Second Night (23 page)

How can we possibly leave at the moment?
Maddie wondered miserably.
But how can we not?

‘We won't be able to be with him until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest,' she replied cautiously.

‘I'm sure that will be fine.'

‘Thank you, but you will let me know if anything happens in the meantime, won't you?'

‘Yes, of course.'

Maddie hung up the phone. She stared out of the window at the grey and unforgiving morning, searching through her worst memories and not liking what she was finding. She put her fingers to her throbbing temples.

I can't bear that hospital! Please don't let that dreadful old man be conscious when we get there. Please let him be dead!

She went to the library to tell Sir Jonas the news. He was armed with a feather duster and busily sorting books on the shelves, while Sara set up her new workstation on a long table Alan and John had just brought in.

‘Good morning, my dear Madame Madeleine!' the old man called out happily. ‘I'm involved in a little housekeeping before the Lady Sara begins her great work in good earnest. How fortunate we are to have her!'

‘We are indeed,' Maddie agreed.

Sir Jonas saw her frowning. ‘Is there anything amiss, my dear?'

‘I've just had a call from the hospital in Plymouth. My father-in-law is very ill and apparently dying. They expect us to be there tomorrow.'

The old man straightened his eyepatch and cleared his throat.

‘At last it has come,' he said softly, more to himself than to her.

‘Yes, I'm afraid so,' she answered miserably.

Sara gave her a much needed hug. ‘What can I do to help?' she asked. ‘Shall I call Jas?'

Maddie nodded. 'Yes, please, and I'll call the school and get Caz and Jem out of class. Just this once I don't think either of them will be glad to come home.'

‘No, I don't think they will,' agreed Sara.

Jemima got the message first and went to the gym to tell Caz. She was chewing her upper lip as she always did when she was particularly upset.

‘We've got to go to Plymouth,' she said woodenly.

‘Why?'

‘The secretary just got me out of class. Ma phoned. Grandpa Wylde's had a heart attack or a stroke, or something. He's in the hospital. They say he's dying this time.'

‘So why do we have to go?'

‘Ma says we must.'

Caz picked up a towel from the bench beside the door. ‘I can't see why. Grandpa never went out of his way to make us like him from the day we were born. Why would he want us holding his hand now?'

‘She said it's our duty to go because we're his only family.' She shrugged. ‘Maybe he'll be dead by the time we get there.'

‘Let's hope so. If he snuffs it before we leave, even Ma won't be able to find any good reason why you and I should have to drag ourselves halfway across the country, just to sit around watching her and Jas sorting something they can handle by themselves.'

He wiped the sweat out of his eyes and saw that Jemima was trembling. He put his fingers under her chin, looking into her eyes. ‘Hey, don't let Grandpa's crap fuss you any more, Jem. He's on the way out now. He might even be dead already and we can have a great week out of school deeply grieving our dear departed grandfather. It'll be fun, right?'

The trembling subsided. She forced a smile. ‘But he scares me stiff. I wish we didn't have to go.'

‘He scared all of us. Jas and I used to think he did it on purpose to see how much we could take.'

Jemima swallowed nervously. ‘He didn't really, did he?'

‘Who knows? At least Grandma Em was normal. When are we supposed to be going?'

‘First thing tomorrow morning. It won't be much of a birthday for you, will it?'

He shrugged. ‘It'll be one of the best if we're finally going to be rid of him. Is someone coming to get us?'

‘Ma's ordered a taxi. It'll be here in a couple of minutes. Sir Jonas wants a meeting to arrange everything.'

Her phone rang. She groaned when she saw the screen. ‘More messages from Lauren! She says to tell you she's away with her parents until Monday and that she has never been so humiliated in her entire life.'

‘There's always a first time,' he said ironically. ‘Why did you give her your number?'

‘I didn't! I don't like her enough for that!'

‘So who did then?'

‘No one I know. It's really weird. I don't know how she got it, unless she saw it when I gave it to Julien at the pub.'

‘You don't like her much, do you?'

‘No, I don't,' she admitted. ‘There's something about her that gets my hackles up, like Blue when he knows there's something not right going on.'

