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Mr. Marley cleared his throat. “I saw the Diam—Mr. de Villiers just now with the other Rub—with Miss Charlotte. He was with his brother.”
“Tiens! I couldn’t care less about zat,” said Madame Rossini, annoyed.
I could, though, I thought. In my mind I was texting Lesley. Just one word: hara-kiri.
“If ’e does not come ’ere at once, I am complaining of ’im to ze Grand Master,” said Madame Rossini. “Where’s my telephone?”
“I’m sorry,” murmured Mr. Marley. Looking embarrassed, he was turning the black scarf this way and that in his hands. “May I…?”
“Go ahead,” I said, sighing, and I let him blindfold me.
“I’m afraid that young hopeful is telling the truth,” said Xemerius. “Your sparkly-stone friend is flirting with your cousin for all he’s worth. So’s his pretty brother. What do boys see in redheads? I think they’re all going off to the cinema. I didn’t want to tell you myself in case you started crying again.”
I shook my head.
Xemerius looked up at the ceiling. “I could keep an eye on them for you. Would you like that?”
I nodded vigorously.
All the way down to the cellar Mr. Marley persistently kept silent, and I was deep in my own gloomy thoughts. Not until we’d arrived in the chronograph room and Mr. Marley took off the blindfold did I ask, “Where are you going to send me today?”
“I … we’re waiting for Number Nine, I mean Mr. Whitman,” said Mr. Marley, looking at the floor instead of meeting my eyes. “Of course I don’t have permission to set the chronograph myself. Please sit down.”
But as soon as I had sat down on a chair, the door opened again and Mr. Whitman came in. With Gideon right behind him.
My heart missed a beat.
“Hello, Gwyneth,” said Mr. Whitman, with his most charming squirrel smile. “Good to see you.” He pushed back the tapestry that hid the safe. “Right, so now we’ll send you off to elapse.”
I scarcely heard what he was saying. Gideon still looked very pale, but much better than yesterday evening. The thick white plaster was gone, and I could see the wound going up to his hairline. It was about four inches long and was now held together by lots of narrow strips of plaster. I waited for him to say something, but he just looked at me.
Xemerius came leaping through the wall and landed right beside Gideon. I gasped with alarm.
“Oops. Here he is already,” said Xemerius. “I wanted to warn you, sweetheart, but I couldn’t decide which of them to follow. Obviously Charlotte’s taken over babysitting duties for Gideon’s little brother this afternoon. They’ve gone off to eat ices, and then they’re going to the cinema. Looks to me like cinemas are the haystacks of the modern era.”
“Everything all right, Gwyneth?” asked Gideon, raising one eyebrow. “You look nervous. Would you like a cigarette to calm your nerves? What was your favorite brand, did you say? Marlboros?”
I could only stare at him speechlessly.
“Leave her alone,” said Xemerius. “Can’t you see she’s unhappy in love, bonehead? All because of you! What are you doing here, anyway?”
Mr. Whitman had taken the chronograph out of the safe and put it on the table. “Then let’s see where to send you today…”
“Madame Rossini is expecting you for a fitting, sir,” said Mr. Marley, turning to Gideon.
“Damn,” said Gideon, put off his stroke. He looked at his watch. “I totally forgot it. Was she very cross?”
“She did seem rather annoyed,” said Mr. Marley. At that moment the door opened again, and Mr. George came in. He was out of breath, and as always when he’d been making an effort, his bald patch was covered with tiny beads of sweat. “What’s going on here?”
Mr. Whitman frowned. “Thomas? Gideon said you were still deep in conversation with Falk and the home secretary.”
“So I was. Until I had a call from Madame Rossini and heard that Gwyneth had already been fetched to go and elapse,” said Mr. George. This was the first time I’d seen him really angry.
“But—Gideon said you’d asked us to—” said Mr. Whitman, clearly confused.
“I hadn’t! Gideon, what’s going on?” All the kindliness had vanished from Mr. George’s little eyes.
Gideon had crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you might be glad if we relieved you of that task,” he said smoothly.
