When Mahri came to herself, her first thought was that something had happened to Gavin during the night. Reaching for her wrap, she threw it over her shoulders and went tearing along the corridor to his room. When she saw that the bed was empty and unmade, her heart lurched. She met Juliet and her mother at the top of the stairs. Like her, they had thrown a shawl over their nightclothes. They weren’t sure what had wakened them, and they hovered, undecided, until a door opened downstairs and a masculine voice bellowed that they were to come, just as they were, and have breakfast. Alex met them at the door. He looked very serious. “Come in, ladies,” he said. “Breakfast is waiting. I’m sorry if I alarmed you, but time is of the essence. The sooner we leave this house, the easier I’ll feel.” Mahri was struck by several things. Alex was clean-shaven, and he’d cut his hair. The same went for Dugald. But it was the sight of Gavin that startled her. Though he was dressed in a crumpled suit, and his face was still very pale, he had obviously recovered some of his strength and all of his wits.
