the flower. ‘I’ve seen it before,’ he said. ‘I know I have. But I can’t remember where.’
Sheila looked at it carefully. ‘And why is he looking at it?’
Jude looked at her for a few seconds, then looked around again to check no one else was near. ‘I don’t know,’ he said cautiously. ‘I mean… I don’t think Richard Pincent knows either, to be honest. But he keeps staring at it and he was shouting before, asking what it was.’
‘Does Pip know you’re doing this?’ Sheila asked, frowning.
Jude shook his head.
She appeared to digest this for a second, then she leant forward. ‘Richard Pincent’s got a very nice room,’ she breathed. ‘Big windows. And it looks really warm.’
Jude nodded. ‘Yeah, well, when you’re Richard Pincent I guess the normal rules don’t apply.’
Sheila nodded. Then she looked at Jude intently. ‘The other day. You were going to tell me about my parents. Will you tell me now?’
Jude looked down. ‘Your parents? It was nothing. I didn’t find anything – that’s all I wanted to tell you.’
‘Really?’ Sheila asked suspiciously.
‘Really,’ Jude said, not meeting her eyes.
‘That’s a shame. Because I know what it is. The picture, I mean.’
Jude raised an eyebrow. ‘The picture Richard’s looking at? How?’
‘I just do,’ Sheila said with a little shrug.
‘So tell me,’ Jude said, raising an eyebrow.
She turned to look at him; she was so close he was sure she could feel his heart thudding in his chest and wished it would calm down a bit. ‘I’ll only tell you if you promise to find my parents. Properly find them.’
She was staring at Jude intently and he felt himself getting hot. Pip wouldn’t be happy about it, but then again Pip was never that happy. And after all, this was Sheila they were talking about. She probably didn’t know anything. She was just making stuff up as usual.
‘OK,’ he said.
‘You promise? You cross your heart and hope to die?’
‘What?’ Jude screwed up his face. ‘Why would I do that?’
‘It was in a book I read,’ Sheila said earnestly. ‘You have to say it. That means I know you’re telling the truth.’
‘Fine,’ Jude said with a little grin. ‘I cross my heart and hope to die. So? What is it? If you really do know.’
‘Of course I know,’ Sheila said lightly. She got up and stood behind Jude. ‘Zoom in on it again,’ she said.
Jude did what he was told.
Then she nodded happily. ‘Don’t you recognise the pattern?’ she asked.
Jude stared at it. ‘I do. I think I do, anyway. But I can’t… I don’t know where it’s from.’
‘I do,’ Sheila said. ‘It’s Peter’s ring.’
‘Peter’s ring?’ Jude looked at her uncertainly and turned back to the computer. Then he breathed out loudly. ‘You’re right. It’s the image on Peter’s ring. How did you know that?’
‘I notice stuff,’ Sheila said. ‘So, are you going to start looking for my parents? Look for all the Palmers in London. Look now.’
‘I will,’ Jude said vaguely, but his mind was already racing. Peter’s ring. The circle of life. Why was Richard staring at it? What did he want it for? He would find out. He would discover what was going on, and Pip would look at him anew, and he would be the hero suddenly, he would be the Resistance conqueror. Not Peter. Not any more.
‘Well, go on then,’ Sheila persisted.
Jude looked at her distractedly.
‘My parents,’ she said, her lip quivering slightly. ‘You promised, Jude. You promised.’
Jude sighed inwardly. ‘Sheila, stop looking for your parents, OK? Just give it up. Parents aren’t that great anyway – I hated mine most of the time.’
Sheila stared at him angrily. ‘I don’t want to give it up,’ she said hotly. ‘You promised you’d find them. You promised.’
‘I know,’ Jude said uncomfortably, reddening as he spoke. He could see Pip standing in the doorway watching them; he was out of earshot, but Jude still
Sheila looked at it carefully. ‘And why is he looking at it?’
Jude looked at her for a few seconds, then looked around again to check no one else was near. ‘I don’t know,’ he said cautiously. ‘I mean… I don’t think Richard Pincent knows either, to be honest. But he keeps staring at it and he was shouting before, asking what it was.’
‘Does Pip know you’re doing this?’ Sheila asked, frowning.
Jude shook his head.
She appeared to digest this for a second, then she leant forward. ‘Richard Pincent’s got a very nice room,’ she breathed. ‘Big windows. And it looks really warm.’
Jude nodded. ‘Yeah, well, when you’re Richard Pincent I guess the normal rules don’t apply.’
Sheila nodded. Then she looked at Jude intently. ‘The other day. You were going to tell me about my parents. Will you tell me now?’
Jude looked down. ‘Your parents? It was nothing. I didn’t find anything – that’s all I wanted to tell you.’
‘Really?’ Sheila asked suspiciously.
‘Really,’ Jude said, not meeting her eyes.
‘That’s a shame. Because I know what it is. The picture, I mean.’
Jude raised an eyebrow. ‘The picture Richard’s looking at? How?’
‘I just do,’ Sheila said with a little shrug.
‘So tell me,’ Jude said, raising an eyebrow.
She turned to look at him; she was so close he was sure she could feel his heart thudding in his chest and wished it would calm down a bit. ‘I’ll only tell you if you promise to find my parents. Properly find them.’
She was staring at Jude intently and he felt himself getting hot. Pip wouldn’t be happy about it, but then again Pip was never that happy. And after all, this was Sheila they were talking about. She probably didn’t know anything. She was just making stuff up as usual.
‘OK,’ he said.
‘You promise? You cross your heart and hope to die?’
‘What?’ Jude screwed up his face. ‘Why would I do that?’
‘It was in a book I read,’ Sheila said earnestly. ‘You have to say it. That means I know you’re telling the truth.’
‘Fine,’ Jude said with a little grin. ‘I cross my heart and hope to die. So? What is it? If you really do know.’
‘Of course I know,’ Sheila said lightly. She got up and stood behind Jude. ‘Zoom in on it again,’ she said.
Jude did what he was told.
Then she nodded happily. ‘Don’t you recognise the pattern?’ she asked.
Jude stared at it. ‘I do. I think I do, anyway. But I can’t… I don’t know where it’s from.’
‘I do,’ Sheila said. ‘It’s Peter’s ring.’
‘Peter’s ring?’ Jude looked at her uncertainly and turned back to the computer. Then he breathed out loudly. ‘You’re right. It’s the image on Peter’s ring. How did you know that?’
‘I notice stuff,’ Sheila said. ‘So, are you going to start looking for my parents? Look for all the Palmers in London. Look now.’
‘I will,’ Jude said vaguely, but his mind was already racing. Peter’s ring. The circle of life. Why was Richard staring at it? What did he want it for? He would find out. He would discover what was going on, and Pip would look at him anew, and he would be the hero suddenly, he would be the Resistance conqueror. Not Peter. Not any more.
‘Well, go on then,’ Sheila persisted.
Jude looked at her distractedly.
‘My parents,’ she said, her lip quivering slightly. ‘You promised, Jude. You promised.’
Jude sighed inwardly. ‘Sheila, stop looking for your parents, OK? Just give it up. Parents aren’t that great anyway – I hated mine most of the time.’
Sheila stared at him angrily. ‘I don’t want to give it up,’ she said hotly. ‘You promised you’d find them. You promised.’
‘I know,’ Jude said uncomfortably, reddening as he spoke. He could see Pip standing in the doorway watching them; he was out of earshot, but Jude still
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