Page 73 of Witchbane

‘What is it?’ I looked for my grandmother and saw her standing by the fire stirring a pan. I hoped she was making a hot drink for us because I needed something to do with my hands. Holding a warm cup would be comforting.

‘What were you doing daydreaming on the stairs?’ Aunt Sorrel asked.

I was about to argue that I hadn’t been doing any such thing but stopped myself; that was exactly what I had been doing. Anyway, to admit as much meant Aunt Sorrel would only press me as to what had been so important at such a dangerous time.

‘I was listening in case I could hear them talking,’ I lied.

‘Clever girl,’ my grandmother said, and gave me an approving nod. She motioned for Tilly to take over the stirring before addressing me once more. ‘And did you hear anything?’

I wished I had some useful information to share.

I was about to ask what it was when we heard one of the militiamen bellow ‘Master Le Cerf!’ from the attic.

I heard Theo’s footsteps above our heads as he left my room and stood on the landing. ‘What is it?’

He sounded irritated and I liked to think he was angry that the man might have found something. My stomach tensed anxiously as I waited for an answer.

‘I’ve found a strange stone. A brown one. It’s shiny.’

I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands, glancing from my grandmother to my aunt, whose faces had suddenly turned pale.

‘What is it?’ Aunt Sorrel asked, coming over to me. ‘Do you know what they’re referring to?’

I sat heavily on a nearby chair, terrified about what would happen next.

‘Rue?’ my grandmother asked, hurrying over and sitting on the chair next to me. ‘What is he talking about?’

‘I think he’s talking about a crystal I found earlier. Someone must have dropped it when—’ I lowered my voice further. ‘When the women were here.’ I quickly explained about coming across the smoky quartz and hiding it where I hoped it wouldn’t be found.

‘Those swine are obviously searching more thoroughly than we expected.’

Grandmama was right.

‘What do you think will happen?’ I asked, sick with fright.

Aunt Sorrel rested a hand on my shoulder. ‘We have no way of knowing yet. What we must do is come up with a plausible answer about the crystal. Let’s think how we can explain its presence while we have the opportunity to do so.’

I bit my lower lip, desperate for something useful to offer, but was too panicked to think of anything useful. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

My aunt frowned. ‘Neither do I.’

We both stared at my grandmother expectantly, but she shook her head after a few seconds. ‘I can’t think with all this going on,’ she said, her voice quavering.

It seemed that none of us could. Then I had an idea. ‘We should deny all knowledge of it then.’

My aunt laughed in disbelief. ‘And you believe that will keep us out of the Witchfinder’s grasp, do you?’

I shrugged. ‘Probably not, but what else can we say?’

Grandmother raised a finger and we waited as she finished thinking. Then she said, ‘The best lies always contain a modicum of truth.’

‘They do?’

She nodded.

‘So, what should we say about this?’ I asked desperately.

‘I’ll ask where exactly they found it,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Then say that those chairs have been up there for many years. How can anyone expect us to know how something that small slipped down the side of a chair?’