He held his thumb and forefinger up with a tiny gap between them. ‘Just a bit. I think we all could have done without your brother’s gloating though. After all his claims of professionalism, it was not a good look. The celebratory lunch was lovely though. You know what he’s like when he thinks he’s finally won.’ He sighed then, looking at the sprawl of papers and the glow of the laptop illuminating her face. ‘You’ve been busy.’
She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to dispel the headache that had lodged there and was suddenly blossoming. Nothing to do with Jason’s return. Or at least she hoped not.
‘I had a brainwave. Well, I was talking to Rafael and…I thought I might as well do what Rafael is paying for as quickly as possible so I can get back to my life.’
‘Did he tell you what he was planning to do? The financing?’
‘Oh no,’ she said brightly, because that was the only way she could handle it right now. ‘I had the pleasure of my school ringing me to say how delighted they were he was buying my services. And then he finally told me. When he turned up. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.’
But Nico wasn’t put off by that. ‘What did you say to him?’
‘Nothing,’ she lied.
Nico did not look convinced. ‘He just decided to fund everything? Just like that? You know what Jason thinks, don’t you?’
She gave him a flat look. She did not like the implication. ‘Jason would be wrong.’
And if he said it to her directly, she would go through him for a shortcut. He knew better than to do that. He’d just drop sly hints and say it to everyone else. There wasn’t much she could do to contradict him except plead her innocence.
She wasn’t about to tell them what really happened last night, their encounter with Ankou, Rafael’s curse, or his son. None of this was Jason’s business and he would only make things so much worse if he knew any of it.
‘OK then,’ Nico replied carefully. He knew the two of them too well. He knew what the looks meant. ‘Are you sure you’re OK? You look a bit…’
‘What, Nico?’
‘Manic?’
She shook her head, defeated, and the rising anger dissipated a little. ‘I need a break. Do we have wine?’
He laughed. ‘Where do you think we are? Of course we have wine.’
‘Better yet,’ said Jason, arriving back in, ‘there’s afest nozon in the village. We should go. Lina texted. They’ve all headed down there. Tried to tell Ari here, but she was too engrossed in what she was doing.’
She vaguely remembered someone coming in and wittering on about a party, but she’d been busy. Gwen had mentioned afest nozthat night, a local festival, with live music and traditional dancing, like a céilí. It was usually accompanied by food and a fairly large quantity of wine, beer and spirits. Simon had loved them. It made him feel like he was touching his roots, he’d told her once.
‘Come on,’ her brother said. ‘We’re going out. You look like you need some air. You’ve got crazy eyes.’
Charming.
‘I really don’t want to.’
‘Can you actually focus properly right now?’ he asked, his voice gentler all of a sudden. And this was the Jason she knew and loved. Not the adventurer, not the chancer. Her brother. And he knew her too well. ‘You need a break, little sister. You’re meant to be on holiday.’
Was she? She wasn’t aware that he knew what a holiday was. And hadn’t he invited her here to work? ‘But I think I’m close to something here,’ she protested.
For a moment, she thought he might lean in and join her, that he’d be sucked into this madness as thoroughly as she was. It was his madness after all. But something had changed. Jason looked relaxed for the first time in months, like he wasn’t pulling all the weight of this great endeavour by himself anymore. He reminded her of the way he’d been with Simon by his side.
Ari almost fancied she saw a trace of Simon in him, like a ghost drifting around the edges.
The thought of ghosts, and Simon, made her shiver. Of course, her brother saw it.
‘Take a break, squirt,’ Jason said softly, and his concern showed on his face. ‘That’s an order.’
Music filled the little square outside the chapel, bright and melodic, call-and-response songs, merry reels and sea shanties. The musicians played a long oboe-like instrument, a set of small bagpipes, and drums, all lit by firelight. It was the kind of music that dug its way into Ari’s chest and beat there alongside her heart. There was a harpist as well, a woman with long, delicate fingers which seemed to dance over the strings. No concert harp this. It was a Celtic harp, based on ancient designs, and it sounded like water rippling through the air.
Whirling groups of dancers filled the space in front of them, forming up in lines, breaking apart, laughing, singing, living every moment. Somewhere, someone was roasting a whole pig over a fire, with potatoes cooking in the embers, and the wine was flowing.
Ari clutched her paper cup and moved around the edge of the crowd. Thierry was there, right in the heart of the dancers. He spun towards her, his hand outstretched, trying to get her to join in, but she just laughed and stepped back. Jason was already in the thick of it. He knew everyone here by their first name anyway, fitting himself in to the community with an ease she couldn’t help but envy. He always had done.
