Page 85 of Mirrors of the Past

Ryan had been kept very busy at Wheal Mount in the lead-up to Christmas. He hadn’t had the opportunity to travel up to Pencradoc to help out with the exhibition prep as such, but he did intend going up on opening day to support Tegan.

After their trip to London he’d kept in touch with Tegan much more than he thought he would ever do. And not just about work, either.

They’d had amusing conversations and normal conversations and friendly conversations. They’d sent each other silly little memes and gifs, and much more general things about what they were planning to buy their families and friends for Christmas. She’d even told him she’d broken things off with Angelo.

He wasn’t going to lie — Ryan was pleased she had done it. From what she’d said, the man wasn’t that interested once she’d left Sicily and had moved onto the next shiny object. She was better off without him, although he kept that thought private and tried not to dwell on why he was so happy she’d ended things . . .

However, it was nice to be so easy in her company now and he really wished they’d taken the time to get to know each other better all those years ago.

Tegan had even met him in Bodmin to help him prepare for his interview at Glasgow. A lady called Allison had agreed to interview him via video-call, as the travel times and prices to Glasgow from Cornwall were ridiculous. He had met Tegan on the Saturday before the interview, just for coffee, but they’d ended up going out for dinner. He’d taken her back to Pencradoc in his van and they’d finished up in the White Lady for a drink afterwards. He’d walked her back to Pencradoc and he’d camped in the car park again.

It had been a good evening; and he thought the interview had, in the end, gone really well. He had felt comfortable chatting to Allison, the work had sounded particularly interesting — she loved his idea of focusing on the Glasgow Girls for International Women’s Day as well — and he left the call feeling very positive.

Sybill had been the one going up to Pencradoc to see Coren for exhibition “business” as she’d said darkly, or Coren had been coming down to see her. Between them, they had transported and delivered all the things Ryan had discovered in the archives relating to the wedding. He was certain there would be more if he ever had the time to check everything, but they seemed happy with what he had located.

‘Isn’t it funny,’ Sybill had said, ‘how things happen?’ Her pregnancy was hugely obvious now and that day, she was wearing an oversized Christmas jumper, black leggings and boots. Tinsel was stuck around her computer screen and Christmas music played out of the speakers. ‘This time last year, none of us knew exactly how much we would have found out about Elsie and Louis, and how much we would find out about ourselves as well.’

An enlarged copy of Elsie and Louis’ wedding photo was currently propped up on her desk like a family photograph, next to a pen-holder in the shape of a reindeer. ‘If Tegan hadn’t gone to work at Pencradoc, who’s to say we would have had this much information about Viola or the wedding?’

‘She’s certainly found some interesting things out,’ said Ryan. Funnily enough, it didn’t gall him to praise her now, and Sybill must have noticed as she smiled at the comment and raised her eyebrows.

‘You’ve managed to work together pretty well,’ she said. ‘I think it’s safe to say that Coren and I are happy with how it’s worked out. We’re really impressed with the winter wedding wonderland display — you’ll be amazed when you see the finished article, I promise. But it’s so much easier to say Snow Queen, isn’t it?’ She grinned. ‘How did you find it anyway? Working so closely with Tegan in the run up to this, I mean.’ She steepled her fingers and leaned her chin on them, studying Ryan. It made him feel a little uncomfortable.

‘We called a truce,’ he said, pathetically.

‘Good.’ Sybill smiled. ‘Anything else? Anything else at all happened to you both in the last few months to help that truce?’

Ryan clamped his lips shut, determined not to spill about the Laurie/Viola connection they seemed to have adopted. But Sybill’s gimlet eyes and steely silence worked, and he opened his mouth and it all spilled out anyway.

‘Um. We found out — a lot — about Laurie and Viola.’

‘I thought you might.’ Again she was silent and he rushed to fill in gap, cringing at himself for speaking.

‘We — think that we look a bit like them and I suppose it’s only natural that we’ve become interested in them.’

‘You look a lot like them. I could see it, as soon as I saw that group wedding photo. Even more so when I saw the blown-up Halloween photos. I thought at the time “interesting choice”. When you had all the family to choose from.’

‘It was to link into Laurie going into the army. Merryn wanted the World War thing, remember? I think Tegan felt she owed her one.’

‘If you say so.’

‘Yes.’ This time Ryan was silent. ‘We enlarged the picture of Fabian as well,’ he eventually said defensively.

‘You did.’

‘And we didn’t see anything of him, floating around in the shadows . . .’

Shit.And there it was, it was out.

Sybill nodded thoughtfully. ‘Curious. Let’s backtrack.’ She waved her hand in a reversing sort of motion. ‘You said that you’d become interested in them. Would it be fair to say that they’d become interested in you?’ She was guileless and Ryan felt his cheeks heating up.

‘I . . . guess.’ It was impossible to lie to Sybill. Ryan remembered again that she was named after a witch and at times it seemed she had powers to match.

Did witches celebrate Christmas?

Stupid question. Of course they didn’t.

Unless they were Sybill, of course . . .