not, I hope, mention the necklace to Mr. Seymour, given his history."
Peter's ears pricked up. What's the parson got against Gideon? he wondered.
"My brother says we are lucky indeed to have him," said Mrs. Byng. "He ran a great house in London as well as an estate in Surrey with a thousand acres. Richard insists that he is a good man who has been ill used by Lord Luxon."
"A leopard does not change his spots, madam. I don't trust him and I don't like him. I shall be on my guard, of that you can be certain."
"You are too harsh," replied Mrs. Byng. "I believe Mr. Seymour to be sound."
"What has Mr. Seymour done, Mother?" asked Sidney.
"Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. It is of no consequence."
The parson grunted. Peter was so keen to hear what they were saying about Gideon that he lost his footing momentarily and his chin came crashing down onto the windowsill, causing him to bite his tongue. He gasped in pain and inhaled all the dust that had collected in the corner of the window. The dust irritated Peter's nose and he let out not one but four explosive sneezes one after the other, which rang out across the garden. When Peter opened his eyes, every face at the table was turned up toward him. He thought he had better wave and say something.
"Good night!" Peter shouted down. "Looks like you're having a smashing dinner."
And with that he slammed down the window, leaped into bed, and covered his face with a sheet, the sound of Parson Ledbury's laughter ringing in his ears.
* * *
The farewell dinner had ended some time before, and now Baslow Hall was silent except for the occasional hooting of an owl. Gideon Seymour alone was not asleep in his bed. On his bed lay the crumpled letter. He stood motionless at an open window high above the gardens fragrant with lavender and roses. Above his head, silhouetted against a hunter's moon, bats flitted in and out from under the eaves.
"To think I escaped his clutches only to learn of this!" Gideon's eyes burned with such intensity and hatred that an observer would have thought he was talking to a living being. Yet it was into the empty night air that Gideon directed his words, and whatever he saw in his mind's eye was clearly causing him great distress.
"He lies, Joshua! He lies! He does not hold you in high regard. He does this to lure me back; he has no other aim!" Gideon cried. "Will Luxon not rest until he has taken everything from me? Why can he not let me go in peace?"
* * *
Peter was dreaming about his mother and father. He was trying to tell them something, but they could not hear him, no matter how loudly he spoke.
"Peter! Peter! Wake up!"
Someone was shaking his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open, and the bare whitewashed room came into focus.
"Oh. It's you," he said, and slumped back on the pillow.
"Peter, I can make myself blur!" said Kate. Her hair was loose and she was still dressed in a long white nightgown. Her face was lit up with excitement. "Just watch."
She closed her eyes and shook out her body until her limbs were floppy. Peter lay on the bed watching Kate. She looked so comical standing there that when nothing happened after a couple of minutes, he started to chuckle.
"Oh, you've put me off now," said Kate crossly. "It's a knack. I know I can get better at it. I've been practicing since daybreak. It's like those 3-D pictures--at first everything's flat, but if you relax and just keep on looking, after a while the picture pops out at you and you can't imagine how you couldn't have seen it before."
Kate walked toward the window and stood in the sunshine, her red hair gleaming.
"Don't put me off this time," she ordered, and relaxed her body again. She closed her eyes and let her head fall forward a little. She put Peter in mind of a meditating angel.
A moment later Kate seemed to melt into the morning air. The sun shone directly onto Peter's face. He lifted up his hand to shade his eyes. The next moment Kate had vanished altogether. A buzzing
Peter's ears pricked up. What's the parson got against Gideon? he wondered.
"My brother says we are lucky indeed to have him," said Mrs. Byng. "He ran a great house in London as well as an estate in Surrey with a thousand acres. Richard insists that he is a good man who has been ill used by Lord Luxon."
"A leopard does not change his spots, madam. I don't trust him and I don't like him. I shall be on my guard, of that you can be certain."
"You are too harsh," replied Mrs. Byng. "I believe Mr. Seymour to be sound."
"What has Mr. Seymour done, Mother?" asked Sidney.
"Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. It is of no consequence."
The parson grunted. Peter was so keen to hear what they were saying about Gideon that he lost his footing momentarily and his chin came crashing down onto the windowsill, causing him to bite his tongue. He gasped in pain and inhaled all the dust that had collected in the corner of the window. The dust irritated Peter's nose and he let out not one but four explosive sneezes one after the other, which rang out across the garden. When Peter opened his eyes, every face at the table was turned up toward him. He thought he had better wave and say something.
"Good night!" Peter shouted down. "Looks like you're having a smashing dinner."
And with that he slammed down the window, leaped into bed, and covered his face with a sheet, the sound of Parson Ledbury's laughter ringing in his ears.
* * *
The farewell dinner had ended some time before, and now Baslow Hall was silent except for the occasional hooting of an owl. Gideon Seymour alone was not asleep in his bed. On his bed lay the crumpled letter. He stood motionless at an open window high above the gardens fragrant with lavender and roses. Above his head, silhouetted against a hunter's moon, bats flitted in and out from under the eaves.
"To think I escaped his clutches only to learn of this!" Gideon's eyes burned with such intensity and hatred that an observer would have thought he was talking to a living being. Yet it was into the empty night air that Gideon directed his words, and whatever he saw in his mind's eye was clearly causing him great distress.
"He lies, Joshua! He lies! He does not hold you in high regard. He does this to lure me back; he has no other aim!" Gideon cried. "Will Luxon not rest until he has taken everything from me? Why can he not let me go in peace?"
* * *
Peter was dreaming about his mother and father. He was trying to tell them something, but they could not hear him, no matter how loudly he spoke.
"Peter! Peter! Wake up!"
Someone was shaking his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open, and the bare whitewashed room came into focus.
"Oh. It's you," he said, and slumped back on the pillow.
"Peter, I can make myself blur!" said Kate. Her hair was loose and she was still dressed in a long white nightgown. Her face was lit up with excitement. "Just watch."
She closed her eyes and shook out her body until her limbs were floppy. Peter lay on the bed watching Kate. She looked so comical standing there that when nothing happened after a couple of minutes, he started to chuckle.
"Oh, you've put me off now," said Kate crossly. "It's a knack. I know I can get better at it. I've been practicing since daybreak. It's like those 3-D pictures--at first everything's flat, but if you relax and just keep on looking, after a while the picture pops out at you and you can't imagine how you couldn't have seen it before."
Kate walked toward the window and stood in the sunshine, her red hair gleaming.
"Don't put me off this time," she ordered, and relaxed her body again. She closed her eyes and let her head fall forward a little. She put Peter in mind of a meditating angel.
A moment later Kate seemed to melt into the morning air. The sun shone directly onto Peter's face. He lifted up his hand to shade his eyes. The next moment Kate had vanished altogether. A buzzing
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