He touched his blind eye. “Oh.” On a deep breath he covered it with the palm of his hand and muttered something. The air shivered. And when he lowered his hand she saw that his silver eye had turned brown. How eerie. “Thanks.”
She nodded. “All right then.” She wanted to say, You be careful, Gerald. She wanted to say, Don’t get killed. But nothing she said could make any difference. He had a job to do, and so did she. “So, I suppose we’ll hear from you later?”
“Hopefully,” said Gerald, staring after Eudora Telford. “ Melissande — ”
“Yes, yes, we’re going!”
Reg leapt off her shoulder, flapping ahead. Melissande hitched up her horrible long black skirt and ran after her.
Oooh, Saint Snodgrass, don’t you let me go arse over teakettle on these stupid cobbles!
There was no sign of Errol Haythwaite when she and Reg caught up with Eudora, some ten doors down from where they’d last seen her. The silly woman shrieked and turned when she heard her name called.
“Gracious! Your Highness!” she squeaked, eyes popped wide with shock. “What are you doing here?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Reg had settled on top of a defunct lamp post, sufficiently shadowed for Eudora Telford not to see her. Melissande flicked her a glance, hoping she’d get the message to stay put. From the corner of her eye she saw a running shadow-Gerald-sprinting down the other side of the street as he chased after Errol Haythwaite.
“What am I doing here, Miss Telford?” she said, wrenching her attention back to Eudora, and then realised she had no idea what to say next.
Obviously she couldn’t tell the silly woman the truth. Spying on you and Permelia wouldn’t help matters at all. She could say Permelia had changed her mind, but then Eudora Telford would go back to Permelia Wycliffe and, lo, see the cat making a meal of the pigeons.
“Um-” she said, knowing she now looked exceedingly silly herself… not to mention suspicious. Eudora Telford. Eudora Telford. What do I know about Eudora Telford…“ Ah-well-His Majesty sent me.”
Eudora Telford stared. “His Majesty? You mean-”
“Yes, Miss Telford. My brother. King Rupert the First of New Ottosland.”
“But-but why?”
Oh, what a very good question. On top of the lamp post, Reg was shaking with suppressed laughter.
“Well, Miss Telford, the thing is, Rupert-I mean, His Majesty-has-has a sweet tooth,” she said, frantically wracking her imagination. “Yes. He’s very fond of his cakes and pastries. And I-um-well, I mentioned to him that I knew you, a luminary of the internationally renowned Ottosland Baking and Pastry Guild-and he’s very anxious to meet you himself.”
“ Me?” said Eudora Telford faintly. “Not Permelia? Your Highness, are you sure?”
Ignoring the pangs of guilt- I’m only lying to save her — she nodded. “Quite sure, Miss Telford. His Majesty is hoping you might-ah-make a visit to New Ottosland so you can teach the royal kitchen staff how to-to-create a better jam roll.”
Now Reg was hanging upside down off the lamp post, wings waving as she whooped with silent hilarity. Melissande risked glaring at her, but the wretched bird took no notice.
Eudora Telford was trembling. “Oh, Your Highness, I don’t know what to say! Except-however did you find me all the way out here in South Ott?”
Melissande looked around the grim, poorly-lit street. “Yes, it is rather an odd place for you to visit, Miss Telford. Do you mind if I ask what’s brought you so far from home?”
Eudora Telford clutched her reticule more tightly. “Nothing important, Your Highness. A favour for a friend. Nothing for you to worry about. You-you were going to tell me how you found me.”
I was? Oh. “ Yes, well, His Majesty is a wonderful man, Miss Telford, but when he gets a bee in his bonnet he does rather want things to get done. No delay. And he’s so very excited about the thought of you visiting New Ottosland that he instructed me to-to-” Oh, Rupert, I’m sorry about this…“ — to extend his invitation to you immediately. Nothing would satisfy him but that I rush out this very evening and see you on his behalf. But when I reached your charming little bungalow I saw you leaving in a cab, so I followed you. I’m sorry. It’s just-I didn’t want to disappoint the king.”
