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Harley gave John a cup of sugary tea and urged him to drink it, obviously seeing the state he was in. Romy, I noticed, said nothing. She looked almost as shocked as he was and sat, deathly pale, simply staring at him as if she was wondering who on earth he was and how this nightmare could possibly be real.
‘Where’s Celeste?’ Raiden asked, glancing round. ‘She should be here, surely? And what about Sirius?’
‘I think we should leave Sirius alone for now,’ Hector said gently. ‘He has enough on his mind, don’t you think? As for Celeste…’ He shook his head. ‘She’s not ready to see him, and I’m not going to force her. In her own time.’
Raiden nodded. ‘I expect you’re right.’ He gave Simon a curious look. ‘And who are you?’
‘That’s a good question,’ Keely said, folding her arms and glaring at John’s unfortunate friend. ‘And we’d better get the answer or else.’
Simon—brave man that he was— gave her a lopsided smile. ‘Feisty little witch, aren’t you?’
‘Why are you so calm?’ John seemed to have found his voice and he glared at Simon. ‘What’s wrong with you? Why do you accept what’s happened so easily? And who the hell is Blaise St Clair?’
‘You are,’ Castor said bluntly, helping himself to a sandwich as he glared at him. ‘And a right pain in the backside you’ve been from start to finish. I were glad to get rid of you, and here you are again like a bad penny. Well, I’ll have no truck with your shenanigans this time round, I promise you that, so if you think you’re going to cause havoc round here again you can think on.’
John blinked, clearly unable to find any sort of response to this little outburst, and no wonder.
‘Look,’ I said, deciding the family needed to cool down, ‘it’s no good having a go at John. He obviously has no idea what you’re talking about. Hector erased his memories, right? It’s not fair to be so cruel to him when, right now, he’s not the man you’re angry with. He’s got a whole new identity, and John Ford can’t be held responsible for anything Blaise St Clair did.’
‘That’s easy for you to say,’ Star retorted, her eyes flashing in anger, ‘you weren’t here when he caused merry hell in Castle Clair. Do you know he could have killed Benedict? If I hadn’t had that witch bottle in place I’d be a widow right now. Not to mention how he lied to Celeste and broke her heart.’ She leaned towards a startled John and jabbed her finger at him. ‘Sirius, Benedict, and Jethro nearly drowned saving your life! We took you in! We gave you a home and made you welcome, and that’s how you repaid us.’
‘But he doesn’t remember any of it,’ I said, trying to appeal to her softer side, which I knew she possessed, even if she kept it buried quite successfully most of the time.
‘That’s what he says,’ Sky said. ‘We’ve been here before with him. He reckoned he had no memory of his life in 1669 but he was lying. His memories had come back, and he was stringing us along, using us. He planned to get Celeste to help him travel back through time. He had a knife to her throat at one point! That’s who you’re talking about, so don’t ask us to feel any sympathy for him whatsoever.’
John’s eyes were like saucers. ‘1669? What the hell is this? Are you some sort of cult? No wonder you didn’t want me to have much to do with your family, Romy. Will you please just explain to me what’s going on?’
Romy lowered her gaze. ‘I’m—I’m sorry. I don’t know what I can say. I thought they’d made a mistake but clearly they all know you. Maybe I never did.’
Simon cleared his throat. ‘Right, before we go any further I think John should take a nap, don’t you? He’s clearly traumatised and what I have to say to you will only confuse him even more.’
‘Well, he’s not sleeping in my room,’ Castor said firmly, ‘I can tell you that much.’
‘I’m not tired,’ John protested. ‘I don’t want a nap! I want you to let me go home.’ He gazed round at us all, an appeal in his frightened eyes. ‘Please, just let me go and I promise I won’t call the police. I won’t tell anyone what happened. Just let Romy and me go and we won’t bother you again.’
‘Fat chance,’ Sky said. ‘What about Celeste’s study?’ she suggested. ‘He could lie down on the chaise longue in there.’
‘But I’m not tired, I’ve told you—’ John’s cry ended abruptly as he slumped in his chair, unconscious.
‘What have you done to him?’ Romy gasped.
‘It’s all right,’ Hector assured her. ‘He’s just asleep, that’s all. And he’ll stay asleep until we decide to wake him up. I’ll just take him to the study and make him comfortable and then we’ll explain what’s happened.’
He gathered the unconscious John into his arms and vanished.
‘Couldn’t he have walked, like a normal person?’ Romy asked bitterly.
‘The study door’s kept locked,’ Iliana explained. ‘And I’m not going to pester Celeste for the key right now, are you?’
Romy burst into tears.
‘There, there,’ Iliana soothed. ‘This must be an awful shock for you. I’m so sorry, dear. Fancy you getting involved with Blaise St Clair, of all people. What a coincidence.’
‘You think?’ Star finally sat down, looking drained. ‘It’s never a coincidence where he’s concerned. I reckon he’s engineered a meeting with her and—’
‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ Simon interrupted. ‘Blaise and Romy meeting was never supposed to happen. It was an unfortunate coincidence, whether you believe it or not, and the two of them falling in love—well, that was an event none of us foresaw.’
‘Are you saying that man genuinely loves Romy?’ Keely asked scornfully. ‘Pull the other one, it’s got bells on. He doesn’t know what love is.’
