them. They told her that they had changed a private
tutor at least thirty eight times. Mrs. Leagan had attributed the brief
stay of the teachers to the fact that her daughter had no friends, so she
had decided to find a playing companion for her.
“It doesn’t even occur to her that her children are hateful. Mr. and
Mrs. Leagan are really too indulgent. Those two children have
actually a double personality...”
Candy listened to Mary’s stories nodding her head.

Finally that agitating day was coming to an end, but Candy couldn’t
sleep. Lying in her bed, she still couldn’t believe that she was in such
a place. Since she was born, that was the first time she did not sleep at
Pony’s Home.
How are Miss Pony and Sister Lane doing? Will Nancy be crying?
Slim, please don’t wet your bed. I will no longer be able to help you
put everything in order before the others realize it...
One after another, there appeared the smiling faces of the teachers
and the children. Then she found herself thinking again about Pony’s
Hill.
Prince on the Hill, I can’t go to Pony’s Hill anymore. But I’m sure
that, wherever you are, some day we will meet again.
Candy said good night to the badge and the cross which she had
placed together next to her pillow, and finally she closed her eyes.
 Chapter 6
If all the worst children in the world had joined together, surely they
could not surpass evil Eliza and Neal.
“Why don’t you decide to take off these disgusting pajamas?” Eliza
reproached her sarcastically, twisting her mouth as soon as she saw
her next morning.
“This is not a pajama. I have nothing else to wear, remember? You
got my other dress wet yesterday,” answered Candy indifferently.
“How dare you speak to me in that way? You must call me Miss!”
commanded Eliza immediately.
Then she added, holding her nose towards Candy:
“Oh, but it seems to me you are stinking! Neal, come here! Don’t you
smell this strange odor in here?”
“That’s true! It must be the smell of the orphanage! What a stink!”
agreed Neal, covering his nose in a theatrical gesture.
Candy faced them irritated:
“You are rude to say such things! At Pony’s Home hygiene comes
first! In any case, you two are the ones who have a strange smell!”
“I can’t believe that! This is unpardonable! Neal, pull her hair!” said
Eliza, ordering her older brother.
“Watch out, you orphan bastard!”
Candy held quickly the boy’s hand, that had stretched to her hair, and
twisted it hard.
“Ow! Ow!”
“Oh, no! Mama! Mama!” called Eliza, suddenly using her voice as a
good girl’s.
Mrs. Leagan came running out of one of the rooms.
“Mama, look what she has done to Neal’s hand...” falsely wailed
Eliza, blinking her eyes with worry.
Her brother hurried to show his mother his hand, that had turned all
red.
“Oh, my God, what a violent girl! She has just arrived and she’s
already out of control!” exclaimed the woman, with an angry look at
Candy.
“Mama, this girl is terrible! She also pulled my hair!”
“What are you saying? But this is completely false!” protested the
accused, taken by surprise.
“She is horrible!” retorted Eliza, bursting into tears. “She says I’m a
liar! Mama...”
Of course her crying was feigned and, through her fingers, she was
watching Candy’s reactions.
“This girl of low social status is truly unbearable! Candy, go to your
room and don’t come out until you are required to! I want you to
think about what you have done!”
“All right...”
Not having another option, Candy went away, while Eliza secretly
stuck out her tongue at her.
First round. I have to know how to give in if I want to win...
She remembered well the advice Mary had given her the night before.
“If you want to stay here, you must not make madam angry. Whatever
the children tell you, ignore them. You must know how to give in if
you want to win.”
However, Eliza’s words, said intentionally to hurt her, were piercing
her heart:
“Mama, I don’t want to play with such a violent girl, who comes from
an orphanage too!”
“And who also stinks!” echoed Neal.
“You are right. That’s exactly why I was not convinced by the idea of
bringing up an orphan girl. It’s all the Reverend’s fault! Saying nice
words is all he’s good at...See what kind of a poor child he has
introduced to us! We have only to wait for some time and try to see
how it will go.”
Candy hastened her steps in an attempt to escape those words. When
she arrived to her room and closed the door, she bit her lip. Orphan
bastard. Girl of low social status...She was hearing those two voices
echoing in her head full of contempt.
You must not be angry, you must not be sad, Candy. After all,
although not tactfully, they’re just telling the truth...
Caressing the cross she kept hidden on her chest, Candy tried to calm
down.
Exactly. Look, Candy, unlike them, you certainly can’t say that you
come from a good family. You are an orphan, you were abandoned
and therefore you come from an orphanage...All that is true. But these
superficial things are not important. Don’t you remember? Miss Pony
always said that, although it is not seen, the heart is the one thing that
matters.
“That’s exactly how it is!” she said joyfully.
All right, Candice White, don’t let yourself down for something so
little!
And besides, she didn’t want for any reason to be sent back to Pony’s
Home.
Let’s go forward!
Candy flexed her arms as if to show her muscles.
A week had passed since she had arrived at the house of the Leagans,
but the taunts of the two siblings became more and more vicious. It
seemed that treating her badly had become their daily duty.
They blamed her for the vases that had been shattered, so dear to
Mrs. Leagan, for writing on the walls and for the disappearance of the
textbooks. Every time the woman shouted at her hysterically and
ordered her to repent. It also happened that she was sent to bed
without dinner.
As for Candy, she bit her lip and tried to resist. She knew well that,
although she could swear that she was innocent, they would never
believe her.
In fact, the thing she was most afraid of was to be sent back to Pony’s
Home. The teachers would surely welcome her with open arms, but
that cozy building had no longer room for her. Other younger orphans
had certainly taken her place already. Not to mention the enthusiastic
letters she had sent them until now.

“Mr. and Mrs. Leagan are great people and the days seem to fly.
Eliza, my playing companion, is a cheerful and friendly girl. She has
beautiful curls and teaches me so many things.”

The only real information is that concerning her curls...

Candy sighed.
But other things are also true: The villa, surrounded by flowers, looks
actually like one of those realms that are seen in fairy tales, and also
the lake and the forest are fascinating!

“I’m happy to be able to live in a wonderful place like this.”

Forcing herself to write this way, she felt real joy inside her. Besides,
Mr. Stewart, Mary and all the servants were very attentive to her.
Actually, the list of positive things she had found in that place was
quite long.
Then one day, a letter arrived from Pony’s Home. How long she had
waited for it! Candy went to the lake shore, which was located beyond
the back garden of the villa, and opened the envelope. Finally, there
was the message from the teachers, full of kindness and attention.
Both wrote to her how much they were relieved reading Candy’s
cheerful letters.

“Dear Candy,
You must always take care of your health. We are immensely happy
that the Leagan family has welcomed you so well. Every day we wish
that you can learn many things and grow up healthy and happy. We
and the children look forward to hearing from you.”

The girl touched gently the letter to her face. Maybe she could feel the
smell of Pony’s Home, the aroma of the baked bread, of the milk and
of the wood burning in the fireplace...
“What’s this?”
In an instant the paper was snatched from her hand. Neal had taken
advantage of her momentary distraction, and followed by his sister,
had run out to see what was happening.
“It’s a letter! It comes from the orphanage!”
The boy quickly tore up the letter, throwing its pieces into the air.
“Oh, no! What are you doing?”
Candy went immediately to pick them up. She had no time to argue
with those two: if she didn’t hurry, the wind would sweep them
away...But at that moment something fell tinkling from her pocket.
The Prince’s badge!
She didn’t have time to notice the sound of the little bell, because it
was already in Eliza’s hands.
“Neal, look!”
“Hey, it’s real silver! But this...”
“Give it back to me!” cried Candy, throwing herself with all her might
upon the boy.
“No, I won’t! Explain to me, you orphan bastard, where did you steal
it from?”
“I didn’t steal it! It’s mine! I told you to give it back to me!”
“Neal, don’t give it back!” shouted Eliza with delight.
“We could throw it into the river...”
“Oh, yes, what a good idea!”
“No! I beg you! Stop! Give it back to me!” cried Candy, already on the
verge of tears.
That was her precious amulet...the badge of Prince on the Hill.
The two siblings looked at each other with an evil and triumphal
chuckle: despite all their efforts, Candy had never been miserable by
their taunts, but now she seemed completely desperate to them. They
couldn’t feel more satisfied.
Eliza arched her back and said:
“Of course, we can also return it to you. But, before that, sit down like
a puppy and bark!”
“That’s right! And then confess where you have stolen this badge
from! Get on your knees and beg us to forgive you!” added Neal,
tinkling the little bell.
Candy’s eyes blazed. Why should she humiliate herself in that way
and ask for forgiveness from those two? She hadn’t stolen anything at
all!
She took a deep breath and waited for the right moment to come.
“Well? Will you hurry up? We don’t have much time to...”
Neal fell to the ground, taken by surprise as Candy suddenly pushed
him. Instantaneously, the girl regained possession of the badge and
went away running.
“Damned savage!”
“We’ll throw you out of here, did you get that?”
Candy was running at full speed, away from those voices. She was
struggling not to cry, but the tears were flowing from her eyes.
This is horrible...horrible...I want to leave...I want to return to Pony’s
Home...
Crying, she entered the forest. She didn’t know where she was going.
The only thing she wanted was to get away from the Leagan house
even for a little while. The tears were blurring her vision, while the
leaves and the branches were lashing her cheeks. Suddenly she
stumbled and fell. The wet grass hit her face, but she didn’t get up
and went on crying, with her voice broken and her face hidden among
the flowers. The tears she had contained until that moment burst all
at once. How much she wished to go back immediately to Pony’s
Home...
At that moment, a voice said:
“Don’t cry, little girl.”
Those gentle words echoed from somewhere above her head.
Surprised, Candy looked up, with her eyes still flooded with tears, and
for a moment she remained breathless.
“...Prince?”
Sitting on top of an iron arc-shaped gate, and surrounded by a lot of
red roses, was her Prince on the Hill, smiling at her.
 Chapter 7
Am I...am I dreaming?
Holding her breath, Candy looked confused at the Prince on the Hill
and her tear-wet eyes were filled with the boy’s smile, surrounded by
the red color of the roses. She was afraid that a single flicker of her
eyes might make that image disappear. She couldn’t even breathe.
At last...I was able to find my Prince again...
That moment, together with the red petals of the flowers, from above
came his voice again:
“Do you mean me when you’re talking about a prince? You’re
certainly a funny little girl.”
Hearing those words, Candy felt her heart almost exploding.
“You are really a funny little girl.”
Hadn’t the Prince on the Hill told her the same thing? The boy didn’t
disappear when she closed her eyes; she wasn’t dreaming. But the lad
with the roses couldn’t really be her Prince: seven years had passed
since then. At first sight they looked alike, but looking at him
carefully, both the smile and the golden hair of the boy between the
roses seemed to have a darker color.
Recovering, Candy got up rubbing her eyes.
“Oh, no! Mud...”
Her hands were all dirty and in her attempt to wipe her face, she had
only ended up making it even dirtier. The boy kept looking steadily at
her, while she was hurriedly tightening her apron. Candy started
feeling a little embarrassed and couldn’t contain a giggle. At that
moment, the boy smiled too.
“You know, you are much prettier when you laugh than when you
cry.”
That gave Candy another heartbeat and she turned to stare at him.
For the second time in a few moments, he had spoken like the Prince.

“That’s exactly what I thought. You are prettier when you laugh than
when you cry.”

How can that be? How did he know...?

More and more surprised and shocked by a thousand of emotions,
Candy took a breath. That moment she heard a whistle coming from a
distance, beyond the gate with the roses.
The lad instantaneously gave her a smile and jumped lightly down.
With his golden hair flurried by the wind, he went almost flying to the
direction from which the sound had come, disappearing from her
sight.
Candy hadn’t even been able to speak to him. She was stunned for a
moment, then she approached the iron gate and looked towards the
direction in which the boy had disappeared. Remembering that last
smile, she saw a small path that was extending without end, filled
with all kinds and colors of roses. The air was impregnated with the
sweet fragrance of flowers and it even seemed to her that this smell
was a gift the boy had left for her.
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry.”
The voices of the Prince on the Hill and the Boy of the Roses were
superimposing one another and Candy felt a sweet sensation flooding
her heart.
That’s not right, Candy...don’t start crying. If he told you that you are
prettier when you laugh, that means it’s not good to cry. From now on
you should not behave in this disgraceful way anymore. Do you
understand, Candy?
While talking to herself, she couldn’t help wondering where that boy
had gone. He had appeared suddenly and had disappeared in the
same way. Yes...just as the Prince on the Hill had done that day,
leaving a gentle breeze in her heart. The encounter with that young
boy, who was very much like the Prince, had given her great
consolation in a moment of weakness. Candy looked up at the gate
with her eyes full of gratitude, as if there were still someone there.
“Thank you. I promise that you’ll never see me miserable again,
so...so...tell me that we will meet again...”
Pronouncing the last words, she felt ashamed and lowered her voice.
She turned back several times as she went again into the forest; she
wanted to be sure that the iron gate had not disappeared.
I would never have imagined that right at the house of the Leagans
something so wonderful could happen to me! I have discovered that
there is a great person near me, just like the Prince...
After she returned, going around the lake, she started picking up the
pieces of the letter she had received from the teachers, and her
expression had become more serene.

Approaching the villa of the Leagans, Candy spotted Eliza and Neal
in front of the fountain, at the back of the garden, murmuring
between them. They were probably plotting to do something evil
again, but she would definitely not give up. She took a deep breath
and came near them from behind with a quick step.
“I wanted to tell you two that from now on you can treat me as badly
as you like. Whatever evil you have in mind to do to me, I simply
don’t care at all. I have a heart made of iron! Well, then, goodbye!”
Having been taken unawares by that unexpected declaration, the two
siblings could not do anything else but watch her annoyed.
Now that I have said something like that, I’m sure they will treat me
even worse...It means that I’ll stay alert to see what they will think up.
Candy headed to the inner courtyard and, after having verified that
nobody was around, she climbed nimbly to the top of a tree. The
structure of the branches was very much like those of the oak tree at
Pony’s Home, that she knew well enough. Supporting her back
against the trunk, she watched the sunset sky taking on a violet color.
That was the same sky that rose above the beloved place she had
come from. The letter Neal had torn to pieces had been carried
almost entirely away by the wind and she hadn’t been able to recover
more than some of its fragments. She felt frustrated, but at the same
time there was also another feeling inside her.
If Neal hadn’t torn up the letter, I would never have met that boy...
Miss Pony had once told her:
“This world is lined with innumerable threads, and as long as they
don’t break, you can’t know where exactly joy or pain awaits you.
Therefore, Candy, you must never lose hope.”
Just coming across the smile of that boy, who reminded her so much
of Prince on the Hill, was enough to make the taunts of the two
siblings seem insignificant.
I would like to see him at least once more. If I go to the gate with the
roses, I may be able to find him again...
Daydreaming, Candy returned mentally to the iron gate surrounded
by red roses and their sweet fragrance.

