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its way between the worlds, hears dead men singing.
the corset, the shoes, embroidered red for the red dress, pale blue with golden buckles for the ball dress, were surprisingly comfortable, although they looked as if they came out of a museum. “Those are the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever worn in my life,” I said appreciatively.
“I should ’ope so,” said Madame Rossini, beaming all over her face. “Zere, my little angel, you are ready. Mind you ’ave a good night’s rest tonight. You will ’ave an exciting day tomorrow.” As I slipped back into my jeans and favorite dark blue pullover, she draped the dresses over her headless tailor’s dummies. Then she looked at the clock on the wall and frowned in annoyance. “Oh, zat unreliable boy! ’E was to be ’ere fifteen minutes ago!”
My pulse rate instantly shot up. “Gideon?”
Madame Rossini nodded. “’E do not take zis seriously, ’e think it does not matter ’ow ’is breeches fit. But ze fit of ze breeches is very, very important.”
’Ideous! ’Orrible! I tested my new mantra.
Someone knocked on the door. Only a slight sound, but all my good intentions vanished into thin air.
Suddenly I couldn’t wait to see Gideon again. And at the same time, I was scared to death of meeting him. I wouldn’t survive those dark glances of his a second time.
“Ah,” said Madame Rossini. “’Ere ’e is. Come in!”
My whole body stiffened, but it wasn’t Gideon coming through the doorway, it was red-haired Mr. Marley. Nervous and awkward as usual, he stammered, “I’m to take the Ruby … er, Miss Gwyneth down to elapse.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll be finished with this in a moment.” Behind Mr. Marley, Xemerius was grinning at me. I’d sent him away before the fittings began.
“I just flew through a real live home secretary,” he said cheerfully. “It was cool!”
“And where is ze boy?” asked Madame Rossini crossly. “’E was coming for a fitting!”
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.
