“That’s the one. She’s got the daughter your age and three boys. Knits a lot of sweaters.”
I nodded. “What exactly happened?”
This was disastrous, but I wasn’t sure yet how disastrous. Based on the expressions on these two vampires’ faces, though, it was on the bad end of disastrous.
“I smacked right into her. I was thinking about something else or I never would have gone out at all. Not in the middle of the day.” And with my mother and father in town, she’d promised me she’d stay out of sight. But yelling at her wasn’t going to help. I kept my voice calm.
“You bumped into her, and then what happened?”
“Well, she looked so pleased to see me. She said, ‘Agnes Bartlett.’ And I, of course, complimented her on the sweater she was wearing. It was really very lovely. One of the Teddy Lamont designs, done in shades of mauve.”
“Never mind her sweater,” I said with what patience I could muster. I was picturing this as though the scene were happening in front of me, and I couldn’t even imagine where it was going from here.
“I was about to ask after her husband when it suddenly it struck me that I probably shouldn’t be talking to her at all.”
Really?
“I made to walk away, and then Mrs. Darlington grabbed her chest, took a step back and said, ‘Wait a minute. I thought you died.’”
Oh dear, oh dear.
“That’s when I told Agnes to do the forgetting spell,” Sylvia put in.
“But there were so many people around, I didn’t dare.”
“So, what did you do?” If Mrs. Darlington was running around claiming she’d seen my dead grandmother, then we were going to have all kinds of problems.
“Sylvia dragged her off the High Street and into an alley.”
I didn’t think the story could get worse. And then it did. “You did what?”
“It was all I could think of,” Sylvia said, sounding defensive.
Mrs. Darlington had brought up three rough-and-tumble boys. I doubted very much that she’d gone willingly into a back alley with two old ladies.
“Who knew she had such lungs on her?” Sylvia said, confirming what I’d feared.
“So you dragged a screaming woman down into an alley?” I glanced at Rafe, but he sat still as stone. And as impassive. He’d probably been witness to worse disasters, but I hadn’t.
“It was all we could think of. We had to get her away from the crowd so that Agnes could do her forgetting spell.”
“Did anyone follow you?” Rafe asked. Excellent question.
“Two large men. They said, ‘Hey there, what you doing?’” Sylvia, being an actress, managed to sound like a local man with a deep voice.
Oh, this was not good.
“Were the police involved?” Another excellent question. I was so glad I’d told Rafe to remain.
“No. It didn’t come to that. I have to say, Sylvia showed great presence of mind,” Gran said admiringly. “I was in a panic. One woman screaming and struggling, two burly men bearing down on me as though I were a common criminal. I went quite blank with fright.”
I was feeling quite blank with fright myself.
Gran continued, “But Sylvia was as calm as a cucumber. While the men were advancing on me, she opened the door that leads down a steep flight of stairs into the tunnels. She pushed the men through the door.”
I stared at Sylvia, who said rather smugly, “We’re much stronger than we look.”
“Then I managed the forgetting spell on poor Mrs. Darlington. I had to hide myself the minute I did it, and then Sylvia helped her back out to the street, where she wandered off looking slightly confused but with no memory of me.”
“And what happened to the two men you pushed down the stairs?” I asked Sylvia.
“Here we come to the problem. I’m afraid I had to tie them up and gag them. In order for your grandmother to do her forgetting spell, they need to be somewhere where it’s logical for them to be. Not tied up in a dark tunnel underneath the streets of Oxford.”
Only one part of that sentence had lodged into my brain like a huge thorn. “They’re still down there?”
“They are. We’re in a bit of a quandary. Don’t know what to do with them.”
I glanced at Rafe, who still looked carefully expressionless, though there was some tension around his jaw that suggested he might be clenching his teeth.
He thought about it for a moment. We all remained quiet as he made a decision. I felt sweat begin to pool everywhere sweat could. I had a mental image of two huge and angry men breaking out of their bonds and causing havoc. “Right. Get Theodore and Alfred up, and they can keep a watch. I’m sorry for it, but they’ll have to stay there until after dark, when we can move them.”
“I’ll get Theodore and Alfred,” Sylvia said, when Gran rose. “You stay here.”
Gran slumped on the couch as though her legs wouldn’t hold her anymore. “I feel terrible. I’m so sorry to cause you this trouble.”
I sat beside her and patted her hand. “I know you didn’t mean it, but this can’t go on, Gran.”
She nodded at me, looking sad. “I know, dear. I’ve so loved being here to help you get the shop running and on its feet, but you have Rafe now. You’ll be a married woman soon.” She looked at him appealingly. “I know I’ll have to leave Oxford, but would you mind very much if I stay until after the wedding? I’d so like to see my granddaughter get married. And then I’ll go somewhere far away.” She sounded so sad, I felt tears prick at my eyes. I didn’t want to lose her.
“Of course,” Rafe answered. At least I’d have Gran nearby a little longer.
“While you’re here, can you think of any reason why Karmen, the witch in Wallingford, might want to kill me?”
Gran had obviously been worrying about the men downstairs, but now she sharpened her gaze
