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‘But it’s a formal announcement,’ he protested.
‘How old are you? You sound positively middle-aged.’ Sky stood up beside him and beamed round at us all. ‘Listen, gang. Jethro and I have decided—’
‘I thought you were going to let me make the announcement,’ he said indignantly.
‘Oh, I was, but you’re taking far too long about it,’ she said lightly. ‘Jethro and I have decided to get married.’
‘Well, we know that, darling,’ Iliana said, looking perplexed.
‘Oh yes, I know, but I mean we’ve—’
‘Decided on the date,’ Jethro butted in, giving her a triumphant look. ‘We’re getting married in December, because that’s when we met. The day we both came home to Castle Clair.’
Everyone whooped with delight. It was about time we had some good news.
‘We were on the same train,’ Sky informed us, as if we didn’t already know. ‘Jethro fell in love at first sight, of course. I didn’t because I was too busy thinking how awful it was that I’d been forced back to that weird little town!’ She giggled. ‘Seems like a lifetime ago.’
Jethro put his arm around her then turned to face us. ‘We want to get married quite soon, because, well…’
There was a sudden subdued silence. I guess he and Sky had been thinking along the same lines as Sirius and me. Who knew what lay ahead of us?
‘I think that’s wonderful news,’ Emrick said firmly. ‘Something for us all to look forward to. A toast. To Sky and Jethro, and love in all its forms.’
We raised our glasses. ‘To Sky and Jethro, and love in all its forms.’
Over the rim of my glass I saw Romy and John enter the room, and something about them made me frown. She looked different. Edgy. He looked even more nervous than she did, but I could understand that. I mean, look what he’d been thrown into, with no idea what any of us were talking about. I glanced over at Celeste, worried she’d get upset again, but to my surprise she smiled and walked over to them both.
‘Oh, lord,’ Sirius muttered. ‘Now what?’
They seemed to be discussing something quite serious, judging by the expressions on their faces. We all tried to act like we hadn’t noticed, but I knew everyone else was just as interested in their conversation as I was.
Eventually they turned to face us, and Celeste held up her hands and called for quiet.
‘What, again?’ Star tutted. ‘What’s your big news, Celeste?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Oh! You’re not pregnant, are you?’
‘It’s not my news,’ Celeste said. ‘Romy?’
You know, it’s weird, because I’d only just learned that Romy was my sister, but I already felt protective of her. I could tell she was scared, and I wanted to comfort her. I looked over at Lowen and I just knew he was feeling the same. It made me feel bonded to them. These were my siblings. I still couldn’t quite believe it.
I wondered if it was different for Romy. Lowen and I had been brought up thinking we were only children, but she’d grown up with two people she believed to be her sisters. I guess discovering she wasn’t related to them must have been one heck of a wrench.
Sure enough, even though Lowen and I were anxious for her, it was Keely and Harley who headed over to stand beside her.
‘Are you okay, Romy?’ Keely asked, while Harley put her arm around her. John, meanwhile, stood awkwardly a little apart from them. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
‘I—I have an announcement to make,’ Romy said nervously. She looked over to John and held out her hand.
‘Oh crikey, you’re not getting married too, are you?’ Sky squeaked. ‘Because, honestly, I’d think again. I really would.’
‘Hush, Sky,’ Celeste said gently. She nodded at Romy. ‘Go on.’
John took Romy’s hand and moved to her side.
She cleared her throat. ‘I just want you all to know that, well, John recovered his memory earlier. He’s now fully aware of who he was. Is. That he’s Blaise I mean. And it’s all okay,’ she added with a rush. ‘He’s still got memories of John, and he’s not like the old Blaise. And, well, we love each other, and we’re sticking together, no matter what.’
There was a stunned silence. I looked at Sirius who shook his head slightly.
‘Celeste?’ he asked, clearly as confused as I was by her apparent calm.
