Even though Thatcher had spoken quietly, all eyes in the large sitting room turned to look at him, and Ian stood up quickly, embarrassed by being singled out. Carl gave him an encouraging smile and Ian turned and shuffled after Thatcher.
Nervously, Ian followed his schoolmaster down the hall-way and the immense staircase and through several more rooms before they reached a set of large mahogany double doors.
Thatcher opened a door and Ian walked through, coming to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room as he looked with amazement at the large heads of zebras, gazelles, antelope, rhinoceros, hyena, and various other wild animals that dotted every wall within. “These are my hunting trophies,” said the earl, pulling Ian out of his thoughts. Ian had missed spotting the earl when he’d entered, as his patriarch sat behind a huge intricately carved wooden desk at the back of the study.
Ian coughed softly, trying to find his voice. “Very impressive, my lord,” he said.
The earl gave him a friendly nod and got to the point. “Thatcher tells me that our Miss Fields has been having visions.”
Ian shuffled his feet and dug his hands into his pockets, fingering her crystal necklace. “It’s not especially unusual for her,” he said, trying to play it down. “Theo’s always had that gift.”
“Gift?” asked Perry with a snort. Ian noticed the other schoolmaster leaning against the wall behind and to his left, wearing a humorless look. “Was that what my brother put into your head?”
Ian’s eyes darted to Thatcher, and he was surprised when Perry’s twin curled his lip in a snarl. “I’ve put nothing into his head, Perry! And I’ll kindly ask you to keep your disdain for the topic at hand to yourself for now.”
Perry smiled politely at Ian, but the skeptical look in his eyes never wavered. “My apologies,” he said dramatically, adding a small bow. “As you were saying, Master Wigby?”
“Yes, sir,” said Ian. Even more uncomfortable after having witnessed the testy exchange between his two schoolmasters, he turned his attention back to the earl. “She’s been able to predict all sorts of things ever since she learned to speak.” Ian wasn’t sure if what he was revealing about Theo was hurting or helping her cause.
“I see,” said the earl thoughtfully, and Ian was relieved that the earl didn’t appear to be nearly as judgmental as Perry. “What sorts of things has she been able to predict?”
“Well …,” Ian said, searching his memory. “All sorts, really. She can tell when it’s going to storm, even when the weather reports say we’re going to have a nice day. And she knows when a new orphan’s going to arrive. She can also tell us if we’re getting a boy or a girl. And she knows when someone’s going to be adopted. Like when Stuart left last May. And of course she always knows when you’re going to stop by unannounced,” he finished.
The earl gave a thunderous laugh and slapped the desk with his palm. “I’ve wondered all these years how my attempts to surprise you have been foiled! And here I thought perhaps your headmistresses had spies here at the castle!”
Ian hoped he hadn’t gotten anyone into trouble with that last bit, but the earl seemed so tickled by his revelation that he smiled. Thatcher, who had taken a seat in one of the wing chairs on the opposite side of the room, asked, “Did Theo predict the beast’s appearance?”
Ian turned to look at Thatcher as he thought back to the days leading up to their visit into the tunnels. “Now that you ask,” he said, “a few days before Theo and I went exploring near the beast’s lair, Theo said that she had a terrible feeling some dreadful storm was going to strike the keep someday. She said she kept seeing broken furniture everywhere, and she couldn’t imagine what else but a powerful storm could cause such destruction.”
“And what did you think when she told you this?” asked Thatcher.
Ian shrugged. “I didn’t worry much about it, sir,” he admitted. “I mean, I believed that she was getting one of her feelings again, but sometimes things turn out to be a lot less dramatic than Theo’s visions predicted. Like, once she told me that I was going to fall down the stairs and break my leg. The next day I was late for dinner and as I was hurrying down the stairs I remembered Theo’s warning, so I had a hand on the railing. Sure enough, I lost my footing and tripped on the stairs. But I didn’t break my leg; I only twisted my ankle.”