“Oh,” said Eudora Telford, and looked down at her tightly clutched purse. “Well. That’s perfectly understandable, Your Highness. Disappointing people is awful, isn’t it? One-one is prepared to brave anything, no matter how frightening it might be, if that means not letting down the person who’s relying on you.”
Despite the good news about Rupert, the poor silly woman was still trembling. Still pale. Melissande lightly touched her cold hands. “Yes, Miss Telford,” she said gently. “One is.”
She risked another glance at Reg. The horrible bird had recovered her composure and was sitting on top of the lamp post again, rolling her eyes.
“And now,” she added, “I think we should return to North Ott so we can discuss the particulars of your visit to His Majesty’s court. I have a car standing by, which should be here any moment.”
Looking at Reg again, she waggled her eyebrows in what she hoped was a clear hint to go and fetch Bibbie. But instead of flying off, Reg turned to look along the street in the direction Gerald had run.
Drat. “Yes, any moment now my car should arrive.”
“That’s very kind of you, Your Highness,” Eudora Telford murmured. “Only, you see, there is the small matter of this errand, this favour…”
“I’m sure your friend would understand that you had to delay,” said Melissande, and looked again at Reg. “Friends know that sometimes you have to make a choice. And being friends they don’t hold it against you.”
“Yes, yes,” said Eudora Telford. She didn’t look convinced. Reg didn’t look convinced either but she flew off, away from Gerald, back towards the mouth of the side street and Bibbie.
“Honestly, Miss Telford,” said Melissande earnestly, tucking a hand in the crook of Eudora’s arm. “What true friend would deny you such a splendid opportunity?” With a little tug and a smile, she started the woman walking back along the street. “Did I mention His Majesty has heard of your light touch with sweet pastry?”
Eudora Telford gasped. “King Rupert’s heard of my pastry? Your Highness!”
Melissande felt another stab of guilt. It was awful, playing on Eudora’s pathetic sensibilities like this, but what other choice did she have?
I’ll make it up to her somehow. Even if I have to armwrestle Rupert into extending her a real invitation. She is the Guild’s secretary, after all. How bad could her jam rolls be?
Loud in the night-time silence, the wheezing chug-chug of Monk’s approaching jalopy. “And here’s the car,” she said, waving at Bibby as two bug-eyed headlights cut through the gloom.
“Your Highness, Miss Telford,” said Bibbie through the open driver’s window. “All set to go?”
“Oh,” said Eudora Telford, taken aback. “Miss Markham. You-you drive?”
Bibbie’s perfect teeth gleamed. “Certainly, Miss Telford. Would you expect anything less from the great- niece of Antigone Markham?” Leaving the jalopy to idle, she got out and held the rear passenger door wide. “Please. Do have a seat.”
But Eudora Telford hesitated. “Oh. Yes. D’you know, I’m just wondering, since you have this-this interesting vehicle, Your Highness, whether it would be possible for us to-to just drive a little further along so I can do this important favour for-for my friend. You know, before we discuss my visit to New Ottosland. The thing is-you see- that if I don’t do what I promised, my-my friend will be dreadfully… disappointed.”
Melissande looked at Eudora’s white and frightened face. Drat that Permelia Wycliffe. She really had this rabbit browbeaten.
“Oh, we can’t,” said Bibbie quickly. “I’m so sorry, Miss Telford. There’s been a gas leak in the area, and we really should leave. You can come back in the morning. I’ll bring you myself.”
“Gas leak?” said Eudora Telford, bewildered. “I didn’t hear anything about a-”
“The car has a wireless in it,” said Bibbie, with another dazzling smile. “I just heard the announcement.” She began to usher Eudora Telford into the jalopy. “Come along. No time to waste. That’s it, upsadaisy-”
