by Sharon Booth
'There's always my place,' he said. 'I have a very large and comfortable study and we wouldn't be disturbed in there.'
Sky rolled her eyes, and I grinned. He'd be asking her to come up and look at his etchings next.
'That would be amazing,' Trinity told him. 'When should we meet up?'
'How about tonight?'
I gave him a sharp look. Had he forgotten his study was full of many magical artefacts, papers and supplies? How was he going to explain those? Not to mention the fact we had a refugee from the seventeenth century at home — something I wasted no time in pointing out when Trinity went off to the "bathroom" to "powder her nose".
'Oh, it will be fine,' he said airily. 'I'll tell her the magical stuff is overflow from the museum, and she's not necessarily going to meet Blaise. If she does, I'm sure he can carry it off. He's come a long way.'
'That's not what you said this morning,' I gasped.
'You should relax,' he said. 'Trinity's not a private detective or a reporter, is she? She's not looking for a scoop. She's an editor, and she wants the next JJ Richmond book to be his best work, that's all.'
'And you don't think discovering his latest book is based on facts, rather than some quaint little British legend, will freak her out?'
'You know I'd never jeopardise this family,' he said calmly. 'I'll keep her out of the way, I promise.'
'I bet you will,' Sky said, giggling.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Oh, come on! Sirius and Trinity sitting in a tree,' she sang, then frowned. 'Gosh, that doesn't scan at all. Why do you both have to have three-syllable names? Still, that's another thing you have in common.'
'What are you implying?'
'You're joking, right?' she said.
'You do seem to have hit it off with her,' I said carefully. 'Which is lovely,' I added, with some haste in case I scared him.
His eyebrows knitted together. 'We were talking, that's all. There's nothing else to it.'
'Sure there isn't,' Sky said cheerfully. 'Even though Trinity's tongue was practically hanging out at the sight of you.'
'She's just being friendly,' he said, scowling. 'You know what Americans are like.'
'Yes, a bit annoying actually,' Sky said. 'Everything's so cute and quaint and adorable, according to Trinity.'
'That's not fair. We take this place for granted, but see it through her eyes. She's flown in to the mother country — to the county her ancestors came from. Everything must seem ancient to her round here. No wonder she's excited.'
I froze as icy fingers danced down my spine. At last my wariness about Trinity all made sense, and I had to stop myself from bursting out my thoughts to my siblings. Sky didn't understand what was going on, and I didn't want to frighten her. As for Sirius, his new passion would cloud his judgment. So who did I tell? Because I needed to talk this over with someone, and fast. Trinity could be a major threat to my family, if not the entire world.
Chapter Seventeen
Daffodils were blooming in the castle grounds as I strolled through East Gate, hands in pockets, deep in thought. Above me, the sky hung low and menacing, the clouds dark and swollen with rain. The wind whipped around me as I walked, and I wondered if spring would ever arrive in Castle Clair. It seemed a long way off to me. Apart from the odd day of sunshine, we'd been trapped in what felt like an eternal winter.
I wandered over to my usual bench to stare down at the river. The Hrafn looked calm and untroubled. No one would ever guess the turmoil in those waters less than three months previously. I felt as if the same turmoil I'd witnessed then was repeating itself within me. My stomach churned with nerves and my mind flitted restlessly from one disturbed thought to another.
Trinity. The name kept rattling around in my head as I tried to decide what to do. I should tell Sirius, I knew that. I always told him everything. He was my big brother, and the head of the St Clair family. He was level-headed, calm, intelligent. He always knew what to do. But this was different.
Last night, he'd been like an excited puppy as he welcomed his guest into our home. Mother had been delighted to meet her, and even Castor had looked thrilled Sirius was at last, it seemed, looking to the future, even though he'd been distinctly unimpressed when Trinity had thrown her arms around him and kissed him on both cheeks. I couldn't spoil my family's happiness. I just couldn't. At least, not until I had to ...
Blaise had stayed in his room last night, seeming happy to do so. He'd been out gardening all day and announced it had tired him and he needed an early night. It felt like a good idea to keep him out of the way, so Trinity, after obtaining her interview with Sirius, had been welcomed into the living room and had supper with us. Our home had enchanted her, and she couldn't get over how old it was.
