Page 53 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“Eloise helped me get into the boarding programme when my parents kicked me out. Boarding also helped keep me out of any mischief.”
“You still haven’t told me what exactly landed you in the guardian programme. Something about sleigh racing?”
Will sighed. “My sister was apprenticing in sleigh engineering with Mason’s sister, Lou. They’ve been best friends for years. Lou was the one getting married in the photo you saw before– she married my cousin, so we’re practically family. Anyway, part of their apprenticeship included designing and building a sleigh of their own. A few of us took them for a test drive…” He trailed off.
Juliet stopped walking, tugging him back. “Please tell me no one was hurt?” she gasped.
“No, no! Everyone was fine. My sister’s sleigh, not so much. I wasn’t aware my sister was working on developing a special engine – faster, quieter– to help take the pressure off the reindeer on the Klaus sleigh. When I hit the accelerator, I went straight into a tree. Thankfully I jumped out before the impact, but I destroyed a few too many gold coins’ worth of equipment, and my sister nearly lost her apprenticeship.”
Juliet was horrified. “You could’ve died!”
Will looked as if even he couldn’t quite believe how reckless he’d been. “Since I destroyed something precious to Yule, what better way to make amends than to spend my life protecting it? I’ve got to admit, there might have been one or two other incidents… including freezing the school’s pool with liquid nitrogen, and removing all the ornaments from the grand tree before Christmas Day.” He squeezed her hand, a little shamefaced.
“I shouldn’t have been surprised you broke the rules to help me. Sounds like you’re quite the rebel!” Juliet nudged him playfully, before giving him a serious look. “That’s the most you’ve told me about your family. Thank you for letting me in.”
He shrugged. “I’ve got too comfortable keeping secrets.” She wanted to know more, but his eyes lingered on the tall building. “Want to see more?” His smile told her he was up to no good. “I’m feeling rebellious.”
“Are you insane?We can’t go in there!” Juliet hissed as Will hurried them up the stone steps to the outer gates to the Hall of Guardians.
“Kevin told me you were looking for information on people banished from Yule. I can show you. I’ve got access, and at noon most of the guardians are out on duty. Trainees will already be out helping plough the snow for their physical training. We should only have to worry about Phyllis.” He winked and lightly touched the metal gate.
“How did you do that?” she asked, watching the door open as though it knew who Will was and had granted him permission to enter.
“It’s—”
She held her hand up, silencing him. “If you say magic—”
“I was going to say enchanted.” She glared at him, and he grinned. “Stay behind me, and when I give you the signal, head down the corridor on the left until you reach a gold door.”
“A gold door? Sounds completely normal,” Juliet said, keeping close to his back.
Inside, the place smelt like cinnamon, and multiple corridors led from the circular room. She nearly bumped into Will, too busy staring at the tall white pillars that held up the domed ceiling. The painting on it was a map of a much smaller Yule. Judging from the cracks in the plaster and paint, it had been done more than a few centuries ago.
“Phyllis! How is the most important woman in my life?” Will called, his arms wide open. Juliet frowned at his words until she saw the grey-haired woman at a tall desk who didn’t even bother looking up from her newspaper at them. Her deep wrinkles and tired eyes indicated that Phyllis was old enough to be long retired.
Juliet matched Will’s steps, afraid she’d make enough noise to alert the elderly woman to the fact that he wasn’t alone. She wondered if she was supposed to stay close to him because Phyllis’s eyesight wasn’t the best, and felt bad at the idea.
“Will, what’s caused you to darken my door so late in the season? You haven’t been assigned any charges recently, so either you want someone, or you’ve done something.” Phyllis peered over her semi-circle wire spectacles, seeming to miss Juliet, who was mostly concealed beneath the wooden raised reception desk. Juliet could just about see her at this angle.
“I’ve missed you too!” Will said, and Juliet resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I need the key to the banishment archives on the second floor. Doing some research on a legacy, and I figured I might as well get it done before the season really gets crazy.”
“I’ve received no formal request,” she informed him, clearly used to his charm.
“Have a heart, Phyllis! It’s almost Christmas. It’s for a legacy who’s worried that a family member might have been banished because they weren’t in Yule when they returned.”
Juliet wondered if he was talking about a real case. It was one hell of a good lie to think up on the spot.
“You know the rules, Mr Duncan. File a formal report to the head guardian, and then Ms Heart has to deny or grant your request before I can give you the key.”
Juliet’s heart skipped a beat as she realised they were talking about her mom.
“Ah, is Eloise in? I’ll head to her office right now,” Will said. Juliet stared up at him, but he acted as though she wasn’t there. Was he going to bring her to her mom? Was it a who, not a what, that he wanted to show her?
“Ms Heart has gone out to train with the boarders, as you’ll already be aware,” Phyllis said, reading Will like a book.
“Andyouknow that this late in the year, she won’t give me the key before the season is over. I promise I’ll be in and out.”
There was a moment’s hesitation.
