—Eloise—

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the steady sound of footsteps around me. I rolled onto my back, peeled my eyes open, and saw Mrs. Collins and another housekeeper cleaning my room and arranging my things in the closet.

“Good morning, ma'am,” Mrs. Collins said, noticing that I was awake. “Mr. Holt asked us to make sure everything was unpacked and put away.”

Of course he did. He had already decided I belonged here.

I threw the covers aside, swung my feet ...