“No one can agree who won this game, but it was most likely Tilly,” she read aloud. “Is that a basketball? It’s so bright and round. We play that game at the Scotland estate. My mum invented it.”
Dahlia snorted. “First of all, I’m going to find a way to start saying ‘the Scotland estate’ in everyday conversation. And second of all, no, she didn’t. It’s an American game. She played in high school. I think they were about twelve in that pic.”
“So she lied about that, too.” Ariana turned page after page, touching each portrait. Her mother had been so young and vibrant, wearing the ugly, skimpy clothes of her real time. “How are these so lifelike? Who is the artist? It must have cost a veritable fortune to have so many portraits commissioned.” She leaned closer, studying the colorful details. “They can’t be photographs, not with this vibrant detail. I know someone in 1889 who had a photograph made and it’s fuzzy and brown.”
With a tisk, Dahlia held up the small metallic tablet that never left her side and said, “Smile.”
Ariana blinked when Dahlia turned the device around and showed her a perfectly rendered image of herself looking slack-jawed and stupid.
“That’s amazing,” she said. “How?”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “From someone who can travel through time. It’s just a camera. It’s in my phone.” She held it up again and instructed Ariana to wave and smile. She woodenly complied and was awestruck to see herself doing the action on a loop. “I can make a whole movie of you,” she said. “In fact, that’s a brilliant idea. If I could document you time traveling, we could both be famous. And rich. Which I guess doesn’t bother you much, but I’d like to know what it’s like to have endless cash.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ariana said, flustered by this magic she didn’t understand and that Dahlia didn’t seem the least bit impressed with. “Not everyone can do it, and they might exploit those who can. They most definitely would do that.”
She shuddered at the thought of being enslaved, studied. Forced to do magic for those who wanted material gain. She felt slightly guilty at her own money making schemes that never could have worked without using magic.
The door to the hallway opened and Dex stuck his head in, causing them both to gasp. Ariana dropped the book of pictures as guiltily as if it were her family’s grimoire.
“And besides that,” he said dryly, “batteries don’t do well with crossing time. Believe me, I’ve tried. You’d never get the proof you need, so put that mad plan out of your mind right now, young lady.” He leveled a gimlet eye on Dahlia.
“Always with the eavesdropping,” she huffed, standing up and stamping her foot. “God, I can’t stand it.” She stormed past him and slammed into her room.
Ariana was mortified but Dexter only closed his eyes for a moment as if in prayer. “Go on along with her,” he said. “You’ll have to go to work with me tomorrow, so we’ll be leaving at eight. I’ll see if I can rearrange my schedule and take you around London a bit before you go back.”
She pressed her lips together to keep from retorting that she’d go back when she was good and ready, not wanting to sound as bratty as Dahlia. He grinned, seeming to see right through her. With a huff, she slipped past him and stormed her own way to Dahlia’s room.
Chapter 8
Tilly woke abruptly to the sound of a door slamming. She found herself slumped over in one of the armchairs in Ashford’s study, a rivulet of drool heading down her chin. She irritably wiped it away and straightened up. The last three sleepless nights had taken their toll on her and she’d finally drifted off while helping Ashford study. Well, really more like hover over him and nag him to find something that would work to find Ariana. Three long days that could have been weeks or months for their daughter. She turned angrily to the source of the banging door and saw Kostya looking as haggard as she felt, and covered in dust to boot.
“The ceiling came down on me with the last try,” he said, shaking bits of plaster out of his hair and then wincing in pain. “Or rather, it sent me up to the ceiling and then we both came down. Thankfully your suggestion of laying blankets on the floor kept me from breaking some bones.” He nodded to her with anything but a grateful look.
Ashford groaned and made a tick mark on a list next to the huge book, then after a moment of squinting through another pile of papers, held out one of them.
“Here’s the next one on the list. I must say I’m terribly disappointed that the last one didn’t work, since it didn’t rely on the portal. This newest one’s going to try and open the bloody thing up again. I’m flat out of freestanding spells for the moment.” He blinked over at Tilly. “Oh, you’re awake, love. Do you think you could sort through this pile for me?”
She jumped up, unsuccessfully pushing down her irritation. “You should have got me up sooner if you had something for me to do. Or not let me fall asleep at all.”
Ashford pressed his lips together, also
