New Horizons (22 page)

Suddenly George Stuart appeared and saw Mandie sitting alone in the carriage. He walked up to her and said, “Sorry I cannot speak to you; we haven't been properly introduced yet.”

His sister, who had been walking with him, stepped forward and said, “Amanda Shaw, I would like for you to meet my brother, George Stuart.”

George bowed and said, “I am very honored to make the acquaintance of Miss Amanda Shaw, the heroine of the hour. Miss Shaw, may I have the honor of being your escort for the final social this year?” He straightened up and waited.

Mandie realized he was really asking her to be his escort at the school banquet. She smiled at him and said, “I shall give it some consideration and give you my answer within a fortnight.”

“Thank you, Miss Shaw,” George Stuart said.

At that moment Mrs. Taft arrived at the carriage and told Mr. Donovan, “We should go on to the carriage factory now, if you please.”

Mr. Donovan helped her into the carriage as Mandie tried to
keep the shocked yet excited look off her face.

“Miss Trellain will arrange for you to take your final examinations orally since you cannot use your hand to write,” Mrs. Taft told her. “And those girls sounded quite sincere in their apologies; I hope they're people you can be friendly with now.”

Mandie was just overwhelmed and needed some time away from the college.

When Mandie and Mrs. Taft had finished their errands for the day, they returned to the Dunnigans', where good news was awaiting Mandie. Her mother had called the law enforcement office and left word that Mandie should not make any arrangements for the end of the school year about visiting her friends. Elizabeth Shaw said that she and John Shaw would be checking Mandie out of school when the year ended, and then they were going to stay at the beach cottage belonging to their friends the Pattons, who would be out of town. Mandie and her mother and her uncle would have two whole weeks together alone, without the babies, and without all those friends Mandie was forever congregating with.

When Mrs. Dunnigan gave Mandie the message, Mandie was more excited than she had ever been about anything. She was going to have her mother and Uncle John all to herself. Everyone seemed to be congregating all the time at some place or other, and she was rather tired of it. She had never had her mother and Uncle John all to herself for any length of time before.

She could hardly wait for the school year to end.

And then she remembered something—Adrian. What would she do if Adrian arrived and tried to catch up with her? She still wasn't sure whether she wanted to see him or not. She'd think about it and decide by the time school was out for the summer, which was only two weeks away.

And then there was Joe. Was he planning to come down to travel home with her when school let out?

And she couldn't believe that she had finally been asked out by George Stuart. What would become of him over the summer?

Oh, so many things that needed answers. But for now Mandie was going to enjoy the last two weeks of school with her friends.

Mandie® Mysteries

Mandie and . . .

  1/
the Secret Tunnel

  2/
the Cherokee Legend

  3/
the Ghost Bandits

  4/
the Forbidden Attic

  5/
the Trunk's Secret

  6/
the Medicine Man

  7/
the Charleston Phantom

  8/
the Abandoned Mine

  9/
the Hidden Treasure

10/
the Mysterious Bells

11/
the Holiday Surprise

12/
the Washington Nightmare

13/
the Midnight Journey

14/
the Shipboard Mystery

15/
the Foreign Spies

16/
the Silent Catacombs

17/
the Singing Chalet

18/
the Jumping Juniper

19/
the Mysterious Fisherman

20/
the Windmill's Message

21/
the Fiery Rescue

22/
the Angel's Secret

23/
the Dangerous Imposters

24/
the Invisible Troublemaker

25/
Her Missing Kin

26/
the Schoolhouse's Secret

27/
the Courtroom Battle

28/
Jonathan's Predicament

29/
the Unwanted Gift

30/
the Long Good-bye

31/
the Buried Stranger

32/
the Seaside Rendezvous

33/
the Dark Alley

34/
the Tornado!

35/
the Quilt Mystery

36/
the New York Secret

37/
the Night Thief

38/
the Hidden Past

39/
the Missing Schoolmarm

40/
the Graduation Mystery

Mandie: Her College Days

1/
New Horizons