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‘Are you saying Trinity isn’t essential?’ I asked coldly.
‘In the scheme of things? Who knows?’
‘Wow,’ I said. ‘You’re all heart. Is this what being a Guardian does to you? Because if it is I don’t think I want to reclaim my powers after all.’
‘I think we should move on,’ Killian said hastily. ‘This is getting us nowhere. I’m going to head back to Ballydraiocht and see if they’ve heard anything there. They need to be informed of everything that’s happened if they don’t already know. Then I’ll go on to Whitby and see if I can pick up anything. I might be able to sense fae magic and tell you for definite who was in that area.’
‘Really?’ I asked hopefully. ‘You can do that?’
‘I can try,’ he said. ‘I can’t promise but I’ll do my best. I might be able to persuade Suibhne to come with me. He’s better at tracking than I am.’
‘Brilliant,’ Hector said. ‘You do that, Killian. In the meantime, I suggest Simon removes John’s memories of today and we return the poor chap to Bartonbrook.’
There was a chorus of protests.
‘No way! You can’t leave Romy with that man! He could be dangerous!’
‘You can’t trust Blaise St Clair. I don’t care what he’s calling himself these days.’
‘Romy, what do you think?’
All eyes turned to Romy who wiped away a tear and shrugged helplessly. ‘I don’t know what to think. Is he still the man I loved? I don’t know. I can’t think—’
‘Don’t trust him.’
Celeste was standing in the doorway, a watchful Belasko on her shoulder. She was watching Romy with sympathy in her eyes, but there was a determined look in them too.
‘He’s—he’s not your Blaise,’ Romy stammered. ‘Not any more.’
‘He was never my Blaise,’ Celeste corrected her. ‘He just pretended to be. He made me believe he loved me, wanted to marry me. It was all lies. He has no compunction about telling people anything they want to hear. You can’t be alone with him any longer. It’s not safe.’
‘Well that settles that then,’ Keely said triumphantly. ‘So what are you going to do with him?’
Hector looked at Simon for a long time, their gaze intense.
Then Hector nodded. ‘We’ll take him to the island. It’s the safest place for him right now, and he’ll be well looked after.’
‘The island! But that’s Trinity’s happy place,’ I protested. ‘And what about Sirius? The last thing he needs is Blaise St Clair turning up.’
‘Sirius has other things to worry about,’ Hector reminded me. ‘Ewella and Emrick are more than capable of keeping John secure while caring for him. He’ll have the freedom of the house and garden but won’t be able to venture beyond the grounds.’
‘It seems a shame to me,’ Simon admitted. ‘I still think it would be kinder to let him go home and continue his life as if today never happened.’ He looked at Romy sadly. ‘Are you sure you can’t give him another chance?’
‘It’s—it’s not about that,’ she said. ‘I just don’t know who he is any longer. Everything I thought I knew about him is a lie.’
‘No it’s not, Romy,’ Simon promised her. ‘What you know about John is who he is. The layers of him that are Blaise are buried deep, out of his reach. You can trust John Ford.’
She hesitated but shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. It’s all too much for me to deal with. Maybe later, when I’ve had the chance to understand all this, but right now I can’t go back to pretending I don’t know the truth. He might not know who he is, but I do. I—I’m a little afraid of him now.’ She hung her head. ‘I know, it’s stupid and pathetic.’
‘You have every reason to be afraid of him,’ Celeste told her. ‘You’re doing the right thing.’ She gave Hector a weak smile. ‘Thank you. I think the island’s the best place for him until we figure out what’s next.’
He nodded and got to his feet. ‘Then I guess I’d better visit Emrick and Ewella and explain the situation to them.’
‘Tell Sirius that whenever he’s ready to start searching again I’ll go with him,’ I told him, and Killian added, ‘Me, too. As soon as I’ve spoken to the folks back home I’ll be in Whitby, so if he wants to join me he’s welcome.’
‘Will do. Simon?’
‘I’d better head back to Bartonbrook,’ Simon said. ‘I need to make sure their house is secure and give a reason for John’s absence from work.’ He gave us all a meaningful look. ‘I don’t want him to be in any trouble when he goes home finally.’