‘When the sibyl speaks, pay heed. Is that it?'

'I suppose so. She's driving me nuts.'

‘So tell her not to.'

Jemima sighed. ‘I hate doing this agony aunt stuff. If she's an ex, why don't you just tell her and be done with it?'

‘She doesn't need any more telling. If she won't take no for an answer, it's up to her.'

‘So why don't you write her a poem, or something?'

Caz headed for the changing rooms. ‘Tell the taxi I'll be five minutes.'

‘I'll ask Ma what the going rate is for personal assistants these days,' she shouted after him. ‘Or do I get more if I'm your private secretary?'

CHAPTER 39

Sir Jonas sat at the head of the long dining table, his gold pen placed precisely parallel to the notebook in front of him. Daisy handed around tumblers of hot honey and raspberry cordial, her preferred remedy in times of crisis. John gave Caz the coffee pot and passed around plates of biscuits.

We're all sitting in our party places,
thought Jemima. Except that the chair next to her where Laurence used to sit was empty, which for a moment seemed strange. Sara sat between Alan and Jasper, with her notebook open and pen poised. As usual Caz was sitting at the far end of the table opposite the old man.

The Guardians of the Runes of the Deathless and guests
, he reflected, amused.
The guests have no idea how scary these ordinary little people look when they're all dressed up in their robes and hoods in that other room downstairs. It would be worth them getting all the gear on just to see the look on Jas's face.

He had tried to get back into the Council Chamber but the door to the vestibule was locked and the quick check through the key cupboard told him that Daisy had other arrangements for the security of that particular suite of rooms. Her heart was beating too fast again and there was a weird undercurrent of anxiety around the table. He focused his attention on each heartbeat in turn, surprised at the conclusion.

It's a Guardian thing. But why should they be bothered about us going to Plymouth? Even Al's heartbeat's lost its usual cool. I'll tackle him about it as soon as we get back. There's a whole lot of stuff about that meeting he hasn't told me and I need to know where I stand with the Bank.

‘I do hope you don't think me interfering, having Madame Marguerite call Mr Lawson for the car, my dear Madam Madeleine,' Sir Jonas was saying. ‘I wanted to be sure that you would be comfortably catered for.'

Jasper answered for her. ‘No problem, boss, we'll be quite happy with the Rolls Royce.'

Alan smiled. John shook his head. Sir Jonas cleared his throat rapidly. Daisy glared.

‘You'll put up with what you've got and be grateful!' she said.

‘It's very kind of you, Sir Jonas,' said Maddie.

He looked at her gratefully. ‘I was so very nervous that you might be fobbed off with that dreadfully small vehicle that you took to Cornwall in the summer. The roads are much too treacherous, my dear. One can never be too careful.' He adjusted the eyepatch and fiddled with his pen. ‘And Mister Charles has booked a suite of rooms in the very best hotel. You cannot possibly stay in lodgings under such circumstances. I insist upon it. Your comfort and safety are of paramount importance, paramount importance. '

‘Not to mention the sauna, pool and room service,' muttered Jasper.

Sara nudged him sharply.

‘We'll be fine, sir,' Maddie assured him.

‘We'll only be gone a few days and we'll be back before you know it,' said Jemima.

‘I'm so sorry about spoiling your weekend off, Daisy,' said Maddie.

‘Don't worry, it'll keep,' she replied.

‘I'll help you, Daisy,' offered Sara.

‘My dear, that is quite out of the question!' protested Sir Jonas.

‘No, it isn't. It'll help me get my bearings before I start in the library on Monday.'

‘That's a good idea,' agreed Daisy, watching the biscuits rapidly disappearing from the plate in front of Caz. Their eyes met briefly. He heard the rush of panic pounding her heart. Outside, the early evening twilight was already deepening over the rose garden.

‘And what are the arrangements for the horses, my dear Madame Madeleine?' asked Sir Jonas.

‘That's our department,' answered Alan, nodding to Sara who had already had her first riding lesson and was becoming very good friends with Nanna.

