Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) (20 page)

“I can’t say, sorry. I’ve
already told you too much.”

“Can’t I even come and peek
from the sidelines? Hide in the shrubbery?” I joked.

“No,” he said sharply,
“absolutely not.”

“It’s okay, I was only pulling
your leg. If you say you need privacy, I’ll respect that. I’m just
intrigued, that’s all.” I smiled at him, surprised at his reaction,
“No doubt you’ll be offering an exclusive to Hello magazine and I
can read about it later.”

He looked at me quizzically,
not sure if I was still joking.

“I can assure you, Emily, Hello
magazine will most certainly not be there. These are very important
people and it’s vital we assure them of total privacy.”

“Is it like a Secret Ball?” I
pushed him.

“Sort of, now please don’t ask
me any more questions. I can’t tell you any more.”

That was as much information as
I could get out of him and, for the moment, I had to be satisfied
with that.

Theo and Violet rode with me on
the bus on the way home. Aquila was busy on family business and had
no time to collect them, so for once they had to do what the
ordinary folk did. Violet seemed to have made a full recovery from
Grey Boy’s death and told me not to feel responsible.

“It was a lovely gesture,
Emily,” she’d said. “That’s what’s important. Sometimes accidents
happen….”

“Are you sure you can lower
yourself to ride on public transport?” I teased Theo, as we climbed
on board.

“It’ll do me good to see how
the other half lives,” he countered. “And anyway, it’ll be good to
get away from Aquila’s ugly mug for once.”

“I’ll second that,” I said.
“I’ve never known anyone who scowls so much or is totally incapable
of a pleasant word. Has he always been that bitter and
twisted?”

Theo laughed. “As long as I can
remember,” he admitted. “He’s not one for pleasantries or
smiling.”

We sat near the back of the
bus. Tash had gone home early for a dental appointment, and so
Violet sat with Seth on the seat in front.

“The thing about Aquila,” said
Violet, turning round, “is that he is a very loyal servant.
Wouldn’t you agree, Theo?” I noticed an edge to her voice and
wondered if she was warning Theo not to say so much.

“Yes, it’s true,” he answered,
“Aquila has been with our family for many years and has always been
there for us 100%. He looks out for us and we all feel safer for
him being there. So, I really shouldn’t say anything against
him.”

“Except he looks like he’s
continually sucking a lemon,” I said. “You can’t deny it.”

“No,” agreed Violet, laughing,
“but there again, we didn’t employ him for his personality. He’s
there to do a job.”

“That job being?” asked Seth,
who had no idea who we were talking about.

“Sorry, Seth,” answered Violet,
“Aquila is our chauffeur. Emily’s met him a couple of times. He’s
very efficient but not terribly amenable.”

“That’s an understatement,” I
said under my breath.

“No, we had that problem with
our chauffeur too,” said Seth with a straight face. “You just can’t
get chauffeurs with good personalities, can you?”

It took Violet a second to
realise he was teasing her.

“Ha ha, very funny,” she said,
pretending to look offended, but I could see she secretly liked
it.

“And as for our house-keeper…”
began Seth.

She cut him off.

“Don’t even go there. We have
one of those as well.”

“But of course,” said Seth.
“Silly me. I should have guessed.”

Violet pretended to tell him
off. “You may mock. But it’s quite normal in Egypt to have staff,
you know. And before you say any more, she’s every bit as
uncommunicative and surly as our chauffeur.”

“Isn’t that how servants are
meant to be?” said Seth. “Not that I’d know…. Not living in a
twenty-bedroom mansion…”

“Thirty-bedroom mansion that’s
about to become a leading conference venue,” corrected Violet.

I listened closely to their
conversation. If I wasn’t mistaken, they were flirting with one
another. I smiled to myself, thinking about future
possibilities.

“What are you smiling about?”
asked Theo, putting his hand over mine.

Sparks of energy flew into my
system and I tingled all over.

“Oh, nothing,” I said, “just
thinking that life’s become very interesting since you and your
family moved into Hartswell Hall.”

His hand tightened over
mine.

“It’s the best thing we’ve ever
done,” he said. “We’re all excited about the future, especially me.
I’m only sorry I won’t be seeing you for a few days.”

