Black Mountain by Kate Loveday Page B

back to me,’ she said. ‘He put together the plant extract with the other ingredients we had worked out together, and he felt he was really getting somewhere. He was so excited.’
    Elly heard the sadness in her mother’s voice. She put her arm around her shoulders and hugged her. ‘We need to go on with it,’ she told her gently. ‘We owe it to him, as well as you, not to let it die here.’
    Beth bit her lip, and forced a smile. ‘Yes, I know,’ she whispered. She reached for Elly’s hand and grasped it. ‘It’s just that it brings it all back. How happy he was. How sure he was that he was almost there. “Just one more step” , he told me. And then …’ Her voice trailed off.
    Elly felt a lump in her throat. ‘Mum, if this is too much for you, you don’t need to go on …’
    â€˜No.’ Beth moved away from Elly’s arm, her lips tight as she blinked away the tears trembling in her eyes. ‘No.’ Her voice strengthened. ‘We’ll go on together.’
    â€˜If you’re sure?’
    â€˜I’m sure.’ Beth took a deep breath. ‘Enough of this,’ she said firmly. ‘Now, the next step. Number twenty-three is an exceptionally good serum. I used it on my face, as I did all of them as they came along, but this was the best by far. And I tried it on the scar on my thigh from a mole I had removed a couple of years ago, and it faded to where you could hardly see it. The only problems are the texture and the aroma. It’s glutinous, and it feels terrible on the skin. And the aroma. Very strong and unpleasant.’
    Elly nodded. ‘Yes, I remember.’ She looked at the screen. ‘It’s all here. But Dad and I talked about it, and he’d begun working on a slightly different formula to remove that, and give it that extra something that would take it to the next level—the ultimate skincare.’
    â€˜The fountain of youth.’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜Without him, I don’t have the expertise to do that. I’m not a scientist,’ Beth said, ‘but you do, Elly. Could you do it?’
    Feeling a rush of excitement, Elly answered, ‘I’ve done a lot of research in the last few months. I’d like to try.’
    â€˜Then let’s go for it.’
    Determinedly, Beth put the bottle labelled twenty-three on the bench next to Rob’s instruments, then went to the dresser and took down a book resting there.
    â€˜This is all we now have of the plant,’ she told Elly, opening it and carefully extracting the dried flower with a few leaves attached that had been pressed between its pages, and placing it on a dish.
    Elly took it and placed it next to number twenty-three. ‘There’s no moisture left in it, so I won’t be able to extract any oil, but let’s see what we can do. I’ll check back through the earlier experiments too, to see if there’s anything in those formulas that might help.’
    Beth went to the desk and opened one of the drawers. Taking out a folder she handed it to Elly.
    â€˜As you know, I was the guinea pig for testing each batch, and this is my record of the results, the effect of each one on my skin.’
    â€˜Thanks, Mum, that’ll be most helpful.’
    â€˜Is there anything I can do?’ Beth asked.
    â€˜I don’t think so. Is there anything you want to do here, or do you have things you want to do in the house? Don’t forget Greg Talbot is coming to lunch tomorrow.’
    â€˜I haven’t forgotten and I have something prepared. I must say he’s one of the last people I ever expected to be coming here for a meal. I hardly know him, and I know your father never fraternised much with him. They didn’t have much in common.’
    â€˜He’s at a bit of a loose end up here on his own, l think he just wants the company.’
    â€˜Well, he’s welcome enough. Now