The earl looked curiously at him. “But, Ian,” he said. “If you hadn’t been warned by Theo, you might not have been holding on to the railing, and you would have had a much worse tumble down those stairs.”
Ian thought about that for a moment, surprised. “Yes, my lord, you’re probably right.”
“Oh, this is poppycock!” growled Perry from the corner. “The very fact that Theo told him he was going to have a tumble probably made him more nervous on the stairs.”
“It is not poppycock, Perry,” chided his brother. “Didn’t you hear me when I told you what she said about the Führer?”
Perry rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. “Seems to me she was going on about a fury, not the Führer! Besides, much of what she said can be found in any newspaper.”
“Theo doesn’t read the newspaper,” Ian said defensively. He didn’t like the way Perry was so easily dismissing Theo’s abilities.
Perry scowled at him. “If Theo is able to predict the future, then don’t you think she would have stopped you from going into that tunnel in the first place, Master Wigby?”
“I don’t think the gift works exactly in that manner,” said the earl.
“What do you mean?” asked Perry.
“I have some experience with this sort of thing,” he said. “A member of my family, in fact, is quite gifted. Which brings me to my next suggestion: I believe we should have Miss Fields visit with my aunt, Lady Arbuthnot. She lives in London, and I believe she might be able to tell us what level of skill the girl possesses as well as help Theo control her abilities and lessen her fear of receiving these visions.”
For the first time in several hours, Ian relaxed. The earl wasn’t going to lock Theo up in some sanitarium; he understood her condition, and he was going to help her. “I’m sure she would appreciate any assistance you could offer her, my lord,” he said gratefully.
“I must be off in the morning to attend a Parliament meeting, but I shall leave directions to my aunt’s flat in London with you two,” he said, indicating the schoolmasters. “Please take Theo there as soon as she’s well enough to travel. I’ve spoken with Madam Dimbleby,” he added, “and I hear that Theo is doing much better this evening.” The earl gave a knowing look to Ian. “I’m sure she’s going to make a full recovery and will be fit to make the venture in a week or two.”
Ian smiled gratefully and opened his mouth to ask if he could go along on the adventure, but Thatcher spoke first. “Should we ring Lady Arbuthnot to make the arrangements for our visit?”
The earl smiled. “I’m sure you won’t have to. In fact, I would ask that you not make any attempt to contact her prior to showing up in London on her doorstep. Aunt Aggie is well blessed with the gift,” he said with a chuckle. Ian felt that this was something of an inside joke to the earl. “Take Ian and Carl along as well for moral support,” the earl added. “I want Theo to have her friends nearby should the trip to the city cause any stress on the young lass.”
“Thank you, my lord!” Ian said, letting go of the anxious breath he’d been holding. “I’m sure Theo will be quite pleased to meet your aunt.”
The earl laughed heartily. “I’ll not take that bet until after they’ve met, Ian. Now, go back to your studies. I’ve kept you long enough.”
Ian hurried out of the room, grateful that Theo wasn’t about to be shipped off to the sanitarium and bursting to tell Carl of the adventure they were going to have. He could hardly wait.
As it happened, they didn’t have long to wait at all. By week’s end Theo had regained all of her composure and upon the doctor’s final visit he pronounced her well enough to leave her bed and rejoin the other children, much
to Ian’s relief, of course.
Madam Dimbleby still insisted that Theo sit apart from the flurry of activity in the castle as the children hurried to collect themselves and return to the keep, but Ian was beginning to relax his vigilant watch over her.
Soon he was completely distracted. When Ian arrived back at the orphanage, all he could do was marvel at the new furnishings and lavish décor. The earl had clearly spared no expense for their comfort, as much of their heavily used furniture had been replaced by beautiful new items. Rose curtains had replaced the sun-worn blue ones that used to hang heavily in the parlor. Large comfy couches with big soft cushions had replaced the rather lumpy ones from before. And rugs with plush fibers adorned the bare wood floors, giving the old keep a much needed sense of lightness.
In the dining room, their rather cramped table had been replaced with several smaller ones, so that instead of sitting in one long row, the children could gather round to eat in smaller, more intimate groups for meals.