“Well, you do have a big
celebrity party to host,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll be far too busy
to miss me.”

“Of course I’ll miss you,” he
turned and looked into my eyes, “I’d much prefer to be with you,
but this ‘party’ needs to happen. It’s very important to us, to my
parents…”

“Hey, it’s only two days, I’m
sure I’ll survive,” I said brightly. “I’ve got an English
Literature project to do. …the metaphysical poetry of George
Herbert…I can get on with that. At least you won’t distract
me.”

The bus stop by Hartswell Hall
appeared ahead, and Violet and Theo prepared to get off the
bus.

“Why don’t you pop in now, just
for a few minutes?” asked Theo.

“I thought you were in the
middle of party preparations,” I said. “You don’t want me in the
way.”

“It’ll be fine today,” answered
Theo. “Come on, why don’t you?”

The bus stopped and I made a
last minute decision.

“Okay, I’ll come with you.”

“How about you, Seth?” asked
Violet. “D’you want to come?”

Seth looked very surprised and
more than a little pleased to be asked.

“Thanks for asking,” he said,
his fringe flopping forward, “but I’ve gotta get back. It’s my
mum’s birthday. I need to get home. Another time?” He raised his
eyebrows hopefully.

“Sure. Another time,” said
Violet. “See you.”

The three of us walked up the
driveway and soon the hall came into view. Maybe it was the
afternoon sunshine on the honeyed Cotswold stone, I don’t know, but
it seemed to shine and pulse with energy. The thought went through
my head, ‘It’s alive, it’s excited at the prospect of the party’,
as Theo opened the front door. We walked into the reception area
and everything had a freshness and sparkle about it.

“Looks like Pantera has been
busy cleaning,” laughed Violet.

Viyesha walked into the
reception area, calling instructions over her shoulder.

“I want lilies on the big table
….” She stopped short when she saw me, and a flash of confusion
crossed her features before she smiled charmingly.

“Emily, what a surprise, I
didn’t expect to see you today.”

“It’s alright, mother,” said
Theo, quickly. “I won’t be seeing Emily for the next two days, so
she’s just popped in for a few minutes.”

“Sorry, Viyesha, if it’s
inconvenient…” I began, feeling in the way, but she held up her
hand.

“Nonsense, of course it’s
convenient. I’ll get Pantera to make some tea.” She spoke quickly
and efficiently, and I began to realise what a force majeure she
could be where organisation was concerned. Disappearing down the
corridor, she called, “Violet, could you come with me and help me
sort out the room plans, please?”

“Yes, mother,” said Violet. She
looked at me quickly. “I’d better go. See you in a few days,
Emily.”

I glanced at Theo.

“I shouldn’t have come. You
obviously have a lot of things to get ready.”

“It’s fine, Emily. Don’t worry.
Come on, come into the ballroom.”

We walked through the double
doors on our right and, once again, a large fire was burning
brightly in the huge fireplace. I followed Theo to the large purple
sofas and sat where he indicated.

“I’ll go and get the tea,” he
said, when I’d sat down. “It’ll save Pantera a job.”

“It’s okay, Theo,” I protested,
“I don’t want tea. I’m fine.”

“It’s no trouble,
honestly.”

He left the room quickly and I
sat, feeling glad I wouldn’t have to encounter the housekeeper
again. She gave me the creeps and was the last person I wanted to
see, apart from Aquila, that is.

Theo had only been gone for a
few minutes, when the French windows leading to the rear gardens
opened and Joseph walked in, carrying an armful of roses.

“Emily,” he said, his face
lighting up. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Come to check up on
your car? It’s not quite ready yet.”

“No, of course not, take as
long as you want. It’s just a quick visit. Theo invited me back,” I
explained, looking at the roses he was carrying and feeling more in
the way than ever. “I know you have a party to organise and loads
to do.”

The scent of the roses assailed
my nostrils and I breathed in deeply, adding, “They smell glorious,
your guests will love them.”

“I hope so. We’re really
pulling out the stops. It’s not every day you have a Blue Moon
Ball.”

