The Duke’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Perhaps he needed to unlock his jaw so his ears could open more.
To add to the general confusion, some of the hotel’s paying guests, wearing dressing gowns and sleeping caps, turned up to check out what was going on.
‘Nothing to worry about,’ said Da. ‘We’ll provide complimentary breakfast to compensate for your disturbed sleep.’ He encouraged the rest of his children and soon-to-be in-laws back to their respective rooms, and told Melody and Mrs Howser, ‘It’s all under control.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Ondine saw her mother lingering in the kitchen, listening in on the conversation.
The Duke’s eyes twitched as he looked over Hamish. ‘You say you are the ferret? In that case, change into one.’
Gulp went Ondine.What if he can’t? It’s all my fault. I spent so long wishing him to be a real man, maybe he won’t be able to change back. Then the Duke will think we’re liars. And if he thinks we lied about a man being a ferret, he’ll start to think we’ve lied about everything else .
Still sitting on Lord Vincent, Hamish adjusted his toga. ‘I’ll do what I can.’
A look of concentration crossed his face and his eyes rolled back under his eyelids.
It was a tense time for Ondine. As much as she loved seeing Hamish in his human form, if he couldn’t become a ferret again on command, they’d be in a whole world of trouble.
Relief washed over her as Hamish groaned and clutched at his stomach. He started to shrink and grow dark. His face – that handsome face – turned furry. It was painful to watch, but Hamish must have been in even more pain.
While everyone stood dumbfounded in wonder, Vincent bucked the suddenly reduced weight off his back and sprang up to make his escape.
‘Hold it!’ Flinging his arm out, Da leapt forward and clotheslined Vincent, sending him sprawling.
‘Khaaak!’ Vincent coughed. ‘That’s assault!’
‘I didn’t see anything.’ The Duke didn’t take his eyes off Hamish as he reverted to his Shambles form. You could tell by the way he stroked his goatee with his pinky and ring finger that he was thinking really, really hard about what he’d just seen.
Panting, Shambles looked up at the Duke, then across to Ondine. The tip of his nose looked pale and he swallowed a lot.
‘Well, I’ll be.’ The Duke clapped his hands. ‘I’ve seen some magic in my time, but that’s mighty powerful. How do you do it?’
Shambles the ferret panted on the ground, gathering his strength. ‘It’s a lawng story.’
The Duke turned to Ondine. ‘You are too young to serve alcohol. You could not have been working in the bar that night. It wasn’t you who overheard the plot against me, was it?’
Twist, lurch, flip went her belly. ‘You are right, Your Grace, I wasn’t in the bar. It was Hamish . . . I mean, Shambles. That’s what we call him when he’s a ferret. He was under a table and he overheard the whole thing. He was the one who encouraged us to warn you of the plot against your life.’
‘I’ve never seen anything like it. What an incredibly convenient talent to have!’ the Duke said, still shaking his head as he looked at the ferret on the ground.
Ondine didn’t think it was very convenient at all.
‘I wouldnae call it that,’ Shambles said, clutching his stomach.
The Duke stood there. All the while a smile played over his face. ‘You must tell me, Ondine, how does he do it?’
‘It’s a strong enchantment,’ Ondine said. ‘My great-aunt, Colette Romano, cursed him, and only recently he’s been able to rediscover his human form.’
‘Hmm, how very interesting,’ the Duke said.
Ondine blushed furiously. Mercury’s wings, what an inconvenient time to start blushing again. She managed a squeaky, ‘Hamish is very glad to be human again.’
‘You’d make a good politician.’ The Duke winked at her. It had a strange effect in that it should have been friendly, but it creeped her out.
This doesn’t feel right.
‘Your great-aunt is the one with the magic?’ the Duke asked. ‘She sounds like she’d make a wonderful ally. Would she be here by any chance?’
Something prickled in Ondine’s conscience. If the Duke had Old Col under his command, how far would he take things? Sure, the old woman had acted in frustration against Hamish, but that was a one-off. At least, Ondine hoped it was a one-off. But what if someone like the Duke ordered her to turn other people into animals? Would her great-aunt be able to refuse?
