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“Don’t worry—you’ll have been inoculated against all the diseases you could meet while traveling in time,” Gideon had reassured me. “Including the variola virus, of course.”
“It’s not for me—it’s for a friend,” I’d told him. “Please! I’ll explain later.”
Gideon had raised an eyebrow, but he opened Dr. White’s medication cupboard without comment, and after a little searching, he found a red box and put it in his pocket.
I loved him all the more for not asking questions.
“You look as if you were about to start drooling,” said Xemerius, bringing me back to reality.
I fished the key of the door leading up to the roof out of its hiding place in the sugar bowl in the cupboard. “How long has Mum been in the bathroom?” I asked Nick and Caroline.
“Quarter of an hour at the most.” Nick was looking far more relaxed now. “She was kind of odd this evening. Kept on kissing us and sighing. She didn’t stop until Mr. Bernard brought her a whisky.”
“Only quarter of an hour? Then we ought to have plenty of time. But if she does happen to come out earlier than anyone expects, please don’t tell her we’re up on the roof.”
“Okay,” said Nick, while Xemerius chanted his silly song about necking in the porch again.
I glanced mockingly at Gideon. “If you can tear yourself away from Tinker Bell, let’s get going.”
“Luckily, I know how the film ends.” Gideon reached for his backpack and picked it up.
“See you soon,” Caroline breathed.
“Yup, see you soon. I’d rather watch fairies at work than you two smooching,” said Xemerius. “A demon has his pride, you know. I wouldn’t like anyone to say I was a Peeping Tom.”
e Rossini swung around to us. “Zat green thing from yesterday?” One of her eyebrows shot up.
“He … he means the sea-green coat with the emerald clasps,” I said quickly.
“Yes, and the rest of the stuff that goes with it.” Gideon smiled. “Can’t get any greener than that.”
“Ze stuff! Pearls before swine!” Madame Rossini flung her hands up in the air, but she was smiling. “Alors, ze late eighteenth century for zis leetle rebel. Zen we must dress my leetle swan-necked beauty to go with ’im. I am afraid zere is no green ball dress from zat period—”
“The period doesn’t matter, Madame Rossini. The people at that party won’t know the first thing about historical periods.”
“Just so long as the dress looks old, and it’s long, with a full skirt,” added Lesley.
“Bien sûr, if zat is so,” said Madame Rossini, reluctantly. Lesley and I followed her right across the room like puppies following the lure of a bone. Gideon disappeared among the racks of clothes, while Raphael tried on more ladies’ hats.
“Over there I ’ave a dream of a dress, shimmering green taffeta and tulle, 1865,” said Madame Rossini, twinkling at us. With her tiny eyes and lack of neck, she always looked a little like a tortoise. “Ze color would go well with zat leetle rebel’s green coat. For ze period, ’owever, ze style would be all wrong, as if Casanova were taking Queen Alexandra to a ball in ’er youth, if you see what I mean.”
“Like I said, the guests at this evening’s party won’t know a thing about such details,” I said, holding my breath as Madame Rossini took the Queen Alexandra dress off the rail where it hung. It really was dreamy.
“Well, it certainly has a full skirt!” Lesley laughed. “Turn around in that, and you’ll sweep the entire cold buffet onto the floor.”
“Try it on, my swan-necked beauty! Zere is a tiara to go with it. And now for you.” Madame Rossini took Lesley’s arm and led her to the next row of dresses. “We ’ave ’ere French and Italian haute couture of ze last century. Green was not ze fashionable color zen, but we will find you somezing, never fear.”
Lesley was going to say something, but she choked with excitement at the words haute couture and had a fit of coughing.
“May I try on these weird knee breeches?” called Raphael from behind us.
“Of course, but be careful with ze buttons.”
Unobtrusively, I was keeping an eye open for Gideon. He already had a couple of garments hanging on his arm, and he smiled at me over the top of the clothes racks.
Madame Rossini didn’t notice him plundering her stocks. She happily walked along the haute couture rails, with Lesley close behind her, breathing heavily.
“For cette petite with ’er freckles, maybe—”