The trouble was, every time she raved about our ancient beams and the old stone fireplace, the thick Elizabethan walls and the creaking floorboards, it made me shiver with dread. Part of me longed to find Aveta and tell her of my fears, but I didn't want to raise the alarm until I was certain I was right. Sirius's happiness could be at stake, and he'd waited so long to be happy again. I couldn't take that away from him — not unless, or until, I had to.
Today being Sunday, I didn't have to work at the museum. We'd had a quiet lunch, and then I'd gone to my room to read. Unable to settle, even to a good book, I'd wandered back downstairs to discover Sirius had gone to Sky's house (surprise, surprise) and Blaise had vanished, too. Mother was engrossed in a book of her own, and Castor was napping on the sofa.
Thoroughly out of sorts, I'd decided to get some fresh air at the castle and asked Spirit if she wanted to come with me. It seemed inevitable, somehow, that she would decline my invitation, and I wasn't wrong. I sat down beside her and rubbed her cheek gently.
'What is it?' I asked her sadly. 'You hardly want to spend any time with me these days. Have I upset you?'
Spirit assured me I'd done nothing of the sort.
'Then why?' I asked. 'You seem to want to be with Mother more than me. I miss you, Spirit.'
Spirit climbed onto my lap and padded softly, purring at me to show me she still loved me. I kissed her on the nose. 'I love you, too,' I assured her. 'I don't understand what's gone wrong between us, that's all. You used to come everywhere with me.'
She gazed at me with big, sad eyes, and I sighed. 'All right, if you can't explain, you can't. Maybe one day?'
Spirit rubbed her face against my hand and closed her eyes, promising me that, one day, all would become clear.
'Okay,' I said. 'I trust you. I'll see you later, sweetie.'
I picked her up, kissed her again, then placed her on the armchair where she curled up contentedly and settled down to sleep.
Feeling a bit rejected and very confused, I'd left her to it. Her strange behaviour hadn't helped my mood, and now, sitting on the bench staring out over a bleak-looking Castle Clair, I could, quite honestly, have cried.
'Penny for them?'
It was odd, but I wasn't in the least bit surprised as Hector sank down onto the bench beside me and turned to face me. It was almost as if I'd been expecting him. He seemed to pop up all over the place lately.
'They're not worth a penny,' I told him, managing a smile, of sorts.
'Oh, that bad, eh?' He tilted his head, considering me carefully. 'You know what you need don't you?'
'A miracle?'
'Ah, can't promise you that. Got something even better, though.' He reached behind his back and took something from the bench, then handed it to me.
'What's this?' I said, looking at the rectangular package in surprise.
'Open it and see.'
It was neatly and simply wrapped in brown paper and string. I carefully removed both and stared down at the object in my lap. 'You're joking!'
'I'm sure you've already got copies of them all,' he said. 'But I thought this was lovely.'
I tentatively picked up the gorgeously embossed slipcase and stared with pleasure at the spines of the
clothbound editions of Jane Austen's complete works. 'It's beautiful,' I told him. 'But, why on earth have you bought it for me?'
'You're an Austen fan,' he said casually. 'I saw it and thought of you.'
'But — but you barely know me.'
'Oh, I think I know you well enough, Celeste,' he said quietly. 'I mean, I've known Benedict on and off for years, and he thinks the world of you. And Star's always saying how you're the kindest, sweetest person she knows. I thought you deserved this. I know it's not much, but—'
'But it is! It's — it's perfect. I really don't know what to say.'
He looked embarrassed. 'Yes, well, obviously I know you'll already have all these books—'
'In paperback, yes,' I said. 'But this is something else entirely. Oh,' I hugged the box set to me in delight, 'it will look perfect on my bookcase.'
His smile widened, and his eyes sparkled with pleasure. 'I'm so glad you like it.'
'I love it! But you shouldn't have.'
'Oh,' he waved his hand dismissively, 'it wasn't expensive. Honestly, you'd be surprised. I have a real eye for a bargain.'