‘Did somebody ask for me?’ Old Col appeared at the kitchen doorway, her eyes wide and innocent. Like she just happened to be nearby.
Listening in, more like.
‘Your Grace, this is my great-aunt Colette.’ Ondine made the introductions.
‘May I congratulate you on your good work, madam,’ the Duke said. He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
‘Why thank you, Your Grace.’
The Duke’s face looked younger, brighter. Like he was having a Very Good Idea. Great even. At that point, one of the Duke’s drivers came in and whispered something in his ear. The Duke whispered something back. The driver nodded, then clamped his hand on Vincent’s shoulder and marched him outside.
On the floor, Hamish was still a ferret. The Duke stared at him and shook his head again. ‘I’ve seen so many things . . .’ The man used to making speeches seemed temporarily lost for words. Turning to Old Col, he said, ‘I have need for talent in my employ, and you have that. What else can you do apart from turning men into ferrets?’
Old Col did a slow blink, then said, ‘I can keep secrets.’
‘An excellent quality.’
Metal screeched inside Ondine’s head. Did the Duke of Brugel just offer Old Col a job? What kind of job would it be?
On the floor, Shambles began changing back into Hamish. Much to Ondine’s relief. Seriously much. It looked painful, though, as if someone were punching him in the belly. From the inside.
It caused another look of wonder to cross the Duke’s face. ‘Bravo!’ He clapped. ‘That’s very, very good. When I came here tonight I thought I would be in for a bad night indeed. Shambles and Ms Romano, you have cast a silver lining on events, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘Thank you, Your Grace,’ Old Col said.
‘Aye,’ Hamish said.
The Duke played with his goatee again. ‘Like I said, I have need of good talent, and you fit the bill. Hamish, you’re brave and . . . adaptable. You’re not afraid to tell me the truth and you think on your feet. I value that. How would you like to work for me?’
Oh no, this is not good at all. Hamish is supposed to stay here with us, not go off and work for the Duke. Buzzing filled Ondine’s ears as she waited for Hamish to politely refuse the offer. Surely he’d want to stay with them?
‘In what capacity?’ The voice belonged to Ma, who had been standing quietly behind them.
Thank goodness for Ma, she’ll make it easier for Hamish to say no.
The Duke smiled and looked far too self-assured. The more confident the Duke looked, the more unsteady Ondine felt.
Pure confidence filled the Duke’s being. Steady shoulders, non-twitching face, hands palm-outwards. ‘Shambles, in your ferret form, you could provide me with invaluable information. You see, the Duchess lunches on a regular basis with her . . . friends. She needs a companion with a clear head and an eye for detail. Many people take advantage of our hospitality, whether at court here in Venzelemma or at the country estate in Bellreeve. It pains me to admit it, but valuables are going missing. I will be run off my feet when parliament resumes in autumn. Having someone looking out for me will prove most useful.’
It sounds like spying. Hamish would want nothing to do with that.
‘Go on,’ Hamish said, making a mockery of Ondine’s thoughts.
‘Nothing so hard as working here, I dare say, and you will be well compensated,’ the Duke said.
But . . . but . . . Hamish wants
to stay here.
‘Sounds tempting,’ Hamish said, putting Ondine’s old coat back on. All the while Ondine’s pulse roared in her ears because she wanted to stop and ask a dozen questions but felt too terrified to speak.
‘You want him to spy on your guests?’ Old Col crossed her arms over her chest.
Instead of denying it, the Duke laughed. ‘You are right, my dear woman, that is exactly what I need you to do. In a nice way, of course. Ms Romano, Shambles, what do you say to joining my employ?’
Say no, say no, say no. Say you want to stay here. I don’t like this. He calls you Shambles when you’re Hamish.
‘You’ll pay me to make sure nothing gets nicked? I say a big yes to that. I could do it with my eyes closed,’ Hamish said.
Ondine looked at Hamish and back at the Duke. Why did Hamish accept so quickly? Didn’t he realise if he went to work for the Duke, they’d hardly see each other? Maybe on weekends . . . but that was when the hotel was busiest and then Ondine wouldn’t have any time to see him.