The next day she finished cleaning Eliza’s and Neal’s rooms and,
while those two were absorbed in continuing their French lesson, she
hurried to the forest to make sure that the Gate of the Roses was still
there. Actually it seemed that the siblings had decided not to treat her
as a playing companion, but as their personal maid. After she finished
cleaning, Eliza had ordered her to iron her ribbons, but that was too
easy and it took her a minute to carry it out. Above all, Candy wanted
to be sure that the Gate of the Roses wasn’t something she had
imagined. Moving through the shady forest, she realized something
that the previous day, overpowered by crying, she hadn’t noticed: the
more she entered the vegetation, the more the air was filled with the
perfume of the flowers. It almost seemed like that sweet scent was
pointing the way, while the sun was filtered through the cropped
branches of the trees. Suddenly she saw a reddish reflection before
her, and it became more and more intense.
The Gate of the Roses! Then it really exists!
It was as if there were a unique flaming red area in the forest. From
above the wonderful iron gate, the scarlet petals were descending,
light as smiles of angels. But the boy was not there. Candy tried to
look inside, glancing between the bright leaves and the red flowers.
She wondered what kind of building could be established at the end
of that path flanked with roses of all colors, along which the boy had
gone. Maybe that was where he lived. In an attempt to see further
ahead, Candy pushed the doors of the rose-covered gate. She had
touched it gently, but the large corolla of one of the flowers dissolved
in an instant, accompanied by a sweet sound.
“But this is...” she exclaimed in surprise.
Located at the point where the gate closed, the flower had uncovered
an engraving. It was the image of an eagle, identical to that one which
Candy was looking at almost every day. Excited, she took the silver
badge out of her pocket.
“They are the same...”
She felt her head spinning. With trembling fingers, she caressed the
engraving. Except for the dimensions, the bird with the outstretched
wings was exactly the same as that represented on her badge. That
meant that this place really had to do with Prince on the Hill.
How will I get in there?
Candy walked along that flower-covered entrance and discovered that
it was changing into a very long iron gate, also surrounded with roses.
On the side of the forest, the road presented well-shaped trees with
straight trunks, similar to soldiers placed there to protect the
entrance. Even the light and shadow they projected looked like works
of art, creating a wonderful path. As she was going forward, the color
of the flowers gradually was getting lighter, until it became pink.
Captivated by so much beauty, Candy continued walking, until she
found herself between wild roses of white color. Accompanied by a
breeze in which the fragrance of the flowers was mixed with that of
the vegetation, Candy felt like she was in a dream.
Suddenly the succession of wild roses was interrupted, leaving space
for something brighter. Candy closed her eyes for a moment, and
when she opened them again she exclaimed:
“What? A gate of stone?”
The rays of the sun were actually reflected against a majestic gate of
white stone, which rose like a fortress. It was at least three times
higher than Candy herself and contained several engravings.
Breathing shortly, the girl ran to see what they illustrated. There were
representations of female deities, of angels and of a knight riding his
horse and facing a dragon.
“What magnificent images...I wonder if they represent a story...”
She started examining them carefully one by one, and then suddenly
she screamed: The spear wielded by the brave hero had the emblem
of an eagle. The same thing happened with the flags waved by the
many men who escorted him. Candy suddenly remembered the noble
Ardlay family of which Mr. Stewart had spoken to her. On that
occasion he had also confided to her that they possessed enormous
lands in the surrounding area. Maybe the eagle was their emblem.
In that case...the Prince...
Her heart was beating so hard that it took her breath away. Who was
really the Boy of the Roses, so similar to the Prince?
With a dreamy expression, she walked around the white gate which
contained the engravings. In fact, it was a story that continued along
the high stone wall. At the point where the exploits of the hero
culminated in the death of the dragon, a new change took place and
the wall was transformed, taking many different shapes, with new
cocoons thrusting out among the rough rocks. Later, the trees by the
side of the road that was going towards the forest began to disperse,
leading suddenly to a vast meadow that contained aquatic plants.
Candy stopped and took a deep breath: the wind brought the smell of
water and the earth was getting more wet.
Maybe I’m close to the lake...
Moving along the wall, she heard the rumble of the water and hurried
on.
“A waterfall! Isn’t this some kind of a gate too?” she cried joyfully,
looking up.
Between the rocks, a waterfall was sprouting and, looking closer, she
could see a sturdy wooden gate hidden among the shining jets of
water.
“Amazing...This time it’s a gate made of water!”
The powerful jet of the waterfall ended in an artificial river that later
flowed into the lake.
“Three gates? I have never seen anything like this...”
A gate with roses, a gate of stone and now another one made of
water...What could possibly be the aspect of the building to which
they led?
I can’t even imagine it! The Ardlays must be really a prestigious
family...And to think that I was so astonished by the clan of the
Leagans...
If this was another gate of the Ardlays, it should have the emblem of
the eagle somewhere, and she absolutely had to make sure of that.
While the jets were splashing on her face, she began climbing
cautiously the wet and slippery rocks, trying to get closer to that last
gate. Reaching the top of the waterfall, she realized that, unlike what
it had seemed from a distance, the wooden access was well protected
from the water which, while falling, created an arch.
But how can I open it?
A gate hidden in a waterfall...Suddenly the girl noticed a thick chain
hanging between the rocks. Looking up, she was out of breath:
“The eagle!”
In fact, the chain falling from the bird with the extended wings was
exactly like the little bell that was hanging from her badge. Candy
swallowed and, without thinking twice, she pulled it. She suddenly
heard a noise similar to that of rocks rolling down the road and the
gate fell hard, turning into a suspended bridge over the lake and
blocking the waterfall’s current. The sound it had produced had been
so loud that it even covered her cry of surprise.
“I was so scared!” she said with a deep sigh, still clinging to the
rocks.
Almost at the same time another voice cried:
“The boat! The boat!”
Those startling cries were coming from the lake, and Candy noticed
the presence of a small boat at the mercy of the waves, in which a boy
was waving his arms in order to attract her attention. The boy’s long
hair had the color of the sunlit wheat fields. Probably the boat had
been driven away by the movement caused by the fall of the water
portal.
“Hey, little lady! Don’t stand there and help me! The current is taking
me away!”
Apparently he didn’t even have oars.
“Yes, but what can I do?” asked Candy, raising her voice.
“There is a rope tied to the rocks somewhere! Hurry up!”
“All right! Leave it to me!” she answered excitedly.
She untied the strong rope and spun it in the air above her head, then
threw it with force to the boy’s direction. She reached him on the first
try. Candy smiled satisfied with herself: she had not lost her touch.
“Fantastic! You are good at throwing the lasso!”
The lad grabbed skillfully the end of the rope and pulled it, returning
easily to the shore.
“What a fright! And to think that I was just taking a nice nap between
the aquatic plants, in that small boat,” he said in an affected manner,
while fixing his shining hair.
Now he no longer seemed to be the same breathless boy he was a
moment ago, and that made Candy laugh loudly.
“How dare you laugh? Because of you a disaster was about to
happen!”
“Oh, forgive me. It is that I saw you so agitated before, and now,
instead...Perhaps...you can’t swim?”
“How rude! I’m an excellent swimmer!”
“But then...”
“The fact is that if I had got wet I would have spoiled my hair and
besides, I certainly didn’t want to ruin this new silk shirt brought from
France,” he explained, winking at her with a cunning air.
He was very elegant. Amazed, Candy looked at his handsome face
and also noticed the slight aroma of cologne. With his slender fingers
he easily fixed his hair, which had been disheveled by the wind. His
behavior was refined, but in his eyes there was something cynical and
provocative.
“I didn’t expect that you would do it on the first try, you know. It is
the first time that I meet a girl so skilled with the rope. Tell me a little
about yourself, little tomboy. Where are you from?”
“I...my name is Candy...I work at the Leagans.”
“You don’t say...” remarked the boy frowning and raising his eyes to
the sky.
At that moment, from the road connected with the bridge, he heard
the sound of a horn.
“They have come to pick me up. See you, little tomboy! My name is
Archibald. We’ll meet again!”
The boy, who had a name now, ran to the car that was some distance
away.
What an amusing boy this Archibald is...He has blond hair just like
the Boy of the Roses.
But the hair color of the Boy of the Roses, thought Candy, brought
with it something that made her heart contract painfully because of a
sudden flare of longing.
 Chapter 8
“In the afternoon I’ll have to go to town to pick up the dress I have
ordered and you will accompany me!”
That day, after having given the order, Eliza ran through the corridor
with a light step, full of excitement. For two or three days, the girl had
been in a strangely good mood, but that didn’t mean that she had put
aside her inclination to plan jokes. However, if she had really been
forced to choose, Candy would rather endure whatever came to her
from a smiling person. Nevertheless, the only one who seemed happy
was Eliza; the rest of the family seemed dominated by an unusual
tension.
Between general cleaning, which was usually done at the end of the
month, and polishing the silver cutlery, Candy was working all day
long, without a moment of rest. As Mary had said, it seemed that the
greatest representative of the Ardlay family was going to move to
those parts. When she heard that surname, Candy remembered the
picture of the eagle and felt her heart beating hard.
Mrs. Leagan did nothing else but give severe instructions to the
servants and repeat constantly that the house should be “in a decent
condition to receive Great Aunt Elroy”. With all probability, it was
exactly that Great Aunt who was indeed the great representative about
whom she had heard so much. It was a wonder what kind of person
she was, that even Mrs. Leagan was so afraid of her.

That afternoon, inside the car, Eliza was also particularly cheerful,
and even her voice sounded different than usual.
“Neal, a grand party is waiting for us tomorrow at the house of the
Ardlays! And finally I’ll be able to see Anthony again!”
“I wonder if Great Uncle William will be there too,” retorted her
brother, who was not at all enthusiastic.
“Mama said that he will probably not come.”
“Thank God! That grumpy old Aunt Elroy is more than enough!”
“You are absolutely right!”
Infected by the laughter of the two children, Candy joined them, but
Eliza gave her a sharp look and said:
“Stewart! Don’t go too fast and don’t get distracted, do you
understand?”
The chauffeur nodded and corrected his posture. The young lady
didn’t seem to like the fact that Candy and the man were talking with
a certain confidence, despite having seen each other again after a long
time.
Along the town’s main street, the beautiful shop windows of the
elegant shops were in a row. There were all kinds of them: those
specializing in expensive evening dresses, those selling hats, purses or
shoes. Every time she collected the dresses or slippers she had
previously charged for, Eliza unloaded the large packages in which
they were stored on Candy to carry them. They were so many that she
couldn’t even see where to put her feet.
“Look, Neal, do you think Anthony will like this dress with the pink
feathers?”
“Anthony, Anthony...Enough with this Anthony,” exploded
impatiently her brother, frowning.
Indeed, Eliza’s mind seemed to be completely occupied by that
Anthony, and only in those moments her expression softened a little.
Candy couldn’t help finding that amusing.
Eliza must really like that Anthony very much. I didn’t believe that
such a wicked person could fall in love with someone...
The moment she smiled, the stack of boxes in her arms fell down with
a crash.
“But what the hell are you doing? You’re good for nothing!” screamed
Eliza, returning suddenly to her usual squeaky voice.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t carry all these things by myself.”
“Well, make the best of it, because this is your duty, you orphan
bastard! You are our servant, and mama also said that we can do
whatever we want with you,” refuted Neal, twisting his mouth and
putting his hands in his pockets.
“I understand...but I really wish you would stop calling me ‘orphan
bastard’. I’ve got a name, you know. My name is Candice White!”
“What? Such a candid name for someone like you? Really, it doesn’t
make any sense!”
“When they picked me up they decided to give me that last name,
because back then my skin was very white,” responded Candy
proudly, trying to collect all the things that she had dropped.
“When they...picked you up? My God, how awful...” remarked Eliza,
twisting ostentatiously.
“I don’t see anything to boast so much about, you know. Moreover,
look how ugly you are with...with that face full of moles!”
“Oh, Neal, what pretty things you say sometimes! You mean my
freckles, don’t you? It’s funny that you call them moles! At Pony’s
Home they were always teasing me, saying that they were leftovers
from lunch!”
It was certainly more pleasant to think that she had a face full of
moles instead of one stained with food. Annoyed, the two siblings
observed a very satisfied Candy. But suddenly they winked at each
other.
“Oh, I forgot...We have also ordered some books. Go and pick them
up. You can even leave the purchases here as Stewart will soon finish
the errands for mama and will come to take us. Hurry to the
bookstore and get Elegance and The dream of the French doll. Just
say that you are at the service of the Leagan family.”
“I’m going!”
Candy put everything down and headed to the store they had
indicated to her. However, once she got there, they told her ashamed
that they had never received such charges. The bad feeling that had
warned her suddenly became a reality. She hurried back and, when
she arrived in the vicinity of the street, she sighed:
“Just as I thought!”
Eliza was gone and what was worse, the Leagan car was not there
either.
I should have known it! From the beginning they had planned to
leave me here! That’s why they wanted me to accompany them to
town!
Surely Mr. Stewart, involved against his will, must have really felt in
trouble.
“Today is really a day for a little black star,” she murmured
disappointed.
“What is a little black star?” asked a cheerful voice.
Just at that moment a car stopped beside her. A smiling and lively boy
with a cap on his head was looking at her through the window. The
glasses he was wearing intensified even more the amiable expression
of his face. Surprised by that friendly behavior, Candy asked him if
they had already met somewhere.
“That time you were so helpful to Archie,” continued the boy, smiling
even more.
“What? Then it was you that day in the car?”
“That’s right! What are you doing in town today?”
“Well, you see...I went to the bookstore to take care of some errands
for the Leagan family, but while I was there the car was gone.”
“They left you here, eh? It’s terrible, it will take you more than two
hours to walk home. Come on, get in, I’ll give you a ride!”
“Really? Thank you!”
Relieved, Candy smiled and sat nimbly in the seat next to the driver.
With a noise similar to the breaking of a thousand balloons, the
vehicle got finally into motion.
“It takes a little time before it starts moving. I constructed it myself,
you know.”
“Did you make it yourself? The car? This is great!”
“Yes, that’s true.”
The lad looked proud. Probably Candy’s surprised expression had
made him very happy. She, feeling now more at ease, started
laughing. That boy had made an excellent impression on her and she
couldn’t believe that she had just met him. He seemed to her more
like an old friend.
“Well...What was that little black star you were talking about a little
while ago?” asked the lad, once the car had gained speed and he was
more relaxed.
“It’s really a symbol...”
“For what?”
Animated by the boy with the glasses, Candy felt that she could speak
freely.
“For the bad jokes certain people play on me. Every day I put a mark
on the calendar. When they don’t do anything to me, I don’t put
anything...Although this almost never happens! When things aren’t so
bad, I put a little white star, while on the days that are a little more
difficult, I draw a star half-white and half-black. But when they do
something really serious to me...”
“...it’s the turn of the little black star,” concluded the boy merrily, and
then added:
“Indeed, few girls are as terrifying as Eliza.”
“What? Do you know her too?”
“Do I know her? Unfortunately, we are relatives.”
“So you too are part of the Ardlay family...”
“That’s right. Although in fact my last name is Cornwell. I’m Alistair
Cornwell, but everybody calls me Stear.”
“I’m Candy. Candice White.”
“What a sweet name!” remarked the boy whistling.
“Well, yours instead sounds like a philosopher’s name.”
“Really? How sad! Well, hold on tight now, because the road is very
bumpy and we’ll move a lot. It goes around the lake, but it’s a short
cut and, if everything goes well, we’ll arrive before Eliza!”
“Are you serious? That would be wonderful!” said Candy clapping her
hands, excited with the idea of seeing the astonished faces of Eliza
and Neal, surprised to see her already at home before them.
The car was moving like a drunkard, swinging in all directions, so it
was impossible to admire the landscape. Little by little it began to
lose speed, and later an alarming explosion initiated a strong shaking.
“Here we go again! The wheel has gone!”
“What?”
“Once again, straight into the lake...”
Alistair didn’t have time to finish his quiet premonition, as the car
really went into the water, splashing everywhere and taking its
passengers along with it. However, Candy was also a very good
swimmer and, moving forward like a puppy, she reached the shore
before her new friend. They went out, soaking wet.
“A failure again. Poor me.”
Infected by the smile of Alistair, who was almost amused by his own
disaster, Candy also started laughing.
“Come on, don’t laugh! Look, although I don’t look like it, I’m very
sorry,” said the boy, wringing his cap cheerfully and wiping his
glasses. “I’ll take the car later. But what about you, Candy? How do
you think you can return home?”
“With these two powerful wheels, of course,” said Candy, wringing
her skirt and giving a slight tap on her wet legs. “After all, that was
the initial plan, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Yes, but you’re soaking wet...” objected Alistair with a serious face,
feeling responsible.
“Don’t worry, Alistair,” Candy assured him cheerfully.
“Call me Stear...It will be a long walk. As a matter of fact, there is a
good way to get home, but I don’t think that a girl like you could do
that,” he said, looking at the forest.
“What do you mean?”
“When you pass the forest, there is the villa of the Leagans. The
easiest way is crossing it from one tree to another.”
“Oh, I was wondering if it was something more difficult than that!”
“But look how...”
“I assure you that I’m very good at climbing trees!”
“You don’t have just to climb, you have to jump from one branch to
another like Tarzan, and...”
“Exactly. It’s very easy. Let’s go!”
Candy was feeling full of life. After having examined the trees, she
climbed one of them.
“Not bad at all!” murmured Alistair with admiration, emitting a
cheerful whistle.
“You see? Come on, Alistair, hurry up!”
“Yes, but call me Stear.”
Having located the right tree, the lad also climbed nimbly, moving
from one branch to another. Candy followed him, choosing from time
to time her object and jumping from tree to tree.
It seemed to her that she had gone back to the days of her childhood
at Pony’s Home. Only Annie and the other children knew that she
practised that dangerous game. Her friend was always watching her
from below with concern and on the verge of tears.
A little later, the house of the Leagans stood out over the vegetation.
Actually the forest overlooked the back garden.
Candy quickly descended from the tree and said, turning upwards:
“Thank you, Stear!”
“Goodbye, Candy! Now I understand why Archie calls you little
tomboy!”
Stear gave her a sweet look, smiled and took off his cap. For her part,
Candy laughed and shrugged her shoulders. From above she had seen
Eliza’s car arriving from a distance. She wondered if they would be
surprised or disappointed to see that she was already there.

Next morning Eliza was busy admiring herself in front of a large

mirror. The room was full of clothes and hats.
“This one or that one? Which will be better for the occasion?”
“I think you look better in that yellow one.”
“Did I ask you?” said Eliza, after casting a fulminant glance at
Candy.
Later she pointed to the dozens of shoes arranged on the carpet.
“I intend to put them on for the party tonight, so hurry up to polish
them!”
“You will put ten pairs of shoes at the same time?”
“That’s why I hate girls with low social status...I haven’t decided yet,
so that’s the reason you have to polish all of them!” she exclaimed
sharply, and then turned to the mirror. “I’m so undecided, I’ll ask
mama for advice.”
Picking up some dresses, Eliza left the room.
When she was alone, Candy looked at the numerous dresses that were
on the couch. They were all splendid, like those used by fairy tale
princesses, decorated with lace, ribbons and feathers, so beautiful that
they took her breath away. Candy couldn’t contain herself and
extended her hand towards a light green dress. It was the softest
garment she had ever touched. She brought it to her chest and,
turning to the mirror, she looked at her own image reflected.
I look like a queen...
The “queen” in the mirror smiled back at her.
“What are you doing?”
Surprised by Eliza’s stern voice, Candy put hurriedly the dress on the
couch.
“Do you think you can touch it without permission? You’ll be sorry if
you have made it dirty!”
“Forgive me...Anyway, my hands are clean.”
Eliza didn’t even deign to look at the hands Candy showed her and
simply examined the dress.
“You’ll never use anything like that in your whole life! It wouldn’t
even suit you!”
On the contrary, it seems to me that it would...
Candy remembered her image in the mirror. She was pretty sure that
the green dress would suit her very well.
“Well, I’m going to polish the shoes,” she said cheerfully, picking
them up.
Annoyed, Eliza watched her as she was going out of the room, but
suddenly her eyes blazed with a cruel light.
“That’s a good idea...This time she will certainly start crying,” she
said to herself. “Neal!”
And she hurried to her brother’s room.

In the evening it was time for the Leagans to go to the reception.

Candy was in Eliza’s room to put the dresses that were scattered all
around back in their place, when suddenly the door opened wide. The
two siblings, dressed in elegant clothes, entered the bedroom and,
lifting her head haughtily, Eliza said:
“Hurry up, you must come too!”
“What? Me? Dressed like that?”
“Yes, you’re fine, even in those pajamas! Come on, we’ll take you
along with us.”
Now Neal’s eyes too were shining with cruelty. Candy understood
immediately what was happening. They wanted to embarrass her.
Her faded dress might not be appropriate for a party, but it had been
sewn with great skill and love by Sister Lane, using pieces of other
dresses. She had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Thank you! If I can go in my pajamas, I’ll be very happy to
accompany you!” smiled Candy cheerfully.
It seemed to her like a dream to be able to attend the party of the
Ardlays.
“That’s unbelievable...She’s so impertinent!”
“You’ll see that when she gets there she will be ashamed to be
dressed like a pauper.”
Candy decided to ignore the conversation of the two siblings inside
the car. What they defined with contempt “pajamas” was a simple
dress, but also decent and clean. It was only that it lacked ornaments
because of prolonged use. What mattered was that she could go to the
Ardlay house, and her heart was rumbling at the thought of how lucky
she was.
The shield with the eagle might be connected with her Prince...And
besides, it was the first time she would attend a similar event. If the
Ardlay family could cause fear even to the Leagans, in what amazing
villa could they possibly be living?
Surely it will be a grand reception, and I wonder what banquet they
will serve us...