I put the books down and touched him lightly on his upper arm. 'Seriously, thank you, Hector. It's ever so kind of you.'
'Worth it to see the smile back on your face,' he said. 'You looked so depressed when I saw you sitting here, I almost turned around and went home again.'
'How did you know I'd be here?' I asked, suddenly thinking how curious it was he'd come out with the books in hand.
'I didn't,' he said. 'I was cutting through the grounds. I was going to visit my mum anyway — she lives down Riverside Walk, so I thought I might as well leave them with Star at Lily Cottage for you.'
'Oh, of course.' I leaned back on the bench and shook my head slightly. Honestly, I was getting paranoid, seeing mysteries and conspiracies everywhere.
'So,' he enquired, 'what's making you so sad?'
'I'm not sad,' I said. 'Just — maybe a bit confused.'
'Okay, so you're confused. What about? Maybe I can help you sort things out in your mind. You know what they say about two heads being better than one.'
'I don't think that applies in this case,' I said heavily. 'I only wish it did.'
'We can but try,' he said.
I could see he was genuinely concerned. He was looking at me intently, but there was kindness in those acorn-coloured eyes, and I thought suddenly that, if I could have confided in anyone it would have been him, which was odd really, given I hardly knew him.
'Someone I love is in danger of being hurt,' I said, almost reluctantly. 'Well, possibly two people actually.' Because I still hadn't figured out what was going on between Jethro and Trinity. Whatever it was, it sounded as if it was going to be devastating to Sky if she ever found out.
'Emotionally hurt or physically hurt?' he enquired.
That was part of the trouble. I didn't know. Maybe both, I thought with horror. Who knew what lay ahead?
'Oh, emotionally,' I said lightly. I didn't want him ringing the police or anything stupid like that. After all, he was a lawyer.
'Ah. Tricky. And do you know that for a fact?'
I heaved a heavy sigh. Did I? Not really, no. If I did, I'd already have called Aveta and told Mother and Father and Castor, no matter what. It was the doubt that was stopping me, I realised. Why risk upsetting Sirius and Sky and ruining things between them and Trinity and Jethro if I was wrong about all this?
'Not for a fact, no,' I admitted. 'It's just, I don't think someone is who they claim to be. At least, they might be, but if they are, they might be up to something underhand. Let's say, I think they're keeping secrets.'
He nodded, his teeth nipping his lower lip. 'Right,' he said at last. 'I see your dilemma. This wouldn't be about Blaise, by any chance?'
I reared back, shocked. 'No! Why on earth would you think that?'
His eyes widened. 'Whoa, steady on. Sorry if I offended you.'
I tutted at my overreaction. 'You didn't. But why would you assume it was about Blaise?'
He shrugged. 'You said he was staying with you, and that he hasn't been to Castle Clair for years. I thought maybe you'd found out something awful about his past or something.'
I almost spluttered with laughter. It would, I thought ruefully, be nice if we could discover anything about Blaise's past. 'I see,' I managed. 'No, it's not about Blaise.' Well, not really. 'I don't know whether I should warn my br — these two people — that they might be about to get hurt, that's the trouble.'
'In my experience,' he said eventually, 'people don't thank the messenger. You need to be certain of your facts before you say anything. Maybe,' he suggested, 'you should do a little more digging first. Find out if this person is keeping secrets. It could all be perfectly harmless for all you know.'
'I think you're right,' I agreed. 'I suppose I ...' My voice trailed off and my eyes widened as a raven landed just feet away from us.
'What is it?' He glanced at the ground. 'You're not afraid of ravens, are you? I would have thought you'd be used to them, seeing as this is your castle. They hang out around here all the time, don't they? Don't most of them belong to your family?'
'Not this one,' I murmured, eyeing the female nervously. She cocked her head to one side and stared at me, then hopped onto the wall in front of us and stood, watching over the river.
'Not that one? Wow, do you know them all individually?' He gave a low whistle. 'That's amazing. I wouldn't know one from the other.'
'You were talking to this one the other day,' I blurted. 'Remember? I was in the car with Star and I saw you. You were talking to her and to two other ravens.'