The more Ondine thought about it, the sadder she felt. Why, they’d hardly see each other at all!
What counter-offer could she have that would make him stay at the hotel? Judging by the silence from her parents behind her, they had nothing to suggest.
Old Col smiled (a bad sign) and said, ‘Your Grace, I humbly accept.’
The Duke beamed with happiness. ‘I am in your debt. You will begin the first week of September.’
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!
68 The fact that ‘Brugel’ is an anagram of ‘burgle’ is a total coincidence.
69 Brugel’s top military school. Technically it’s a reform school with nicer uniforms. And guns. Which is pretty disturbing when you think about it – they take the worst delinquents from the richest families, then teach them how to use weapons.
Chapter Eighteen
The worst thing in the world had just happened right in front of her eyes, and nobody realised! If Hamish worked for the Duke, Ondine might never see him again! What a disaster! He’d be so busy, he might forget about her! He might even fall in love with someone else!
Ondine’s head hurt from all the exclamation points!
After the Duke had gone, sleep proved impossible. Apart from the fact that she didn’t have her bed sheet (Hamish had taken that for his toga), everything felt wrong. Tossing and turning held no appeal at all, so she made her way down to the kitchen for some warm milk. Maybe that would help?
She didn’t see Melody until she nearly crashed into her.
‘Can’t sleep?’ Melody asked.
‘Got that right.’ Ondine gave a dramatic sigh to prove her point, then set about raiding the fridge. ‘You neither, huh?’
‘Um . . . yeah.’
A troubling thought scudded70 through Ondine. ‘You weren’t trying to read my dreams, were you?’
Melody looked at the ground, as if there were something very interesting in the tiles. ‘I’m sorry, Ondi. It’s just that I know something big happened here tonight with the Duke, but Mrs Howser pulled me away before I could find out. And I really want to know.’
No privacy during her waking hours, now Melody wanted in on her private thoughts. ‘You don’t need to read my dreams. Just . . . ask yourself, what’s the worst that could have happened tonight? Because that’s exactly what did happen.’
‘Vincent got away?’
‘Worse than that. The Duke offered Hamish a job.’
‘But that’s great!’
Frustration made Ondine slam the refrigerator door. ‘No it’s not, it’s terrible!’
‘It is?’
Ondine wanted to scream. ‘Yes, it is. Hamish will be ages away and I’ll never get to see him.’
‘But . . . he’ll still be around. I mean, it’s not like he’s going all the way to . . . I dunno, New Zealand or something.’
‘New Zealand? Where’s that?’
‘Not sure, but I think it’s really far away.’71
‘Oh.’ Ondine poured herself a mug of milk and put it in the microwave. ‘It’s just . . . I thought Hamish liked it here.’
‘He likes you, that’s for sure.’
A smile stole through, despite her pitiful mood. ‘You think so?’
Melody laughed. ‘Ondi, stop hunting for compliments. Hamish really does like you. And I know you like him.’
‘So why is he leaving?’ She nearly added the word ‘me’ at the end of the sentence, but reined it in just in time.
Melody shrugged so hard her shoulders nearly smacked her ears. ‘Go ask him that.’
That’s the problem. I can’t ask him because I don’t want to know the answer. Cold dread weighed her down. Maybe he’s leaving because he wants to get away.
She didn’t let her thoughts add the words ‘from me’ at the end of that sentence either.
‘You’re scared, aren’t you?’
‘Melody, stop reading my thoughts.’ It was so annoying when her friend was right.
‘I’m not, but it’s pretty obvious what you’re thinking. Ondi, you’re going to have to ask him why he’s leaving. If you do, you’ll know why. If you don’t, you never will.’
A heavy and overly dramatic sigh worked its way out of Ondine. ‘You’re right.’
The toothiest grin split Melody’s face. ‘Course I am. Anyway, your dreams aren’t the only ones I visit.’
‘No! You don’t go into Hamish’s dreams, do you?’
‘I know he dreams about you.’ Melody smiled even more, then seemed to realise how inappropriate it was and had the grace to look chastened.
‘That’s a terrible invasion of privacy!’ Ondine grinned. ‘What were they about?’
Ping! went the microwave.
