Chapter 18

Lizzie dreamed of falling. From high in the clouds she fell, down and down, until she woke with a jolt.

Stiff white sheets, stretched tightly over her. A strange chemical smell, mingled with the scent of flowers. This wasn’t her bed. She was in a hospital, with a room to herself.

She sat up and winced. Her left leg stung, and so did her right shoulder – but someone had bandaged them. She touched the shoulder experimentally and hissed through her teeth. A burn. Funny, she didn’t remember being burned.

Her chest hurt. When she coughed, she tasted smoke. Images began to come back to her – the burning mill, the screams, the flames leaping through the floorboards.

I’m alive, she thought. I made it. She reached for the mug of water by the bed and noticed an immense bunch of flowers in a vase. Who on earth had sent her flowers? And why wasn’t she out on the ward with all the other patients?

A nurse noticed she was awake and bustled over, smiling. ‘Morning!’

‘Is it?’ Lizzie brushed tousled hair out of her face.

‘Only just,’ the nurse laughed. ‘It’s almost noon.’

Lizzie tried to struggle out of bed. ‘There must be some mistake,’ she said. ‘I can’t afford this room—’

The nurse smiled and gently pushed her back into the bed. ‘Mr MacDonald wants you to have the best possible treatment, Lizzie. He’s paying for your care,’ she explained. ‘Now then, do you feel up to seeing visitors?’

Before Lizzie could answer, the door burst open and Nora ran to her bedside, with Erin, Malachy, Dru and Hari close behind. They surrounded her bed, hugging her, laughing and piling wrapped presents onto the cabinets.

‘Steady on!’ Lizzie protested. ‘Don’t break me!’

‘Sorry,’ grinned Nora. ‘But we’re so glad you’re all right!’

‘If you were a cat, you’d be on your last life by now,’ Erin added.

Lizzie grabbed Malachy’s wrist, suddenly remembering. ‘Is Amelia … ?’

‘She’s fine!’ he said. His eyes widened in surprise. ‘Wait, don’t you remember what happened?’

Lizzie settled back on her pillows, finally feeling like she could rest. ‘I remember jumping,’ she said. ‘But after that it’s a blank. You’ll have to fill me in.’

Everyone sat down on the bed while Nora softly explained. ‘The mill burned down. Just after you jumped, it all fell in, like a house of cards. They caught you on that cloth, but you were out cold.’

‘Did I hit my head?’

‘The doctors think you passed out on the way down! You were in a shocking state, Liz. Half-dead from the smoke.’

Half-dead, Lizzie thought. ‘Did anybody die?’

Nora put a hand on Lizzie’s arm. ‘A few. Three of them were workers who went back in to try to pull others out. It’s a mercy more weren’t killed.’

‘And Maisie?’

Her friends exchanged looks.

‘She was one of the ones who died,’ said Erin. ‘She survived the fall, but her lungs had inhaled too much smoke.’

Lizzie closed her eyes and thought about Maisie’s last words. She knew she was going to die there. Maybe she had a touch of the second sight too.

‘Well,’ she said, trying to lighten the mood, ‘at least we know it wasn’t the fairies who took Amelia.’

‘Now it’s funny you should say that,’ Hari piped up. ‘We’ve solved a mystery of our own, and we didn’t even need your visions for help!’

Malachy laughed. ‘Of course. Remember how Ma Sullivan’s cakes were stolen and your crystal ball went missing? Not to mention all the other funny little happenings?’

‘Course I do. Ma Sullivan blamed it on the fairies.’

‘It was Hanu the monkey!’ Hari said. ‘His fingers are even more nimble than I thought. He worked out how to open his cage door.’

‘We only put two and two together when we found your crystal ball in his cage with him,’ chuckled Malachy. ‘So that wasn’t fairies either.’

Nora and Erin glowered at him. ‘You needn’t be so smug,’ Nora said. ‘Just because it was a monkey this time, it doesn’t prove that fairies don’t exist.’

‘You’re right,’ Lizzie smiled. ‘It doesn’t.’

Taken completely by surprise, Nora boggled at her.

Lizzie winked. ‘If working at Fitzy’s has taught me anything, it’s to keep an open mind.’

‘Ready for another visitor?’ The nurse showed Fergus into the room.

‘Now I know you’re through with newspapers, but I thought you might like to have a look at this one,’ he said.

The front page screamed: CIRCUS GIRL SAVES MILL HEIRESS. Under that, in smaller writing: DID KINDLY SPIRITS HELP FOIL CAPTOR’S PLOT?

Malachy was all for reading the story, but Lizzie stopped him. ‘Amelia’s safe and I’m back in MacDonald’s good books,’ she said. ‘That’ll do for me.’

‘Sounds like he wants to be in your good books,’ Fergus said. He pointed out another feature: MILL TYCOON JOINS REFORMISTS.

‘The industrialist Alexander MacDonald has pledged to rebuild his mill to the highest safety standards,’ Malachy read aloud. ‘In addition, he has announced his plans to campaign Parliament to pass new labour laws prohibiting the employment of children under the age of ten in factories. “It is my wish to set an example to the whole textile industry,” MacDonald says. “My eyes have been opened to a great wrong.”’

‘Better late than never,’ Lizzie murmured. Now maybe Maisie can rest in peace, poor troubled soul.

‘Oh, and what’s this little bit on the back?’ Malachy laughed, showing Lizzie a picture of Douglas Grant. The headline read: DISGRACED PSYCHIC RETURNS TO AMERICA.

‘He’s been exorcized, like a troublesome spirit,’ said Nora.

