The Splendour Falls (54 page)

And with nothing to watch, the Colonel disappeared, too. I would attribute it to shame that his deed had been discovered, but he was just a shade, repeating a pattern that had now been broken.

O
n the day I turned eighteen, I received access to the Davis trust fund. On the day after that, I made my cousin Paula and her partner a no-interest loan sufficient to renovate Bluestone Hill and (finally) open it as an inn. She could even hire someone to do the work for her – including the painting.

Which was fortunate, because the bluestone monolith and stone circle made the Travel Channel's list of ‘Mysterious Places to Stay Overnight', and the inn was booked up before the paint was even dry.

Professor Griffith finished his book, and it was about as widely read as you would expect. One of his colleagues called it ‘well researched but absurd'. I think the professor considered that a compliment.

Maddox Point was built, but it became Cahawba Point, a village of rustic rental lodges, where people could enjoy the unspoiled beauty of the Cahaba River. No ATVs or powerboats allowed.

Shawn Maddox missed the cutoff for his college paperwork, and ended up getting a job at the Daisy Café. I didn't expect that would last, because he was still Tom Sawyer, even without the magic charm. But it gave me satisfaction for the moment.

I saw Addie in an ad in
Seventeen
recently. She looked gorgeous, sulky and petulant, and I'm sure it will sell a ton of perfume.

Mother and Dr Steve are unaccountably happy. He really loves her, and she really loves that he loves her. So it all works out.

I told John about my adventure, and he didn't think I was crazy. I'm not sure what made me trust him, except that he used to be the only one who cared what happened to me.

But not any longer. Now there's Rhys.

Because of Rhys, I found out what a hassle it is to get a student visa to the UK. Apparently the British like something more definite than ‘undeclared' as a major. I know I have a lot to learn, but where does helping the world with your supernatural green thumb fit into a traditional course of study?

At least they no longer have a quarantine on dogs.

Rhys says we'll figure it out.

Eighteen may be young to know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, but I felt like this had been several lifetimes coming, and didn't want to waste a moment of this one.

Cahawba (often spelled Cahaba) is a real place, and I've worked a lot of its history into Sylvie's story. The Davis and Maddox families are entirely fictional, there is no Bluestone Hill or Maddox Landing, and I've tweaked the geography a bit. And though, as far as I know, there is no nexus of earth magic at the junction of the Cahaba and Alabama Rivers, if you walk around Old Cahaba Park, it takes only a little imagination to see the ghosts of the houses and bustling streets of Alabama's first state capital. For more information on the park and the preservation efforts there, visit
www.cahawba.com
.

Thanks to the staff of Old Cahawba Park for answering my questions (and for maintaining such a useful bookstore and website). Liberties and outright mistakes in history and geography are all my own.

This book is my friend Cheryl Smyth's fault. She introduced me to Old Cahawba, and to the natural beauty of a state I'd long assumed was all about Confederate flags in the back of pickups at NASCAR races. Also, it's handy having a mad scientist on call.

Credit also goes to my friends and critique partners, Candace Havens and Shannon Canard, who suffered through some very rough drafts and a few hysterical phone calls. And to Mom, who let me drive her car through some really rutted Alabama roads in the name of research. And to my husband, Tim, who has come to take so much in stride.

Much gratitude goes to my agent, Lucienne Diver, who totally gets where I come from, because she comes from there, too. But this time I have to give extra kudos to my editor, Krista Marino, who pushed Sylvie (and me) out of our comfort zones to make this book (even) better. I'm so lucky to work with her, and with all the folks at Random House.

And, as always, I'm grateful to teachers and librarians for their support, and to my readers, who are awesome.

ROSEMARY CLEMENT-MOORE lives and writes in Arlington, Texas.
The Splendour Falls
is her first book published in the UK for teenage readers. You can visit Rosemary at
www.readrosemary.com
.