She turned her eyes to him - her face was clearly pale, even in the gloom - and then to Celeste, who had jumped to her feet.
"It's OK," he repeated, still holding her.
The driver reached out to hug Alan, who, trusting now that she would keep her balance, greeted his friend warmly.
"So these are the two stowaways."
"They're really tired. C'mon. Let's get out of here."
Roxanne could tell by Celeste's face that she too had thought it was Mr. Harris, their father's assistant, coming to fetch them. It was only natural for them to believe that since, until now, his was the only car they'd ever seen and, besides, it looked a lot like this one. In fact, they were identical. At least, on the outside. They'd never had the chance to step inside.
When she settled herself comfortably on the back seat, knowing they were not going back to the castle, Roxanne felt her muscles relax and she abandoned herself to sleep. But just before closing her eyes, she contemplated for brief seconds the river, glittering in the night. The first river she'd ever seen, which was much more beautiful than book descriptions had allowed her to imagine.