Chapter 4

Mrs. Pratt stood very still. Lucy could almost see the thoughts moving behind her eyes: an earl, a secret, a thank-you."Cordelia," said Mrs. Pratt slowly, "we shall take the blue hat after all."That night, Lucy sat in her little room with her needles in her lap. She did not knit. She looked at the candle. I would like to find her, he had said.She thought about it. Then she shook her head and picked up her needles. "No," she said out loud to no one. "Mother never wanted thanks. Neither do I." And she knitted until the candle was gone.On Sunday, the church was full to the doors. Everyone wanted to see the new Earl. Lucy sat at the very back by the cold wall where the shop girls and the maids always sat. The children of St. Anne's sat in two long rows near her in their gray coats. Sam was at the end. On his hands were a pair of gray mittens.After the service, the people stood about outside in the snow, and Mrs. Pratt made her move. She did it very well. She walked up to the Earl with Cordelia in the new blue hat. She put her hand on her heart. She lowered her voice, but not so low that the people around could not hear."My lord, I have been thinking about what you said in the hat shop, and I find I cannot lie to you. Not to a man of such good heart." She dropped her eyes. "I am the Blue Star."A little gasp went round. People turned. People stared."I never meant anyone to know," said Mrs. Pratt. "A good deed should be done in secret. But when you said you wished to thank her... well, I could not let you go on searching."The Earl looked at her for a long moment; his face showed nothing at all. "Then I thank you, madam," he said at last. "And I should like to help. I will send you £200 tomorrow for the children. You will know best how to use it."Mrs. Pratt glowed like a lamp.At the back of the crowd, Lucy stood very still. She felt a small hand pull at her coat. It was Sam. His face was red and his eyes were full of angry tears."That's a lie," he whispered. "That's a lie, Miss Lucy. That's you. I'm going to tell."Lucy knelt down in the snow so her face was close to his. "Sam. You made me a promise."

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