Jacob and Estelle waved good-bye to the Indians and Freya and Ianthe. The Indians had promised to sneak the two girls back in after dark. Estelle was amazed at the girls choice to stay. She could never do that. As Estelle brought her hand down slowly, Jacob caught it.

“Thank you,” he mouthed to her. She nodded happily. She looked shyly up at him.

“I've never had a brother. Want to be adopted?” she asked. Jacob grinned from ear to ear.

“Sure! I'd love to!”

“Well, then, consider yourself adopted! I love you big brother!”

“You too little sister!”

Jacob suddenly looked pained. Estelle caught his hand and stroked it.

“What's wrong?”

“I was remembering my family. My mother and my older brother and my two sisters. When I was captured a few years ago, my father was killed, but my family was in hiding. You see, we knew of the slave-catchers in those parts, and we hid from them. But we had to have food and water and clothing. So my father and my brother went on hunting trips every week to get food for the rest of us. One day, My brother was sick with a cold and would scare the game away, so father took me instead. The slave-catchers were prowling the woods and caught us. They shot father on the spot with bows, but took me as a slave. I never heard from my family again.”

“Oh, that's terrible!”

“Yeah. So I kinda gave up on them. But just now you reminded me that they might still be alive. I just hope they're still where we used to live.”

While they had been talking, they had walked through the woods and onto a footpath. Estelle looked down and noticed this right off.

“Hey! I know this path! Come on!”

They hurtled down the path and came on the back gardens of a huge mansion. Jacob's mouth hung open and he stared at this huge house.

“Where is this?” he gasped. “It's amazing!”

“Oh, just a friend's house,” Estelle replied offhandedly. Jacob gaped at the house and it's grounds.

“A friend? Yike!”

“Come on!”

They walked to the front door and Estelle knocked. David answered. He grinned as soon as he saw who it was.

“Hey Mom! Guess who I found on our front steps!”

“Don't tell me. Another girl.”

“Nope! Same one.”

“What!”

A woman came running to the door. She saw Estelle and gave her a hug.

“Oh, Estelle! You're back!”

“Hello Mrs. Caraway. It's good to see you again!”

“You too! Oh, but David's missed you!”

David flushed.

“Mom!”

“I've missed you too, David.”

“And who is this fine-looking young man?”

“This is Jacob.”

“Oh! The young man you were looking for! Estelle obviously thinks a lot of you, Jacob. Come in, come in!”

They all trooped in and the door closed. A spy peered out of the bushes and went to report to Darren.