The old man was immediately anxious. ‘Are you quite sure, my dear Lady Sara? This does seem rather a lot to put upon you so directly.'

Jasper rolled his eyes and sniffed. Sara pinched his hand under the table.

‘It's all part of the job, sir,' she answered.

‘Then you must stay here at the house for the duration, my dear,' he said firmly. ‘I can't bear to have you driving back and forth at all hours. I absolutely insist upon it!'

Sara looked at him directly. ‘And I absolutely insist that I stay at the lodge, sir,' she said, equally firmly. ‘I like my space and the house will be better kept warm for when they come home.'

The blue eye widened. Her would-be benefactor was momentarily abashed but determined not to be offended.

‘I hope we'll only be away for a few days, sir,' said Maddie quickly.

‘But we must plan for the worst, my dear Madame Madeleine,' he replied, patting her hand. ‘Caspar, are you happy with the arrangements for the horses?'

‘They'll be in good hands.' He picked up the coffee pot and headed for the kitchen. ‘I need a refill.'

Daisy leaned towards Sir Jonas. He caught the beam of the glare over the edge of her glasses as she said pointedly, ‘There's the house to secure and still a lot that needs doing down in the kitchen before I go home tonight, sir. Have we said all that needs to be said?'

‘I do believe so, Madame Marguerite,' he said, hastily closing his notebook and returning the gold pen to his waistcoat pocket. ‘Perhaps Mister John and Mister Alan would care to accompany me to the study for a glass of port?'

Daisy pushed back her chair. ‘In that case I might as well let you others out of the front door,' she said determinedly, brandishing the heavy iron key.

Caz was still eating when she came back to the kitchen alone.

‘Are you all right?' she asked nervously. ‘Did I do enough?'

‘You did fine.'

‘I did extra, just in case.'

She took an envelope out of the pocket in front of her apron and emptied a fat roll of notes on the table. ‘Mister Charles has authorised me to give you this.'

‘Why?'

‘He says you're to have all the help you need.'

‘But why so much?'

She whispered urgently. ‘You can't risk having another one of those queer turns when you're so far away from home! This way you can get food delivered wherever you are and you can tuck yourself away in a corner to eat it. And there's enough to get a taxi, day or night, if you need to come home in a hurry.'

Caz counted the notes and grinned. ‘How about a helicopter?'

‘Get away with you!' said Daisy, flapping her apron at him, persuaded at last to smile.

In the study, Alan refused the port and built up the fire and swept the hearth. John clutched his glass, perched awkwardly on the edge of the green club chair, having been ordered to sit down and make himself comfortable.

Sir Jonas paced around the desk in the centre of the room in silence.

‘The act of dying can lend a remarkable lucidity to many a tongue and not always for the benefit of those who must live on after them,' he observed eventually.

John gulped a mouthful of port. Alan watched the fire. Neither of them commented. Sir Jonas turned on his heel and continued pacing in the opposite direction.

CHAPTER 40

Jemima pulled the headphones out of her ears. She stared irritably at the blank screen on the back of the seat in front of her. ‘I can't be bothered to watch a film and I didn't bring enough music.'

‘You've got hours of music,' said Jasper. ‘What are you talking about?'

‘Nothing I haven't played a hundred times already. How many rooms are there in a hotel suite, Ma?' she asked.

‘I have no idea,' said Maddie.

‘We'll find out soon enough,' said Jasper comfortably.

Maddie sent the car speeding past a heavily laden lorry. ‘No, we won't. I cancelled it. I can't stay in the city. We're staying in Cawsand. I booked us into the hotel at the beach.'

Jemima was the first to break the disappointed silence. ‘That's good.'

‘Pity about the pool though,' muttered Jasper.

Caz took off his seatbelt and sprawled across the back seat.

‘I'm sixteen today,' he remarked generally.

‘We know,' said Jemima. ‘I'll get you a present in Plymouth.'

‘Happy Legally-Sanctioned Sizzling Day, bro,' said Jasper. ‘A whole new world awaits you. Titan's up for it, that's for sure.'

Jemima rolled her eyes. Caz ignored him.

‘I don't have to go back to school any more,' he said.