Hugo’s arms were crossed tightly over his chest; he was still annoyed that I’d gone into the house on my own, even though he knew I’d had to try. ‘She admitted using blood magic?’ he asked.
I nodded.
‘Daisy, that’s not good.’
‘I know,’ I said quietly. ‘She’s so young, Hugo. She looks desperate.’
‘She was nineteen years old when she vanished,’ he said. ‘But youth is no excuse. She’s a high elf – she has to know the risks. She has to know what blood magic will lead to.’
I sighed as I thought about everything she’d said. Who was the bastard she’d told me to trot back to? She could only mean Hugo – or Athair. ‘She was really upset. There’s a lot more going on here than we understand.’
Otis flicked his eyes nervously between us. ‘Is Lady Rose a bad guy?’ he asked in a small voice.
‘No,’ I said instantly.
‘Maybe,’ Hugo muttered.
Otis’s wings flapped harder, indicating his growing anxiety. ‘What do we do now?’
Hester gave him an irritated look. ‘Duh. She won’t accept our help and there’s been nothing so far that suggests we can change what happens in the past. We get some decent snacks, you lot camp out for a couple of days and watch what happens so you can tell Gordon. Then we go home to 2024 and everyone is happy.’ She paused. ‘Apart from Lady Rose. But we can only do so much.’
‘You won’t camp out, too, Hes?’ Otis asked.
She pointed to Hugo. ‘He’s got money. He can book me into the nearest five-star hotel where I will wait until the answers are revealed.’ She smiled toothily at her brother. ‘You can stay with me, if you like.’
‘Hester,’ Otis said, ‘you?—’
Hugo interrupted him. ‘Shh. Listen. Someone’s coming.’
We all froze as we heard a car approaching from the other side of the vast house. I looked at Hugo. Lines of strain were visible across his face; there was a good chance that the car belonged to his parents. We knew that they were supposedly the last people to see Lady Rose alive before her disappearance – and just this morning Athair had asked them to visit her.
I nodded towards the far side of the house. ‘If we go that way, we can see who’s out there without them seeing us.’
Hugo hesitated, clearly desperate to glimpse his parents, but there was also fear in his eyes. There was still a flicker of doubt deep inside Hugo that his mum and dad had been involved in Lady Rose’s disappearance.
‘You can stay here,’ I whispered. ‘I can go alone.’
He shook his head, as if speaking aloud were suddenly too dangerous. I reached for his hand and squeezed it hard. He squeezed back and mouthedthank you. Holding hands, wejogged around the house until we could see what was happening.
There might no longer be any staff at the house, but whoever used to take care of landscaping here had done a sterling job. I was particularly impressed with the massive potted shrub placed handily at the corner of the mansion; it was the perfect size to hide behind and it was angled so that Hugo and I had a clear line of vision to the front door.
I took a quick peek to confirm that it was indeed Lord and Lady Pemberville who had arrived. Hugo was holding his breath, bristling with tension. Most of the time, he brimmed with arrogant confidence – but when it came to family, it was a different story.
We were all bound to family, whether by blood or by other means. Even as adults, it could be hard to accept the idea of your parents as individuals in their own right and not loving superheroes who could do no wrong. Athair’s face flashed into my head and my stomach tightened; nobody wanted their mum and dad to be evil.
I stepped aside to give Hugo the best view. I didn’t say anything; I didn’t need to. He knew I was there for him, no matter what.
Lord and Lady Pemberville looked at each other then walked up to Lady Rose’s front door. ‘She still has that damned ward in place,’ Lord Pemberville muttered. ‘She’s utterly paranoid.’
‘She’s a young woman living on her own, Charles,’ Lady Pemberville said gently.
‘If she hadn’t fired all her staff months ago, she wouldn’tbealone.’
‘I’m sure she’s got her reasons.’ She raised her hand and knocked hard. ‘Maybe you should let me do the talking.’
That was a good idea; Hugo’s mum clearly had a lot more empathy for Lady Rose than his dad.
I expected that Lady Rose would treat them in the same way as she’d treated everyone else: either ignore them or throw magic to drive them away as quickly as possible. Several long seconds passed, then Lady Pemberville knocked again. I was almost certain that Rose wouldn’t respond when Hugo’s mum called out loudly, ‘Rose? It’s Charles and Tash. Please open up. We only want to chat.’
