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She looked down at me in surprise. ‘Why, Sister Agnes, of course. I must go to her and bring her back here. She can decide what to do next. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.’
I expected she’d head back up the stairs, but to my surprise she walked to the far wall and opened the heavy wooden door. So it wasn’t locked then.
A strong smell of ozone hit me, and I heard the sea much louder now. Where on earth was I?
‘I don’t know how long I’ll be,’ she admitted, ‘but I promise I’ll be back. Try not to worry.’
With that she closed the door behind her, and I was alone in the room again. I kicked out angrily, hearing the chain rattle and feeling the heavy iron against my leg.
Now what?
Chapter 10
Romy
Warm sunlight rippling across my face woke me the next morning, and I smiled and stretched contentedly.
‘Good morning, darling. How are you feeling?’
My eyes snapped open as the memories of all the awful things that had happened yesterday flooded back. I was in my old bedroom at Peloryon House, with Keely’s and Harley’s empty beds a reminder of how alone I was feeling. Mum was standing by the window, having just opened the curtains. There was a sympathetic look in her eyes as she surveyed me.
I sat up in bed, horrified that I’d managed to sleep. It felt disloyal. I should have been tossing and turning all night, worrying about Johnnie, and I’d honestly thought I would be. It seemed, however, that I’d fallen asleep the minute my head touched the pillow.
‘How is he?’ I asked, dreading the response.
‘Still asleep,’ she reassured me. ‘Don’t worry about him. I wouldn’t wake him until you were ready. I think he’ll need to see you this morning, don’t you?’
I nodded, tears filling my eyes at the thought of him waking up to this nightmare.
‘What am I going to say to him, Mum? How do I explain?’
She sat on the bed beside me and took my hand. ‘You’ll find the right words,’ she promised me. ‘I know this seems like the end of the world right now, Romy, but things will get better. They always do.’
‘You know as well as I do,’ I said, ‘that the only possible outcome to this is Hector stripping Johnnie’s memory again. They’ll give him a whole new identity, won’t they? And I’ll lose him. I’ll lose him forever. He won’t be allowed anywhere near the St Clair family. Mum,’ I gazed up at her, my eyes blurry with tears, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t let him go. I love him so much.’
‘I know, darling, I know.’ She gently wiped my tears away. ‘But he’s not John Ford, and that’s what you’ve got to understand. He’s Blaise St Clair. John Ford is just a suit of clothes he’s wearing right now. You know what Blaise did. The trouble he caused.’
‘But he doesn’t remember!’
She sighed. ‘Now’s not the time to go into this. Go downstairs and eat some breakfast. We have two more guests. Killian and Sirius got here last night after you’d gone to bed.’
I frowned. ‘I didn’t hear them arrive.’
‘No, well.’ She gave me a guilty smile. ‘I might have given you something to help you sleep. Good job I did really. Sirius was in a foul mood, gunning for John. He’s blaming him for everything that’s gone wrong, and especially for Trinity’s disappearance.’
‘That had nothing to do with John!’
‘Well…’ She shrugged. ‘In a way it did, because if Blaise hadn’t travelled through time and stirred up all the old resentments and fears, maybe the Pendragons wouldn’t have felt bold enough to make their move. I don’t know where this is going to end, I really don’t. Anyway, I managed to calm Sirius down, and then Emrick got back, thank goodness, and he persuaded Sirius to go to bed and get some sleep. He was exhausted, poor boy. I’m afraid he’ll want to see John today, though. I just hope his mood’s improved.’
‘He’ll have to get through me first,’ I muttered. I gave her a hopeful look. ‘Did Emrick manage to get any information about Trinity from Sister Agnes?’
‘I’m afraid not. Sister Agnes is away right now,’ she said briefly, getting to her feet. ‘Go downstairs now, Romy. Breakfast is nearly ready. Harley’s making it. Ooh, and some good news at last. Harley and Killian have decided to stay on the island for the foreseeable, rather than move into Castle Lodge. Isn’t that marvellous?’
Frankly, I couldn’t have cared less if Harley and Killian had decided to move into Buckingham Palace and evict the King and Queen in the process. I had bigger things on my mind.
Sirius, Harley, and Killian were already eating breakfast when I got downstairs. There was toast, accompanied by dishes of jam, marmalade, and butter, soft boiled eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and croissants to choose from. Harley and Killian smiled at me and said good morning, but Sirius glared at me as if I’d committed some terrible crime.
‘Is it true?’ he demanded.
