1 A Great Surprise

Little Lord Fauntleroy Retold from the Frahces Hodgson Burnett original

CHAPTER 1 A Great Surprise "Dearest," Cedric said to his mama. "Dearest, is my papa better?" Cedric called his mama Dearest, just like his papa had. Cedric's papa had been terribly ill, and Cedric had been sent away until he got better. But when the boy returned, he found Dearest sitting in her chair by the window. She was dressed in black, and her pretty face looked very sad. Cedric went to her. He felt her arms tremble. There was something in her face

that made his heart beat fast with worry. "Dearest," he said again quietly, "is Papa well?" Suddenly he knew what to do. He wrapped his arms around her neck, and he kissed her again and again. She put her face on his shoulder and started sobbing. She was holding on to him tightly, as if she would never let go. "Yes, he is well," Dearest said at last. "But we—we have no one left but each other."

Cedric was only a little boy, but somehow he understood. His big, handsome papa was not coming back. He was dead. A few years passed. Dearest cried whenever he asked about his papa, so Cedric secretly decided not to talk about him. He remembered a few things about his papa. His name was Captain Cedric Errol. He was very tall and had blue eyes and a mustache. Cedric remembered how wonderful it felt when his papa carried him around on his shoulders. That's what Cedric remembered most. He also knew that his papa was not from New York, where he and Dearest lived. His papa was from England. Cedric thought that was why his papa's family never visited. They were too far away.

His mama's family never visited either, but that was because she had no family. She was an orphan. Before Dearest married his papa, she had worked for a rich old lady who was not kind to her. One day, Captain Errol was visiting the old lady's house and noticed Cedric's mama running up the stairs. From that moment on, the captain couldn't stop thinking about her. She looked so sweet, so innocent. He came back to visit again and again. He fell in love with her, and soon— quicker than anyone could have guessed— they were planning to get married. This marriage made some people very unhappy, even angry. The captain's father was especially upset. He was the Earl of Dorincourt, a rich and important nobleman who lived in a fine, beautiful castle. He was known for having a terrible temper. He also hated America and Americans.

The earl had two sons who were older than Captain Cedric. The oldest son was a lord. He would one day become the Earl of Dorincourt, after the old earl died. If the first son died, the second son would become the earl's heir. As for the third son, he would only become a lord if both of his brothers died. More than likely, he would never be the Earl of Dorincourt. He would never even be very rich, since most of the family fortune would go to his older brothers. Captain Cedric knew this, but it didn't matter to him. He was a kind young man, and very handsome. He was also brave and generous. Everyone loved him. His older brothers were not handsome or kind or smart. They wasted their time and money and had very few real friends. The earl's two older sons were a disappointment. They embarrassed him. His heirs were not an honor to his noble name.