The car went around the lake, following a narrow road that was
passing through the forest. The rays of light were sparkling as they
were filtered through the branches, the wind carried the fragrance of
roses, and Candy barely noticed that her heart began beating so hard
that it almost hurt her. The perfume was becoming more and more
intense, and beyond the green forest appeared a small incandescent
red area.
The Gate of Roses...It’s open!
She held her breath, with joy illuminating her face.
The car crossed the entrance. After passing the road that was
surrounded with flowers, they were found in a large garden at the
centre of which was exhibited a beautiful fountain depicting a
goddess holding a turtle in her hand. On both sides, placed
symmetrically, there were many other sculptures. Beyond the garden
stood a stone building that looked like a palace. That building, with
its numerous pinnacles, had a certain grandeur.
Stunned, Candy was looking at that authentic and peculiar mansion,
as she was getting closer and closer to it. She had never seen anything
like that, but the surprises were not over. At the entrance, along with
some musicians, there were three boys dressed in the traditional
Scottish costume.
When they saw her getting out of the car, the boys looked surprised,
but instantly a great smile appeared on their faces.
“Hi, Candy!” said Alistair, or, as he preferred to be called, Stear.
“Look who’s here again, the little tomboy!” greeted her the elegant
Archibald.
And then it was him.
“At last I see you smiling!”
That boy who was smiling at her was the same she had met at the
Gate of the Roses.
“Oh, Anthony, it has been such a long time!” interposed Eliza with a
dreamy expression, revealing the name of the mysterious boy.
 Chapter 9
Was it a dream maybe? Surrounded by three boys, Candy was stunned
for a moment. They were wearing a kilt, the traditional costume of
Scotland, that Prince on the Hill was also wearing that day, so many
years ago.
“But, Candy, have you already met Anthony too?” the other two boys
asked her in a low voice.
The girl simply nodded and blushed when she met the smiling look of
that boy.
So this is Anthony...
Eliza had done nothing but repeat that name, and Candy had
wondered many times to whom it belonged, but she had never
imagined the truth.
“Please, follow me to the salon. Madam Elroy is waiting for you,”
announced an elegant butler, worthy of a palace, who had appeared to
guide the guests.
“Anthony, you don’t know how happy I am to see you again...”
With a sweet voice, Eliza stopped in front of the boy, who was ready
to speak to Candy instead. She quickly walked along with him, but
she didn’t miss the opportunity to step on her rival’s foot.
The marble-decorated salon really seemed to be part of a royal palace.
In several places there had been placed vases overflowing with
flowers, and in front of the large terrace they had placed, in an artistic
way, all kinds of cakes and desserts. The air was almost suffocating
because of the perfumes of the guests who had dressed elegantly for
the party. If Stear hadn’t pushed her gently, surely Candy couldn’t
have crossed the threshold.
In the middle of the salon, on a velvet chair set high, she saw a robust
elderly lady, sitting solemnly. That woman, who looked like an
empress, was the famous Great Aunt Elroy and, one after another, the
guests presented themselves before her, bowing their heads in
greeting.
“Anthony, where did you meet this girl?” asked Stear, giving him a
slight push, unable to resist his curiosity.
“It happened in the forest...”
“You know, she’s very good at climbing trees.”
“However, she’s also perfect at throwing the lasso,” added Archie.
Anthony just laughed.
Climbing trees, throwing the lasso...When I met her, on the contrary,
she was crying...
The boy was watching Candy furtively, while she was admiring with
bright eyes the sumptuous lamp hanging from the ceiling.
The day they had met, Anthony was jumping the gate to go back to
the villa. His professor of Latin would soon arrive, but he was too
much worried about a robin’s nest he had discovered in the forest and
he had sneaked out. The three blue eggs of the little birds were safe
and sound. However, just at the moment he was obeying the impulse
to cross the entrance, he heard the sound of footsteps similar to the
fluttering of a large bird, and among the trees a girl had appeared
running, with her face bathed in tears.
She fell in front of the gate...and she was crying like there was no
tomorrow.
How could he not speak to her? When he did, the girl lifted her head
from the mud in which she had fallen.
She looked at me surprised, and then she called me “prince”...To me
she seemed like a little nymph who had appeared in the middle of the
forest...
He didn’t know how long they had remained there staring at each
other, but suddenly the girl had stopped crying and had smiled at
him. At that moment, it was as if a ray of light had illuminated
everything. He had narrowed his eyes, as if he had been blinded by
the light she seemed to radiate. That smile seemed to have the power
to melt even the hardest of hearts. It was the first time he saw a smile
like that.
Who is that girl who can smile in such a way?
Anthony had also wanted to see her again, even if it was just one more
time, but he hadn’t told anyone what had happened, not even Stear.
He was afraid that if he had, that meeting, adorned with roses, would
have disappeared like a dream. Conversely, that girl was now before
him.
Her name is Candy...
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Great Aunt Elroy’s clearing of the throat was enough to silence
everybody in the salon. The atmosphere became tense, and all the
guests gathered around that woman who, after another clearing of her
throat, began to speak solemnly.
“I welcome all the dear members of the Ardlay family. I announce
that Anthony, Alistair, Archibald and I will come to live here. As
everyone knows, Anthony’s father has embarked on a long sea voyage,
and Alistair and Archibald’s parents are in Arabia on business. For
that reason, Great Uncle William has decided for all of us to live
together. He strongly believes that it is preferable for the boys to live
surrounded by nature and not in the city, therefore we’ll settle in this
residence, now used only during the summer. On the other hand...”
Maintaining her regal posture, the woman continued her speech,
talking about how Great Uncle William was contributing to the Ardlay
family’s prestige. He was certainly a man of great power.
Candy couldn’t believe that this building was a summer residence.
How splendid could the main residence be? It must be something
beyond imagination.
The girl was lost in her thoughts, when suddenly she had to hold back
her laughter. Behind the guests who were near the terrace, she saw
Stear who, using a kind of small fishing rod, without being seen, was
taking advantage of the empty space between the ladies and the
gentlemen, in order to take desserts and eat them in a hurry. His
mouth was completely white and stained with cream, and his
crammed cheeks reminded her those of a squirrel’s.
Candy started laughing.
At that moment, everybody turned towards her.
“Who is that?” shouted Great Aunt Elroy angrily.
Candy went pale but, when the fear passed, she stepped forward and
said:
“It was me...Forgive me!”
“How ill-mannered! Who are you? Where did you come from? How
did you get in here dressed like that?”
“Well...I work for the Leagan family, and my name is Candice White.
I beg your pardon for interrupting your speech...Excuse me,” said
Candy on the verge of tears, bowing her head.
“Did you say Leagan?”
The woman opened her mouth to continue speaking, but she was
interrupted immediately.
“Aunt, forgive me! It was me who made Candy laugh.”
It was Stear’s voice, full of tension.
“Alistair, is that you again? You always exaggerate with your jokes.
What are you up to this time?”
When she saw her nephew’s face stained with cream, with two white
moustaches around his mouth, her expression softened more.
“I was fishing for desserts with this,” said the boy, showing a kind of
small fishing rod with an adjustable length.
“And what is that, Alistair?”
“Thank you for asking me, Aunt! This is the century’s greatest
discovery! I have called it Dessert Fishing Rod! Do you want me to do
a demonstration?”
“Certainly not! Your inventions always leave me speechless. Come on,
hurry up to clean your face, you’re not at all presentable in such a
shameful state.”
Even a woman as strict as herself seemed to soften in front of the
boys.
The incident put an end to the speech, and the guests finally assumed
a relaxed expression. The butler invited everyone to be served with
desserts and tea while waiting for dinner, and the waiters brought the
appetizers.
“Aunt, I ask your pardon if one of our servants has troubled you,” said
Mrs. Leagan tensely, offering fearfully her apologies. “At the last
minute, Eliza felt compassion for this girl who has never been able to
attend a party, and so she insisted that we bring her with us...”
“I see, Sara. Eliza is really a kind-hearted girl and must have been
moved by this helpless child. However, dressed like that and with
such behavior, she will cause problems to the other guests. It is
always necessary to understand what is the right time and place for
certain things.”
“I’m really sorry...I’ll send her back immediately...”
“Thank you for your generosity to that girl, Aunt! And thank you too,
Eliza,” interrupted Anthony cheerfully, silencing Mrs. Leagan’s
words.
Seeing the boy’s smile, even Eliza’s lips, which, until that moment,
had curved into a sly smile, softened.
“Come, let’s enjoy the party!”
Winking at her, Archibald pulled Candy to the terrace.
Although she was worried about Mrs. Leagan’s reaction, the girl was
happy mostly because Anthony and the other boys had helped her get
out of trouble. And naturally, she was also attracted by the large table
which seemed to have all the desserts in the world.
The musicians began to play a bagpipe concert.
“You have been brave, Candy. Nobody can stand Great Aunt’s
threatening gaze.”
Seeing Anthony just behind her and smiling at her, Candy was almost
startled. She was short of breath.
“You have helped me...I...”
While she was hesitantly uttering these words, the music transformed
into a romantic waltz, and the guests began to dance.
“Anthony, let’s dance,” said Eliza.
She seemed to be expecting nothing else.
“Oh...All right...”
The lad looked at Candy somewhat distressed, but he took politely
Eliza’s hand.
Anthony is really a gentle boy.
Candy was watching him dance with a dreamy expression, while
smiling at his dancing partner.
“Come on, Candy, dance with me,” Archie asked her with a refined
gesture.
“Ah, no! Candy has to dance with me!”
With his face finally clean, Stear interposed between them and took
skillfully Candy’s hand.
“Hey, that’s not fair!”
“I’m sorry for you, but the older one goes first.”
“But I have never danced in my life,” objected Candy, blinking her
eyes with disbelief.
Alistair led her to the circle of the dancing pairs and assured her:
“Just keep moving your feet, that’s dancing.”
Then he started laughing and added ironically:
“Is there a little black star today too?”
“Oh, no, this day has definitely a little white star...It doesn’t seem real
to me that I am at such a splendid party.”
It was true. Guided by Stear, Candy was moving her feet at random,
but she was feeling her heart and her body as light as a feather.
Suddenly she met Anthony’s eyes, as he told her:
“Candy, will you give me the next dance?”
Hearing that invitation, Eliza glared at her.
“What a shame, the next one is Archie’s. Your turn will come later,”
responded Stear calmly.
“Apparently everybody wants to dance with you.”
Why did Anthony’s laughter make her heart beat so hard? Immersed
in that floating world, even Eliza’s piercing eyes were no longer
important to her, and among all the others, the only thing that was
clearly outlined was Anthony’s figure in a kilt. He really looked a lot
like Prince on the Hill.
No, that’s not true...If I look at him carefully, I notice immediately
that, although they look alike, they are completely different...
After the dance with Archie, the musicians took a short break. With
eyes burning with rage, Eliza approached her and dragged her behind
a curtain.
“Now you listen to me! If you dance with Anthony, you won’t get
away with it!” she threatened clenching her fists.
She seemed ready to strike her at any moment.
“Mama and papa are furious because of you!”
“I...I will accept if he asks me,” replied Candy with sincerity, while
Eliza’s eyes opened wide.
She wanted to dance with Anthony, and she didn’t care what Eliza or
her mother could do. She had managed to find Anthony, the boy who
had told her those gentle words at the Gate of the Roses. And that
moment, when she had confused him with Prince on the Hill, he had
given her a lot of courage.
The music resumed, and when Anthony asked her to dance, she did
not hesitate for an instant.
The enchanting party had ended, but Candy, although she was
already back in her narrow room at the house of the Leagans, was still
feeling like she was in a dream. The servants had not yet returned,
busy with the preparations for the dinner, and neither had Eliza and
her family. Candy was reflecting peacefully. She had danced with
Anthony, the boy she had met at the Gate of the Roses. That smiling
face, radiant like the sun, was just a few inches away from hers. His
hands had touched her gently. Her body had become light and it had
almost seemed to her that she was back at Pony’s Home. The face of
the Prince with the bagpipe overlapped Anthony’s smile.
“You have been brave, Candy.”
Remembering his gentle voice whispering that phrase, the girl
blushed.
Is it true that it was not just a dream?
With a sigh, she took her badge and tinkled the little silver bell. Then
she started dancing by herself.
“Prince, the boy that looks so much like you is called Anthony.”
The little bell’s jingle seemed to be singing, accompanying Candy as
she was whirling.
“All three of them were dressed in a kilt...I heard that this is their
evening costume, since the Ardlay ancestors came from Scotland, but
what has Prince on the Hill got to do with them?”
While she was concentrating aloud on her thoughts and dancing,
Candy suddenly heard the door open violently. When she turned
surprised, she was in front of Mrs. Leagan. She didn’t know when she
had returned, but she had an irritated expression and she was still in
her evening gown. Probably she had come straight to her room.
“Take this girl’s things immediately to the stable!” she ordered the
servants who had followed her.
“My things...to the stable?”
Candy looked at her in amazement. Until a moment ago it had
seemed to her that she was living in a dream, but in an instant that
sensation had vanished.
“And thank me for not throwing you out of the house! Today you
have brought shame to the home of the Leagans! Is that how grateful
you are for Neal’s and Eliza’s kindness? You are an awful girl! I won’t
allow someone like you to live in the same house where my children
live! From now on you will be at our service and live in the stable!”
Mrs. Leagan said all this in one breath and in a hysterical tone.
“Now you’ll have to take care of the horses,” concluded Eliza, behind
her mother.
She had crossed her arms and on her face there was a smile of
satisfaction.
 Chapter 10
A strange sound was heard close to her ear. Candy stuck her head
under the blankets.
Please, stop making those noises, I’m sleepy.
The sound didn’t stop.
“I’ve told you to stop! I can’t sleep...”
Getting up suddenly, the girl was found in front of a pair of horses
and had to contain a cry.
“I forgot it...Last night I had to move into the stable.”
She recalled how, the previous day, her heart, overflowing with joy at
the splendid party, had burst out like a balloon in an instant. Candy
shook her head and said:
“Sister Lane always said: ‘Every time you think of something bad and
you feel sad, your heart gets smaller.’ ”
Caesar neighed shaking his neck proudly, as if agreeing with her. The
girl smiled. Those horses had such tender eyes...
The one with the shiny black coat, called Caesar, belonged to Neal,
while the white Cleopatra was Eliza’s. As it had been said, both of
them were thoroughbreds. However, the two siblings had expressed a
certain interest in horse riding only at the beginning, and they seemed
to harbor no affection or admiration for their animals.
The horses were remaining there, moving their heads and showing
their big teeth.
“You are hungry, aren’t you? Forgive me, I’ll prepare your breakfast
right away. They’re really very early risers!” said Candy yawning, and
then she turned around to get dressed quickly.
It is necessary to respect good manners, even in the presence of
horses.
It was a dark structure, filled with straw and moist hay. The inside
had the typical smell of stables, but Candy didn’t care at all.
“You know what? At Pony’s Home I had taken charge of the
chickens, and there were also ranches in the area, so I’ve had friends
like you,” Candy told them.
Then she made a proper introduction:
“Caesar, Cleopatra, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Candice
White, but you can call me Candy.”
As a reply, the horses opened their snouts at the same time, in a kind
of smile. After having greeted them with a light tap on their noses, the
girl devoted herself to cleaning up the place.
“You’ll see, I’ll turn this stable into a shining palace.”
Each time she spoke, the two animals snorted as if to answer her. It
was wonderful to be able to speak to someone. As soon as she
finished cleaning up, she took the bucket that was now completely
full. Whitman, the gardener, always started working very early in the
morning.
I remember Miss Pony used this as a fertilizer. Maybe Mr. Whitman
will be happy to have some of it too. I’m really very fortunate to have
to go around carrying such a valuable asset! La-la, la-la.
Humming to herself, Candy made a gesture of greeting to the man
with the straw hat, half hidden among the abundant and colorful
flowers of alcea.
“Mr. Whitman! I’ve brought you a little fertil...”
She stiffened, with her face red.
“Good morning, Candy!” said Anthony, peeking out among the high
yellow alceas.
“Oh...Anthony...good morning...”
“Ah, you’ve been so kind as to bring me the manure of the horses,
haven’t you? Thank you, Candy,” interposed the gardener.
The man, with a white beard and hat, got up to take the bucket, and
then, overshadowing his face, he said:
“This morning Mary told me everything. So they have put you in the
stable? We all agree that this is an injustice...Unfortunately I can’t do
much, but if you want to talk to someone, you know where to find me.
You will tell me if you need anything, won’t you?”
“Thank you, Mr. Whitman...” said Candy, giving him a big smile,
trying not to get emotional.
Behind him, Anthony had bowed his head and was looking away, but
it seemed that he was trying to contain his rage.
“By the way, Master, did you want to know anything more about
pests?” asked the gardener, turning to Anthony.
“No, I have understood everything...Thank you, Mr. Whitman,”
responded the lad hurriedly.
When the gardener went away to look after the other flowers, Anthony
stood in front of Candy and, with a very serious look, he asked:
“Candy, what does that mean about...putting you in the stable?”
“Oh, nothing important. The stable has practically become my
room.”
“How can you say it’s nothing important?” exclaimed the boy,
reddening with indignation and frowning.
Candy showed immediately a beautiful smile and said:
“For me it’s better this way, Anthony! I feel much more comfortable,
truly!”
She had spoken too fast and the boy kept watching her silently, while
she was struggling to look happy. She couldn’t possibly prefer living
in a stable. Anthony remembered that when he met her she was
crying. That smile made his heart ache.
Candy tried to bring the conversation to another topic:
“Tell me, do you know Mr. Whitman well?”
“What? Oh, yes, he teaches me many things about cultivating roses,
for example, the method of creating hybrids,” replied the lad,
changing his attitude.
If Candy didn’t want to talk anymore about her situation, he would
definitely not force her to do that.
“Cultivating roses? You like them a lot, don’t you?”
“Yes. They look sweet and noble.”
Just like you, Anthony...
Candy refrained from expressing her thought. She always used to say
everything that she had on her mind, but when she was with that boy,
for some strange reason, she always felt too excited. She would have
wanted to stay there and talk to him, but the morning was full of
chores she had to do.
Anthony said goodbye to her and went away to take care of his
flowers, located in an internal area of the immense rose garden of the
Ardlays, and Candy went back to the stable, pouncing.
I can’t believe I’ve seen him again so soon...Maybe I was really lucky
to have been moved to the stable...I would have liked to talk to him a
little more...But of course! When I have a little free time, I’ll try to go
back to the Gate of the Roses!
Candy expected that she could find him again that way. Once she
made that decision, she felt full of energy and started washing the
napkins and cleaning the windows at a good pace. When she finished
her chores, she went running to the Gate of the Roses, before Eliza
and the others discovered her. Surprised by her quick steps, the little
birds of the forest were chirping loudly from the top of the trees.
The entrance was closed. Clinging to the iron bars, on which the
scarlet flowers intertwined, Candy looked inside. She tried to
pronounce softly Anthony’s name. But who could have answered a
voice that was calling so faintly?
“Anthony!”
With her second attempt, almost as if they wanted to make fun of her,
the petals of a rose fell on the ground.
Candy decided to forget about it and, in contrast to the way she had
come, she slowly walked back down the road. She was surprised at
her own behavior. Why did she need so much to see that boy again?
Maybe because he looked like Prince on the Hill? No, when she was
with Anthony, Candy felt something she had never experienced
before. It was almost like being on a soft cloud, wrapped in the
perfume of roses.
When she returned disappointed to the stable, Candy stopped short.
“Anthony!”
There, in front of her, was the boy she was looking for. He had in his
hand a pot containing a little plant of roses with buds of a pale pink
hue.
“Candy...I was waiting for you,” he told her shyly, lowering his gaze.
“I...”
Candy also averted her eyes. Her heart was full of emotions: she had
run to the Gate of the Roses to meet him, but in the meantime, he had
also come to find her, and he had waited for her to return...
“Do you want to sit down? No, we’d better stay outside. After all, a
stable is not very appropriate for you, Anthony.”
“That’s not true.”
The lad entered first in a decided manner, although he had to hold his
breath for a moment. He saw the wooden bed located in a corner of
the small stable, the well-packed straw on one side, and some flowers
placed inside the feeder. The environment seemed pleasant and
almost magical. However...
They are treating her exactly the same as the horses...
“Anthony, I’m sorry, this is not a very pretty room. But even so, it still
has its style, don’t you think? There are people who have paintings of
horses on the walls, instead I really have them! Not everyone has this
kind of magnificent animals in their own bedroom.”
Anthony was watching the girl while she was describing, without
being ashamed, her new home. What was that feeling growing inside
him? It was the first time something like that was happening to him.
No matter where she lives, she is always the same. Never
complaining, and always seeing the bright side of everything...
He had never met anyone like her.
“I forgot, I’ve brought you a gift,” he said.
“What? For me?”
Candy’s eyes brightened.
“Here it is.”
“What beautiful roses...Are they for me?”
With her heart beating hard, Candy took the pot that contained the
pale pink flowers. One of the buds was shyly preparing to open.
“These roses are the result of a hybrid I look after myself. I have failed
many times, but finally...”
“And you want to give something so valuable to me?” asked Candy,
moved.
“You know, it’s been a while since I thought of what I would call this
new rose, but I have found the proper name at last,” said Anthony in a
low voice, caressing Caesar’s nose.
“And what did you call it, Anthony?”
“Sweet Candy...” he murmured.
Then he turned to look at her, abashed.
Sweet Candy...
That moment, it was as if a scarlet bud had opened in Candy’s heart.
The two of them stood staring at each other silently, each lost in the
bright eyes of the other.
 Chapter 11
Closer and closer to blooming, the Sweet Candy buds stretched their
stems towards the morning sun. Every day, as soon as she woke up,
Candy greeted Anthony’s gift, and that little ritual was enough to
make her feel that a wonderful day was awaiting her.