‘Your milk’s ready.’ Melody fidgeted for a bit. ‘Why don’t you take it to Hamish? I think he’s having trouble sleeping tonight as well.’
It was a good idea. All the excitement of the night would make it hard for anyone to sleep. Taking him a cup of warm milk would make her appear thoughtful and considerate of Hamish’s situation. And if anyone saw her near his room and asked her what she was doing there, she’d have a believable excuse.
‘Thanks, Mel. Now, no more sneaking into people’s dreams.’ Ondine made for the door, then wondered which way to turn. The ferret Shambles might be somewhere cosy, but where would the man Hamish be?
‘Your ma’s got him sharing a room with Thomas and Chef down the hall in number thirteen,’ Mel said without needing to be asked.
‘Thanks.’ Stepping quietly so she didn’t wake anyone else, Ondine made her way to room thirteen. Another problem stacked on to the already teetering tower of problems – how would she speak to him in private if Chef and Thomas were in there as well?
Or worse. What if the three of them were sound asleep and she woke the wrong person in the dark?
She stood outside room thirteen for a good minute, working out whether she should knock or just try and open the door as quietly as she could.
‘What are you doing here?’
Gulp! It was Cybelle walking towards her. ‘I just . . . I need to speak to –’
‘Get back to bed or I’ll tell Ma you were down here,’ Cybelle said.
Great, so her sister was still cross with her. ‘I’ll tell her you were down here too. Then we’ll both be in the same amount of trouble.’
‘Except you’re still grounded, so you’ll be worse off.’
Gulp! She’s right!
They were so busy trading quips Ondine didn’t notice the door open. ‘Evening, ladies.’ Hamish stood there, wearing Da’s old pyjamas and the wickedest grin she’d ever seen. It made her insides go all melty.
‘Kh.’ Cybelle made a disparaging sound. ‘You two are hopeless. Is Henrik in there?’
‘Aye.’ Hamish may have been answering Cybelle as he stepped aside to let her through the door, but he kept his eyes firmly on Ondine.
Melty, melty, melty.
‘I, um.’Why is this so hard? ‘I
couldn’t sleep.’
‘Can’t blame ye really. Neither can I.’
‘I have hot milk.’ She held up her cup to show him.
Hamish beamed. ‘Yer a thoughtful lass.’ He tilted his head, indicating they should take a walk up the hallway to the lounge.
Miracle! Ondine’s legs worked and she followed him. As they neared the private room by the kitchen, Hamish stepped back and whispered, ‘This one’s taken.’
Ondine craned her neck. ‘Oh.’ Marguerite and Thomas were talking quietly in there.
‘The garden?’ Hamish said with a shrug.
Still holding her cup of milk, Ondine followed him to the garden. The balmy summer night wafted the scent of evening jasmine around them.
‘This looks like a good spot,’ Hamish said.
How sweet that he chose the same place where they’d shared That Beautiful Kiss. There was another part of the garden she didn’t care for, where Lord Vincent had been such a pig. As if reading her thoughts, Hamish guided Ondine to sit with her back to the offending place so she wouldn’t have to look at it. He took the cup of milk from her hand and placed it on the ground, then held her hands in his. Warmth spread through her at his touch.
The lovely surroundings should have given the ensuing conversation a dreamlike quality, but when she spoke, it all came out in a rush. ‘Please don’t go and work for the Duke.’
Seconds passed. All he did was look at her in that way of his and her heart felt like it was breaking against her ribs.
‘Why not?’
‘Because . . . because you don’t have to. I’m sure Da would give you a job here if you asked him.’
‘And take advantage of his hospitality? Nah. I’ve done that long enough.’
‘But you’re good. I mean, you won the tips competition easily. You charm the customers and everyone.’
‘I appreciate the vote of confidence, but working for the Duke would be a great opportunity for me. Surely ye see that?’
‘Yes, but . . .’ Things twisted inside her, and it hurt to breathe. In her head, she played out a few scenarios.
Things in her favour – the darkness and the fact that Hamish would be leaving.
Things not in her favour – the darkness and the fact that Hamish would be leaving.
Ondine Page 16
