Athair also rose to his feet. ‘I think not, daughter.’
Thank goodness he was trying to prevent my departure; I’d have been in trouble if he’d let me leave without an argument. I needed Athair to put the drugs away for my own sanity, but I couldn’t leave the restaurant if I wanted to ensure Hugo’s safety.
I lifted my chin defiantly and eyed my birth father coldly. ‘I didn’t come here to be goaded back into addiction or mocked because of my past. Not by you. Not by anyone.’
Hester and Otis folded their arms and glared at him as if they were highly trained bodyguards.
‘All I wanted to do,’ Athair said in a contrite tone that I probably would have believed if it had come from anyone else, ‘was to show you what is possible for a fiend. I went too far, and for that I apologise.’ He gestured to my chair. ‘You promised me dinner. I understand if you want to leave but I would like itif you stayed for dessert.’ He spread his palms. ‘Please, Daisy. I amentreatingyou to stay.’
I almost snorted. Entreating? As if that would make a difference. The entire charade with Arbuthnot and the drugs had been a test: Athair had wanted to check my limits and probe my weaknesses, and now he thought he had all the answers. But if Athair could put on an act then so could I. Maybe we were alike after all. ‘No more drugs,’ I said.
‘Of course not.’
‘No more descriptions of how wonderful it is to be a fiend, and no more waxing lyrical about what I could gain if I was stupid enough to join you.’
‘You would gain a great deal,’ Athair said.
I took out my wallet, withdrew two crisp notes and dropped them on the table. ‘We’re done here.’ I started walking away.
‘Wait!’ Athair said. ‘I will do as you request for the remainder of this meal.’
I kept walking.
‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Daisy,’ Hester muttered.
‘Of course she knows!’ Otis whispered, affronted on my behalf.
I didn’t have a bloody clue; I was making this up as I went along.
‘You can choose the topics of conversation,’ Athair called. ‘I can tell you about my early life. You can learn more about your true origins. Haven’t you ever wondered about your grandparents?’
I allowed myself to stumble as if he’d finally caught my attention. It worked.
Athair took full advantage. ‘Or other members of our family? I had several brothers and sisters, you know, and a couple survived to adulthood. Their descendants are probably still alivetoday.’ He paused. ‘You can ask me anything you like, Daisy. I will answer truthfully.’
I stopped next to a couple who appeared to be out for a romantic dinner. The man was fiddling with something by the side of the table and when I looked down I spotted a small velvet box. Ah: he’d been planning to propose. Unfortunately, between Arbuthnot’s appearance and the melodrama playing out between Athair and me, his thunder had obviously been stolen.
I sent him an apologetic look but he scowled at me. By contrast, his dinner companion blinked at me with what appeared to be relief. Oh dear: she didn’t want to have that question popped. That was uncomfortable.
I turned slowly and scanned the room, aware that many of the diners were watching and listening. I stood there for a while, sucking on my bottom lip, then returned to Athair. ‘How old are you?’ I asked quietly so that I wouldn’t be overheard.
Triumph flashed in his expression. ‘Six hundred and thirty-two – maybe thirty-three. I’m not sure which year I was born. Birthdays weren’t really celebrated when I was young.’
‘Where was this?’
‘York.’ He smiled slightly. ‘Back then it wasn’t a particularly pleasant place. The Black Death was rife.’ He pointed at our abandoned table. ‘I can tell you about it over coffee and cake.’
I sniffed then gave a reluctant nod and walked slowly back to my seat. This was turning out better than I could have hoped for; the more I learned about the real Athair, the better my chance of discovering his weaknesses.
And of one day ending his long life for good.
Chapter
Seven
The taxi driver was as taciturn on the return journey as he’d been on our way to the restaurant. Now his silence suited me; I wanted the time to chew over everything I’d learned from Athair, who’d been surprisingly chatty during the second half of the evening. Although it would have been easy to dismiss the information he’d given me as little more than colourful background to his early life, there might be nuggets that could prove useful.
Once we drove onto the long drive that led to Pemberville Castle, my thoughts turned to Hugo. Although I was worried about him, I didn’t really believe that his sneaky venture to Athair’s lair would result in disaster. Hugo was one of those people who skated through mortal danger with ease; he was far too intelligent and capable to allow anything truly bad to happen. Not that I’d tell him that – his ego managed perfectly well without my intervention.
