exclaimed. “My name’s in the Annals , and they say I mustn’t know the way here and back? Why not?”
Now Mr. Marley’s voice was distinctly uncomfortable.“Naturally your name isn’t there, or all these years the other Ruby, I mean Miss Charlotte, of course, wouldn’t have—” He cleared his throat, then fell silent, and I heard him opening the door. “Allow me,” he said, taking my arm. He led me out into the corridor. I couldn’t see him, but I felt sure he was blushing furiously again. I felt as if I were walking along beside a radiant heater.
“Whatexactly does it say about me there?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but I really can’t … I’ve said too much already.” You could almost hear him wringing his hands, or at least the hand that wasn’t holding me. And this character claimed to be a descendant of the dangerous Rakoczy! What a joke!
“Please, Leo ,” I said, sounding as friendly as I could.
“I’m sorry, but you won’t learn any more from me.” Theheavy door latched behind us. Mr. Marley let go of my arm to lock it, which seemed to take a good ten minutes, while I tried to save a bit of time by taking a firm step forward, not too easy with my eyes blindfolded. Mr. Marley had grabbed my arm again, and a good thing, because without a pilot, I could have run straight into a wall down here. I decided to try flattering him. It couldn’t hurt. Maybehe’d be prepared to come out with more information later.
“Did you know that I’ve met your ancestor in person?” In fact I’d even taken a photograph of him, but unfortunately I couldn’t show it to Mr. Marley. He’d have told tales of me for bringing forbidden objects back from the past.
“Really? I envy you. The baron must have been an impressive personality.”
“Er, yes, very impressive.” You bethe was! That creepy old junkie! “He asked me about Transylvania, but unfortunately there wasn’t much I could tell him about it.”
“Yes, living in exile must have been hard for him,” said Mr. Marley. Next moment, he let out a shrill “eek!”
A rat , I thought, and in panic I snatched the blindfold off. But it wasn’t a rat that had made Mr. Marley squeal. It was Gideon. Still as unshaven as this afternoon,in fact more so, but with his eyes extremely bright and watchful. And looking so incredibly, outrageously, impossibly good.
“Only me,” he said, smiling.
“I can see that,” groused Mr. Marley. “You scared me stiff.”
Me too. My lower lip began trembling again, and I dug my teeth into it to keep the stupid thing still.
“You can go home now. I’ll escort Gwyneth to the car,” said Gideon, holdingout his hand to me as if I was sure to take it.
I looked as haughty as you can with your front teeth digging into your lower lip—probably I just looked like a beaver, if a haughty beaver—and ignored his hand.
“You can’t,” said Mr. Marley. “It’s my job to escort Miss Gwyneth to the—aargh!” He was staring at me in horror. “Oh, Miss Gwyneth, why did you take the scarf off? That’s against the rules.”
“I thought it was a rat you’d seen,” I said, casting a dark glance at Gideon. “And I wasn’t all that wrong, either.”
“Now look what you’ve done!” said Mr. Marley accusingly to Gideon. “I don’t know what I can … the rules say that … and if we—”
“Don’t be so uptight, Marley. Come on, Gwen, let’s go.”
“But you can’t.… I must insist that…,” stammered Mr. Marley. “And … and … and you have no rightto tell me what to do—”
“Then go tell tales of me.” Gideon took my arm and simply hauled me on. I thought of resisting, but then I realized that would only lose me even more time. We’d probably still be standing here arguing tomorrow morning. So I let him lead me away, glancing back apologetically at Mr. Marley. “See you, Leo.”
“Yes, exactly. See you, Leo,” said Gideon.
“You … you haven’t heardthe last of this,”
Now Mr. Marley’s voice was distinctly uncomfortable.“Naturally your name isn’t there, or all these years the other Ruby, I mean Miss Charlotte, of course, wouldn’t have—” He cleared his throat, then fell silent, and I heard him opening the door. “Allow me,” he said, taking my arm. He led me out into the corridor. I couldn’t see him, but I felt sure he was blushing furiously again. I felt as if I were walking along beside a radiant heater.
“Whatexactly does it say about me there?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but I really can’t … I’ve said too much already.” You could almost hear him wringing his hands, or at least the hand that wasn’t holding me. And this character claimed to be a descendant of the dangerous Rakoczy! What a joke!
“Please, Leo ,” I said, sounding as friendly as I could.
“I’m sorry, but you won’t learn any more from me.” Theheavy door latched behind us. Mr. Marley let go of my arm to lock it, which seemed to take a good ten minutes, while I tried to save a bit of time by taking a firm step forward, not too easy with my eyes blindfolded. Mr. Marley had grabbed my arm again, and a good thing, because without a pilot, I could have run straight into a wall down here. I decided to try flattering him. It couldn’t hurt. Maybehe’d be prepared to come out with more information later.
“Did you know that I’ve met your ancestor in person?” In fact I’d even taken a photograph of him, but unfortunately I couldn’t show it to Mr. Marley. He’d have told tales of me for bringing forbidden objects back from the past.
“Really? I envy you. The baron must have been an impressive personality.”
“Er, yes, very impressive.” You bethe was! That creepy old junkie! “He asked me about Transylvania, but unfortunately there wasn’t much I could tell him about it.”
“Yes, living in exile must have been hard for him,” said Mr. Marley. Next moment, he let out a shrill “eek!”
A rat , I thought, and in panic I snatched the blindfold off. But it wasn’t a rat that had made Mr. Marley squeal. It was Gideon. Still as unshaven as this afternoon,in fact more so, but with his eyes extremely bright and watchful. And looking so incredibly, outrageously, impossibly good.
“Only me,” he said, smiling.
“I can see that,” groused Mr. Marley. “You scared me stiff.”
Me too. My lower lip began trembling again, and I dug my teeth into it to keep the stupid thing still.
“You can go home now. I’ll escort Gwyneth to the car,” said Gideon, holdingout his hand to me as if I was sure to take it.
I looked as haughty as you can with your front teeth digging into your lower lip—probably I just looked like a beaver, if a haughty beaver—and ignored his hand.
“You can’t,” said Mr. Marley. “It’s my job to escort Miss Gwyneth to the—aargh!” He was staring at me in horror. “Oh, Miss Gwyneth, why did you take the scarf off? That’s against the rules.”
“I thought it was a rat you’d seen,” I said, casting a dark glance at Gideon. “And I wasn’t all that wrong, either.”
“Now look what you’ve done!” said Mr. Marley accusingly to Gideon. “I don’t know what I can … the rules say that … and if we—”
“Don’t be so uptight, Marley. Come on, Gwen, let’s go.”
“But you can’t.… I must insist that…,” stammered Mr. Marley. “And … and … and you have no rightto tell me what to do—”
“Then go tell tales of me.” Gideon took my arm and simply hauled me on. I thought of resisting, but then I realized that would only lose me even more time. We’d probably still be standing here arguing tomorrow morning. So I let him lead me away, glancing back apologetically at Mr. Marley. “See you, Leo.”
“Yes, exactly. See you, Leo,” said Gideon.
“You … you haven’t heardthe last of this,”
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