‘Good riddance!’ said Lizzie, and broke into a fresh bout of coughing.

‘I think visiting time’s over,’ the nurse said, gentle but firm. ‘Lizzie needs to rest. You can come back tomorrow.’

Hugs and kisses followed. Left alone in her room, Lizzie closed her eyes. My friends are wonderful, she thought. More wonderful than fairies could ever be.

* * *

‘Good to see you back on your feet, Lizzie!’ Fergus grinned, a few days later. He was leaning against the front gates of Alexander MacDonald’s house. In the courtyard, the members of Fitzy’s Travelling Circus busied themselves with preparations. The temporary stage was nearly complete and the air crackled with excitement.

Lizzie let him in. ‘Does MacDonald know you’re here?’

‘He invited me,’ Fergus said, beaming with pride. ‘I’m covering the story for the paper as their newly appointed Chief Reporter.’

‘It’s Amelia’s welcome home party, not a bloomin’ royal gala!’ Lizzie laughed. ‘But congratulations on the promotion, mate.’ They strolled over to where the house door stood propped open. ‘I told you you’d be a success, didn’t I?’

‘You did. But keep quiet about the thumb, eh?’

MacDonald and Amelia were waiting in the parlour, along with someone else sitting in a chair with its back to them. Amelia had a beautiful silk party dress on, a pretty ribbon around her shorn head, and a pair of gauzy fairy wings on her back. Her uncle – to Lizzie’s delight – was wearing pointy ears made out of wax. ‘How’s the guest of honour?’ he called to her. ‘Ah, Fergus, you made it. Welcome.’

The unseen figure in the chair stood up and Lizzie heard Fergus catch his breath.

It was Collette, barely recognizable in her smart, formal clothes. Her hair had been put up and she stood demurely with her hands clasped behind her back.

‘Of course,’ MacDonald said, ‘you haven’t heard, have you, Fergus? Mademoiselle Boisset has done me the great honour of joining our household.’

Fergus’s jaw worked and he loosened his collar. He seemed at a loss for what to say. ‘C-congratulations to you both,’ he said nobly. ‘I wish you many happy years together.’

Collette stared and burst out laughing. ‘We’re not married, you great imbecile! I’m Amelia’s governess. And French tutor.’

‘Oh!’ said Fergus. He sank into a chair, laughing in relief. ‘Well, that’s splendid.’

‘I know French now!’ Amelia yelled. ‘Bonjour! Je voudrais un biscuit! Merci, Mademoiselle Lizzie!’

Collette rolled her eyes. ‘All day, she says this. “Merci, Mademoiselle Lizzie.” Like a little bird.’

‘But she did save me, Mademoiselle Collette.’

‘That she did,’ Collette smiled, squeezing the little girl’s hand.

MacDonald went off to supervise the preparations and Lizzie decided to satisfy her curiosity about something. ‘Amelia,’ she asked quietly, ‘do you remember what happened in the woods that day?’

‘I ran off to the oak tree to hide and Maisie was there – just like she said she would be. All dressed in fairy clothes! I thought we were going to have a fairy tea party, like we usually did, but Maisie said no, we were still going to play hide and seek. Only she knew the best hiding place ever, ever, ever.’

‘The mill,’ Lizzie sighed.

‘I was a bit scared,’ Amelia admitted. ‘But it was so lovely to see Maisie again! She told me stories and sang me my favourite songs again. She said we were just playing a game.’ She frowned deeply, as if she was trying to be very grown-up. ‘Lizzie?’

‘Yes?’

‘Was Maisie … bad?’

Lizzie said carefully ‘No. She was a person that bad things happened to. People were cruel to her for years, and it hurt her in her mind, so she didn’t know right from wrong any more. I’m sure she never meant to do you any harm.’

Amelia took that in. ‘The mill was horrible,’ she said. ‘But Uncle Ally says the new mill will be nice, and he’ll pay the workers more money so they won’t be sad any more.’ She sprang to her feet. ‘Look, Lizzie, clowns! I’m going to play with them!’

‘You do that.’

Lizzie joined Collette on the sofa and relaxed, letting out a deep sigh. ‘I still can’t believe you’re leaving us. Do you think you’ll miss it?’ Alexander MacDonald had offered Collette her new job while Lizzie had been in the hospital, and it still hadn’t really sunk in.

‘Of course I shall,’ Collette said. ‘But the circus comes to Edinburgh once a year so I will see everyone then. I’m ready to settle down. No more high wire. No more backaches.’

‘Lucky Amelia. You’ll make a brilliant mum one day.’

Collette giggled and looked away shyly. ‘Maybe Amelia can be my bridesmaid, when I find a husband.’

Across the room, Fergus turned an impressive shade of red. I knew it, Lizzie thought. Amelia isn’t the only reason Collette wants to stay in Edinburgh!

‘Show starts in half an hour!’ Fitzy announced, striding into the room. ‘How are you feeling, Lizzie? Full of zest? Full of zing? Ready to go back to work?’

‘Can’t wait!’

‘That’s my girl.’

‘So after today, where are we heading next?’

‘Well, we’re heading south to Manchester,’ Fitzy said. ‘Those that aren’t staying here, that is.’ He winked at Collette. ‘Which brings me to something else. Lizzie … you mustn’t feel you have to come with us.’

Lizzie cocked her head. ‘Come again?’

‘You’re famous!’ Fitzy burst out. ‘Your star has never risen higher. You could go anywhere in the country – anywhere in the world – and be welcomed with open arms! I can’t expect you to trek about with my circus for the rest of your life, can I?’

Lizzie smiled. ‘Right now, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.’