by Connie Glynn
Jamie had propped himself on the edge, head in his hands, looking remarkably like Rodin’s The Thinker. Ellie lay sprawled in the middle, staring up at the patterned wood ceiling, her head resting on Lottie’s lap while Lottie absent-mindedly stroked her hair.
‘This is my fault!’ she exclaimed.
Lottie paused between strokes, but she didn’t know what to say.
‘We all know it’s my fault,’ Ellie continued. ‘They know it’s my fault – and they’re doing this as a punishment for me.’
Jamie made a strange noise that sounded a little like a laugh. They’d been discussing the fact that Jamie was getting punished and Ellie had regained some of her usual fire.
‘Sir Olav will just make me take some extra training classes –’ he pushed his hair back so he could look at them properly – ‘and I like training, so it’s not really a punishment.’
Ellie grumbled. ‘But it’s the principle of it!’ she said, punching the air as she pouted with her swollen lip.
Lottie smiled to herself, remembering how fierce Ellie could be. ‘I think it was worth it, though,’ Lottie said with a giggle.
Ellie stopped punching the air and Jamie turned round questioningly.
‘Not just the punishment,’ said Lottie. ‘The whole kidnapping ordeal – it was definitely worth it.’
Ellie shot upright suddenly, causing Lottie to move back to stop their heads colliding. Jamie and Ellie both stared at her in confusion, sharing a look as if she’d gone mad.
‘In what way is any of this worth it?’ Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘It was worth it because –’ she sat up straighter as if she were about to tell a story – ‘I got to see that wild show of you smashing up a van, Ellie, barefoot in the snow like some kind of feral, murderous animal.’ Lottie burst out laughing as she spoke. The more she’d thought about it, the more she’d decided it was funny. If she had to choose between traumatic and hilarious, she’d go with hilarious. ‘When the headlights first shone on you I thought you were –’ she had to pause to catch her breath through her hysteria – ‘I thought you were an angel.’ She wiped a tear from her eye as she continued to laugh.
A wry smile appeared on Jamie’s face, and Lottie knew he understood that her way of combatting the situation was to keep positive. He understood because his method was to stay cold.
‘An angel?’ he said mockingly. ‘More like a demon. I mean, really, who goes after a Partizan with a golf club?’
Lottie burst into a fresh set of giggles, falling back on the bed.
‘Hey!’ Ellie exclaimed, trying to look angry. ‘I was going for full-on banshee, thank you very much.’
‘That explains all the irate screaming,’ Lottie teased.
Ellie gave her a look of mock indignation before jumping on her. ‘We’ll see who’s irately screaming,’ she said menacingly as she held her hands up preparing to attack.
‘No, no, no, I surrender!’ Lottie pleaded playfully, holding her arms up. ‘You make a wonderful banshee.’ She snorted the words out, fully prepared for the repercussions.
‘That’s it!’ Ellie howled, an evil grin on her face. ‘You’re gonna regret that!’
The three of them spent the whole day in Ellie’s room, watching films and playing video games. Lottie was determined that they should have some fun and forget about the previous night before they had to go back to reality and face their problems.
At some point in the early hours Ellie passed out in the blanket fort they’d made. Lottie wanted to join her, but she knew that sleep wasn’t an option for her right now; her mind was too chaotic.
‘Lottie.’ Jamie’s voice sounded uncharacteristically vulnerable and it brought back memories of the pool. ‘Lottie, I have to know something.’ His face was serious but there was a soft edge to it.
‘Go on,’ she replied apprehensively.
‘You didn’t think about Ellie when you were in danger – your only thoughts were on how to survive the situation. Correct?’
Lottie stared into his eyes for a moment, not giving in to the sick feeling of shame.
‘Yes.’ She forced herself to say it even though it hurt. It was true – she hadn’t thought once about her responsibility to Ellie while in the van, only about escape. Before the ball Jamie had tested her to see if she placed her safety lower than Ellie’s, but when it had counted she forgot completely and Jamie had anticipated it. Even if Ellie’s family hadn’t realized, part of her already knew that Jamie had.
‘Good,’ he said briskly.
‘What?’ Lottie almost choked. ‘I failed. I’m every bit as disappointing as you expected me to be.’
Jamie shook his head, a sweet smile appearing on his lips. ‘Lottie.’ He grabbed her shoulders and held her gaze, squeezing her slightly to hold her attention. ‘The only thing I could ever be truly disappointed in is myself if I lost you.’ The intensity in his eyes was enough to leave most people breathless. ‘I don’t mean you losing your life. I mean I’d be disappointed if I lost you – your character, your unwavering positivity. You must never let anything in this world take that away from you.’
There was genuine concern on his face and Lottie felt a happy warmth at the knowledge that he wasn’t OK with her getting hurt in Ellie’s place, but that was instantly quashed by anger. She’d spent this whole time trying to impress him so he’d trust her to be a Portman and now he’s telling her he’s worried about her! There was only one solution to all this.
‘Well,’ she said, the irritation in her voice catching him off guard, ‘if you’re so worried about losing me, teach me to fight.’
‘I – what?’ This was not the reply he’d been expecting and he faltered, tripping over his words.
Lottie quite liked seeing him flustered. ‘You heard me. I want you to teach me to fight, so I can protect myself and Ellie and you. I was so terrified in that van. I had no idea what was coming. I never, ever want Ellie to be in that position. Also, my life choices aren’t allowed to be your source of weakness, is that clear?’
His face went blank for a moment as if he were questioning his entire life, and then he laughed. He laughed genuinely and openly, the sound of it warming her as Lottie realized it was the first time she’d seen him do that. He finally composed himself and smiled at her.
‘You are the most unpredictable person I’ve ever met, and I’ve lived with Ellie for fifteen years,’ he said affectionately.
‘Is that a yes? Will you teach me?’
He rolled his eyes, but the smile remained. ‘Yes, I’ll teach you.’
A Note from Connie
I would like to say a big thank-you to you for picking up my book. Whether you’re a fan of mine or totally new to my world, I hope you have had a thrilling experience and that it has left you excited for what is to come.
As you may have picked up, there are whispers of enchantment within the walls of Rosewood and surrounding Lottie herself. It is not the magic of fantasy books and wizards – it’s the magic you feel when you find a person or place with which you feel an unexplainable affinity. There is an ancient and enigmatic force guiding our heroines, with a story behind it that spans hundreds of years and that connects our characters in ways you may not expect.
There are still many mysteries, new and old, to be solved in the world of the Rosewood Chronicles and a lot of danger is brewing around our three heroes. When you come back to Rosewood in the second book for their next year of studies you will get a chance to learn more about the other students and their own battles – with some unexpected allies joining our royal trio.
You may have many questions you’re itching to have answered. What will become of Saskia? What is Leviathan and what do they want? Who is William Tufty and what does Binah know?
And to all these questions I can only say … you will have to wait and see!
Until then, be kind, be brave and be unstoppable.
Connie x
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First published 2017
Copyright © Connie Glynn, 2017
Cover illustration by Qing Han
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978–0–141–37990–6