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There was a sudden moan and I snapped out of my thoughts as I realised the sound had come from John.
‘Johnnie? Johnnie?’
I gasped as he slumped suddenly, his head lolling against the headboard. The trance had been broken.
I heaved a silent sigh of relief when Hector’s head jerked up and his eyes opened. He gently massaged Celeste’s temples and murmured her name, urging her to open her eyes.
I could have wept when she finally did. She looked exhausted, but at least her eyes were normal again, and she wasn’t as pale as she’d been a moment ago.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured, but Hector shook his head.
‘You need to eat. Here, have a sandwich,’ he said, offering her the plate.
She refused at first, but he insisted, and she took a cheese sandwich and nibbled at it, eyeing John warily.
‘Is he okay?’
‘I don’t know. He groaned and then he just slumped,’ I said. ‘What should we do? Why hasn’t he woken up?’
‘Let him sleep for a while,’ Hector advised. ‘I’ll make him more comfortable.’
He managed to slide John further down the bed, rearranging the pillow so his head was settled in a position that wouldn’t cause him neck pain.
‘What happened?’ I asked Celeste. Now that she was back and well enough to eat a sandwich, I felt it was time she gave me some answers. ‘What did you do to him?’
‘I travelled into his memories,’ she admitted. ‘I wondered if it was possible for me to go inside there and figure out exactly how much he really remembered.’
‘And did you find what you were expecting?’ I asked, curious despite my dread.
She hesitated. ‘You were right. He didn’t know who he was. His memories were all of John Ford, and of you.’ She gave me a faint smile. ‘He really adores you, you know. Genuinely. I’m sorry I doubted that.’
My heart lifted. ‘Thank you. So does that mean we can go back to Cumbria, and he can pick up where he left off? His job—’
She looked at Hector, her eyes troubled. Hector eyed her curiously, then his expression changed.
‘Ah, I see. I’m sorry, Romy. Things have—changed somewhat.’
‘What do you mean?’ I whispered, dread unfurling in the pit of my stomach. ‘What have you done to him? Please don’t tell me he’s brain damaged.’
‘No, nothing like that,’ Hector said. ‘It’s just… Perhaps you’d better explain what happened in there, Celeste. How did I find you at Glastonbury Abbey?’
‘Glastonbury Abbey?’ I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
She chewed her sandwich, and I was pleased to see the colour in her cheeks was almost back to normal.
‘That came at the end,’ she said at last. ‘Perhaps I should start at the beginning when I entered his memories… I mean, no one could have been more surprised than me to find that I’d done that because I didn’t think I could control it. It seems I’m getting better at this. Either that, or—’ She shivered. ‘Or it’s this weird bond that I always had with Blaise. I don’t know. Anyway, they were benign enough. Memories of your recent weekend in the Scottish Borders, his job, his friendship with Simon…’ She gave a wistful smile. ‘They were quite nice. You gave him a lovely life, Hector. He’s been very happy. But then…’
‘Go on,’ Hector said gently, while I bit my lip, too anxious to speak.
‘Then it was like a fog rolled in. I couldn’t see anything. I thought I was lost. I wandered around for what felt like hours, looking for something, anything. I was so scared.’
‘You were only gone about ten minutes,’ I assured her.
‘Yes, but time loses all meaning in there,’ she said with a shudder. ‘It was horrible. Cold. Like a no-mans-land. And all the time I had an awful, creeping fear that someone was following me in the fog. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be stuck there forever. And then I heard voices.’
‘Go on,’ Hector said gently as she fell silent a moment, her gaze troubled.
‘It was that day in Castle Lodge,’ she said hesitantly. ‘I saw Blaise standing there with the knife at my throat. I saw Benedict hurl himself in front of you to save you. I saw that flash of light and heard the rumble of thunder…’
