In contrast to Pemberville Castle, the Assigney homestead looked markedly different now to how it would in the future. I was stunned when I saw the well-kept gardens and the windows sparkling in the sunlight. This was a much-loved home. I had thought that the building was beautiful the first time I’d seen it but that was nothing comparedto this.
Hugo noticed my reaction. ‘It’s quite something, isn’t it? I’m so used to seeing it empty and unloved.’
I gazed ahead. Somewhere within those walls, almost within touching distance, Lady Rose was alive and well. A shiver rippled through me; everything about this venture felt unreal.
We were all silent as we approached the front of the house. I scanned the windows for moving shadows, but if Lady Rose was watching us approach I couldn’t see her.
Rather than park at the front and advertise our presence, Hugo headed for a narrow dirt road that led to an old barn. He parked the rental car out of sight around the far side and turned off the engine. ‘We have to be ready to hide if Athair reappears.’
I nodded grimly. ‘He clearly doesn’t know who I am. I’d like to keep it that way.’
‘There’s still no proof he’s your father, Daisy.’
I thought of the DNA test I’d taken; the results were thirty years away, but I had a feeling that they would confirm everything that Athair had told me. ‘Even if he is, I’m not the important one here.’ I pointed at the huge house. ‘She is.’
‘Then let’s see if we can persuade her to talk to us,’ Hugo said.
‘You could pretend to be a delivery driver again,’ Otis piped up from the back.
‘Or take a leaf out of Athair’s book and be a postman,’ Hester suggested.
I shook my head. ‘No. Lady Rose needs the truth.’
‘That she’s about to vanish forever and we’re from the future?’ Otis screwed up his face. ‘I’m not sure that will engage her trust.’
‘Maybe not,’ I said. ‘But I won’t lie to her. Whatever is going on here, we need to show her that there are people she can trust.’
‘The truth won’t work, Daisy!’ Hester spluttered. ‘It’s too bizarre! She’ll never trust us if you tell her who we really are.’
I glanced at Hugo but he merely shrugged. ‘It’s so far-fetched that she might actually believe it.’
I straightened my shoulders and opened the car door. ‘There’s only one way to find out.’
We marched around the barn, four abreast as if we were cowboys entering Tombstone for a gunfight. The only thing missing was tumbleweed – and guns. Seeming to sense my thoughts, Gladys buzzed briefly and my fingers lightly brushed her hilt for reassurance. ‘You’re better than any gun,’ I murmured. Confused, Hugo squinted at me but I waved him off and pinned my mouth shut.
The only sound was the crunching of both my and Hugo’s footsteps on the gravel and the faint hum as the brownies’ wings flapped beside us. If Lady Rose was watching us secretly from behind those vast walls, she’d know that we meant business.
The ward that encircled her home wasn’t visible to the naked eye but that didn’t detract from its strength. Every time I veered close to the building, I felt it thrum and bristle, all but yelling ‘keep away’. Despite my anxiety about its reasons for being there, I had to admire its force: this was a magical barrier that any witch would be proud of. No wonder Athair was having to resort to other methods to get to Lady Rose; even he would find it nigh on impossible to get past this ward.
At the main door, I looked at the others. Hester and Otis nodded while Hugo flashed a tight smile of encouragement. I inhaled deeply and walked to the door, ignoring the screech as the ward tried to shoo me away.
I raised my fist and banged loudly on the wooden frame.
Nothing happened. I knocked again; this time I also shouted, ‘Hello? Lady Rose Assigney?’ No response. ‘My name isDaisy Carter. This,’ I waved behind me, ‘believe it or not, is Hugo Pemberville. Beside him are two brownies.’
‘I’m Hester!’
Otis cleared his throat. ‘My name is Otis!’
I raised my voice to its maximum volume. ‘We know you’re having trouble with a fiend called Athair, but we’re here to help you. We are on your side!’
I waited, hoping that Lady Rose would offer some sign that she’d heard me. When there was nothing but silence, I opened my mouth– but as I drew breath to shout again there was a faint creak from above.
I looked up. One of the second-storey windows was opening. Yahtzee. That had been easier than I’d expected. ‘Thank you!’ I called. ‘All I need is for you to hear me out. You see?—'
I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence before Hugo muttered a warning. A gust of warm wind rippled towards us from the east; seconds later, that warm breeze transformed into shooting flames that were coming straight towards us.
I yelped, then reacted as quickly as I could. With a surge of defensive magic, I tempered the fire with a burst of cold water conjured up from the damp, humid atmosphere.
