Page 10 of Fiendish Delights
I suppressed a sigh.
Hugo continued to watch me. ‘What about…?’ His voice trailed off.
‘My drug addiction?’ I asked cheerfully. ‘I’m still loving all that yummy spider’s silk. I’m still a junkie.’ I felt a sudden wash of guilt for being so gleeful. Hugo had lost his best friend to a spider’s silk addiction. My voice softened. ‘It is what it is, Hugo. I’m too far gone to come out of it now.’
His jaw tightened. ‘But you’re managing it?’
I nodded, slightly surprised that he cared so much. ‘Yeah, it’s not a problem.’ Not really. I tried not to think about how I’d lost control of my air magic on the beach the previous day. That had been nothing more than a mere slip of attention; it was unrelated to my addiction.
‘Good.’ He seemed on the verge of saying something else then shook himself and took a step back. ‘Duchess is probably in the garden room. It’s through that door there.’ He looked at the brownies. ‘Why don’t the two of you head in and help yourselves to some tea?’
Neither brownie moved. ‘What about Daisy?’ Otis asked suspiciously.
‘There’s something I want to show her first,’ Hugo said in an overly casual tone.
Curiosity piqued, I nodded to indicate they should do as he suggested. Hugo smiled. ‘This way.’ He dipped his head towards my ear. ‘I think you’ll like this,’ he murmured.
We walked side by side away from the garden room, first down one hallway then another. I had a good head for directions but I suspected that I’d easily get lost without Hugo by my side.
Neither of us spoke. While I didn’t know where he was taking me, I felt oddly comfortable with the silence – no doubt because it was a break from Hester and Otis’s incessant chatter. It couldn’t have anything to do with Hugo himself; his presence usually invited extreme discomfort.
Eventually we reached a simple oak door and I moved politely to the side while he opened it. He beckoned me inside and flicked on the lights. I gaped. ‘Whatisthis place?’
‘My office,’ Hugo said simply.
In the centre of the room there was a vast table with pads of paper, pens, laptops and computers. I counted twelve chairs and there was a screen for a projector and several whiteboards. But none of those drew my focus because the room was also full of all manner of treasure hunting accoutrements.
There were maps pinned to one wall, some of which looked positively ancient. I darted up to the nearest one and examined its curled edges and intricate draughtsmanship. Several points had been marked out in red ink.
‘This is a treasure hunter’s map,’ Hugo said softly. ‘We think it’s over five hundred years old. All the red sections are where treasure was supposed to be located. Of course, they’ve long since been cleared but it’s fascinating, isn’t it?’
I gazed at it. ‘It’s beautiful. The detail here.’ I pointed to a wooded section. ‘That’s extraordinary.’
Hugo smiled. ‘I knew you’d appreciate it.’
I stepped towards some glass cabinets. When I saw what they contained, I blinked. ‘Is that…?’
Hugo nodded. ‘An ancient, fossilised dragon’s egg? Yes. It’s been in my family for generations. I have to be honest, I don’t think it should be here but I don’t know what to do with it. It’s not as if I can wander up to the nearest dragon and hand it over. They’d probably incinerate me on the spot if I tried, assuming I could even find one. None of the museums are interested in it, not even the British Museum.’
I stared at it in awe. ‘How old is it?’
‘Old. I could have it X-rayed and tested, I suppose, but that seems disrespectful somehow. It’s not a hunk of cold metal. Once upon a time it was the promise of precious life.’
I reached out to touch it, my fingers grazing its smooth surface. It was cold. I pulled back. I was very glad that times were different now and we no longer stole such objects away from their rightful owners.
Hugo showed me a larger cabinet. ‘These are bones that are purportedly from a sea serpent that once guarded the entrance to an underwater cave used by the pirate Anne Bonny.’
‘Wow.’
‘And over there is an ancient lantern that belonged to a will o’ the wisp. My great-grandfather found it.’
I swivelled around. Everywhere I looked, there was something different to see.
He cleared his throat. ‘This room is affectionately called the Bone Zone.’
I stiffened. ‘Thisis your Bone Zone?’ I’d heard that name before. ‘Somebody mentioned you had a room called the Bone Zone. I assumed it referred to something less … uh…’ I hesitated. ‘Literal.’
Hugo didn’t take his eyes away from me. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘That’s why I wanted to show you the real thing.’
