"Okay," Thomas agreed. "But be as quick as you can."
Nodding, the woman ran her hands through her spiky fuchsia-tipped hair and moved to the door.
"Recite," Thomas ordered Greg, as Mirabeau left the room.
Realizing he'd stopped, Greg went back to reciting, his voice filling the silence as they awaited Mirabeau's return. She didn't take long, and her expression was grim when she returned.
"They know she's home and that we're all up here. Lucian sent Martine out to the garage to watch the cars and Marguerite has sent for Vittorio, Maria, and Julius."
Greg couldn't help pausing in his reciting to ask, ''Who are they?"
"'Maria is mother's housekeeper and Vittorio is her husband, he tends the yard. They have weekends off, which is why you haven't met them," Lissianna answered, sounding distracted. 'They live in a cottage at the back of the property."
"Julius is Aunt Marguerite's dog," Juli added in a small voice.
"Juli's afraid of dogs," Vicki explained, patting her sister's shoulder. "So Aunt Marguerite has Maria keep him while we're visiting."
"I'm guessing he's not a lapdog, huh?" Greg asked grimly.
"Recite," Mirabeau said firmly. Greg recited.
"Okay." Lissianna rubbed her forehead and paced a couple of steps away from the bed, then returned and faced the others. "You can't help this time."
Thomas opened his mouth to argue, but Lissianna held up her hand. "You can help me more by staying here and finding out what's going on. I'll call tonight to see what you've learned."
"Maybe you should talk to them and find out what's going on first, Lissianna," Jeanne Louise suggested. "Maybe you don't have to get him out of here."
"If I take him now, I'm just disobeying Mom. If I talk to them first and learn they do plan a merger of three or something and then I take him, then I'll knowingly be going against the council." Lissianna shook her head.
"How are you going to get him out?" Thomas asked. "They're watching the cars."
Lissianna drummed her fingers on her thigh briefly, then stilled. "The bike."
Greg blinked in surprise. He hadn't noticed a motorcycle in the garage, but then it couldn't be in the garage, which was being watched.
"What about us?" Elspeth asked.
"You'll have to stay here this time. Find out what's going on for me, and I'll call later. Thomas, do you have your cell phone?"
"Yes."
"Good, I'll call." Lissianna took Greg's hand. The moment she did, his recitation faltered, garnering a sharp look from her. He immediately redoubled his efforts to concentrate solely on what he was saying as she led him across the room. Greg glanced back as they reached the door, and wished he hadn't, the concern and outright fear on the faces of those they were leaving behind shook him horribly.
"Recite in your head," Lissianna instructed as she opened the door. "We can't make any sound."
Greg promptly snapped his mouth shut and switched to silent recitation, but found it harder not to think that way as she led him out into the hall and to a set of stairs at the opposite end from the main stairwell. He started to mouth the words, hoping that would help, but the edges of his mind were seething with thoughts. He worried about what they all feared so much, he worried about where they were going, and he worried about getting there undetected. Most of all, he worried about what would happen if they didn't get wherever she was leading him without being detected.
The stairs ended in a dark hallway. Greg had trouble seeing anything, but trusted in Lissianna and tiptoed along behind her until she paused outside a door. When she eased it open a crack, he realized they were at the kitchens. At first, he thought the room was empty and wondered why Lissianna wasn't moving forward, but then a short, stocky older man walked into view, headed for the door to the garage.
"Where are you going?" A woman's voice laced with a slight Italian accent floated from the other end of the room.
"Lucian wants me to watch the cars with Martine," the man answered, pausing to put on a pair of boots and draw on a coat that hung on a rack by the door. Greg presumed the man was Vittorio, the housekeeper's husband.
"Why?"
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "He just said, ''Help Martine watch the cars, Vittorio. No one leaves till I say.' So I watch the cars."
"Hmm," Maria sounded worried. "I wonder what the trouble is. They wouldn't call us in early if there wasn't trouble. I hope Miss Lissi hasn't--"