The days were passing pleasantly since she had been established in
her new room. Intelligent and affectionate, the horses had become
immediately fond of her, but what she was most grateful for was that
Neal and Eliza hated the stable, to the point that they avoided
approaching there. When she was living in the north part of the villa,
she often found in her bed snakes or frogs, hidden there by Neal, but
now similar incidents didn’t happen any longer.
She also enjoyed very much the domestic tasks that had been
assigned to her. Mr. Stewart, Mary, Whitman the gardener and Doug
the cook, were all very attentive to her and taught her with kindness
everything they knew. Therefore, Candy had learned how the interior
of a car was built, how the bread was baked, and the characteristics of
plants. The only negative point was just Neal and Eliza.
“What is it that makes her so happy? Living in a stable, can you
imagine that?”
“She must have a monkey’s brain!”
The two children, hidden behind the windows of the second floor,
were watching her irritated while she was splitting firewood. Every
time she succeeded in her work, Candy did the sign of victory to
herself.
“How stupid!”
Eliza’s grunts became more and more contemptuous.
“One of these days we’ll teach her a good lesson!”
“You are right, and then you’ll see how she’ll be crying! She’ll have to
beg us to forgive her!”
Neal spat in Candy’s direction, but without reaching her. The reason
for the happiness of the enemy of both was the Sweet Candy rose.
Every time she recalled Anthony’s abashed smile, it seemed to her
that her heart was full of sweet rose petals.

That day, while she was brushing Cleopatra, suddenly an arrow flew
through the stable and hit straight on a pillar. The gleaming silver
dart was tied to a red ribbon.
“Oh, my God, I was so scared...But what a pretty arrow!”
Laughing, the girl took it. There was only one person who could have
made it.
“I’m really delighted at my ability, I have never missed a shot,” said a
cheerful voice.
As she had imagined, Stear appeared. Beside him was Archie, who
was wearing a wide-brimmed green hat.
“I knew it was you, Stear! But what is this arrow made of?”
“You can eat it, you know,” said the boy proudly, inflating his chest.
“It’s chocolate. It pierces the heart and it’s edible; don’t you think it’s
a brilliant idea? It’s a gift for you.”
“How wonderful!” exclaimed Candy joyfully.
Bringing her nose to the arrow, she smelled the aroma of first-quality
cocoa.
“And what about Anthony?” she asked, not being able to contain her
curiosity.
“It’s a secret! He is punished for sneaking out last time,” disclosed
Archie.
The boy had discovered Sweet Candy, almost open now, and was
smelling it with indifference, but an instant later...
“Wait! What the devil are you doing?”
Archie hurried to recover his green hat, which Caesar had bitten by
stretching his neck.
“Oh, no! My French hat is all crushed!”
“I’m sorry, Archie! Caesar must have mistaken it for a large cabbage,”
apologized Candy, trying not to laugh, accompanied by the animal’s
neighing.
“But why...? Does it really seem like a cabbage to you?” objected
Archie sighing, with a comical look.
“So, even if you don’t have your expensive hat anymore, you’re still
happy, aren’t you? Aren’t you?” Stear teased him, in a mocking tone.
“What’s the matter? Did something nice happen to you, Archie?”
“Oh, yes. Tomorrow there will be a garden party at the house of the
Leagans. I imagine that you’re already aware of that, Candy.”
“Of course! In fact, I have been ordered to prepare well Caesar and
Cleopatra, so that the guests can admire them.”
Those days the villa was all in a commotion, preparing for the
imminent event.
“We are also among the guests, and you must know that a very
charming young lady will come, who...”
“Shut up, Stear!”
Avoiding his brother’s attempt to silence him with his hand, the lad
went on saying everything in a single breath:
“Don’t be shy, Archie! I was saying that this young lady is violently in
love with Archie!”
“I understand now. So that’s why you bought this hat?” asked Candy,
with a saucy smile.
Archie sighed in a theatrical manner and said:
“Of course not, I bought it because I liked it. And besides, I don’t like
girls who are too quiet.”
“Ah! But she really seems cajoled... ‘During my journey, I would like
to come and visit you, even for one day...’ Didn’t she write you like
this in her letter? I’m sure that she has also convinced her parents: ‘I
would like to see Archie, even for one day’,” recited Stear mockingly.
“Hey, I’ve told you to stop that!”
Archie gave him a slight push, but he didn’t seem particularly
annoyed by the situation and, in a theatrical manner and with a
feigned melancholy, he added:
“You know, Candy, it’s very difficult to be liked so much by women.”
The stable was full of laughter.
Surely Anthony would be present too at the party next day, which
meant that, even from a distance, she could see him. However, Candy
couldn’t help wondering how that girl would be like, so shy but so
fond of Archie.
Although she has a quiet character, she will come to visit him. That’s
true passion!
Candy was able to understand how that girl could feel.

The next day brought with it a completely clear blue sky, perfect for a
party in the open air. A pleasant breeze was blowing in the Leagan
garden, and Candy was working tirelessly since dawn, fixing the
awning and putting flowers on the tables. She also had to make some
garlands for Caesar and Cleopatra, and the previous day, Mr.
Whitman had brought several sunflowers, some small and some other
larger.
“It’s a grand occasion, we must make them look beautiful. This
bigger one is for you, Caesar, while that smaller but more extravagant
one is yours, Cleopatra...Oh, they will be wonderful!”
The horses, dressed for the party, shook their manes with a happy
look.

Cheerful laughter came from the garden. The guests had arrived,
starting the party.
Will Anthony be here already? I wonder about Archie’s expression
when he will talk to his “young lady”.
When the servants assigned to serve at the reception were called,
Candy headed towards the garden, holding tight the reins with both
hands. Under the awning, the guests, gathered around the decorated
tables, were chatting affably. Candy immediately spotted Anthony.
That girl in the purple dress who is looking down must be that one
who is so fond of Archie.
She couldn’t see her face, hidden by her hair. And she was right
beside the boy she liked so much.
“Well, I would like to show you Neal’s and Eliza’s horses. They’re
thoroughbreds, you know,” announced Mrs. Leagan proudly.
That moment, the girl in the purple dress raised slowly her face and
Candy, for an instant, was out of breath. Her feet froze and behind her
the horses started kicking the ground.
Annie! This is Annie!
No, it was not a mistake: a few steps away from her, there was really
the girl with whom she had grown up at Pony’s Home. The face of
her childhood friend lost its color. She had recognized her too. Seeing
her with trembling lips and on the verge of tears, Candy turned her
eyes away. She remembered well the last letter she had received:
Annie had expressed firmly her desire to hide from everyone the fact
that she came from an orphanage. She had to hurry in order to start
walking again. And she had to pass in front of her as if nothing had
happened. With her heart fluttering, Candy looked straight ahead and
started moving her feet.
Don’t be afraid, Annie. I’m not going to say anything...So...don’t cry...
“Annie, what’s the matter? You look very pale,” asked Archie worried.
“I...I...the horses...” replied Annie in a weak voice.
“Oh, my dear, I’m sorry! Candy! Take them away immediately!”
At the urgent order of Mrs. Leagan, Candy retired hastily, with her
head crouched.
“I adore horses, but my daughter is a little fearful...Annie, is
everything all right?” asked Mr. Brighton in a gentle voice.
Annie...I had always hoped to see you again...
She would have wanted to turn around and run to embrace her.
Candy’s shoulders were trembling slightly.
Annie, in an almost absentminded way, was staring at her as she
walked away.
That’s not possible...I have found Candy...right here...
She had decided to forget, she had wished to forget, and ultimately
her mind was returning more and more frequently to Pony’s Home.
When they were little, Candy had always defended her. Annie held
tight the handkerchief in her hand.
If Archie knew I was abandoned...If he knew I came from an
orphanage...
That thought alone took her breath away. That could not happen. She
looked towards the boy, who had gone to a nearby table to get her
something to drink, with her eyes full of feelings.
Archibald: an elegant and very cheerful lad, who seemed to glow. It
was amusing to talk to him and he had many admirers. Always
friendly with all of them, he remained elusive. He was a mysterious
boy. Since the first time she had met him, he had always been in her
thoughts and, after a long time, she had summoned up her courage
and had been able to speak to him.
Archie was the last person who must know the truth.
“Hey, Annie Brighton!”
Hearing suddenly Eliza calling behind her, a chill went through
Annie’s body.
“It’s a shame you don’t like horses, but have you seen that girl that
was leading them? For as long as you stay here, you can dispose of
her as you see fit. She works for us, but above all she is our personal
maid.”
“Oh, yes. Put her to work all you want,” added Neal.
Annie was petrified, and couldn’t even turn around.
“You know, we got her from an orphanage, but because of her bad
character she lives now in the stable. After all, it’s a place that suits
her perfectly.”
When she heard those words, Annie closed her eyes tightly, trying to
endure a great pain that had suddenly overwhelmed her.
 Chapter 12
Between the branches of a tree, in the internal garden, Candy was
looking absently at the sky.
The days of her childhood began to pass before her eyes: the flower
necklaces made on Pony’s Hill, the fishing in the creek, the endless
races after the dry leaves carried by the wind, the large boxes they
used in the winter instead of sleighs to slide from the snowy
elevation...And Annie was always beside her.
Annie, how beautiful you have become...You are really a splendid
young lady...
The purple dress suited her very well. When she left Pony’s Home,
she was wearing a light blue dress. Feeling the tears coming, Candy
hurried to blink her eyes. Since the last letter she had received, she
had effectively avoided writing to her again, but she had never
forgotten Annie. Was she happy? Were they playing jokes on her? Was
she afraid? She knew well that she had been adopted by a rich and
loving family, but she couldn’t help worrying.
You seem very happy, Annie...I’m so glad...But I would never have
imagined that I would meet you here, like this...
Even though she was trying to hold them, the tears began flowing
down her cheeks, so Candy plucked two leaves and put them over her
eyes.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Applying the compresses this way your eyes
may block any kind of tears! But, look here...Oh, they got off
immediately...”
While she was murmuring those words, she realized that Eliza and
Neal were stealthily approaching.
“I say, have you seen her? That Annie is really a coward! It was
enough to speak to her to make her frightened!” remarked Eliza
cheerfully.
Candy, from the top of the tree, tried not to be discovered.
“I think we can have a lot of fun with her around. It’s fantastic!”
added Neal in his usual insidious tone.
“What can we invent to make her cry?”
“I bet a coward like her can’t stand caterpillars.”
“Caterpillars! That’s a wonderful idea! Anyway, she’s not leaving until
the party is over, is she? What do you say about putting a few of them
in her purse before she goes away?”
“What a great idea, Eliza! We have a tree right here that’s full of them;
let’s get them!”
“And obviously the culprit will be the stable wench as usual!”
The siblings shook hands and approached the tree where Candy was.
The girl didn’t even have time to worry about which tree they were
talking about. She remembered very well how much Annie detested
caterpillars: it was enough for her to see them to burst into tears.
“I won’t allow you to do something like this to Annie!” she shouted
jumping from the tree.
When they saw her suddenly in front of them, Eliza and Neal were
astonished. The boy had already grabbed several caterpillars and had
put them in a handkerchief.
“Candy! What are you doing here?”
“I won’t let you do such a bad thing to An...to Miss Brighton,” said
Candy, lashing out at the boy.
“Be off! Let me go! You orphan! Stable wench!”
“No, you let go of those things you have in your hand!”
Neal was trying to resist waving the handkerchief in front of her, so
Candy threw him on the ground with a push and fell upon him
astride. Immobilizing his arm, she hit him on the face. Screaming like
crazy, Eliza ran to call her mother.
Mrs. Leagan came hurriedly, hearing her daughter’s cries, followed by
Archie, Stear and Anthony.
“Candy, let go of Neal’s hand!”
Hearing behind her Anthony’s tense voice, Candy seemed to come to
herself and walked away from the boy.
“Oh, my God...Neal’s face...What’s going on?”
“Mama, Candy wanted to play a bad joke on Annie, and Neal tried to
stop her!” Eliza accused her with a nasal voice.
“Yes...Candy wanted to put caterpillars in her purse!”
“That’s a lie! That was your plan!” refuted Candy.
She couldn’t bear such a lie.
“Our plan? How impudent! You are the liar! Mama, we’ve got proof!
Isn’t that true, Neal?”
Her brother nodded and, gripping the handkerchief, he put his hand
in one of the pockets of Candy’s apron. Then he took it out to show
its content: evidently it was the caterpillars that he had collected
himself.
“But these are...”
Candy didn’t finish her sentence. Behind a worried Archie, she had
caught a glimpse of Annie’s figure, frightened and with her eyes
downcast.
Oh, no...If the situation gets worse, it is her who will suffer the
consequences...
Therefore she decided to remain silent and lowered her head. Seeing
that Anthony didn’t say a word, she wondered what he was thinking.
The air was impregnated with the strong perfume used by Mrs.
Leagan.
“You are really a horrible girl! You are a continuous shame for our
family!”
With his face full of red marks and rubbing his arm, Neal exclaimed
furiously:
“So we have to send her back to the orphanage immediately!”
“We’ll talk about it later. Now our guests are here...But you won’t get
away with this! Return to your stable and don’t you dare come out!”
Simulating a docile expression, Eliza and Neal winked at each other
secretly. Candy couldn’t even raise her head and kept her eyes down.
“I regret that you had to witness this unpleasant spectacle...Annie,
unfortunately the girl that takes care of the stable really lacks any kind
of education, I’m very sorry to say. Why don’t we forget this incident
having some rose tea and a tasty pudding?” suggested Mrs. Leagan
with an affectionate smile.
Annie just nodded and turned her back on Candy, but she had
understood how things were: her childhood friend had fought for her,
because she knew well how much she hated caterpillars.
Oh, Candy...
As she was going, she couldn’t restrain herself and turned back. At
that moment Candy also looked up and their eyes met. It almost
seemed to Candy that she heard Annie’s own heart saying: “Forgive
me, Candy, because I’m in such a situation now that I just can’t help
you. I can’t even speak to you. Forgive me...”
I know, Annie...Don’t worry...
She would have wanted to reassure her and show her a big smile, but
she knew she couldn’t do that.
“Come, come, why are we still here? Let’s go back to the party!” said
the mistress of the house annoyed, talking to Anthony and the other
boys.
“Don’t feel bad,” said Stear to Candy cheerfully, bending to look into
her eyes.
“That’s right, we all know that it’s Eliza’s and Neal’s fault,” said
Archie hurriedly, before running to reach Annie, who had remained
waiting for him, but without turning back.
“Let’s go, Anthony, or Aunt will be angry with us this time.”
Anthony had started walking thoughtfully beside Stear, but he
suddenly turned back. He approached Candy, who had remained
stunned, and wiped the mud off her arm.
“Anthony...I...”
“Candy, you must not exaggerate acting like a tomboy. This time
you’d better apologize to Neal.”
“What?”
The boy was looking at her with a serious expression, and Candy was
out of breath for an instant.
“Later I’ll come with you too, all right?” he continued in a low voice.
Then he left, approaching Eliza immediately.
Anthony...
The image of the boy’s back was blurred, and in her ears were
echoing the words she had just heard: “You must not exaggerate
acting like a tomboy.” Anthony kept walking without turning back.
Anthony must have thought that I’m really a tomboy...Willing to get
into a fight for no reason...
Candy had wanted him in particular to understand her. If he had
comforted her as cheerfully as Stear had done...Even Archie had taken
her part, but...
Not knowing how to behave and not being able to stand this situation
any longer, she went away running. With quick steps, she was
inadvertently looking for some place where she could cry. She could
only think of Anthony, of the fact that she had definitely disappointed
him, and of what would have changed his opinion about her. It was
something so painful, that she was unable to stand still.
She reached the river and she saw a boat tied to a tree by the shore,
swinging among the aquatic plants. She thought that nobody would
see her there. Getting aboard, she lay down at the bottom and started
crying. Her shoulders were trembling, causing the whole boat to
swing softly.
“Miss Pony...Sister Lane...”
Almost unconsciously, she pronounced those dear names linked with
her past.
She took the cross that had been given her and had always worn
under her blouse. She had also hung around her neck the badge of
Prince on the Hill, to avoid losing it. Through her tears, she shook the
little bell which, as always, responded with a sweet tinkling.
“Prince, what should I do now?”
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry.”
The Prince’s voice overlapped the little bell.
Anthony also told me the same thing, but now...
Candy held the badge tight.
No, Candy...If you’re going to stay here crying, you’ll only end up
suffering even more...Cheer up, remember all the beautiful things you
know! There are so many!
“Yes...there are really so many...”
Candy turned on her back and rubbed her eyes. The blue color of that
summer sky was dazzling. The memories of Pony’s Home were all
wonderful. And then it was the party at the Ardlay house, the dance
with Anthony...Remembering those things, she couldn’t help smiling
and, without realizing it, she fell asleep.
The waves were rocking her for a long time.
Later, little by little, the movement became progressively stronger and
stronger.
Hearing the roar of the water, Candy woke up suddenly:
“The boat! The boat is blown away!”
While she was sleeping, the rope must have come loose, and now she
was moving in front of places she had never seen before. Dragged by
a violent current, Candy didn’t even have oars, and the running water
was too fast for her to jump and save herself by swimming.
What will I do now?
Night had almost fallen around her, and there was nobody in the
river. That moment she heard a deafening noise, similar to that of a
thunder. It became louder and louder.
“It’s a waterfall!” she cried, clinging to both sides of the boat.
The more she was approaching that thunderous noise, the more the
boat seemed to be absorbed into an increasing current. Without even
having time to scream, Candy fell and was thrown off the boat. Then,
when she was found into the water, she lost consciousness.
 Chapter 13
She was feeling very well. Wrapped in a pleasant heat, she heard the
crackling of the woods in the fireplace, and the smell of burning wood
brought her back to her childhood. Was she perhaps at Pony’s Home?
Had she returned to that beloved place from which she had come?
Candy half-opened her eyes.
“Help, a pirate!” she cried suddenly, clinging to the blankets.
A man with long brown hair was watching her closely. The lower part
of his face was covered with a beard and he was wearing sunglasses.
“Not bad for a greeting!” he said laughing gently.
Reassured by that kind voice, which didn’t agree with his appearance
at all, Candy stammered an apology.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better...” said the pirate smiling.
He seemed deeply relieved, and in a moment the sense of danger
dissolved, being replaced by a pleasant atmosphere.
Getting up in bed, Candy summoned up her courage and asked:
“Excuse me, sir, was it you who saved me?”
She didn’t remember anything of what had happened after she had
fallen into the waterfall.
“Actually, I was the one who found you while you were panting for air
in the waterfall basin, but it’s really horrible to call me ‘sir’. I may not
look like it, but I’m young, you know.”
The pirate removed his glasses, revealing his clear blue eyes, similar
to the color of a lake in the morning.
“You look much better without glasses, sir! Now you don’t look at all
like a pirate,” said the girl with complete sincerity.
“Again with that ‘sir’? I’m neither a sir, nor a pirate,” he said, and
started laughing merrily. “My name is Albert. And this is Poupe,” he
introduced, taking a skunk out of one of the pockets of his frayed and
huge coat.
“Oh, no! A skunk!”
Seeing her putting her hand on her nose as a reflex, Albert and Poupe
seemed quite offended.
“There is no need to do a thing like that. Poupe is such a delicate
young lady that even flowers envy her.”
“Oh, I’m sorry...” apologized Candy, holding the little animal’s paw
in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Poupe. I’m Candy.”
“Very well, Princess Candy. Would you like something to eat? The
soup is ready and you should be able to get up now.”
With ease, the man put Candy’s clothes at the foot of the bed and
went towards a pot set in the fireplace. Apparently, Candy had slept
wearing an old shirt of Albert’s. But how long had she remained
unconscious after she had fallen in the waterfall?
She put on her clothes, almost completely dry, folded the shirt which
she had borrowed, and jumped lightly out of bed.
As she was advancing, with her steps still a little hesitant, a squirrel
approached her. Candy blinked her eyes. Looking closely, she
realized that inside that house, which had all the appearance of a
mountain cabin, there were several animals. Dogs, ducks, rabbits and
even a stag, which at first sight she had mistaken for a decorative
object. All of them had some injury and it looked like they were
receiving medical attention from that man.
Suddenly, with an embarrassing doubt, the girl asked:
“Excuse me, but...we are still in the United States, aren’t we?”
Amused by the expression on the young girl’s face, Albert let out a
cheerful laugh and replied:
“Yes, we are definitely in the United States. But what about you?
Where are you from? You haven’t fallen from the sky, have you?”
“I work at the villa of the Leagans and...”
She stopped her sentence short. Suddenly the remembrance of what
had happened before she got in the boat came clearly to her mind,
and she also remembered with pain what had happened with
Anthony.
“Then you’re not far away, don’t worry. Come on, let’s eat these
sandwiches and have some soup.”
With a comforting smile, Albert placed the simple ham sandwiches
and the steaming pot on the large table made of a single piece of
wood.
“Thank you...”
Once she had taken some food with her hand and had settled into one
of the chairs, which were manufactured by using logs, Candy came
completely to herself. Definitely it was not time for her to be sitting
there for dinner! She had been ordered to stay confined in the stable,
and not only had she disobeyed, but she had practically disappeared
without saying anything to anyone.
Will Annie have returned home safe and sound? And what will
Anthony think when he finds out how far I have gone?
“Is anything wrong?” asked Albert cheerfully.
Lost for an instant in her thoughts, Candy got up hurriedly from her
chair saying:
“I must go back home immediately!”
It was almost certain that, even if she went back to the Leagans, they
would throw her out, but the most pressing matter was for her to be
able to go back and see Anthony, even for one more time. Still holding
the sandwich in her hand, she bowed and thanked her savior:
“Albert, thank you for saving my life. I’ll be forever grateful!”
“Forget about it...Do you really want to go? At midnight?”
“...Midnight?”
Indeed, outside the window it was all dark, even though the moon
was shining in the sky.
“The Leagan residence is not far, but it will take you a long time to go
there walking. And besides, it’s dangerous to wander in the forest at
this time of night. Tomorrow morning I’ll accompany you in the boat,
don’t worry. You have nothing to fear, even when the moon is hidden.
And I will definitely not become a wolf and devour you, Candy. Come,
take the soup before it gets cold.”
To become a wolf? Albert’s phrase had sounded so funny that it made
her laugh. Suddenly she felt that she was starving.
“So, bon appetite!”
“Go ahead! I’m very hungry too,” said Albert with a theatrical
expression on his bearded face.

