The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth Page B

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    Hannah’s heart fell in disappointment. Maybe her father had been mad after all.
    Linnet went on chatting genially, though her eyes were bright and curious on Hannah’s face. ‘But for Lady Wintersloe and Lady Fairknowe, I’ll add a nice shot of whisky.’ She poured a generous splash of whisky into the teacup, and passed it to Lady Wintersloe. ‘Lady Fairknowe?’
    â€˜Please, call me Roz,’ Hannah’s mother said, her arms folded tight across her chest. ‘Lady Fairknowe just doesn’t sound like me.’
    â€˜Oh, I couldn’t be doing that,’ Linnet said, sounding shocked. ‘It wouldn’t be right.’
    Roz shrugged, exasperated, and let Linnet splash some whisky into the cup.
    â€˜Now then, that’s better, hey?’ the old cook said. ‘Shall weget you away to bed early tonight, my lady? You could have a nice cup of soup in bed.’
    â€˜That would be lovely, thank you,’ Lady Wintersloe said.
    â€˜Can I help?’ Hannah suddenly wondered how Linnet was going to manage by herself, but both old women shook their heads.
    â€˜Let me preserve my dignity a while longer,’ Lady Wintersloe said. ‘Besides, Linnet has been looking after me since I was just a baby. She knows what to do better than anyone.’
    Hannah nodded. It was only once Linnet had wheeled her great-grandmother from the room that this comment struck her as nonsense. How could Linnet have looked after Lady Wintersloe when she was just a baby? Hannah’s great-grandmother was eighty-eight years old. That meant Linnet would have to be at least a hundred, if not even older. Hannah frowned. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe Lady Wintersloe really was losing her marbles.
    Roz and Hannah ate a solitary meal, listening to the rain beat against the windows. As usual, the food was delicious, but neither noticed much what they were eating. Hannah was thinking of Donovan and the music, and the toad and the cat, and the tower room with its cryptic notebook, and the curse. She did not know what her mother was thinking about, but the anxious frown between her brows was deeper than ever.
    â€˜I think we should go home,’ Roz said abruptly, laying down her spoon.
    â€˜Go home? But why? We’ve only just got here!’
    â€˜Your great-grandmother’s not well.’
    â€˜Which is why we should stay and look after her.’
    â€˜I’m worried . . .’ Roz’s voice trailed away.
    Hannah got to her feet and said very firmly, ‘Surely you’re not letting the stories of an old sick woman spook you, are you, Mum? Why, it’s just not rational!’ She kissed her mother and went out of the room, saying, ‘Night, Mum! See you in the morning.’

Suffer This Bane

    Hannah did not go up to her room, but went quietly down the hall to the dining hall that had been turned into her great-grandmother’s bedroom, since she could no longer climb the stairs to the upper floors. She knocked quietly.
    â€˜Yes?’ called Lady Wintersloe drowsily.
    â€˜It’s me,’ Hannah said. ‘Can I come in?’
    â€˜Of course, dear.’
    Hannah opened the door and went in. Her great-grandmother was lying in a low bed covered with a pale pink satin quilt. She was dressed in an old-fashioned nightgown with a high neck and long sleeves, and her silver hair had been unpinned and plaited into a thin braid. Her face was clean of makeup, and looked very old and haggard. The newspaper lay beside her, open to the crossword.
    â€˜I thought you’d best tell me the whole story,’ Hannah said.
    Lady Wintersloe nodded. ‘Come sit near me, Hannah, my dear, so I don’t need to raise my voice. I’m very tired.’
    Hannah sat down and took her great-grandmother’s thin hand. ‘So, what happened? Why did the fairy princess curse us?’
    â€˜She was betrayed,’ Lady Wintersloe said. ‘She had a