AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It looks perfect,” said Gideon with a slight smile.
What was all this about? Did he want to make me feel nervous?
“Our cook at home is called Brompton, too,” I said, to cover up for my embarrassment. “Mrs. Brompton.”
“It’s a small world,” said Gideon.
The footman came running downstairs, coattails flying. “The gentlemen are expecting you, sir.”
We followed the man up to the first floor.
“Can he really read thoughts?” I whispered.
“Who, the footman?” Gideon whispered back. “I hope not. I was just thinking he looks like a weasel.”
Was that by any chance a bit of humor? Mr. High-and-Mighty Time Traveler actually cracking a joke? I gave him a quick smile. (Well, it was worth encouraging the possibility.)
n put out an arm and shoved me behind him. “Shut up for a moment, would you?”
“What?”
There was another staircase at the end of this corridor. Daylight fell in from above, but before we reached the stairs, two men with drawn swords stepped out of the shadows, as if they’d been waiting for us.
“Good day,” said Gideon. Unlike me, he hadn’t batted an eyelash. But his hand had gone to his own sword.
“Password!” demanded the first man.
“Surely you were here only yesterday,” said the second man, coming a little closer to take a look at Gideon. “Or your younger brother was. The likeness is remarkable.”
“Is this the boy who can appear out of nowhere?” asked the other man. Both of them stared openmouthed at Gideon. They wore clothes like his, and Madame Rossini had obviously been right: in the Rococo age men did like bright colors. These two had combined red and brown with turquoise, which was then embroidered with little mauve flowers, and one of them really was wearing a lemon-yellow coat. The sight should have been appalling, but there was just something about it. It was … well, colorful.
They were both wearing wigs with curls like sausages over their ears and a small extra pigtail at the back of the neck tied with a velvet ribbon.
“Let’s just say I know ways about this house that are unknown to you,” said Gideon with a scornful smile. “I and my companion have to speak to the Master. On urgent business.”
“That’s right, mention yourself first,” I murmured.
“The password?”
Quark edit bisquitis. Or something along those lines.
“Qua redit nescitis,” said Gideon.
Well, I’d had it almost right.
ELEVEN
THE MAN IN THE YELLOW coat put his sword away. “Follow me.”
Curious, I looked out the first window we passed. So this was the eighteenth century! My scalp began tingling with excitement. But all I could see was an inner courtyard with a fountain in the middle of it. I’d seen it looking just the same before.
We went up more stairs. Gideon let me go first.
“You were here only yesterday?” I asked, intrigued. I whispered it so that the man in the yellow coat wouldn’t hear what we were saying. He was only a couple of steps ahead of us.
“It was yesterday to them,” said Gideon. “To me it’s almost two years ago.”
“Why were you here?”