In the meantime, Anthony was walking in the forest, illuminating his

way with a lantern. After Annie had left, Anthony had run to the
stable, and since then he hadn’t stopped for a moment looking for
her.
Where are you, Candy? Why have I told you these things? What
happened to me? Candy couldn’t have attacked Neal without a good
reason...And I told her that she should not exaggerate acting like a
tomboy...
It had seemed to him that Candy was about to say something to him
that moment, and every time he remembered the expression on her
face, he felt that his heart was crushed.
Why couldn’t I say something nicer to her? Shouldn’t I know her
better than anyone, and know that she is not such a person?
Maybe they would send her back to the orphanage, and he simply
couldn’t accept that.
Suddenly, he heard a crack in the bushes, a few steps away from him.
“Who’s there? Candy?” he said, rushing to illuminate the area from
which the noise came. “Oh, it’s you, Archie.”
Shaking the leaves from his hair, Archie’s figure appeared between
the vegetation.
“It’s me who should be disappointed. I thought it was Candy...” he
replied.
Then, illuminating Anthony with his lantern, which was about to burn
out already, he asked:
“You can’t sleep either? Where might Candy have gone?”
Archie almost seemed to be talking to himself. It was the first time
such a thing happened to him, being so worried about someone that
he couldn’t sleep. He always liked to be surrounded by many girls,
but he had never been interested in anyone and, to tell the truth, he
found it annoying to be the centre of attention for someone. He felt
affection for Annie Brighton, but nothing more. The fact that she had
left earlier than expected had been almost a relief. He found chatting
with Candy much more amusing.
“I have tried again to find her in the stable, but she has not returned
yet.”
“I see...Archie, let’s try looking for her once more near the lake.”
Holding up the lantern, Anthony led Archie towards the mirror of
water.
The moonlight projected a bright golden fringe, and the shades of the
trees made the darkness that had enveloped the area even more
dense. Suddenly, from the other side of the lake came the soft sound
of the waves, accompanied by a small glow.
“That looks like my brother’s boat!” exclaimed Archie, swinging the
lantern.
“Stear!” shouted both of them.
He probably had heard them, because a shadow in the boat began to
wave a hand towards them.
“So he’s looking for Candy too...” murmured Anthony.
It was that simple: since the moment he had heard about Candy’s
disappearance, Stear had been so worried that he couldn’t stay doing
nothing.
I wonder why I worry so much...She’s a little girl, full of freckles and
with such bright eyes. In the past I was interested only in inventions
and machines but now...
When he was close enough, Anthony and Archie ran to meet him.
“I combed the shore of the lake...but I couldn’t find her,” said Stear,
getting off the boat. “Where could she have gone?”
Exhausted, Anthony sat in the boat that was stranded on the shore.
I shouldn’t have told her something like that...
“We must hurry to find her, or the Leagans will throw her out of the
house,” sighed Stear.
“They’re really wicked. I even heard them saying that they would
rather not see her coming back,” remarked Archie annoyed, looking
towards the water.
Even the surface of the lake seemed to sigh, sparkling under the rays
of the moon. The boys, unable to return home, kept watching the
night sky, each one lost in his own thoughts. They were wondering if
Candy was looking at the moon too, wherever she was at that
moment.
Candy, where are you? I hope I’ll find you safe and sound...
Praying in his heart, Anthony kept looking steadily at the moon.
 Chapter 14
“Cheer up, we’re almost there.”
Albert started rowing with more force. Immersed in the morning mist,
the boat was advancing slowly, making a drowsy noise while it was
sliding on the water. The waterfowls were crossing the clear sky above
them.
“I don’t know if I can go back,” murmured Candy, and inhaled the
fragrance of the grass and of the dew-covered flowers that grew along
the river bank.
The night Candy had spent with Albert and the animals had been
wonderful. The warm fireplace, the plain soup he had prepared...
Watching the fire, she had told him many things about herself.
Although she had just met him, for some mysterious reason she felt
that she could confide everything to him. She had told him about how
she had been abandoned and about her childhood at Pony’s Home,
her coming to the Leagan villa as a playing companion, the fact that
she was forced to take charge of the stable. Also she talked about the
danger of even losing what little she had, and of her fear that, once
she returned, they would probably throw her out.
“But I mustn’t go back to Pony’s Home. That would be lovely, and I
know that they would receive me again with open arms, but I don’t
want to be a burden. Therefore, at the cost of having to live in a
pigpen, I would rather the Leagans allowed me to stay...”
All this time Albert had merely nodded, remaining silent and listening
to Candy’s words until late at night.
“I see...So you don’t have any place to go...Then we are the same.”
“What? You too?” exclaimed the girl surprised.
Scratching his head, the man replied:
“You see, this cabin isn’t mine...I found it uninhabited and I took the
liberty of living in it.”
“Oh, I see...”
Candy began to understand why he was wearing those clothes that
were not very neat.
“So, Candy, our meeting...” said Albert embarrassed, lowering his
gaze.
“...Will remain absolutely secret!” concluded for him the girl, nodding
comprehensively.
Then she added:
“Then you don’t have a home either, Albert! I’m almost glad of that!”
“Hey, does that seem to you as something to be glad about?” he
replied laughing, a little perplexed.
Albert led the boat to a bank that Candy could recognize. Surely that
boat wasn’t his property either.
“Well, do you know how to follow alone from here?”
After nodding affirmatively, Candy got off the boat, and looking at
him with huge gratitude, she said:
“Thank you, Albert...There are no words to express my gratitude...”
“I am the one who should thank you for cleaning the house and
washing my clothes.”
“Take care, Poupe.”
Candy caressed softly the head of the skunk sitting on Albert’s
shoulder. After waving goodbye to her, the man moved away from the
shore.
“Albert! What should I do when I want to see you again?” asked the
girl breathless.
“Put a message in a bottle and throw it into the river. The best days
are when the south wind blows...I promise you I’ll receive it! Candy,
be happy, all right?”
The boat, driven by Albert’s oars, moved away more and more.
“Thank you! Goodbye, Albert!”
Candy continued waving goodbye, even when he was out of sight.
The river by which he had disappeared was now wrapped again in the
silent morning atmosphere. Candy took a deep breath and her
expression became determined: she had to go back to the Leagan
house and, whatever Eliza and Neal did to her, she mustn’t cry.
It’s the last thing I would want, but I must apologize to Neal...After
all, it was I who behaved aggressively...
However, the steps that were leading her back to the Leagan
residence had never seemed so heavy to her.
Even if they have to kick me out, I’ll beg them not to send me back to
Pony’s Home.
Lost in her thoughts, Candy was advancing slowly, but suddenly she
stopped. Someone was running towards her along the road.
Anthony!
When he noticed her presence, the boy stopped too, holding his
breath.
“Candy...”
“Anthony!”
They ran to each other at the same time.
“I was so worried, Candy! Where did you go?”
Panting, the boy looked straight at her face with a serious expression.
“Well...”
Candy didn’t know what to say. And certainly she couldn’t tell him
about Albert.
“I was walking around the splendid enchanted kingdom of the
forest...”
“Stop joking!”
Suddenly a slap sounded.
Anthony...Anthony hit me...
Remaining silent, Candy put her hand to her cheek.
“I was worried about you!” said Anthony with a trembling voice.
The boy bit his lip and then, turning back, he ran away.
Anthony slapped me...he slapped my cheek...
Despite the stupor, Candy’s heart seemed to be swayed by a slight
wind. She had seen Anthony’s wet eyes and that made her so happy
that it gave her the desire to cry.
Anthony was worried about me...
Through her still warm cheek, it seemed to her that she could feel the
boy’s emotions. She covered it delicately with her hand; she would
have wanted to keep forever that sweet pain in the depths of her heart.
“Hey, it’s true! It’s Candy!”
Suddenly two merry voices sounded and Stear and Archie appeared.
“Candy, where have you been?”
“Stear, Archie! I’m sorry I’ve made you worried,” she apologized,
bowing her head slightly.
“We just ran into Anthony and it was him who told us that you were
back...But what happened to him? He had been so worried about you,
while now, on the contrary, he seemed annoyed. He should be glad to
see you again...”
“Don’t worry, everything is fine, Stear. I must go and apologize to
Mrs. Leagan,” said Candy, containing a chill.
“Are you sure you want to go alone? We can come with you,”
suggested Archie, with his beautiful forehead frowned.
“Thank you, Archie...but I can do it.”
“I’m worried about what they might tell you.”
“Don’t be afraid, Stear, I’m very good at apologizing!” she told him
laughing, full of certainty.
Captivated by the girl, the two boys smiled, but their eyes couldn’t
mask their anxiety.

“Oh, look, Neal. It’s her. The stable wench has returned!”
Eliza was going out just at that moment by the rear entrance, and she
turned to wink at her brother.
“How dare you come back here? It really seems that orphans are very
cheeky,” remarked Neal, fully intending to be heard.
Ignoring the words of both, Candy approached and apologized with
as much amiability as possible:
“I wanted to beg pardon for sneaking away yesterday. I hope I didn’t
hurt you too much, Neal.”
Neal walked to her contemptuously.
“But, Neal, it’s embarrassing to be beaten by a girl. I think you
should do a little more exercise and...”
When she realized that she had said something insolent to Neal, it
was already too late. The boy was looking at her with threatening
eyes, and with a smile of superiority on his face.
“Do you know you can’t stay here any longer?”
“Yes! You might even have spared yourself the trouble of coming
back! Get out of here quickly!”
Eliza turned menacingly towards Candy, but she was interrupted by a
voice:
“They are right, Candy!”
The entrance door had opened and at the top of the stairs appeared
Mrs. Leagan.
“Do you have the nerve to come back here without showing the
slightest shame for what you’ve done? The presence of a naughty girl
like you is not good for Eliza and Neal! We were wrong to have pitied
you until now,” she said, with a threatening look.
“Exactly, we’ve been too kind to her,” interposed Eliza and Neal.
“That’s because they’re really good-hearted children,” said Mrs.
Leagan, hugging the shoulders of her children and squinting her eyes.
Candy was looking incredulous at them, with her mouth open.
“I would like to throw you out right now, but sending you back to the
orphanage would be a serious matter in the Reverend’s eyes and
would bring dishonor to the good name of the Leagans. Therefore, I
will allow you to stay until you have found another place to work. You
should be grateful, Candy!”
“Well...I...”
Mrs. Leagan seemed to have no intention of listening to Candy’s
words, turned her back and returned inside, slamming the door
behind herself and her two beloved children. She didn’t even have
time to apologize properly.
But, after all, even if I did, they wouldn’t forgive me anyway...
She had no choice but to leave the Leagans. But if she found a new
place to work...Candy bit her lip, trying to contain the emotions that
were growing inside her.
I won’t be able to see Anthony anymore...
 Chapter 15
It almost seemed to Candy that there was another moon at the bottom
of the lake. Above the darkness of the forest, rose a full moon that was
reflected perfectly on the water.
Standing near the shore, Candy felt the wind blowing, but it was not
any wind; it was the south wind. It was Mr. Whitman who had
explained to her how to recognize it.
Please, make this message reach Albert...
Following the instructions, Candy had put her letter in an empty
bottle and had entrusted it to the stream.
She had written that she had been forced to leave the Leagan house,
that her only consolation was that she didn’t have to return to Pony’s
Home and that she was waiting for a new place to work.

“Dear Albert,
The time we spent in the cabin has been like a dream to me.
I hope you are always well and can continue living with your animal
friends.
I don’t know yet who will be my new employer, but wherever I go I
will never give up, so I ask you not to worry. I will always pray nobody
finds you so you can live in peace.
You have saved my life, and now I will always take care of it.
Truly, I thank you from my heart, and please give my regards to
Poupe!
Candice White
As you can see, my real name is very refined.”

Wherever I go, I will not give up...

However, this time Candy was not so sure of herself.
What will my new working place be like? I don’t believe that children
like Eliza and Neal are found everywhere, but still...
That was her only consolation, but...
Wherever I go, Anthony won’t be there...And I’ll not be able to see
Stear and Archie again!
With a sigh, she began walking along the lake shore. She was so
overwhelmed by anxiety that she couldn’t sleep.
Come on, Candy! Cheer up! Anthony and the others were not here for
you at first. You met them by chance. It all started that day when you
were crying in the forest...
The words Anthony had said to her that day, his smile...Everything
had happened for the best; wherever she went, if she remembered
those moments, she would have the strength to move on.
While Candy was trying to encourage herself, she heard behind her
the delicate sound of hooves. She turned and was out of breath.
Anthony!
Mounted on a white horse, the boy slowed down and approached her
slowly. Under the rays of the moon, he was so handsome that he
didn’t look like a creature of this world.
Candy almost believed she was living in a dream: the person she
wanted so much to see had appeared in front of her. Unable to speak,
she watched him getting closer and closer.
Anthony made the horse stop beside her and stayed looking at her
steadily, without saying a word. When he had spotted the young girl’s
silhouette by the shore of the lake, he hadn’t been surprised; he had
felt in his heart that, if he went there, he would find her. He was
convinced that there was an invisible thread that united them.
After a little sigh, he extended his hand.
“It’s a magnificent moonlit night, Candy. You know, the forest at
night is an enchanted kingdom where it almost looks as if fairies are
hiding there. Would you like to see it?”
Candy nodded and took the boy’s hand. Anthony lifted her lightly to
make her sit in front of him and, careful not to rub her shoulders, he
delicately took the reins. Candy held her breath, fearing that this was
a dream and everything would disappear with the first word she
would pronounce. The white horse began to move slowly.
Before them an invisible invitation was unfolding, with the rays of the
moon seeming to guide them into the forest, which was wrapped in a
silvery light. The resplendent moon drops were falling on the dark
branches of the trees, and an owl was singing softly its song, as if to
welcome them.
“Forgive me for that slap, Candy,” murmured Anthony, keeping his
gaze in front of him. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, no...” Candy hastened to reply in a low voice, shaking her head.
“You forgive me, Anthony. I didn’t want you to worry so much,”
Candy would have wanted to say, but she was so excited that she
could hardly breathe.
“We’ll cross the forest at full speed, Candy. Hold on tight.”
Instead of answering, her heart began to beat hard. The fear that he
might notice it made her heartbeat accelerate even more.
Holding the reins tightly, Anthony made the horse go at a gallop. The
night wind was whistling in the ears of both, and under the rays of the
moon, the forest actually seemed to hide fairies everywhere. The
horse’s hooves were beating rhythmically on the ground, breaking in
its path the branches that had fallen down.
Candy closed her eyes, accompanied by that pleasant constant march.
Please, let this not be a dream. Make this forest never end...
“I love you, I love you...”
Candy suddenly opened her eyes. For an instant it had seemed to her
that she had heard a voice speaking those words.
“I love you, I love you...”
Was it Anthony who had spoken? Or was it the whistling of the wind?
Or maybe the crunching of the leaves? It did not matter.
I love you too, I love you too...
In her heart, Candy was uttering those words countless times.
I love you, Anthony!
She felt a warmth spreading all over her body, and her heart was
vibrating as if it had become a harp. So that’s what you felt like when
you loved someone? A sweet sensation, so pleasant that it was almost
painful, a feeling that gave you a desire to scream...
I don’t want to go! I don’t want to leave Anthony...Please, let’s keep
galloping forever!
However, once they left the forest, the horse advanced slowly, until it
stopped when it approached the villa of the Leagans.
Candy descended from the horse and, looking with moist eyes at the
boy, she said:
“Thank you, Anthony...It was beautiful.”
“It was for me too,” he replied gently.
Candy couldn’t see his expression, completely covered by darkness.
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
The young girl turned and went back to the house. The lad kept
watching her, motionless on his steed.
There is nothing we can do, Candy...I...We...We don’t have any
authority...
Annoyed, Anthony bit his lip. He didn’t want Candy to leave.
He had gone to Mrs. Leagan and, armed with courage, he had even
begged Great Aunt Elroy, at the risk of being punished himself, to
allow the girl to stay. But the two women had not even considered his
request.
What can I do...what can I do?
Shaking his head strongly, Anthony struck the white horse on the
flanks and went away at full speed.

