Page 78 of Witchbane

Now he was on his way back to report his findings to his father. I willed him not to repeat what had happened in the attic, because if he did, it wouldn’t only be me who would suffer.

My grandmother was too worn down by recent events to cope with much more. I couldn’t bear to worry her further, so I decided not to mention what Theo now knew about me. I remembered catching him studying the floorboards where our circle had been drawn to cast our spell. How could he not mention so important a detail to his father? Surely as the Witchfinder’s assistant he would be compelled to do so.

Nausea rose in my throat and I hoped that the spirits of my female ancestors would do all they could to influence his judgement.

Recalling my mother’s words not to trust ‘a man’, I hoped desperately that Theo was not the man she had referred to.

True, I had disliked him when I first realised who he was, but I had come to know him better, or at least I thought I had. But I had not realised he had feelings for me, and that they must be deep since it had caused him such pain to discover my true identity. I wasn’t sure how that made me feel.

I felt a nudge to my ribs and flinched. ‘What is it, Aunt?’

‘You and I need to go through each room and check they haven’t stolen anything.’

‘You don’t think Theo would do that, do you?’

She gave me an odd look. ‘What is it about that man that concerns you so much?’

Not wishing to increase her suspicion that I was attracted to him, I said, ‘Because despite everything that’s happened, he seems to be on our side. What’s more, I believe he could be my only chance of evading these accusations.’

I could see by her surprise that she hadn’t considered this. ‘Hmm, that is true.’

‘Anyway,’ I continued. ‘We at least know he brought my father here to try and reconcile us all, so he can’t be all bad. The other two were complete strangers and I agree with you: I don’t trust them not to have slipped some of our treasures into their pockets.’

My aunt groaned. ‘As if we three have anything remotely resembling a treasure.’

She was right, but although I didn’t own anything of monetary value, I did possess items that held great sentimental meaning to me. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘I do.’

I rushed up to my bedroom to check my few keepsakes. I picked up the engraved scent bottle my father had given to my mother on her first birthday they spent together. I raised the top and breathed in the faint scent we had smelt earlier in the attic.

Setting it back down on my dressing table, I picked up the string of beads my aunt gave me when I was younger and rested my fingertips on the painting of a rose my mother had done when still a girl herself. I saw that the pale blue hair ribbon had been moved and wondered why Theo had chosen to inspect it.

I wove the ribbon through two of my fingers and thought back to when I received it, about two years after my mother’s death. I had been crying because I couldn’t remember my mother’s face any longer, which my grandmother reminded me was very silly, seeing that she and Aunt Sorrel looked the same. Not the same to me, though, I had argued. My mother and aunt might be identical twins, but my mother’s mannerisms had been different, as was her voice, and to me she was unique. My grandmother had not argued but left me to go to her room. When she returned, she was holding the ribbon, which she said was the same colour as my mother’s eyes.

I draped it over the small wooden dog Jem had kindly carved for me when my little terrier had died of old age three years before. Everything was still there. I was glad that Theo had taken it upon himself to be the one to check my room and not left it to either of the other two men. Somehow, even though the thought of him looking through my possessions seemed an invasion of my privacy, I imagined he would have taken care not to delve too deeply into my cupboard and chest of drawers. He might have a deplorable job, and right now he might also hate me, but Theo was a gentleman. I hoped he would continue to act as one, even though he now knew the truth about me.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

THEO

‘What do you mean you found nothing of consequence?’ my father bellowed, his face puce with fury.

‘Exactly what I said,’ I replied, unsure what else to tell him.

Garnier stepped from one foot to the other and Le Gall smirked at him before addressing my father. ‘I wasn’t there, sir.’

My relief that Le Gall had not arrived at the manor house before our departure vanished. How typical of him to feel the need to tell my father that I had sent him on an errand.

My father glared at him. Le Gall gave me a pointed look, causing my father to turn his attention to me. ‘And why is that, Theo?’

I deliberately did not acknowledge Le Gall. Clearly, I had been right to think him capable of making trouble to gain favour. I decided to turn the tables back on to my father. ‘I assumed you wanted me to carry out a thorough search, and I supposed that, as your official assistant, I should be the one to do that.’ I looked at Le Gall. ‘I didn’t expect you to mind me sending one of your men in my place to accompany Lord Thistlebury the rest of the way to his home.’

My father considered my words, then looked from me to Le Gall. ‘He is correct. Why, therefore, are you wasting time giving me this useless information?’

Le Gall pressed his lips together, furious that his attempt to discredit me had failed. ‘I thought it was of importance, sir.’

‘You were wrong.’