Try to leave
"But you are," Ms. Stuart says gently. "Eljeshanai is
watching over you, and his eyes and ears are everywhere. But if we did
not protect you, we would be shirking our own assignment. Please
stay."
"I don't understand," you say. "Why am I so important
to you--to them--to anyone? I'm just a girl, whether I'm the Lady of
Lachlan or not."
"Ah, not so," Ms. Stuart says. "Touch your neck."
You touch it, and find the teardrop emerald pendant. You remember what
the maid said before--she holds Ireland in her hand.
"What does that mean?" you ask. "I mean...one of the
maids looked at this and said "she holds Ireland in her
hand." What did she mean?"
Ms. Stuart smiles. "Time for another piece of the puzzle,"
she says. "But before we give it, I think you should eat."
She pulls a bell cord beside your bed. A maid appears.
"Celeste, please fetch the Lady of Lachlan a meal--nothing heavy,
but something nourishing."
"Yes, ma'am."
When the maid returns, she carries a tray of what looks like French
toast and an egg, but what looks most appealing is the orange
juice--slightly lighter than most orange juice, and filled with clear
bubbles. You start to raise it to your lips, but then Mrs. Cabot
screams. You plunk the glass down.
"What is it, Mrs. Cabot?"
"Don't drink that, milady! It's been laced with cleverly
carbonated poison!"
Oh, boy. Could this day get any weirder? What do you
do?
"If someone's after me," you say, "I shouldn't stay
here. I can't put you in danger--not after you've been so kind to me.
And besides, if I can't be completely safe here, I can't stay. I need
to be completely safe."
