Page 31 of Mirrors of the Past

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It was just as well Tegan couldn’t see Ryan’s face. He was, some would say, smirking by this point. It felt good to have the upper hand, even for a moment.

And boy, was he going to savour it.

He turned, very, very slowly, to face her, then nodded, equally slowly. ‘I’ll see what I can find.’

He could tell she was biting her lip, trying desperately not to snipe back at him in case he came back with some smart retort. And then, let’s face it, they’d get absolutely nowhere — even though they had apparently agreed on the content of the exhibition without any bloodshed.

‘May I?’ He indicated the seat next to her on the bench. He didn’t really want to sit there, so very close to her, but it seemed the most appropriate option. To sit on the ground would a) put her in a higher physical position than himself, and b) be rather stupid when there was a perfectly serviceable bench right there.

Tegan nodded shortly. Ryan hid a smile and walked over. He perched on the edge of the bench — okay, he might be sitting on a perfectly serviceable bench, but there was no need to sit right next to her — and opened the flap on his bag.

‘I just grabbed a couple of things,’ he said. ‘I’m sure there’s more waiting to be found—’

‘So you only did half a job then. Useful.’

‘Spirited,’ muttered Ryan. ‘And worth ignoring. Here we go.’ He pulled the treasures he’d located out of the dreadful bag and dumped the offending receptacle on the ground. ‘I’ve got a letter from Elsie to her brother, dated from the November, asking him to go down to London to see her dress . . .’

‘Well, I guess it is part of the run-up to the event. But does it give any more information beyond that?’

‘Hmm. You’re determined to be a teensy-tiny bit negative, aren’t you, Tegan? But for your information, yes, it does give us more than you think. She says something about hoping he’ll call a truce with Viola for her sake, and then there’s this . . .’ Ryan enjoyed his next move — he flourished the letter at his blonde nemesis. There was no other word for it. ‘Elsie actually drew her dress. She sketched it out on the back of the page. See?’

‘Oh! My word.’ Tegan leaned forward to take a better look. Her ponytail fell across him and tickled his hand as he held the letter out and she peered down at it. He moved backwards slightly. He wasn’t sure if the sensation was making him itch or sending weird little sensory prickles across his skin.

Regardless, he held the letter out at a distance and allowed Tegan to study it.

‘This is actually — quite cool.’ Tegan nodded. ‘I’ve seen a photograph of her in her wedding dress, but only, like, the top half. You’ve probably seen it today as well. It’s outside Coren’s office.’ She demonstrated by waving her arms around her own top half. ‘And there was a bouquet. A huge bouquet.’

‘This photo?’ Another flourish. Ryan was starting to enjoy this. ‘Yes. I already saw it, thank you.’

‘No need for that attitude.’ She sniffed. ‘But yes. That’s the one. Well. A copy. We’ve got the original one here. I noticed that it’s been made into one of the new postcards they sell. I saw them yesterday when I was having a wander around the estate.’

‘Yes, I’m aware this is a copy, thank you. Sybill got it for me — well, for the archives — it’s a bit bigger than postcard size.’

‘It’s got so much detail in. Far better than the postcard. Thanks.’

Ryan blinked in surprise. Was she actually thanking him? Wow. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘And when you look at the sketch she sent Laurie—’

‘Woah — Laurie?’ Tegan looked shocked. ‘Her brother was called Laurie?’

‘Yes.’ Ryan looked at her oddly. ‘What’s strange about that? I would have thought you would have known that.’

Tegan had the grace to blush and shrug very slightly. ‘I mean, I knew Elsie had loads of brothers and sisters, but I didn’t know their names. I haven’t, like, learned them yet.’

‘So you only did half a job then. Useful.’

‘Spirited.’ But he chanced a glance at her and she almost — almost — smiled. ‘And I’ve only just started the job.’

‘Whatever. Look. Here’s another letter. It’s from Elsie to her sisters — Isolde and Medora.’ He emphasised their names, very slowly. There was no need for Tegan to know he’d only recently learnt the Teague family’s names properly himself. ‘She’s telling them she expects them to be bridesmaids along with their cousins and Viola.’

Tegan took the letter and read it. ‘So, if her sisters were Isolde and Medora,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Who was Viola? The other girl she asked to be bridesmaid?’