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“Wow. How did you do that?”
“That was an easy trick,” he said, showing her the options menu. “You use layers, see? Things the computer has ready to go. But the stuff you draw yourself is always the best.”
“Will you teach me?”
“I would, kiddo, but I don’t think we’re likely to cross paths again. In fact”—he checked his watch and grimaced—“I better get back downstairs. But hey,” he said, standing and dusting off his knees. “Ask at school for a graphic design course. I’m sure they’ll have something for you.”
“I will. Thanks!”
He smiled then froze as he heard footsteps outside.
“Oh no,” Dimity said with her brow furrowing. “It’s Maria. She’ll be taking me back to the party.”
“Chin up,” Jesse said with a smile, padding to the door. “Maybe she’s come to send you to bed. Then you can do more drawing under the covers.” He winked at her, cracked the door, saw the coast was clear, even though the footsteps were getting louder. “I gotta dash, honey. You take care, okay?”
“Will I see you again?” she said, getting to her feet and clutching the toy car to her chest.
“Maybe,” he said, trying again for a real smile. “But until then, you look after yourself, all right?”
She nodded, smiling bravely, and Jesse ducked back out into the corridor. He hurried in the opposite direction to the footsteps, turning a corner just as he heard the voice of Dimity’s minder scolding her for leaving the party without permission. He shook his head and continued down the hall, searching for another stairway down.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Greenway.
“We’re out at the car,” she said, then hung up.
Jesse hurried outside, shivering in the cold wind and made for the limo waiting near an iced-over fountain.
“Well, that was different,” he said as he climbed in, sighing noisily as the warmth of the car wrapped around him.
“Did you find anything?” Emory was scanning a document on a tablet. The light from the device washed his skin bone-white.
“No one is trying to spy on you or anything like that,” he said, tugging off his tie and unbuttoning his collar with relief. “Wasn’t the sort of party the internet trolls could sneak into, either, even if they wanted to. Don’t know what you were so worried about.”
“So the house has pretty standard security is your assessment?” Emory was still focused on the iPad.
“Yeah, apart from the fact that they seemed rather big on floodlights.” He sent Emory a penetrating look. “So, are you gonna tell me what I was really looking for?”
“When we get home,” he said, putting the iPad away.
He didn’t speak again for the whole journey back. His face appeared harder than usual. Jesse kept his mouth shut with an effort, aware of Greenway watching him in the rear-view mirror.
“Thank you, Greenway,” the baron said as they entered Oswald House. “That will be all for tonight. Jesse, if you wouldn’t mind joining me in my study?”
Jesse’s pulse quickened. He tried to make sense of the haemophile’s tone, but it was flatter than sea ice.
The fire was already burning in the study. The lights were low. Emory moved to his desk and put the iPad away, checked a couple of papers then put those away, too.
“Help yourself to a drink,” he said as he opened a letter from the rack next to an open laptop.
“I don’t want one,” Jesse said. “I wanna know what’s going on here.”
Emory read the letter in silence, then slipped it into one of the drawers. Jesse heard a key turn then, finally, Emory looked at Jesse.
“Perhaps we should sit.”
“I don’t want to sit, either. You want me to steal something from that house, don’t you?” Emory drifted toward the sofa without meeting his eyes. “Don’tyou?”
The haemophile poured himself a drink then unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat on the sofa, draping one arm along the back. He met Jesse’s eyes over the rim of his glass. When he lowered his drink, he was smiling.