He didn’t know that someone was watching him. Or rather, that

someone had watched the whole scene.
Without blinking once, Eliza had witnessed everything through a
window and now, unable even to breathe, she felt a growing rage
burning inside her.
I’ll never forgive her. I should have thrown her out long ago. I’ll not
stand another day...But, of course...Tomorrow is the day that Great
Aunt Elroy is coming to have tea with us...
Consumed by a passionate envy, the girl curved her mouth in an evil
giggle.
 Chapter 16
“How strange, I was sure I had put it here...”
Mrs. Leagan continued opening and closing her jewelry box
nervously.
“Surely I didn’t save it again here...”
Checking the inside of the bathroom drawers, Mrs. Leagan took a
look at the clock placed on the console, and knit her thin eyebrows.
“What a problem...Great Aunt Elroy will arrive soon...”
Suddenly, almost crashing against the door, Eliza burst into the room,
very pale.
“Mama! I can’t find my pearl bracelet! I should wear it with my dress
today, remember?”
“What? Eliza, have you lost something too?” exclaimed the woman,
getting up. “I can’t find my emerald brooch. I had ordered this green
dress so I could combine them but...”
“That big brooch papa gave you for Christmas? Oh, mama! Are you
sure that’s the only thing missing?”
Alarmed by those words, Mrs. Leagan checked again the jewelry box
immediately.
“I was so concentrated on looking for the brooch that I hadn’t
noticed, but...It isn’t here...My opal pendant isn’t here either...Oh, no!
Where are my ruby earrings?”
She put a hand to her chest, shocked. At that moment Neal entered
the room and announced:
“Mama, Aunt Elroy’s car has arrived!”
“Oh...She’s already here?”
Preparing to follow her mother, who had hurried towards the entrance
to receive the guest, Eliza winked at her brother and whispered to his
ear:
“A complete success, Neal. Is Anthony here?”
“He hasn’t come.”
“Oh, what a pity! I really wanted him to witness the decisive
moment,” said Eliza disappointed, with a grimace.
At the entrance of the villa, together with Mrs. Leagan, there was a
crowd of servants ready to welcome Great Aunt Elroy.
“Welcome...Great Aunt.”
“Thank you for your kind invitation, Sara. Anthony and the boys
haven’t come because they’re busy with their studies. But what’s
going on? You seem troubled.”
“Well...I apologize...You see...”
“Mama can’t find several of her valuable jewels, Aunt.”
In a remorseful manner, Eliza spoke instead of her mother, who
remained silent.
“But it’s not just mama’s jewels. I can’t find my pearl bracelet either. I
was so looking forward to showing it to you, Aunt...”
“Good heavens! How alarming! Have they been stolen?” asked the
old lady, with her face darkening, and then added: “I don’t see Neal.”
When they were about to cross the threshold of the villa, a voice was
heard:
“Mama! Eliza!”
It was Neal, who was running out of breath in the garden.
“Where have you been, Neal? Why weren’t you here to receive Great
Aunt?”
“Mama, I’ve found the jewels! Look!”
Saying this, the boy showed his mother the emerald brooch and the
pearl bracelet.
“Oh, Neal, you’ve been able to find them! Where were they?”
“In the stable! Where the girl who takes care of the horses lives!”
“What?”
Mrs. Leagan’s face changed color.
Shifting his gaze from his mother to Great Aunt Elroy, Neal
continued:
“I had some doubts and sneaked in to check. It was just as I
thought!”
“Mama! Let’s go too, maybe we’ll find other things she has stolen
from us!”
With a threatening expression, Eliza headed first towards the stable.
“Oh, my God...what a terrible girl!”
“When you spoke about the girl who takes care of the horses, you
referred to that ill-mannered child that was brought from the
orphanage, didn’t you?” asked Great Aunt severely.
Guided by Mrs. Leagan, with reddened faces and flourishing dresses,
they all headed towards the stable.
In the meantime, Candy was brushing the animals.
“We are here to inspect the stable!”
Mrs. Leagan came in at once and went with a decided step to the old
closet located in a corner. Candy opened her eyes wide, wondering
what could have happened that required the presence of Great Aunt
Elroy who, perhaps not liking the smell of that place, was holding a
handkerchief in front of her nose and mouth. The mistress of the
house opened the closet without much consideration.
“Can you tell me what’s going on? What are you looking for in there?”
Nobody deigned to answer her.
Meanwhile, Neal had extracted a box from under the bed. Candy had
never seen that trunk for clothes before, but when they unveiled the
contents, there appeared magnificent dresses of all colors.
“These are Eliza’s!”
“Mama! The jewels are in the feeder!”
Eliza’s scream pierced her ears.
Dresses...? Jewels?
“It’s dreadful! And to think that she’s just a little girl!”
Almost like looking away from something dirty, Great Aunt Elroy
turned and left. Mrs. Leagan’s eyes were full of rage.
“I have nothing more to say to you! You’re a thief!”
That sharp voice finally shook up Candy, who began to understand
what was happening. She started trembling...
“I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything about these things!”
she cried desperately. “How could these objects come to the stable? I
swear it! Eliza, it wouldn’t have been you who...?”
“How dare you? Mama!”
With her voice broken with crying, Eliza took refuge in her mother’s
arms.
“You are really an odious person! Putting the blame on Eliza for what
you have stolen!”
“I don’t know anything! Believe me! I would never take anything that
didn’t belong to me! I have never stolen in my life!” she defended
herself through tears, with her face pale, overwhelmed by sadness and
rage.
“Be quiet! I don’t intend to continue having someone like you in my
house, not for a day more!”
The woman’s lips were puckered up by anger.
“Do you know there is a ranch in Mexico looking for new workers?
And to think that I had been so benevolent in refusing to send you
there, thinking it would be too far away and that this kind of work
would be too hard for you!” said Mrs. Leagan giving her a frozen
look.
Afterwards, she informed her relentlessly:
“Candy, you will go to Mexico! Make sure to pack all your things by
tomorrow afternoon, before they come to pick you up! Have I made
myself clear?”
The girl opened her mouth to speak, but the woman silenced her by
turning her back on her.
Getting back the jewels and the dresses, Neal and Eliza followed their
mother satisfied, smiling maliciously and looking at Candy out of the
corner of their eyes.
Mexico...
For a moment Candy stood petrified, unable to move. Mexico. It
seemed a place beyond the confines of the world.
 Chapter 17
Snorting, Caesar and Cleopatra touched Candy’s back with their
snouts.
The girl suddenly came back to herself. She didn’t remember crying
but her cheeks were wet.
Cleopatra licked her tears, while Caesar was looking at her with
concern, shaking his mane. During the discussion, a few moments
ago, the horses had remained motionless and in silence, but maybe
they had understood the accusation she had to endure.
“Thank you, Cleopatra. Thank you, Caesar. You know that, don’t
you? You know that I would never steal anything that didn’t belong to
me...”
Stroking their manes, she couldn’t help crying. This time it was
Caesar who comforted her. If only these two animals could say what
had really happened in the stable...But even if they had been able to
speak, Mrs. Leagan would only have believed Eliza’s version. Candy
would be forced to go to Mexico, she had no other choice.
I don’t want to go to a Mexican ranch...
But where could she run away? If she returned to Pony’s Home, the
teachers would be very sad and would discover that the enthusiastic
letters they had received until that moment were only full of lies.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? Until yesterday I was afraid of the idea of having
to leave this villa, while today it would be enough for me to know that
I can stay in the United States.”
She tried to smile at the two worried horses. It was not fair for them to
continue to see her crying, but she simply couldn’t stop. At least, if
she stayed in the United States, sooner or later she could hope to see
Anthony again. But in Mexico...
“And...if I stayed with Albert...?” she murmured, shaking her head
immediately after that.
No. He doesn’t have a home either; I don’t want to be a burden to
him...
She remembered his appearance. It was enough to look at him to
realize that he didn’t lead an easy life.
“What should I do...?”
Candy caressed delicately the cross that she kept hidden on her chest.
The sound of the little bell dangling from the badge that was hanging
around her neck had never changed.
“You are prettier when you laugh than when you cry.”
Prince...This time I don’t know if I can smile...I can’t even imagine
how it could be in Mexico...
Listening to the tinkling, she went on wiping away the tears that were
flowing. It was a serene and sweet sound, and little by little she began
to calm down.
“You are right, Prince...You will come to Mexico with me and give me
courage.”
It was definite. Carrying with her the silver badge, she could meet the
Prince any time. It was useless to worry about the future; Miss Pony
always said that every time she was worried about something.
“Sweet Candy will flourish in Mexico too...And then there is Stear’s
‘umbrella-holder’... Anywhere I go, I’ll never be alone!”
Candy recovered her smile. She recalled Anthony’s look while he was
giving her the flowers and Stear’s proud expression when he gave her
the “umbrella-holder” saying to her:
“This is a masterpiece! A great invention!”
Candy remembered his words:
“If you wear it on your shoulders as if it were a backpack and press
the button that is here at the centre...Ah! Surprised? You see? An
umbrella opens! Thanks to that, you’ll always have your hands free,
even when it rains!”
Surely Stear had seen her getting water from the well, completely
soaked in the rain.
Archie, on the other hand, gave me a lace handkerchief in which he
had collected a lot of lavender flowers. It was a Swiss handkerchief
that had a great value for him. He must have been worried that the
smell of the stable might annoy me...
She must also say goodbye to the three boys. A cloud came again over
her face, but Candy quickly scolded herself. She couldn’t spend all the
time crying; in the afternoon of the following day she would be forced
to leave. She had to meet Anthony and the others and say goodbye to
them.
I want them to know that I’m not a thief...
The sun was setting. Before they came to charge her with another
task, she went away running.

Meanwhile, the three boys were in the Ardlay residence, in Anthony’s

room, holding a meeting about Candy.
“Aunt Sara has the intention of throwing her out at any cost,” said
Stear with a deep sigh. “She believes everything Eliza and Neal are
saying, and Uncle is never here and can’t help us.”
Stear’s sigh infected Archie too.
“Brother, instead of wasting your time with your silly inventions, why
don’t you think of something that can help us save her?”
“Don’t you think I would have done it if I could?” responded Stear,
fixing his glasses.
Anthony had remained silent, looking absentmindedly through the
window. He didn’t know when Candy would be forced to leave, but
he should think of something as soon as possible. However, although
he was trying, he couldn’t find a solution. He was exasperated with
his own impotence.
Suddenly the satin curtain of the terrace was inflated and something
flew into the room, as fast as a missile, and then landed on the carpet
in a way far from perfect. Candy had fallen on her back and was now
on the floor, laughing embarrassed.
“Candy!” shouted all three of them at the same time, simultaneously
extending their hands to help her stand up.
Laughing, the girl got up by herself.
“How did you get here?” asked Archie, opening his eyes wide.
Panting, the girl pointed at the trees that grew in the garden, whose
branches extended to the terrace.
“Moving from tree to tree...but it was more difficult than I expected.”
“What did I tell you, boys? Did you see how good she is at climbing
trees?”
“It’s not time to be glad about these things, Stear. Candy, what’s
going on? Why did you come straight to us in that way?”
Anthony was looking at her worried.
“I...I have come to say goodbye to you.”
“What?”
Getting pale, the boys surrounded her.
“Come on, don’t look at me like that, you make me feel embarrassed.
Well, are you ready for the news? Tomorrow afternoon, I, Candice
White, am leaving for Mexico.”
On her way there, the girl had been practising that phrase repeatedly,
and as cheerfully as possible. In some way, she seemed to have
succeeded...
“Candy...What do you mean Mexico?”
All three of them remained silent for a moment, and then Stear let out
a deep sigh, incredulous.
“Yes...It seems that some agricultural farm in Mexico needs a
‘charming’ assistant, so they offered me a job. I thank you for
everything you have done for me.”
Candy lowered her head. It was impossible for her to look Anthony in
the eyes, but the same thing had happened to the boy; one look was
enough for him to realize his true feelings. It was difficult even to just
listen to that voice that was struggling to sound cheerful.
“And then...I really wanted you to believe me about this...They
accused me of having stolen the jewels of Mrs. Leagan...But I’m
innocent, I swear!”
“That’s evident!” exclaimed Anthony in rage.
As soon as Candy met his gaze, she felt her eyes getting moist.
“But of course! Nobody believes that you could have done a thing like
that!” asserted Stear firmly, accompanied by Archie’s affirmative
gesture.
“Thank you...That was the only thing that was really worrying me,”
said Candy relieved, with a faint smile.
Then she took a deep breath, as if to take courage, and added:
“Well, boys...I truly thank you! Everything has been...so beautiful...
As soon as I have settled, I’ll write to you! And...if you have the
chance some day, I really hope that you will come and visit me in
Mexico!”
Candy tried to make that matter sound unimportant, then she looked
at them slowly, trying to imprint their faces in her heart.
Stear’s merry face and his funny glasses...The elegant and very
handsome Archie...Oh, Anthony, don’t look at me like that. You make
me want to cry...
Trying to keep away these thoughts, Candy parted with them:
“So...Goodbye, boys! I’ll never forget you...”
She uttered those last words with a trembling voice, then impulsively
jumped off the terrace to one of the trees.
“Candy!”
Anthony tried to call her, but she quickly disappeared between the
darkness of the trees.

Next day, at dawn, Candy was awakened by Stewart. Outside it was

still dark.
“Must I leave now? Weren’t they supposed to come in the afternoon?”
she cried, jumping out of bed in surprise.
The man replied sadly:
“They’ve already come to pick you up, Candy...”
“I will always have to be leaving in a hurry, won’t I?” remarked the
girl merrily, trying to cheer him up.
She got dressed quickly. She had already put all her things in the bag
with which she had arrived at the house of the Leagans.
“See? I’ve got many more things than when I came here,” she said
smiling, while she was taking gently the pot containing the Sweet
Candy roses.
The sad chauffeur helped her get her luggage outside, remaining
silent and with his eyes lowered.
It was better that the farewell was a quick one. When she had also left
Pony’s Home, everything had happened in an instant, preventing her
from feeling pain. Therefore, Candy tried to convince herself that this
early departure was actually a kindness towards her.
“Goodbye, Caesar. Goodbye, Cleopatra.”
She wondered if the two horses, still sleepy, realized that she would
never come back.
“Please, take care. I’m sure that everyone will look after you...”
She said goodbye to them, hugging their snouts, pressed her cheek
against their necks and then came out of the stable without turning
back. Everything was wrapped in mist. Outside were Mary, Doug and
even Mr. Whitman.
“I would never have imagined that we would come to this...We
couldn’t do anything to help you...”
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Whitman! You’ll see that I can get
along! Thank you, everyone, for waking up so early to see me off...
Goodbye!”
On the verge of tears, Mary hugged her silently.
“Hurry up!”
The mist was diluted and Candy got a glimpse of a covered wagon,
driven by a Mexican with a grumpy countenance.
“Yes, I’m coming immediately! Goodbye and thanks to all of you!”
After having said farewell to them with a shaking voice, the girl
climbed quickly to the wagon, so that the others would not see her
crying.
“Hurry up!” repeated the man irritated, and then he whipped the
horses.
Even that dense morning mist, in which she could only distinguish
the outline of people, was perhaps a gift. The voices calling her name
became more distant, until they weren’t heard anymore and, wobbling
from side to side, the wagon started going faster. Candy tried to look
around her, hoping to see Anthony and the other boys.
No, it’s impossible...The sun is just rising and I thought myself that I
was leaving in the afternoon.
She would have liked so much to see Anthony, Stear and Archie one
more time, but she had to resign. She tried to be strong, holding tight
the pot with the roses.

Eliza and Neal had witnessed the whole scene from a window, and
when the wagon disappeared completely, swallowed by the mist, they
began to applaud with happiness. How lucky that early departure was
for them!
“That was perfect! Absolutely perfect!”
“What a relief...” remarked Neal, smiling maliciously.
At that moment they heard the sound of hooves getting closer and
closer. Three horses stopped right in front of the villa’s front door.
“It’s Anthony with the other two boys! What idiot has warned them?”
Eliza looked nervously out of the window and Neal spoke to them
cheerfully:
“I’m sorry for you, but that orphan bastard has already left!”
“What?”
Mounted on his horse, Anthony went pale.
“Her departure was earlier. Besides, a thief like her could only sneak
away!”
“Don’t talk that way about Candy!” said Anthony raising his head and
throwing a murderous look towards Eliza.
The girl averted her eyes, intimidated.
“Let’s go, maybe there’s still time!” suggested Archie, galloping away.
“I agree. Let’s speed up as fast as we can!” said Stear, spurring on his
horse.
Candy...Even if it’s only for one day...
Anthony bit his lip.
“Anyway, you can’t reach her!” shouted Eliza from the window.
The morning mist was clearing up but, as much as they were
accelerating, they couldn’t see the wagon.
“Let’s go up the hill! Maybe from there...” said Anthony, changing the
course of his own cavalcade.
Already out of breath, when they reached the top of the highest
elevation in the area, they finally saw in the distance a dark shadow
similar to that of a wagon moving away more and more along the
road.
Really, won’t we see each other again, Candy?
Anthony’s eyes were moist.
“Candy!” cried the boys as loudly as they could, but their voices were
lost in the clear morning sky and couldn’t reach her.

