Cecilia’s smile softened, as if she saw right through Alice’s disguise and rather liked what she found there.Impossible!Alice urgently stamped down the idea and its attendant shadow of longing. After all, A.U.N.T. had worked on her for two decades to ensure she was neither seen nor liked.
But Cecilia went on with ruthless goodwill: “Anytime you wish, you are welcome to visit me and borrow a book from my library.”
Beside her, Ned widened his eyes with amazement. Alice felt the shadow of longing grow stronger, and she suppressed it so definitively this time that the stone-cold look she gave Cecilia made the pirate take a step back. They exchanged polite nods, murmured, “Good evening,” and Cecilia moved away. Alice inhaled withregretrelief and—
Crash!
Abruptly the ceiling panel collapsed, sending oak and bricks thundering down. Wordsworth shattered into a thousand pieces. Dust billowed. Alice barely had enough time to inwardly exclaim a fiddlestick before she found herself being yanked back against a hard surface—namely, the full frontal region of Daniel Bixby’s body. As his arm clamped protectively around her, she said a fond farewell to her breathing process, but this was a small loss compared with the gains made by her nerves.Theywere alive with excitement.
But the dust cleared with a disappointing rapidity, whereupon Daniel released her, murmuring an apology. Everyone proved to be unharmed; indeed, the pirates were regarding the horrifying mess with professional interest.
“Well, that certainly would have been effective had the timing worked,” Miss Darlington remarked.
“I’m impressed,” Cecilia added.
“So all’s well that ends well,” Mrs. Rotunder said, brushing dust from her bodice. “Now we need a new entertainment.”
Silence slammed down with even more terrifying force than the ceiling had done. The pirates turned as one to regard Alice and Daniel.
“Ladies,” Cecilia chided. “Miss Dearlove just saved my life.”
They immediately pivoted to study Charlotte with the same calculating stare.
The witch raised her chin. “Yes?” she asked, fearless.
“We are just wondering, dear,” Mrs. Rotunder said in a genteel, grandmotherly voice, “how much of a head start would you like?”
Charlotte paused to consider this, but before she could reply, Alex drew his brutally long sword, grabbed Charlotte around the waist, and escaped with her into the secret passageway. As the bookcase slammed shut behind them, the pirates shook their heads with disapproval.
“Such manly heroics for the sake of awitch,” Mrs. Rotunder muttered. “And in front of The Baby, too.”
“Now what do we do?” Mrs. Ogden grumbled.
There followed a whoosh of silk and hat feathers as everyone turned again to stare at the A.U.N.T. agents.
“We’ll take a five-minute head start,” Daniel said promptly.
Mrs. Rotunder gestured at the library’s open door. “By all means, Mr. Blakeney. Good evening, Mrs. Blakeney. We wish you well in your endeavors to escape our terrifying pursuit.”
Without looking, Daniel took Alice’s hand. They walked throughthe crowd, eyes forward, breath in abeyance. Not one pirate moved, but the silence seemed to echo with a promise of screams and drawn swords. Exiting the library, Daniel shut the door behind them, and they immediately began to run.
“To the mission house!” Alice directed.
“No, we wouldn’t get there in our two-minute head start,” Daniel argued.
“But they gave us five minutes.”
Daniel laughed brusquely.
A second later, the library door burst ajar.
20
the chase—daniel is captivated—lies and illogic— taking a moment to appreciate art— daniel resorts to mathematics
Pirates are almost always better than their neighbors think they are. They attend church (do you realize how many silver candlestick holders and golden plates are in a church?). They respect the law (as one does respect a powerful enemy). And they can be counted on (to do the wrong thing).
As they spilled into the corridor four minutes and thirty seconds before the head start was completed, a chorus ofTally ho!announced that the hunt was on—for while pirates might embody Shakespeare’s “to thine own self be true,” they cheerfully skipped the “thou canst not then be false to any man” part.
