Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

T hanks to Tracey’s success at raising money, I could not only afford a cheap B the gnawing fear that I’d end up in withdrawal had been nibbling away at me, and it had been getting exhausting.

There was enough money left over to pay for a set of clothes from a charity shop and for my travel the following morning. I was both renewed and refreshed; I no longer smelled like a marsh and I no longer felt like a grubby marsh monster. My mood was so buoyant that I felt I could take on the whole world, regardless of what year it was. I tried to ignore the fact that the shaking in my hands kept recurring, and the heart palpitations, tinnitus and cold sweats continued to flare up when I least wanted them.

The train route was unchanged from what I knew it would be in the future. Finally I hopped off at a vaguely familiar platform and glanced around. Pemberville Castle, Hugo’s family seat, was less than four miles away; the Assigney mansion was roughly the same distance, albeit in the opposite direction.

Hester cracked her knuckles. ‘I am ready for our next heroic encounter,’ she declared. ‘Let’s save Lady Rose!’

I turned to the right and started walking. ‘Um, Daisy? Lady Rose’s house is the other way,’ Otis murmured.

‘We’ll go to Hugo’s place first,’ I said firmly.

He was astonished. ‘Why would we do that? If he’s there, he’ll only be a baby. He won’t be much use.’

Actually, in 1994 Hugo would be two years old, still in nappies but no longer a babe in arms. ‘We can’t just rock up at Lady Rose’s house, knock on the door and tell her she’s in danger. We need to establish the lay of the land. Hugo’s parents are Lady Rose’s immediate neighbours, and we know that they tried to speak to Rose several times before she vanished. If we talk to them first, we might learn more about what’s going on.’

Hester sniffed. ‘We might also interrupt them in the middle of sawing Lady Rose’s body into bits before burying them in their vegetable garden.’

I certainly hoped not, for Hugo’s sake. ‘Well,’ I said lightly, ‘at least that’ll solve the mystery of what happened to her. And we’ve got days yet before Rose vanishes for good, so they won’t be sawing her up yet.’

‘Do you think that they killed her?’ Otis asked worriedly.

‘I’m keeping an open mind. But until any evidence presents itself to the contrary, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.’

Innocent until proven guilty. I’d never met Hugo’s mum and dad but I found it hard to believe they’d have the motive or the desire to kill off their neighbour and hide her body. Call me na?ve, but it seemed unlikely.

Neither Otis nor Hester said anything. I turned around and glanced at them. They were pulling faces at each other and gesturing pointedly. ‘What?’ I asked, faintly exasperated .

Hester arched a mocking grin in my direction. ‘You can tell the truth, Daisy.’

‘Yeah,’ Otis said. ‘We won’t judge you.’

‘No.’ Hester shook her head. ‘We will judge you. But you don’t have to lie.’

I gazed at them. ‘I’m not going to Pemberville Castle first because I want to see Hugo as a kid. I have a carefully laid plan. I’ve considered this a great deal, and it’s the sensible thing to do.’

‘Yup.’ Otis grinned broadly.

‘Sure thing, Daisy,’ Hester added.

‘It’s true!’ Mostly true.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Yep.’

I turned away. ‘Come on.’

They snickered loudly. Vargas had been right on one count: minions weren’t what they used to be.

When I turned onto the long driveway and Pemberville Castle and its grounds finally came into sight, a flicker of relief warmed my insides. It looked exactly the same now as it would in thirty years, and that familiarity was comforting. The hedges lining the road were pruned in the same manner, the apple trees in the orchard to the east displayed the same blossom, and the castle didn’t look any different, even though I knew that Hugo had carried out a lot of necessary repairs.

Other than the row of unfamiliar – and very expensive – cars parked outside the castle, the main difference was that Duchess wouldn’t be lurking beneath the bridge that crossed the old moat. I’d miss her presence; in fact, when I reached the bridge I paused for a moment to acknowledge her. Strangely, it seemed the right thing to do. I didn’t linger for long, though.

With my shoulders pulled back and my chin high, I walked to the massive oak front door and rang the heavy bell. ‘You’ve got this, Daisy,’ I muttered under my breath.

I didn’t have to wait for long. Within half a minute, the door creaked open and I was looking into the smiling face of a woman in her fifties. She was wearing a long apron that almost reached her ankles. I gazed into her twinkling eyes and, for one stupid moment, thought I was looking at Hugo’s mother until I realised she was far too old and was probably a member of staff.

‘Good morning,’ I said briskly, hoping that my charity-shop suit and business-like tone would make her think I was some sort of professional. ‘My name is Gertrude Van Winkle. I am from the Royal Elvish Institute and I have an appointment with Lord and Lady Pemberville. I’m slightly early. I do hope that’s alright.’

The woman’s eyes slid from me to Otis and Hester. Thankfully, both brownies decided to play along.

‘Kimberley Kardashian,’ Hester said, with a mid-air curtsey.

Otis bowed. ‘Mark Zuckerberg. We are Ms Van Winkle’s assistants.’

The woman blinked. ‘I don’t have any record of an appointment.’

I let a tiny frown cross my face. ‘Kim,’ I said, addressing Hester, ‘you did call yesterday to confirm, didn’t you?’

Hester looked momentarily panic-stricken. ‘I … uh … I…’

I tutted loudly. ‘We’ve come a long way for this.’

The woman took pity on us. ‘Not to worry. The Pembervilles are in a meeting at the moment, but I expect they’ll be finished soon. You’re welcome to wait inside while I see if they’ve got time to talk to you. ’

‘That’s very kind of you,’ I told her, making sure to glare pointedly at Hester at the same time.

‘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 up with 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 only mean it was Athair – in Hugo’s home, chatting amiably to Hugo’s parents and less than five metres away from me.

Cumbubbling bollocks.