Page 17 of Tattered Huntress
I hadn’t expected him to know so much about it. ‘That’s why I started taking it,’ I said quietly.
Sir Nigel stared at me for what seemed like a long time. Hishandlebar moustache quivered slightly but otherwise he didn’t react. Finally he said, ‘Ah,’ then changed the subject and gestured to the necklace on the table between us. ‘How did you find it?’
I’d told him nothing but the truth so far and there was no reason to lie now. ‘Before I was fired, I spotted some notes when I was making a delivery to Neidpath Castle. I wasn’t snooping –they were right in front of me.’ I recited the words. ‘Black abyss. Four hills. Sulphur. I saw the pair of you on television afterwards and made the connection. I’ve travelled the countryside around here a lot during the course of my job and I reckoned I knew where the notes were referring to. So I went there, dug around a bit and found it.’
‘Dug arounda bit?’ He looked at my grubby hands.
I grinned. ‘Maybe dug around quite a lot.’
A starched-shirted waiter appeared at the table with bowls of steaming green soup. Sir Nigel thanked him and dipped his spoon into his bowl. I sniffed the heavenly aroma and my tummy grumbled loudly. I was desperately hungry; if I hadn’t been in polite company, I’d have lifted the bowl to my lips and drunk the soup in three gulps rather than using my spoon. Even so, I guzzled it with far more gusto than Sir Nigel was probably used to.
‘It’s been a long day,’ I said when I finished. ‘And I’m hungry.’
‘I can tell,’ he murmured. He’d barely taken three mouthfuls. He leaned forward. ‘So, Daisy, you’ve succeeded in annoying Hugo but I imagine you’re also hoping for something in return for the necklace.’
Now we were getting down to brass tacks. ‘Some monetary compensation would be appreciated.’
‘How much would you like?’
I thought about it. The necklace was old, which waspositive, and it had some sort of interesting history, which also helped. In terms of its face value, though, the plain silver wouldn't fetch much – I wouldn’t expect to pay more than twenty quid for it if I saw it in a shop window. I could do better than that, however; Sir Nigel would probably be prepared to pay a lot of money for it, maybe as much as £500. That much, together with my last wage, would see me through another two months and I could find another job in that time.
I made a decision and high-balled, preparing to negotiate hard. ‘Eight hundred pounds,’ I said.
‘Eighthundred?’
I nodded. ‘Yep.’
Sir Nigel eyed me. ‘I have a counter-offer.’
I smiled. ‘I’m sure you do.’
‘I’ll give you £800 if you agree to take part in the hunt for the Loch Arkaig treasure. I’m organising a competition to find it. I think you’d be an excellent addition to the teams that are already participating.’
Of all the things I’d been expecting him to say, that wasn’t one of them. ‘You realise I’m a low elf, right?’
‘If you say so.’
‘And the only reason I found the necklace is because I copied Hugo Pemberville’s homework.’
‘You told me that already.’
‘I only went looking for it to annoy him.’
Sir Nigel smiled. ‘I’m running this competition because I’m a bored old man who wants to inject a little excitement into proceedings. It’s not the treasure that excites me, it’s the hunt.’ He jabbed his finger at me. ‘I thinkyouwill add even more excitement, and I suspect you will prove to be a more competent hunter than you think.’ His eyes gleamed and his smile was mischievous. ‘Besides, Hugo could do with the competition, don’t you think?’
We both glanced at him. He was leaning back in his chair watching us. Although he’d managed to rid himself of his glower, I had no doubts as to what he was thinking.
‘I’m a drug addict,’ I said.
‘As you’ve already pointed out, your addiction only affects you. I think you’d be the perfect addition to the search for the lost treasure of Loch Arkaig. The worst that can happen is that you fail, and there is nothing wrong with that. We all fail sometimes.’
I gazed at him; he was genuinely serious about this.
‘Take a week to think it over, Daisy. We are convening at my estate in Northumberland next Sunday when I will give the teams the information I’ve uncovered so far and set out the parameters for the competition. Whoever finds the Arkaig treasure first will receive £50,000. I suspect that you needing the money rather than the glory of winning, as is the case with most of the other teams, will encourage you to go further.’
Fifty thousand pounds? Fifty fucking thousand pounds? For once, I was genuinely lost for words.
‘Of course,’ Sir Nigel went on smoothly, ‘if this hunt is of no interest to you, then I’m glad we met and I still wish you well. I shall transfer £800 to your bank account – that is yours, no matter what you decide.’