The wagon was advancing on its way without stopping, raising clouds
of dust, under a sky full of heavy clouds.
The Mexican did nothing else but talk, but Candy didn’t understand
what he said. He didn’t seem to know English very well, and the girl
was too concentrated on trying to understand him to give herself up in
tears. The only thing she had finally been able to discover was that the
man was called Garcia. He was robust, with an abundance of
eyebrows and hair, and he was speaking in a very high voice. At first
Candy had been a little scared, but when the man realized that she
had had nothing to eat, he offered her some of his lunch.
In Mexico they speak another language...So, even if they have to say
bad things to me, I will not understand them. How can I say that
Mexico is a difficult place if I have not even once been there? It may
be a wonderful country.
Thinking of that possibility, she began to feel a little better. If she
worked with all her energy, some day she might return to the United
States and hug Anthony again.
Towards the sunset, when the sun was beginning to disappear, the
wagon finally stopped near a river.
“Hurry up! Lunch! You, little girl; wood, fire!”
No matter how many times she had tried to let him know it, señor
Garcia seemed incapable of memorizing Candy’s name.
“I suppose he’s telling me to go find firewood and light a fire to
prepare dinner.”
“Hurry up! Hurry up!”
Apparently the words he could pronounce best were “hurry up”.
Candy smiled and nodded, then went into the weeds that grew in the
vicinity of the river.
He has a brusque way of speaking, but he’s not a bad per...
She didn’t even have time to scream. Someone held her suddenly from
behind and covered her mouth with his hand, dragging her towards a
car parked nearby.
 Chapter 18
A cold wind seemed to be announcing the end of summer.
Anthony was standing absently in the rose garden which was in full
bloom. Candy had left just the day before, but it seemed to him that
years had passed.
“We knew that you would be here...”
Stear and Archie entered Anthony’s private garden.
“Did you sleep last night, Anthony?”
“Of course not,” replied Archie instead, annoyed.
“Yes. I see that it’s the same for everybody,” said Stear taking off his
glasses to rub his eyes.
“I wonder if Candy has arrived in Mexico,” murmured Anthony.
“If we used a device to locate her...”
“Can you really construct something like that, Stear?” asked Anthony,
turning to look at him.
“I would like to, but it doesn’t seem feasible...”
“And even if it were, being your invention, I doubt that it would
work.”
“Is this an opportunity for you to offend your older brother in that
way? Although, after all, you are right...” admitted Stear, sighing
sadly.
“Are these the Sweet Candy roses? I knew you were working hard to
create hybrids...You’ve really done a great job.”
Archie drew close to the pale pink flowers.
“However, when I discovered that you had finally found a name for
your rose and had used Candy’s name, I considered it a little unfair...”
With a blank gaze, Stear remarked:
“If she’s not here, we have little to be unfair about.”
Without answering, Anthony extended his hand to touch a Sweet
Candy. He brought to his lips the petals that had fallen softly before
his touch. Their sweet scent sharpened his pain even more.
That moment, on the other side of the garden appeared Great Aunt
Elroy. Protected by an umbrella held by a maid, she seemed to be
taking a walk.
“Shouldn’t you be studying?”
Anthony didn’t answer and turned his head defiantly.
“We simply can’t concentrate,” interposed Stear sadly and honestly.
Hearing that reply, the lady took on a severe expression.
“Such an imprudent behavior is absolutely unacceptable. I have no
intention of hearing your parents telling me, sooner or later, that since
you came here your grades have become worse. I have decided that
from this afternoon you will be studying together with Eliza and Neal.
And I also urge you to be kind to them. Don’t forget that.”
After having dispatched her orders, she resumed her walk.
“With Eliza and Neal? Oh, my God!”
Stear and Archie exchanged a glance and raised their eyes to the sky
in a theatrical manner.

That afternoon, Neal and Eliza appeared at the Ardlay house. The girl
was elegantly dressed and didn’t seem at all to have gone there for
studying.
“Hello! Apparently from today we’ll spend a lot of time together,” she
said in an affected manner, greeting the three boys who had gathered
in the living room reserved for their studies.
Anthony and Archie ignored her, keeping their heads over their
books.
“Yes, but all our teachers are very strict. I don’t know if you’re capable
of keeping up with our pace,” said Stear, ironically welcoming them,
and tilting his head sideways as if he were in doubt.
Neal’s face was contracted.
And is this the way to greet us?
Eliza was about to respond in the same way, but she skillfully
changed her expression, showing a big smile. Anthony had actually
looked up.
“Oh, Anthony, I’m so happy I can study with you.”
Although she had spoken to him in her most enchanting manner,
Anthony continued looking out of the window and only answered:
“Yes?”
He wouldn’t be still thinking about her? Anyway, now that she’s gone,
I’m sure he will notice me too. He couldn’t really like that low-status
girl who comes from an orphanage.
Eliza smiled confidently and approached Anthony carrying with her
the book of Physics.
“You know, Anthony, there is something I would like you to explain
to me before the teacher comes.”
That moment the boy’s eyes were illuminated.
I knew it; Anthony feels something for me.
But Eliza was wrong.
The lad got up and shot towards the window. A big luxurious black
car, that carried the shield of the Ardlay family, was turning at that
moment around the fountain which was located in front of the main
entrance.
In the whole family there is only one person who could use a car like
this. It’s almost certain that it’s Great Uncle William.
Anthony tried to sharpen his eyesight. Who was aboard? He couldn’t
see clearly, but his heart was beating hard, full of expectations.
Suddenly he spotted in the back seat a pink dress and bright colored
hair. Despite being still far away, Anthony understood.
“It’s Candy!” he shouted and rushed out of the room.
“Candy?” asked Stear and Archie incredulous, and knocking down
the chairs, they also went towards the window.
“It’s true...Stear, Candy is in that car!”
“Yes, it’s Candy! Candy is back!”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Stear turned to Eliza and Neal.
“What? That’s not possible! She should be in Mexico by now!”
Eliza gave him a look that made the blood freeze in his veins and
hurried to reach the window, followed by Neal. In the meantime,
Stear and Archie left the room at such a speed, that they overtook
even Anthony. The two Leagan siblings, with pale faces, also headed
to the door.
The big black car stopped in front of the entrance. First came out a
middle-aged man with elegant appearance, who hurried to open the
back door. From inside the vehicle came out suddenly a young lady
dressed in pink. It was Candy. No doubt it was her.
“Candy!” cried Archie excited.
“It’s really her! It’s really Candy!” said Stear, examining her
continuously from head to toe to make sure that it was truly her.
“Candy...”
“Anthony...I...I can’t believe it...Stear! Archie! It still seems to me I’m
living in a dream!”
With flushed cheeks and an ecstatic expression, the girl was looking
at her three friends. Wrapped in a refined dress of pale pink silk
enriched with lace and ruffles, Candy was so lovely that she looked
like a princess from a fairy tale.
“Something incredible has happened to me...I...I have been adopted
by the Ardlays!” she informed them, holding back her tears.
At that moment, Archie inflated his chest and exclaimed proudly:
“I’ve done it! Great Uncle has listened to my request!”
“What? Have you also written to Great Uncle asking him to adopt
Candy?”
“Have you done it too, Stear?”
“Obviously...But then...”
Stear and Archie turned to look at Anthony. The boy answered
laughing and nodding vigorously.
“I think that my letter was the frankest of all.”
“Listen to him! Hey, boys! Let’s play according to the rules!”
exclaimed Stear.
Hugging each other, the three lads started laughing loudly.
“What’s going on here?”
That moment Great Aunt Elroy appeared on the threshold.
“Aunt! Candy is back! She has been adopted and now she is an
Ardlay!” said Anthony proudly, going towards her.
“What do you mean? This is really a very bad joke! I’ve never heard
anything about this matter! And I certainly don’t remember having
given my consent,” exclaimed the old lady indignantly.
With Eliza and Neal behind her, she looked at Candy with piercing,
flaming eyes. That moment, the gentleman who had brought the girl
back home, and who had stood aside until now, stepped forward.
“Madam, that is Sir William’s decision,” he announced with a quiet
voice, bowing his head.
“George! Explain to me what is happening! I can’t believe that Sir
William has taken such an important decision so suddenly and
without consulting me! George! You are William’s right hand man;
how could you...”
“Madam, it was a matter of the greatest importance which required
an immediate intervention, that’s why Sir William has sent me. This is
for you...”
Bowing respectfully, he handed her a sealed envelope.

“With the present, I intend to inform everyone that I have accepted

the petitions of Anthony, Alistair and Archibald.
Therefore, I have given instructions for Candice White to be adopted
and become a part of the Ardlay family.
William A. Ardlay”
 Chapter 19
It still seemed to Candy that she was floating in a dream. She just
couldn’t believe what had happened to her along the road that would
lead her to Mexico, when on the banks of the river, being near a bush,
she had been forced to get into a car. The man who had brought her
after carrying out that kind of abduction had said that he was called
George and he was Great Uncle William’s secretary.
“I have been ordered to do that so you would become the adopted
daughter of the Ardlays, Miss Candice,” he had said to her in a
moderate way and without even smiling. “I suppose you were scared,
because this way of acting was a little brusque, but we didn’t have
even a moment to lose.”
Adopted daughter of the Ardlays. To understand those words well,
Candy had asked the man countless times to explain the situation to
her again.
George was wearing a dark blue suit of excellent cutting and he
almost looked like a professor in the university. He didn’t have the
appearance of a kidnapper at all, and in case he had been one, no
doubt he couldn’t have gained anything from her.

“Adopted daughter of the Ardlays...Even when I realized that he was

telling me the truth, I couldn’t believe it anyway.”
Amused, the boys were never tired of listening again to the story of
the so-called Case of Candy’s Kidnapping.
“Maybe he doesn’t look like it, but George is an expert at martial arts,
and he is also an excellent shooter. As if that was not enough, he is
taciturn and infuses some fear. Surely you were scared, but if he had
not acted like this, maybe it would have taken him much longer to get
you back home,” explained Archie, sitting on the couch, while joyfully
turning over the cushions.
Candy was feeling light, as if she were floating in the air. According to
what they had told her, the large bedroom that had been reserved for
her was, next to that of Great Aunt Elroy’s, the most ostentatious
room in the villa. It seemed at least as big as the little Pony’s Home.
She had found in there a soft burgundy carpet, heavy curtains of the
same color, furniture with arched legs, and even a four-poster bed.
Not even Eliza had that. But the most wonderful of all was to see the
smile of the three boys, who were absorbed in looking at her.
That thing she was living was the reality. She had really been adopted.
Now I won’t have to leave Anthony and the others anymore...
That would have been enough for her to be happy, and instead, apart
from that, her name had changed to Candice White Ardlay. It
sounded great!
“Uncle William is surely amazing. A letter from him is enough to
definitely silence Great Aunt Elroy,” remarked Stear laughing merrily.
“You are absolutely right. Everybody says that he has a difficult
character, but he has been unexpectedly understanding to us.”
Archie threw a cushion at his brother, who threw it back at Anthony.
All three of the boys had a great desire to celebrate.
“Hey, Archie, what kind of person is Uncle William?” asked Candy
suddenly, becoming serious. “I have tried many times to ask Mr.
George, but he didn’t want to answer me.”
“To tell the truth, we don’t know either, do we, Anthony?”
Even Stear at that moment took on a thoughtful expression.
“Exactly. Nobody has ever seen him, Candy.”
“Nobody?”
Astonished, the girl turned for the first time to Anthony. All this time
she had been looking timidly at him with sidelong glances,
overwhelmed by bashfulness.
The boy looked back at her uncomfortably and added:
“I’ve never heard of anyone in all the family having known him. Apart
from George, the only one who communicates directly with him is
Aunt Elroy. He is said to be an eccentric and grumpy old gentleman.”
“I see...I would love to meet him at least once so I could thank him.”
“You know, he seems to be a real misanthrope. We would never have
liked to meet him,” interposed jovial Archie, stretching himself.
“On the contrary, I can’t wait to be able to meet him. He has saved
me. I have always dreamed of being adopted, ever since I was at
Pony’s Home, but nobody wanted me. But he has fulfilled my wish,”
said Candy, full of gratitude, with shining eyes.
Just looking at her brought a smile to Anthony’s face. The boy was
immersed in a sweet-scented happiness.
From now on I can be with her forever...
I can see her every day...
It was enough for them to look into each other’s eyes to understand
that both felt the same emotions.

That night Candy wrote to Miss Pony and Sister Lane using the
stationery paper of the Ardlay family. At last she could tell them
something that was true.
Who knows how happy they would be to hear about the news of her
adoption.
But Eliza had such a dreadful look...
Lying on her bed, so soft that she had almost sunk into it, Candy
recalled the dinner that had just finished and Eliza’s expression; she
seemed like a volcano about to erupt at any moment. But she was
certainly not the only one who was annoyed. Mrs. Leagan, Great Aunt
Elroy and of course Neal too, had completely ignored her.
It is natural for them to be irritated; they had finally managed to throw
me out...
I’m almost curious to know what they will invent to vex me.
The glow of the moon was filtered gently through the skylight.
Anthony was there too, in that same villa she was now. Just the
thought of it made Candy’s heart warmer.
“Dear Great Uncle William, I’m really grateful for everything. Please
be always healthy, and I hope that your misanthropy improves as
soon as possible, so that I can meet you...Good night.”
When she finished her prayer, wrapped in a rose-colored happiness,
Candy closed her eyes.

Next day she was awakened by the little birds singing.

Oh, no! I woke up late and I haven’t cleaned the stable!
She got up with a start, but then she started laughing; she was no
longer in the stable of the Leagans. It was no longer necessary for her
to get up at dawn to look after the horses or to work in the kitchen.
Yes, of course. Now I am Candice White Ardlay.
Actually, she still couldn’t believe it. She looked around her to observe
that splendidly furnished room that now belonged to her.
“Everything is at your complete disposal. Sir William hopes you will
be well and strive in your studies,” George had told her the previous
day, when he had accompanied her to her new room.
Later, as if he had fulfilled all his obligations, he had left hurriedly.
Candy got up and opened the closet. She remained ecstatic and
breathless for a moment.
“How many dresses...Not even Eliza has got so many! But when did
they prepare them?”
She admired those outfits of all colors and exactly her size, but she
decided to wear the simplest and most comfortable. Then she left the
room. She was worried about Caesar and Cleopatra. She had to go to
them to notify them that she had returned and to brush them.
Although she had been adopted, she wanted to continue taking care
of the two horses.
She walked down the hall and descended the stairs which were
covered with a purple carpet; that was enough to make her feel like a
queen. With a ceremonious step, she headed to the back entrance,
which was nearest to the garden. At that moment, she heard the
servants talking in the vestibule.
“I just can’t call Miss that girl named Candy.”
“Oh, neither can I! I heard Miss Eliza say that when she was in the
house of the Leagans she even stole things from them!”
“I heard that too! It’s terrible that such a person has been adopted by
the Ardlays!”
“Miss Eliza also told me that this girl is very skilled at ingratiating
with people and that she’s a big liar. We have to be careful...”
Candy bit her lip and, trying not to make any noise, passed to the
other side. She opened the door slowly and went outside. Carrying the
scent of flowers, the morning wind wrapped her like a cloak.
I have done nothing wrong...
Then she remembered Miss Pony’s words:
“If you have done nothing to be ashamed of, go forward with your
head held high.”
She had told her that phrase when she had been accused of a mischief
Tom had done.
Exactly. If I behave honestly, sooner or later everybody will notice it. I
have to become a real young lady to make Great Uncle William feel
proud!
Armed with courage, she walked towards the garden. Suddenly she
saw Anthony coming to meet her and stopped, with her heart full of
joy. She was sure that she would find him!
“What an early riser you are, Candy! Yesterday was such a tiresome
day that I thought you would still be sleeping.”
The boy’s smile was radiant.
“You always wake up early too, Anthony,” replied Candy, squinting
her eyes.
“The roses get up long before I do,” he said smiling.
The roses...
Candy frowned suddenly. She was very happy that she had become a
part of the Ardlay family, but there was a thought that couldn’t be
driven away: the flower pot of the Sweet Candy roses. Seeing her sad
all of a sudden, Anthony leaned forward worried and looked at her
face.
“What’s the matter, Candy? Don’t tell me that Eliza and Neal have
again...”
“No, no. You see, I...I must apologize to you...” replied Candy taking
a deep breath and raising her eyes. “It’s about the Sweet Candy
roses...”
“You have left them in the wagon, haven’t you?”
The boy smiled, as if he already knew everything.
“Anthony, forgive me! I would like to go back there just to get
them...” said Candy apprehensively.
The lad couldn’t refrain from holding out his hand to caress her
flushed cheeks, but he stopped halfway. Speeding up his pace, he
said:
“Come with me, Candy.”
He led her to his rose garden. Candy followed him with small quick
steps, crying joyfully:
“How many Sweet Candy roses!”
In a corner of Anthony’s garden there was a Sweet Candy rosebush.
The pale pink flowers were blooming splendidly.
“Those I had given to you came from this plant. I’m happy that they
have taken your place, and that you are here.”
“Thank you, Anthony...”
Listening to the boy’s explanations, as he was trying to reassure her,
Candy had almost wanted to cry, touched by so much kindness.
Bending down, she brought her face close to many of the corollas that
had opened and noticed the perfume she already knew. Suddenly,
illuminated by the morning light, something shone on her chest.
“What’s that badge you’re wearing along with that cross?” asked the
boy surprised.
“Oh, that? It belongs to Prince on the Hill...” she explained, grasping
her valuable badge.
“A prince?”
“Actually, I’m the only one to call him that. I don’t know anything
about him, not even his real name. He was a wonderful boy. You
know, Anthony, the first time I saw you, I was speechless. You look
exactly like him.”
Candy didn’t notice that the boy’s expression had suddenly changed.
She just wanted to confide to him this secret that she hadn’t even told
Miss Pony and Sister Lane.
“When I was six years old, I was crying on Pony’s Hill one day, and
that’s when my Prince appeared. He was wearing the traditional
costume of Scotland and...”
“This is undoubtedly the badge of the Ardlay family, but it’s a little
different from mine...” Anthony interrupted her, with his voice slightly
veiled with sharpness.
Candy looked at him surprised:
“The badge of the Ardlay family? Then the prince is really a member
of your family?”
“It is possible...”
Anthony looked away. He had the feeling that a great weight had
fallen on his heart. He thought of that boy Candy had met many years
ago, and had never forgotten. Even today, his memory could change
her expression in that way...
Who is that boy Candy can’t forget? Who is the owner of that badge
which is so much like mine?
“Is anything wrong, Anthony?”
Noticing his silence, Candy stared at him full of anxiety, but Anthony
kept his head lowered, looking away.
“Candy...the first time we met you called me ‘prince’, remember?
Then it’s just because I look like him that...”
“Anthony!”
Taken by surprise, Candy denied it shaking her head vigorously. Her
breathing was quickened: she had already guessed the conclusion of
that phrase.
“You’re wrong, Anthony! I didn’t want you to misunderstand me, but
I didn’t know how to explain it to you. Anthony! You...I love you for
whom you are! I love you because you are you!”
She had said it. Candy held her breath and lowered her head. What a
shame: she had really said something like that...Not being able to
endure it, she turned breathless and started running.
Anthony was stunned for a moment, but then he exclaimed:
“Candy! I love you too! I really love you!”
Turning to the figure that was running away, he pronounced those
words for the first time. They had rushed out of his heart, but the
voice that had expressed them had in fact been barely perceptible.
 Chapter 20
The first week as an adoptive daughter of the Ardlays flew by. Candy’s
days were full of special lessons of how to become a “real lady”,
taught by cold and severe teachers chosen by Great Aunt Elroy.
However, the girl had decided to strive to the fullest. Not for nothing;
now she was an Ardlay.
Some day, when I meet Uncle William, I wish that he could be proud
of me...And then...
And then she wanted to become a young lady worthy of Anthony. At
this thought, she blushed with embarrassment.