“A Blue Moon Ball,” I said,
opening my eyes wide, “that sounds interesting.”

“I probably shouldn’t have told
you that,” said Joseph, grinning but looking rather awkward. “It’s
a …”

“Private party. I know,” I
said.

“No, you shouldn’t have said
that, should you Joseph?” said Theo, pushing open the double doors
and carrying in a tea tray. He looked at Joseph. “I think those
roses need putting in water, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Joseph, taking the
hint. “Yes, I must go and sort out the roses.” He looked at me
briefly. “See you Emily. Bye.”

He left the room through the
double doors and Theo closed them firmly behind him.

“So, the Blue Moon Ball,” I
said, knowing that I shouldn’t push the point, but unable to help
myself. “That sounds exciting.”

Theo placed the tea tray on a
side table and sat down next to me, choosing his words
carefully.

“Yes it is exciting. And it’s
also very secret. As Joseph has unwittingly told you what’s
happening, I’ll give you a little more detail, on the understanding
you tell no one. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” I said. At least I would
find out what was happening.

“The Blue Moon Ball happens
every three years or so and has done so for many, many years. It’s
like a family tradition, although it obviously extends beyond our
family. We hold the ball in honour of the Blue Moon – I take it
you’ve heard the phrase ‘Once in a blue moon’?”

I nodded.

“To put it in its simplest
terms, a Blue Moon happens approximately every three years when two
full moons appear within a single calendar month. Normally, you get
one full moon in a month, but it just works out that every so
often, there are two. The first of these is very powerful and is
known as a Blue Moon.”

“Yes, I think I’ve grasped the
concept,” I said. “I have heard of this before.”

“Okay,” continued Theo, “we
belong to a kind of secret society, for want of a better
description, that attributes certain powers to the appearance of
the Blue Moon…”

“Yes?” I breathed, leaning
forward, hanging on his every word. I half wondered if he was
making it up and at any moment would start laughing at me. But he
remained serious and I continued to listen avidly.

“At the time of the Blue Moon,
we follow certain rituals that we believe harness its power. It’s
not just family and friends, we have people coming from all over
the world: famous sports people, film stars, pop stars, TV
personalities, wealthy industrialists….”

“Wow,” I said.

“It will be the most incredible
evening, particularly now we’re in Hartswell Hall,” Theo said.
“This could be the biggest and best ball we’ve ever had. But you
can see the need for total secrecy and privacy. And why you can’t
come. If this ever got out, it would be disastrous.”

This was bigger and far more
serious than I could ever have imagined.

I had to ask… “When you say
rituals, Theo, it’s not devil worship, is it?”

He laughed. “No, nothing like
that...”

He didn’t have a chance to say
any more because the double doors were suddenly flung open and
Aquila rushed in, looking angrier than I had ever seen him
before.

“Stop, you fool,” he spat his
words at Theo, who sat white-faced and shocked. “What are you
doing? You are breaking every code you have sworn to uphold. Do you
want to destroy everything? Say no more. You have already said too
much and will answer for your indiscretion.”

“It’s okay,” I started to say,
“he’s hardly told me anything…”

“Silence,” shouted Aquila. “You
are nothing. Nothing but an irritation that needs removing.”

“How dare you speak to her like
that,” commanded Theo, standing up and facing Aquila. “You know who
she is, and yet you choose to deny it. She is far more important
than you will ever be.”

“You are wrong,” Aquila hurled
out his words like firecrackers. “She is no-one. You are mistaken
and your mistake could cost us everything. How can we trust her now
you have chosen to divulge secrets you had sworn to protect? Does
it all mean so little to you, that you would risk everything? You
know I cannot allow her to leave now.”

“She knows nothing of
importance, Aquila. And if you lay a finger on her, you have me to
answer to.” Theo positioned himself protectively in front of me,
his anger vibrating and pulsing like an energy field, sparks
appearing to fly from his body.

They stood facing each other
like two unexploded bombs about to detonate and I hardly dared
move, at once fascinated and horrified by their words.

“Move out of the way,” Aquila
instructed Theo. “You leave me no choice but to act. You should
have considered the consequences of your actions before you
betrayed us.”