‘It’s not a problem.’ The housekeeper stepped back. ‘Follow me.’
As soon as she turned away, Hester punched me repeatedly with both her tiny fists. Otis giggled. I winked at them and motioned to them to behave.
We walked into the grand entrance of Pemberville Castle. The paintings on the walls were the same; the suits of armour were the same; the only difference was the faint but pleasant scent of beeswax and lemon.
The woman directed us to an ornate wooden bench opposite the sweeping staircase. I nodded my thanks and settled down, scratching the back of my neck and twitching slightly as I did so. ‘Would you like something to drink while you’re waiting?’ she asked. ‘A pot of tea, perhaps?’
Before I could answer, a strange rattling sound followed by a loud dinging bell echoed towards us. The woman raised her eyes heavenward. A moment later, a tiny figure on a toy trike careened around the corridor and skidded towards us. ‘Master Hugo!’ she said. ‘You’re not supposed to be in this part of the house!’
My mouth went dry and I couldn’t stop myself from staring. I was not a fan of small children – they were unpredictable and made me feel nervous – but Hugo was quite possibly the cutest child I’d ever seen.
He turned his head towards the housekeeper and grinned impishly, revealing the same dimple that I would know so well in thirty years’ time, then he scooted over to me. Completely fascinated, Hester, Otis and I stared at this tiny version of Hugo.
I leaned down and smiled at him. ‘Hello, there.’
He burbled something incomprehensible before reaching upwith one chubby hand until his fingers latched onto my necklace, which was hanging forward between us.
‘Master Hugo! Let the nice lady go!’ the housekeeper said.
Hugo tightened his grip and suddenly I saw echoes of the man he would become. He giggled and tugged, determined to yank the pendant from my neck. ‘Puh – ritty!’ he chortled. ‘Mine!’
I carefully extracted his fingers and pulled back, then tucked the necklace out of sight beneath my shirt. Almost immediately, his face crumpled and his cheeks turned bright red. Uh-oh.
‘You’ve done it now,’ Hester murmured in my ear.
Hugo’s wide blue eyes flicked to her. Forgetting his impending tantrum, he thrust out his hand and tried to grab her in the same way he’d grabbed my necklace. Before he could, the housekeeper scooped him up in her arms. ‘I’m sorry about that,’ she said with fond exasperation. ‘He’s a handful.’
‘He’s very cute,’ Otis told her.
‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘He’ll be a real heartbreaker when he grows up.’
Hester drew in a breath as she prepared to speak. I glared at her before she said something I’d regret. ‘I have no doubt,’ I murmured non-commitally.
‘I’ll take him to the nursery,’ the housekeeper said. ‘If you wait here, Lord and Lady Pemberville should be free soon.’
I watched as she headed up the stairs with Hugo squirming all the way. ‘Happy now?’ Hester asked.
‘I—’ I began. Then I stopped.
‘What’s wrong, Daisy?’ Otis frowned at me. ‘You’ve gone all pale.’
I rubbed my neck and a moment later rolled up my sleeves and scratched my arms. Seeing my actions, Hester and Otis immediately stiffened then shot up into the air in alarm as they scanned the empty entrance hall with panicked eyes.
A door to the right opened; I knew it led to the sun-filled garden room with its south facing windows and glorious views. With my heart hammering against my ribcage, I sprang to my feet and waved wildly at both brownies, who immediately took refuge behind the nearest suit of armour. My right hand strayed towards Gladys’s hilt.
‘I do so appreciate your time,’ said a smooth, cultured male voice.
‘You’re very welcome, doctor,’ a woman replied. ‘Although our families haven’t always seen eye to eye, I’d hate to think that poor Rose is in any trouble. She’s so very young.’ She stepped out of the doorway and smiled, revealing her own little dimple.
I sucked in a sharp breath: this was Hugo’s mum. Beside her was a tall, well-dressed man with tawny hair. As I watched, Lord and Lady Pemberville stepped forward out of the garden room. Only then did I get a good look at their companion.
He didn’t look like a fiend, although I supposed he’d hardly be in his natural form. I glanced briefly at his grey suit and checked tie, then stared in stark horror at his face.
‘I am certain,’ he said to the couple, ‘that if you can persuade her to leave her house and take in some fresh air, even if only for a turn around her gardens, she will start to feel like her old self again. The healing properties of nature are not to be underestimated.’
Lord Pemberville nodded gravely while Lady Pemberville twisted her hands together in obvious concern. I barely looked at them, however, because my attention was focused on the self-styled doctor, who was smiling gently at them.
The face he was wearing was one I’d seen before; in thirty years’ time, that very same face would be at Gordon Mackenzie’s front door in the guise of a postal worker. That could onlymean it was Athair – in Hugo’s home, chatting amiably to Hugo’s parents and less than five metres away from me.