In the afternoon, when she finished her private lesson in etiquette and
said goodbye to the teacher at the main entrance, Candy stretched out
without being seen and ran at full speed towards the fountain with the
statue of Diana, the goddess of the moon, located in the inner
courtyard.
“What have you been doing, Candy?”
Anthony and the other two boys were impatiently waiting for her
there. They ran to meet her.
“I...Umm...I have just finished,” she said with a grimace, leaning to
lift the edge of her dress.
“And what’s that?” asked Stear laughing, imitated by Anthony and
Archie.
“I learned it from Miss Jane, my teacher in etiquette. She says that my
manners are worse than a monkey’s, and that even a horse could
express itself with greater elegance than me,” she explained in a
haughty manner, lifting her chin.
Nudging one another, the boys laughed heartily.
Candy jokingly stuck out her tongue at them and sighed in a
theatrical manner:
“Oh, how uncomfortable it is to be a young lady. You can’t climb
trees, and don’t even speak about biting apples...It seems terrible, you
know.”
“And what about you, Candy? What do you plan to do?” asked Stear
naughtily, studying her face.
“I think that’s evident!”
Candy took off her leather shoes and her socks, matching the color of
the dress, and impulsively took hold of the arm of the goddess Diana,
returning later with a leap back to her place. Stear whistled and
shouted with joy.
“Hey, brother, didn’t you try that too the other day? It’s too bad you
didn’t even reach the statue; you fell into the fountain,” commented
Archie ironically.
“Let’s forget about the past. Well done, Candy, you wouldn’t be
yourself if you behaved in that affected manner. Isn’t that true,
Anthony?”
“Yes. You must always be yourself, Candy. It’s when you are
spontaneous that you are more charming,” responded the lad,
watching her tenderly.
“What impressive phrases, Anthony! They sound much better coming
from me,” Archie said in jest, immobilizing him from behind.
“Hey, Stear, what is that amazing thing you were talking to me about
this morning? I’ve been waiting all day to find out!”
Unable to bear Anthony’s abashed expression, Candy’s voice became
more cheerful.
“Oh, all right! Come on! Everybody to the lake!”
Raising his arm, Stear started running. Candy followed him barefoot,
carrying her shoes in her hand. Almost naturally, she was always close
to Anthony. Even at that moment, they were running side by side.
Without realizing it, the boys passed laughing in front of the
hexagonal-shaped summer house of the garden.
That moment Great Aunt Elroy and the Leagan siblings were having
their tea, and they looked away annoyed. Restraining herself from
tapping her foot on the floor, Eliza kept walking in circles, while Neal
deposited loudly his cup in the saucer, irritated.
“Aunt! How can you let her do as she likes? How can a thief like her
rule the house of the Ardlays?”
“Eliza is right, Aunt! I’m worried too. What if she steals the jewels
again?”
“Of course, we all keep our eyes open, Neal. I have already warned
the servants about the bad habit that girl has. However, I can do
nothing. Great Uncle William’s orders will not be discussed.”
“But, Aunt! It may be Great Uncle William’s order, but I can’t accept
her as a member of the Ardlay family! Even mama and papa say
that...”
“Eliza, I think exactly like Sara. We have to find a way for her to leave.
Nevertheless, according to Great Uncle William’s order, we have to
hold a fox hunting to present her officially as the adopted daughter of
the Ardlays. This is really a great problem,” said the woman
plaintively, rubbing her temples.
“But she doesn’t even know how to ride a horse!” snapped Neal.
Eliza nodded so forcefully, that her head was almost parted from her
body.
“I’m really worried. How can I bring a girl lacking in any kind of
education like her to a great reception? Great Uncle William must
have thought the same thing, since he is determined to present her
officially on an occasion like a hunting, when we will all gather to
entertain ourselves. But I wonder why he has made a decision that
will ridicule her in front of the whole family...”
Great Aunt Elroy let out a deep sigh.

Just before sunset the lake merged with the sky, glowing with an even
more intense blue. A large swan was gliding on its surface. That was
precisely Stear’s fanciful invention, a boat in the shape of that white
bird.
“Well, Candy? What do you think about this elegant mode of
transportation as its first passenger?”
“It’s wonderful! It seems as if it has been taken out of a fairy tale! I
can’t wait to get on it!”
The girl looked at the interior, smiling.
“Candy, don’t be too happy ahead of time. Maybe you’ll cry later.”
“Very funny, Archie! Come on, Candy, once you get in, something
amazing is waiting for you.”
“Oh, how thrilling!” she answered cheerfully.
When she got on board, a cylinder placed in the middle of the boat
suddenly sprouted a jet of water which fell on her like a shower.
Candy was soaked wet from head to toe.
“Oh, forgive me! I forgot to tell you to open the umbrella!”
Seeing Stear putting his hands over his head, the other two boys were
squirming with laughter.
“This is really something amazing, Stear!”
“Don’t say that, Anthony! This is the Swan Boat with a Fountain: it
allows you to navigate on the lake admiring the rainbow and...Well, at
least that was the idea.”
“It’s a fantastic idea, Stear...But is a bath required every time
someone gets on board?”
Candy got off the boat and the three boys offered her their
handkerchiefs. Feeling like a princess protected by her knights, the
girl accepted their presents.
A light wind was blowing on the lake. It was probably the south wind.
If at that moment she had entrusted to the stream a bottle containing
a message, it might have got to Albert. Candy would like to tell him as
soon as possible about the luck that had befallen her.
Albert, I’m back! And now I’m a part of the Ardlay family! I can’t
believe it. Life is really something extraordinary!
“Candy, have you thought about our proposal?” Archie asked her
smiling, concentrated on fixing his hair with his slender fingers.
“Oh, of course! The Gate of Candy!”
Stear lay down on the grass and the others settled around him. Candy
felt her heart racing: Anthony’s shoulder was so close that it was
touching hers.
The Gate of Candy. It would be a gate belonging completely to her.
Anthony had the Gate of Roses, Archie the Stone Entrance with the
engravings of the elegant knight, and Stear had designed the
ingenious Portal of Water. That was the true meaning of the three
entrances. When they saw the girl’s admiration, the three of them had
expressed their intention of constructing one just for her.
“Of course I have thought about it! I would like...a Gate of
Confectionery! To enter you need to go inside a donut, and the walls
around must be made of chocolate, with pastry, and...”
“...And with so much candy that we will all remember your name, I
suppose,” said Anthony instantly, looking at her with his crystal-clear
eyes.
“That would be a really sweet gate,” remarked Archie, rubbing his
belly just at the thought of it.
“That’s true. In fact it has made me a little hungry,” said Stear getting
up immediately, and they all started laughing.
Candy was feeling so happy that she almost wanted to cry.
Great Aunt treated her coldly, while the servants ignored her without
hiding their contempt, but she couldn’t be happier than this. She had
those three splendid boys with her, and with them by her side nothing
mattered. But, above all, she was so close to Anthony’s smile...
That day, when she had confided to him that she loved him, he hadn’t
made any reply. Or at least she was convinced of that. Nonetheless,
Candy felt that since that moment the boy had become even more
gentle and he was with her more often than before. She didn’t need
any words to understand Anthony’s feelings.
Early in the morning, while the rest of the house was still sleeping in
silence, Candy met Anthony in the rose garden. They had never really
agreed to meet, but they already knew where to go, as if a thin thread
connected them and guided them to each other. That was a moment
only for them. Wrapped in the sweet perfume of roses, Candy took
care of the flowers together with Anthony, and she often felt that this
was still a dream.

Candy ran to the garden even the morning before the day of the fox
hunting.
It was a windy day, and from the rose garden there came softly the
petals of the flowers, flying in the air and landing at the girl’s feet.
Anthony was already there, looking at the Sweet Candy roses, now
almost leafless.
The girl was about to call him, but then she stopped. He seemed very
distant. It was a strange sensation; he was there, a few steps away, it
would have been enough for her to pronounce his name, but she had
the impression that Anthony was in a place so far away that, even if
she ran towards it, she would never reach it.
At that moment, the boy turned slowly.
“What’s the matter, Candy? Why are you standing so still there?”
Watching him smile as he always did, Candy cheered up and replied:
“I have been thinking that today many roses are withering.”
Even at that moment, the pale pink petals that had fallen on the hair
of both of them were suddenly transported by the wind as if they were
butterflies.
They seemed to be hurrying to go anywhere. Dancing in the air, they
disappeared in the clear blue sky.
“It’s the end of the season,” murmured Anthony, watching with
Candy the direction of the petals. “The petals were also falling like
this when my mother died...”
Candy was startled. She knew that the boy had lost his mother when
he was little, but he had never talked about this.
“You know, Candy, my mother loved roses very much.”
Anthony remembered her smile. She had a delicate health, and when
she didn’t take care of the flowers, she was always sitting in a rocking
chair, looking at the garden. Whenever she looked at her son, her
beautiful green eyes seemed to light up, and on her face appeared an
even sweeter smile.
“When I was little I hated so much seeing the roses throwing their
petals...It was sad, and for some strange reason I felt alone. Maybe it
seemed to me that I saw my mother in them...It was as if along with
the flowers, she would die too. But it was my own mother who told
me that the roses are beautiful because they wither. ‘They are born
and die, again and again. In this way, flowers live forever...’ ”
Almost as if he were talking to himself, Anthony murmured his
mother’s words, looking at some distant point.
“ ‘Flowers die and they are born again even more beautiful. People
die and they are born again even nicer in the hearts of those who stay
behind. Therefore, Anthony, I will live forever in your heart...’ Mama
said this to me looking straight into my eyes. I was too little to really
understand what she was trying to tell me, but seeing her green eyes
getting wet as if they were two beautiful lakes, I agreed with great
conviction...She passed away three days later...”
“Anthony...”
The boy looked at her and smiled. His eyes were more limpid than
the morning sky.
“It is strange, isn’t it, Candy? I can still remember her perfectly well. I
even remember her voice. It’s true that when people die, they live
again in our hearts, becoming even more beautiful than they were.”
Candy remained silent, looking at him. She was afraid that, if she
turned her eyes away, the boy would dissolve in the light.
 Conclusion
Now that I think again of that oppressive presentiment I had back
then, I believe that maybe in my heart I already knew what was about
to happen...

I don’t know how long I remained standing in front of Slim’s picture.

It seemed to me a very long time, but the afternoon light that was
filtered copiously through the curtain hadn’t dimmed at all. I
immersed myself in that painting that fully portrayed Pony’s Home,
and in an instant I went back in time.
A painful tragedy, even to just remember it...A day that I wish I had
never lived, but I can never forget in any way. Surely during our lives
all of us carry similar memories in our hearts.
I sigh. I sit carefully on the sofa located a little further away, and
Pony’s Home in that painting becomes a little more distant. Just
seeing it at the end of the road was something so comforting to me
that it made me run towards it with confidence. This is the place
where I can return to and, at the same time, the place from which I
can leave with my heart full of hope.

I remember one by one all the words whispered by Anthony that

morning inside the garden. Among the petals that were dancing in the
air, that place was so beautiful that it seemed like paradise. I
remember his sad voice, his gestures, even his smile that was so
sweet. But, on the contrary, back then I immediately forgot
everything, even that presentiment that had invaded me for a
moment; I was too preoccupied about the fox hunting the following
day.
I wanted to successfully get over the ceremony of my presentation, in
a way that would not embarrass Uncle William. I wished everything
would work out well even for Anthony, Stear and Archie, who had
secretly taught me how to ride a horse.
The three boys, unlike adults, didn’t show great interest in hunting
activity and Anthony felt guilty too about foxes.
“Adults really contradict themselves, don’t they? They teach us to love
animals, but they accept fox hunting. When I grow up, I won’t do
certain things,” he told me once, and then added: “But you know,
Candy, this time it’s different because it’s about your presentation. On
the occasion of this first step for you to be accepted as a member of
the Ardlay family, I want to catch in your honor a fox that even the
adults will envy.”
Oh, Anthony...
I can only keep repeating his name. More than twenty years have
passed since then, but these are the only words I can say.

That morning the sky was unusually clear. Even Great Aunt Elroy had
let a smile escape her saying:
“It’s a perfect day for the fox hunting.”
My official presentation as the adoptive daughter of the Ardlays...I
presumed a calm appearance, but my smile concealed a great
nervousness. I knew well that, starting from Great Aunt, none of the
family would be friendly with me. The attitude of the servants was
clear too. Everybody simply obeyed reluctantly Great Uncle William’s
orders.
“Will Great Uncle William be here?”
That was what I wanted most in my heart. I had written to him many
times, without ever getting a reply, but I was hoping to meet him at
least that day, so I could tell him even a single word of gratitude.
“No, I don’t think he’s going to join us. Remember that he’s a
misanthrope. Besides, he’s more than an uncle, he’s a great uncle, so
I don’t really believe he can take part in a hunting. I’m almost sure he
can’t even stand, let alone ride a horse!”
Recalling Stear’s burlesque movements, as he was interpreting,
always makes me smile.
That day the three boys had been my knights more than ever.
The huge forest of the Ardlays. The looks of the people gathered were
even colder than I had expected. Certainly Mrs. Leagan had already
spread terrible stories about me to all the family.

“Great Uncle William’s whims always put us in great trouble, but this
time it has been a real folly. Here is Candy, his adoptive daughter.”
Great Aunt Elroy introduced me with those words, making
immediately her displeasure clear. I remember I was surprised, but I
was so happy, since I was not even sure that she would actually make
the presentation. Nobody considered me as an Ardlay, but my
challenge started that moment. My heart was full of determination. Of
course Eliza and Neal were there too, dressed in pompous clothes.
They seemed to look for the right moment to embarrass me, but I had
always my three friends by my side.

Later, in the forest rang the shot that started the hunting. Hitting the
ground, the horses launched at a gallop, accompanied by the barking
dogs scattered everywhere.
Even I, protected by Stear, Archie and Anthony, started my slow
racing. From time to time I had secretly mounted Cleopatra, and I
had been accustomed to being in contact with horses, but riding at
such a speed was actually something completely different.
“Archie, what is the hunting prize?” Stear turned to ask him, pulling
the reins.
“A ruby pendant offered by Great Uncle William. And it will be
mine!”
After winking at me, Archie had suddenly spurred his horse and
headed towards the forest.
“You’ll see that he knows a good hunting place!”
Stear hurried after him and suddenly I was found alone with Anthony.
He slowly brought his mount closer to mine.
“I also know an excellent hunting place,” he said mischievously, but
he remained in his place to take care of me due to my lack of
familiarity with horses.
Another shot rang from somewhere, and the barking of the dogs
moved away.
Anthony had entered the dark and dense forest, advancing with his
back crouching. Suddenly everything was illuminated and, almost as
if it were an oasis, we were found in a glade. The atmosphere of that
place suddenly brought to my mind Pony’s Hill and, almost without
thinking, I shared that thought with him.
“Pony’s Hill? This is the place you have come from, isn’t it, Candy?”
Anthony asked me, turning around. “I would like to see it some day.
And I also want to visit there to see where you grew up, and meet
Miss Pony and Sister Lane.”
“It’s a promise, Anthony!”
I pounced with joy on the horse’s back.
He looked at me amused, but he suddenly became serious and said to
me:
“When you were little you met your prince on Pony’s Hill, didn’t you?
You know, the description you have given me of that boy reminded
me of something...Maybe, when I was a little boy...”
At that moment we heard a rustle coming from a nearby bush, and
suddenly appeared a fox with a voluminous tail.
“Candy, it’s me who will give you that ruby!”
Smiling at me, he rearranged himself lightly on the saddle and tapped
the horse on the flanks, launching in pursuit of the animal.
Running at a breakneck speed, the prey was trying to escape, and
even Anthony’s horse increased the speed of its galloping. By the time
it was already trapped, the fox was trembling and shaking frantically,
as if it had become crazy.
But suddenly, Anthony’s horse kicked hard with its front legs, arching
backwards. It had ended up in a trap.
Then, that neighing...

I immediately cover my face with my hands and get up from the sofa.
Even now I don’t want to remember that moment again. It’s hard to
face reality. However, that moment is engraved in my memory and it
comes back, again and again, reviving in my dreams.
Anthony is falling slowly from his white horse. No, it can’t have
happened in that way. Actually everything happened quickly. Anthony
was thrown off his horse, but in my mind it is as if everything were in
a slow motion.
There was no sound. I didn’t even hear my voice screaming.
Then I fainted, and when I regained consciousness I remembered
nothing.

Anthony Brown. He was only fifteen years old. He was a gentle boy
who loved roses. How cruel God could be.
In a moment, it seemed to me that all colors had abandoned this
world. It must have been the same for every member of the Ardlay
family.
I remember Stear’s and Archie’s sad and dull looks. Despite
everything, they had tried to protect me from Great Aunt Elroy’s rage.
“This is your fault! If only you hadn’t been adopted by the Ardlays...”
After having shouted those words against me, she retired to her room,
as if she didn’t want to see me ever again.
Yes, Archie and Stear had comforted me with all their strength, but I
knew very well how that old lady was feeling. In my heart, I also
thought I was guilty.
This is the irony of fate. Since I was little I had been dreaming of
being adopted by a rich family.
If that was the price, then it would have been better if I had gone to
work in Mexico. I would have faced any hard job, if that would serve
to keep Anthony alive...
How many times have I thought about that? I even imagined that, if I
had returned that moment to Mexico, he would have come back to
life.
What does it mean to achieve happiness? I don’t know anymore...I’m
not sure I understand that even now. What I search for is something
simple: to be able to live with the person I love.
Even after the funeral, the nightmare continued hanging around the
Ardlay house.
Stear and Archie became more and more taciturn, almost as if they
had lost all of their spirit.
I used to go to the garden every morning, at the exact time I had been
meeting Anthony, but that place, already devoid of flowers, was
completely dead and the branches trembled with the wind, as if they
were cold. I was convinced that no flower would ever bloom again.

Flowers die and they are born again even more beautiful. People die
and they are born again even nicer in the hearts of those who stay
behind.

From the bottom of my heart, Anthony’s words had come again to the
surface.
That’s not what I want! I don’t care if you relive in my heart, even if it
happens in a wonderful way, Anthony! I want to hear your voice! I
want to see your eyes shining! I want to touch your hands!
When I screamed those words inside of me, my eyes were filled with
tears. I collapsed on the ground and started crying disconsolately.
But, as I continued, the tears didn’t seem to stop.
What should I do...what should I do?
Crying, I grabbed a branch, as if to cling to Anthony. It was then that
I pricked the tip of my finger with a dark spine, causing a drop of red
blood to flow. I stood staring at it for a moment, bewildered, and I
suddenly realized that I was alive. I looked slowly around me.
That place, that had seemed barren to me before, gave me the
impression that it was protecting life, so that the flowers could bloom
even more beautiful next season.
Anthony...What does it mean to live? What does it mean to die?
Anthony, do I have to go on living even if you don’t anymore?

Yes, Candy.
That moment, I really heard his voice in the wind.
I want you to live with a smile, just as you have been doing until now.
I know, Anthony, but it will be difficult...Anthony, I loved you so
much...
I loved you too.

Maybe that voice I thought I heard was a pure suggestion of mine,

but I’m convinced that it was him who gave me strength to move on.
What must I do now?
Crying, I looked at my injured finger. Without my realizing it, the
blood had stopped.

“For the king of inventions all over the world, Alistair Cornwell, and
for the brave knight of the Stone Entrance, Archibald Cornwell.

Dear Stear and Archie,

Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye to you.
I can’t stay any longer in that villa which is full of Anthony’s memory.
It would be too painful for me.
I don’t want to be a cause of more suffering for Great Aunt Elroy, but
most of all I can’t see you so sad.
For the first time in my life, I managed to explore inside of me. Being
adopted by the Ardlays has been a wonderful dream. But cotton
dresses with patches are more fitting for me than silk ones. What I
realized is that I am the one who prefers them.
I hear a voice inside of me telling me to look for happiness with my
own strength.
Stear, Archie, I don’t know how to thank you for all you have done for
me. I’ll never forget your kindness.
We have so many good memories, don’t we? It’s those memories that
will make me a truly happy person.
I also intend to write to Great Uncle William to apologize and thank
him for adopting me. It was only for a short time, but he has allowed
me to live a beautiful dream.
Stear, Archie, you mustn’t worry about me. When you receive this
letter, I’ll be on the train going directly to Pony’s Home.
I hope you are always well. Also look after Great Aunt. The next time
we see each other, we’ll do it with a smile. It’s a promise.
Candice White”