The Thread of the Unicorn (An Agency of the Ancient Lost & Found Mystery Thriller Book 5) by Jane Thornley

Author:Jane Thornley [Thornley, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

13

I lay on my back shivering. Somebody was wiping my face with a damp cloth. I blinked up at the stars overhead and all I could do was push gulps of fresh air and heaps of gratitude deep into my lungs.

“What happened?” I gasped.

“You passed out,” Nicolina told me, her hand warm on my forehead.

“Not enough oxygen. Should have remained near opening as I said.” That was Seraphina’s voice.

I jolted upright and gazed straight into Peaches’s glaring face. “Yeah, we got it back up safely, too.” She pointed to the muck-covered lead cylinder lying on the ground behind me over which stood Rupert, Eduard, and René. I moved to get to it but Nicolina held me back. “We will open it once you are recovered.”

“I’m recovered now,” I said, struggling to my feet.

Peaches held me down. “You’re recovered when we say you’re recovered. Lilly and Natalie have gone to get a hot bath ready and fetch you some clean clothes. Then you’ll have something to drink—”

“Tea,” Rupert instructed as he crouched beside me. “Tea is always the best restorer, Phoebe. I’ve brought my own selection, along with a particular soothing favorite.”

“I’m fine,” I argued.

“You are not fine,” growled Peaches. “You passed out. Seraphina and I had to go down and drag your sorry butt back through the muck and bones before returning to get the canister. I can’t believe you bloody insisted on doing this alone, woman! We had to go down there, anyway, so why not bring us in the first place?”

Nicolina tried to silence her with a look but Peaches refused to meet her eye.

“Can’t explain right now, Peach. Just know that I needed to be alone in that pit to find out what I needed to know.”

“Holy shit, you better not be speaking about spooks down there because I’m not having it. I—”

This time Nicolina chopped the air with one hand, a gesture as close to witnessing a royal command as we’d ever receive. Peaches fell silent, though her expression was still filled with admonishment.

“We will help Phoebe into the château now,” Nicolina ordered while adding directions for René and Seraphina to bring the canister into the library after wiping it down. Peaches then lifted me into her arms and marched toward the château.

“Let me walk,” I protested.

“Forget it,” came the reply.

I kept looking around. “Where’s Henri?” I asked.

“In the loo,” Peaches responded. “He almost peed himself for fear for you.”

“I’ve got to tell him something important,” I said.

“Will have to wait, won’t it?”

I resigned myself to helplessness for the rest of the way. I couldn’t even pull my phone out of my pocket to message Evan. I just had to wait. I hated waiting and I was desperate to get at that canister.

But first came the shower—no bath, takes too long—then I climbed into one of Lilly’s red silk Chinese robes that was just roomy enough to work over my second pair of leggings while my clothes were being washed. Then came the tea, which I was grateful to sip while munching croissant sandwiches Natalie had put together.

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