Read Online Lily by Holly Webb - Free Book Online Page B

game because of the terrifying feeling that one day it might come true. If the Queen’s Men came unexpectedly, perhaps, and found that Mama had not renounced magic as she promised. If one of the servants talked… It could happen. Like it had happened to Father.
    ‘Do you think he knew what Mama was doing?’ Lily asked. ‘He’s only been in prison for nearly nine years. If we’re right about Lucy, and Prudence, then Mama’s been planning this for ages. A lot longer than that. Was he part of the plot too?’
    Georgie pleated the edge of the piece of paper, and shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. I hardly remember him – I was only three, after all – but I don’t think he would have done anything that might have hurt us.’ She frowned. ‘He was so worried , all the time. But I suppose if he had two little girls before us, two little girls who died, then that makes sense.’ She smiled. ‘He used to feed me cod liver oil.’
    ‘Uurgh!’ Lily shivered. Mrs Porter had a large brown glass jar of that, and she occasionally made Lily take spoonfuls. It was horrible.
    ‘No, it was lovely. I think he’d changed the flavour, it tasted of roses. He gave it to you, too. Don’t you remember? Pink stuff?’
    Lily shook her head, staring at Georgie doubtfully.
    ‘Well, he did. And he used to fuss if I so much as coughed.’ Georgie frowned. ‘It all makes sense now.’
    ‘So Lucy and Prudence sickened for something,’ Lily said quietly.
    Georgie stared doubtfully at the list of spells again. She seemed unable to tear her eyes away from it – particularly the one she might have cast. ‘You know, if Mama had ever let the Queen’s Men see that we had any magic, we would have been taken away. There are awful places. Schools where they send magicians’ children to have the magic stopped somehow. Perhaps she ought to be assassinated. Maybe Mama’s doing the right thing. Sometimes people have to use desperate measures…’ But she was biting her hair again.
    Lily simply looked at her. And then she picked up the photograph album again, and held it out to Georgie, turning over the pages to show her their sisters.
    Georgie nodded.
    ‘We have to get away. Even if we did agree with assassinating people – and I don’t! – Mama’s going to give up on you. We heard her say so. She’s going to do the same thing to you that she did to the others! She probably will use one of the spells on that list, Georgie. She’s given up on trying to teach you them, so she’ll use one to get rid of you instead. Something that makes it look like you’re ill. The blood-thinning one. We have to run away.’ Lily stared at her sister, almost angrily, and then shook her. ‘Georgie!’
    ‘I know! But where will we go? Neither of us has ever left Merrythought, Lily. I don’t know how to be anywhere else.’
    ‘But I do.’
    The two sisters turned to look at the little black dog sitting smugly between them.
    ‘Merrythought is all very well for a country home, but I always found it rather too quiet.’ Henrietta yawned. ‘I much prefer London. Let’s go there. Your mama would never find you in an enormous city, would she? And if your father is not involved in this plot, we had better find him, and tell him what his wife is doing.’ She smiled wolfishly. ‘After all, if she is discovered, he will not last long, will he? No one will believe he’s innocent. Those evil magicians, even plotting in prison!’ She gave a determined little nod. ‘I think we should go soon – before she starts to turn her attention to you, Lily.’
    Lily stared at her. Henrietta had only said what she had been thinking – she had even hoped that they might go to London – but someone else saying it out loud made it sound far more frightening. ‘How would we get off the island? We’d need a boat. There is one, a rowing boat, in that little boathouse at the bottom of the cliff path, but it’s always locked. Mr Francis has the keys in his