‘Uhm, thank you,’ said Ramsay.
‘Mirren Sutherland,’ said Mirren. Ramsay’s hand engulfed hers completely as he shook it. He gave her a wide friendly grin.
‘Theo Palliser,’ said Theo.
Ramsay’s grin suddenly faded. ‘No relation to ...’
‘Philip? He’s my uncle.’
‘And you’re working for him?’
The shift had been so fast, Mirren was puzzled.
‘Uhm, yes,’ said Theo.
‘You too?’
‘No!’ said Mirren. ‘I’m just looking for a book for my great-aunt. That she lost a long time ago.’
‘And you’ve ... hired a Palliser?’
‘Just coincidence,’ said Theo quickly. ‘I’m touring on the lookout for early Dickens, we can’t get enough of that in London. Specifically, a second-editionSketches by “Boz”, if you come across one.’
Ramsay’s face softened a little. ‘Oh, that is a pretty couple of tomes,’ he said, smiling slightly. Then he looked around and folded his arms. ‘So, what are you after?’
Mirren explained, and Ramsay whistled. ‘So you think it’s real?’
She showed him the photograph.
‘And this was just ... hanging up?’ He shook his head. ‘Bloody hell. I thought it was a myth, like theUp on the Rooftopswhite edition.’ He stared at it again. ‘WELL,’ he said. Then, almost to himself, ‘Where would you start looking?’
‘I don’t have it,’ said Mr McCreadie.
‘How could you possibly know?’ said Mirren, looking around at the seemingly endless Aladdin’s cave.
‘Oh, he knows,’ shouted Carmen’s voice from way off. ‘He just won’t share his “magical system” with anybody else.’
Chapter 23
Ramsay offered two suggestions: the Writers’ Museum, on Lady Stair’s Close, and the author’s old home, on Heriot Row, seeing as they knew the book had been there at least once.
As Theo headed through the door to the street, it felt like, suddenly, the air outside had turned much, much colder. Ramsay sidled up quietly to Mirren.
‘You just want this book so your aunt can see it again, yes?’
Mirren nodded. ‘That’s all she wants.’
He glanced at Theo, who was stamping his feet outside and looking at his phone.
‘Thing is,’ he said, ‘the Pallisers have ... a reputation in my line of work.’
Mirren regarded him steadily. ‘So you think ... if I find it, I should bring it to you?’
Ramsay laughed. ‘Oh goodness, of course not. Although I’d certainly do you a good deal on it. No. I’m just saying, be careful.’
‘Theo isn’t like his uncle,’ said Mirren hotly.
‘Oh, I’m glad you know him so well. Right-oh.’