He frowned. 'Was I? I often talk to the ravens. They're incredible. Do you know, they can talk even better than parrots if they're trained?' He laughed and clapped a hand to his forehead. 'What am I talking about? Of course you know!'
Bless him, he didn't understand, I thought. As far as Hector was concerned, this was just another raven, strutting through the castle grounds, soaring over the gorge, circling the keep, calling to her friends. He had no idea there was something very odd about this one. And there was, I was sure about that now. Very sure.
Hector glanced at his watch and sighed. 'I'd better get off home,' he said. 'I've got some work to catch up on and this won't buy the baby his bonnet. It's been lovely to see you again, Celeste. Try not to worry, okay? Everything will work out fine.'
'I'm sure it will,' I said, smiling. 'Thank you again for the books, Hector. They're lovely, and I'm so grateful to you.'
'No need, no need at all,' he assured me. He got to his feet and looked down at me, and I saw a sudden hint of concern in those brown depths. 'Don't forget, if you ever need me, you know where to find me,' he said.
'Actually, I don't,' I said, realising I didn't even know where he lived.
'My card. I gave you my business card that night at The Two Brothers Inn,' he reminded me.
'Oh, golly! So you did. Thank you.' Where on earth had I put it? Oh, yes. In my posh "going out" handbag. The one that only ever saw the light of day once or twice a year, if it was lucky. 'I'll remember that,' I promised him.
He gave me a sad smile, and I felt a pang of guilt as he folded the brown paper and string and put them in his coat pocket as he walked away. He was a lovely man, I mused. He had the kindest eyes I'd ever seen, and the kindest heart, too, I realised, glancing down at the Jane Austen box set on the bench. He deserved someone lovely. A man as kind and gentle and — yes — as handsome as he was shouldn't be alone. He needed a matchmaker. He needed an Emma, I thought, lifting the books and smiling at them with pleasure.
I gave a soft sigh and glanced around the grounds, noting with relief that the female raven had flown away. My heart thudded with excitement as I spotted Blaise over by the museum, looking as dark and brooding and heroic as any Jane Austen hero. Grabbing the books, I hurried towards him, all thoughts of Hector banished from my mind.
Blaise was striding towards the gardens and W
itch's Leap. I called his name, and he turned to look at me. I faltered, seeing the intense expression on his face.
He collected himself and smiled. 'Celeste! Sorry, I didn't see you.'
'I — I wondered where you'd gone,' I said. 'I came downstairs and there was no one to ask. What have you been doing?'
'Walking the sallyport and checking the dungeons,' he said. 'Sirius gave me the key. It's just a final check, really, as they've already been thoroughly checked over by the castle team, but I wanted to see them for myself. I haven't been down there in ...' He gave me a rueful smile. 'I was going to say months, but it's centuries, isn't it? It's such a shame the other sallyport is closed off.'
'Is it? I suppose so. Why would you want to go down there, anyway? I think it's creepy.'
He looked surprised at the suggestion. 'I don't see why. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the dungeon has lasted. It looks secure and not much different to how it was in my day.'
Really? He hadn't looked pleasantly surprised about anything, I thought. In fact, he'd looked distinctly angry about something.
'I suppose, with it being underground, it was bound to suffer less damage,' I said.
'I suppose so. Anyway, what are you doing out here?'
We reached the castle wall and leaned on it, looking down at the Hrafn while the wind gusted around us, taking my breath away.
'Oh,' I shrugged. 'I couldn't settle to anything at home.' I jumped in alarm as a large black raven swooped over us, then heaved a sigh of relief. 'It's only Belasko.' I frowned. 'What's he doing here? Why isn't he with Sirius?'
'He seems to have taken a shine to me,' Blaise said. 'I have a way with ravens.'
'I know you do,' I said, smiling.
'What have you got there?' he asked, nodding at the set of books in my arms.
I glanced down at them. 'It's a box set of Jane Austen novels. You know the film we saw? This contains the book of that film, and several other books, too, all by the same writer.'
He looked unimpressed. 'Why are you carrying them around with you?'
'Hector gave them to me. I just bumped into him over by the keep and he handed me this as a present. Wasn't it kind of him?'