The cupboards in the kitchen had been rebuilt and sparkling china lined the shelves. The classroom at the very back of the keep, behind the west wing, hadn’t been touched by the beast, and yet all the old rickety desks had been replaced by sturdy, larger ones.
Upstairs the earl’s generosity was even more apparent. Ian made his way up to his dormitory and discovered several sets of freshly purchased clothes placed on the crisp clean sheets covering his new bed. He was also surprised to discover that even though he had never turned in a list of the personal items he’d like replaced, the earl had seen to it that he was given a pocket torch, a Swiss Army knife, and a compass, with a personal note that read For future explorations.
Ian smiled and tucked the compass, the knife, and the pocket torch into his trousers, feeling the necklace that he was keeping safe for Theo there too.
Next he pulled out the storage trunk that had been placed under his bed and lifted the silver box from his mattress, where he’d set it while he looked over his things. Before placing the treasure box inside the trunk, he inspected it closely for perhaps the hundredth time, trying to figure out how it opened, but he was still at a loss as to how to get the lid up.
With a sigh he finally placed the box into the trunk along with his clothes and pushed the trunk back under his bed. Sitting on his mattress for a moment, he stared out the window, which had a brand-new pane in it, lending a much clearer view of the grounds outside. He was surprised to see a motorcar traveling up the road leading to the keep. And more surprised when Theo burst into the room. “Ian!” she said with a touch of the panic he’d seen in her a few days before. “No matter what, when that couple arrives, you do not want to be adopted and you do not know me!”
Ian’s heart sank. “Oh, no,” he said as he put his hands on her shoulders. “Theo, are you having another attack?”
Theo shook her head hard. “No,” she said in an urgent whisper. “Just listen to me and do as I say!”
Ian didn’t know what to do. The expression Theo wore was so similar to the look she’d had out on the lawn at Castle Dover that he was worried she might be having a relapse. He knew that if she had another attack, the headmistresses would take the doctor’s advice and ship her off to the sanitarium. “Theo, please try to calm down,” he whispered, feeling the knot of fear forming in the pit of his stomach. “We can’t let the headmistresses see you like this again.”
But Theo was having none of it. “Ian, don’t be daft!” she snapped. “There is a couple coming to our door asking to adopt two children, one boy and one girl. Whatever you do, whatever you say, you cannot allow them to adopt you. And you cannot mention that you and I get along, all right?”
Ian nodded dumbly, thoroughly confused, because although Theo looked distressed, her eyes didn’t have that far-off cast that they’d had when she’d been speaking about the Fury and his army. “Yes, yes, Theo,” he said, deciding it was best to trust that she wasn’t having another attack. “Whatever you want, as long as you promise to be calm, all right?”
Theo’s intense expression relaxed, but then she said, “Oh! And I have to tell Carl too!”
Ian smiled and nodded over her shoulder at Carl, who had come into the room a few moments earlier and was hovering anxiously on the edge of his bed, taking in every word.
“Sorry,” Carl said with a blush. “Couldn’t help overhearing you two.”
“No, it’s fine,” said Theo, turning to him. “No matter what, Carl, don’t agree to go away with the couple. And you hate girls, simply hate them. You don’t want a sister and you don’t want to be adopted by anyone who would want you to have a sister, all right?”
Carl looked sideways at Ian, clearly unsure how to respond. Behind Theo’s back Ian nodded vigorously, urging his friend to agree. “Yes, of course, Theo,” Carl said, to Ian’s relief. “Whatever you say.”
Just then there was a loud knock at the front door downstairs and all the boys in the dormitory went silent. The keep rarely received visitors. A moment later, Madam Scargill’s heavy footsteps clomped across the floor of the front hallway and the newly built front door squeaked open. “May I help you?” they heard her ask.
There was a bit of mumbling; then Madam Scargill said, “Oh, my! This is a surprise. You’re interested in adopting two of our children? Why, won’t you please come in?”
