Review responses:
Lightning Bug - Sorry I kept you waiting so long for the update, but it's here! (Although if you thought the last chapter's ending was a cliffhanger….)
Demonprincess81- Thanks!
Skribe - Everyone seemed to like the Mother Clubfoot thing – it even made me laugh when I was writing it.
Caralynne- Yes I'm British, and I don't think it's a personal question at all. I think humour is important in DWJ's books, especially with the character of Chrestomanci (after all, how can a man with a flowered silk dressing gown take himself seriously?), and I can just imagine all the other young people in the castle laughing at the more eccentric aspects of Christopher's personality, good naturedly, of course!Thanks to Crystal Music for Beta-ing, and on with the new chapter!
Chapter 5The building in question was built from the same muddy coloured stone as everything else in the city, but behind its high wall and wide, firmly locked gates they could somehow tell that it was much grander. It was large and imposing, and the dome rising majestically from the centre of the roof wouldn't have looked out of place on a cathedral in their own world.
It would have been near impossible for two such well-trained magic users not to notice at first glance that it also happened to be surrounded by a wall of spells, and that whoever had set them up had known what they were doing. Millie bit her lip and frowned – even getting in was clearly going to be a challenge in itself.
"Hmmm," Christopher said thoughtfully. "The person that lives here is either absurdly paranoid or they have a great deal to hide, and call me cynical, but I rather suspect that it's the former. Now how do you suggest we go about getting through these spells and finding out?"
"I bet they'll have some sort of spell that's triggered when any of the others are broken – like at the Castle. If we can break that one then we shouldn't have too much trouble
"Good thinking," Christopher agreed, already beginning to magically sort through the confusing jumble of spells until he found the right one. It seemed to take ages and Millie was actually about to suggest that he let her try instead when he said "Aha! Found it!", perhaps a little too triumphantly for her liking. She immediately stepped forward to make a wide enough gap in the web of spells to allow them to get through easily. Then it was simply a matter of sliding through the wall beside the tall, locked gate as they had already done at the Temple earlier that day.
They emerged into a paved garden full of plants that looked strange and foreign to Millie after all of the time she had spent in Series 12. It was certainly quite unlike any part of the gardens at Chrestomanci Castle. A large, ornate fountain bubbled away in the centre, and everything seemed to be covered in creepers. The overall effect was of a cool and shady oasis of calm, especially after the overheated and bustling city they had just left.
Christopher led Millie over to the set of muddy brown stone steps that curved up towards the house itself, moving rather more quickly than he had been before in a way that made it clear that he was very anxious indeed to find out what was inside the imposing building.
Inside, it was even more impressive, if that was possible. Curtains and cushions of richly coloured silken fabric seemed to cover almost every available surface, making it hard to see at first that that walls and floor were white underneath it all.
"This is rather nice, don't you think?" he said absently, fingering a curtain with a particularly attractive blue and green pattern. "I bet this cost an awful lot. It seems a shame that it's been wasted as a curtain though. It would make a lovely dressing gown, don't you think?"
Millie was unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes a little at this. He was so easily distracted at times! And his obsession with clothes had, if anything, got worse since she had complained about it to Conrad at Stallery. She caught hold of Christopher's arm and practically dragged him towards the foot of a wide marble staircase, which reminded her a little of the one in the entrance hall of Chrestomanci Castle. They were debating whether or not they ought to go up it when the sound of a conversation drifted towards from another room across the hallway. They exchanged surprised looks and both crept closer.
"So tell me, what is the problem exactly?" It was hard and cold, and at the same time full of barely restrained anger.
" Well I wouldn't go as far as to call it a problem…" the second voice belonged to a woman, and although it didn't sound any nicer than the first it certainly seemed a lot more nervous.
"Cut to the chase," the man interrupted icily.
"We had a … slight setback, that's all. The man who holds the office I would rather not name, for reasons I am sure you understand, Gabriel De Witt…" she spit the name out as though it was somehow distasteful. Millie's eyes widened. She was talking about Gabriel! It looked as though they had come to the right place after all. She looked across at Christopher, but he seemed to be in a world of his own – he had the slight frown on his face that he often got when trying to concentrate on remembering something important. Oh well. She turned her attention back to the conversation.
"Yes. That tiresome do-gooding enchanter from 12A. I do know of him. Please continue."
"Well, as I told you he and his staff managed to put a permanent end to the activities of my previous employer, and they'll do the same to you if you give them the chance."
"I consider myself to be a little wilier than the Wraith, thank you. I trust you will ensure profits aren't affected, won't you? And increase the supply of Dragon's Blood from Series 8. There seems to be an increased demand for it at the moment. Escort her out, please." Millie presumed he indicated to some servants at this point, although they couldn't actually see into the room itself.
Millie opened her mouth to say something about the conversation they had just overheard but instead found herself being dragged none too gently around the nearest corner.
"Ow! That hurt," she began a little indignantly.
"I'm sorry," Christopher said distractedly, in a vague way that suggested he wasn't really, as he hadn't actually realised that he had done it yet. "It's just that I recognise that woman!"
"Well that's hardly surprising - she did work for your uncle after all." She didn't really understand why he was getting so upset. Or maybe she did. His uncle had treated him terribly and she, along with everyone else had assumed that he wasn't bothered by it any more but perhaps he was.
"It's just a shock to see her, that's all," he said quietly, in a way that Millie thought made it perfectly clear that it wasn't really. "That was the Last Governess! You remember me telling you about her?" She did indeed, and things immediately became clearer to her.
She felt awfully sorry for him, but at the same time knew that at least one of them had to be ruthlessly practical. The house of someone who was clearly every bit as cruel and frightening as Christopher's uncle Ralph had been was clearly not the right place for a heartfelt conversation. Nevertheless, she was about to say something comforting when she was abruptly by a voice coming from behind Christopher.
