“I think so.” I was frowning, trying to remember if Grandma, whose passion the library was, had ever mentioned anything special about the bible. Nothing came to mind.
“Is there a secret letter among the pages? A map leading to buried treasure?” Ollie’s eyes were suddenly bright.
The book was too big to be held upside down and shaken, but Mia made a thorough investigation and looked as disappointed as Ollie when it came up empty.
“Anything written in the front or back?” I asked.
She leafed through. “Just blank pages. Though… Isn’t that alotof blank pages?”
I didn’t know. It wasn’t as if I looked at many old books. Something Evelyn Berstow had said at the moot came back to me. “Maybe something’s written in invisible ink.”
Both Mia and Ollie looked at me incredulously. Mia’s mouth was open and Ollie’s eyes were dancing with humour.
“I’m serious,” I said. “The Berstows told us that some dragons recorded their history that way, to keep it safe from humans.”
“So how do we read it?” Ollie leaned forward eagerly, scrutinising the blank pages.
“I don’t suppose you happen to know a red dragon?” I asked him.
“They’re extinct, aren’t they?” Mia asked.
“No,” Ollie said slowly. “Nate Mortimer’s brother is one. He told Jack. I think Nate gave Jack his number—he was trying to get all the younger dragons onside. I’ll ask him.”
“Hold onto that thought until I’ve decided what to do,” I told him. I didn’t particularly want to contact Abimelech Mortimer over what might be nothing, and I definitely didn’t want to owe Abimelech Mortimer a favour.
“Even if thereissomething here, how would Chris have found out about it?” Mia asked.
I sighed. More questions than answers. The grandfather clock in the hall struck four o’clock.
“Let’s get some sleep, and maybe we can work some of this out tomorrow,” I said to them, rising to my feet and offering my hand to Ollie to help him up.
He winced as he moved, and I grabbed the pack of painkillers to take upstairs with us.
“Archer.” Mia’s voice was very small. “You don’t think Uncle Chris will come back, do you?”
“No chance.” I meant it, though it didn’t banish the anxiety from her face. “But if you want to bring the sofa cushions, you can bunk on my floor for tonight.”
She looked from me to Ollie and screwed her nose up. “That’s okay, thanks. I mean, it’s almost dawn, isn’t it? I’ll see you both in the morning.”
Before she went, she stood on tiptoe to kiss my cheek, then gently kissed Ollie’s. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said.
“Leaving aside the fact it feels as if my arm’s about to fall off,” he complained. But I noticed he waited until she had gone upstairs before he did so. “Come on, you can help me to bed. Suddenly those stairs look like a mountain.”
Chapter Thirty-three
OLLIE
Once Archer had got me into bed, covers drawn up with my arm outside them and a pillow wedged against my back so I didn’t roll over onto my shoulder in my sleep, he turned off the overhead light and climbed into bed beside me.
In the softer light cast by the bedside lamp, I saw the lines on his face had deepened.
“You know it’s not your fault, what Chris did.”
“If I’d thrown him out all those years ago, it would never have happened.”
It was too much to hope he wouldn’t findsomeway to blame himself. “What about now? What happens next?”
“He’s expelled from the family.” Archer’s tone was uncompromising. “I’m going to speak to the rest of the family before I make it official and ensure they know why.”