Relief and surprise washed over Ian. Theo hadn’t had another attack; her powers of sight were simply working as they used to. He gave her an admiring smile.
She returned his look with her mouth set in a firm line and her eyes narrowed. “Remember what I told you,” she whispered. “You don’t want to be adopted, and you never play with any of the girls here at the orphanage.” Then she turned and darted out of their room.
“What do you make of that?” whispered Carl in awe.
“I don’t know,” admitted Ian. “But I suspect we’re going to find out.”
Two hours later all the older boys with blond hair had been corralled into the dorm room that Ian and Carl shared. “Now, remember what I told you about minding your manners,” advised Madam Dimbleby, sitting on a bed. “This couple has been peculiarly specific about what type of child they’re looking to adopt. One boy of at least ten and one girl of that same age, both with blond hair. They plan to interview each child who fits that description until they find the right pair.”
“Do you know anything about the couple?” asked James, a boy slightly younger than Ian.
“Madam Scargill and I have interviewed them extensively Their names are Herr and Frau Van Schuft. They are from Austria, but are living here in England now, in the North Country near Newcastle.”
“That’s a long way away,” said Phillip, the boy sitting next to James. “If we go with them, we won’t be able to come back and visit.”
Ian understood the boy’s reservation. This was the only home and family that so many of the orphans at Delphi Keep had ever known, and while a good portion of the children dreamt daily about being adopted by people they could finally call Mummy and Daddy, some, like Ian and Phillip, were quite happy where they were.
“Now, now,” Madam Dimbleby said to Phillip. “You know that this opportunity doesn’t come round to you older boys very often. You may miss us at first, Phillip, but after you’ve had time to adjust to your new family, you’ll hardly think of we sorry lot at all. And besides that, you’ll have a sister from Delphi to remind you how lucky you were to be adopted.”
Phillip seemed to brighten and the other boys grew more excited too as they chattered on about the possibility of finally being taken in by a real family. All except Ian and Carl. The two of them sat in uncomfortable silence, wondering about what Theo had told them. Searle spoke up then. “I for one can’t wait to meet my new parents. I shall convince the couple that I am the perfect boy for them.”
Madam Dimbleby gave him a serious look that suggested she dearly hoped so too and Ian hid a smirk. “That’s the attitude, Searle,” she said encouragingly. “But you might wan
t to appear a bit more humble during your interview.”
There was a knock on the door, and Ian looked up to see Madam Scargill pop her head in. “Is it the boys’ turn now?” asked Madam Dimbleby.
“Yes,” said Madam Scargill, a look of deep concern on her face. “But before we send them down, might I have a word with you, Maggie?”
Madam Dimbleby got stiffly up off the bed and went out into the hallway with her cousin. The boys were very quiet as they strained to hear what was being said. James put his ear to the door to listen, and the other boys looked at him expectantly. “They’re talking about Theo,” he whispered, and Ian felt a nervous shiver run through him. “Madam Scargill says that during Theo’s interview, she threw a temper tantrum and had to be carried out of the room!”
“Uh-oh,” whispered Carl, and Ian swore under his breath. He’d been right the first time: Theo must be having another one of her episodes. She was always polite and well behaved in public.
“Madam Scargill says that the couple want nothing to do with her,” James continued.
Just as James finished speaking, the door opened again and Madam Dimbleby asked, “Who’s first, then?”
Searle shot his hand up into the air. “I’ll go, Madam!” he said.
“Very well,” she answered with a sigh. “I’ll walk you downstairs; then I must visit the girls’ dormitory.”
As soon as she shut the door, there was much nervous chatter as all the boys raced around to check their appearances and smooth out their clothing, each of them wanting to make a good first impression. But Ian and Carl didn’t pay any attention to how they looked. Instead, the two sulked on their beds, worried about Theo.
Faced with the prospect of an interview with the couple downstairs, Ian wasn’t sure how to behave. He decided that it was best to follow Theo’s directions. Even if the thought of having a real mother and father to call his own was somewhat appealing, Ian had no interest in being taken away from Theo.