be taught the error of her ways. But she can definitely speak.’
‘We never doubted you, Barnes,’ another man says.He’s smartly dressed in a purple suit. He looks young, but there are faint wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles, which make me think he’s older than he appears. ‘We were just concerned that it was taking you so long to find one for us.’
Barnes shuffles his feet and pulls a face. ‘I’m slow but sure.’ It’s an act. There’s nothing slow about Barnes. But he’s clearly wary of these peopleand their armed guards.
‘Remove the gag,’ one of the other men says. This one has an eastern European accent. He’s dressed like a prince, crown and all.
‘Yes, sir,’ Barnes murmurs and reaches up to free my mouth. ‘Be careful what you say to them,’ he whispers. ‘They don’t have a sense of humour.’
I stare silently at my regally attired captors when the gag has been removed.
‘Well?’Lady Jemima asks, twisting a diamond ring as she bores into me with her gaze.
‘What?’ I sniff and she stops turning the ring.
‘Incredible,’ she sighs.
‘She spoke to me first,’ Dan-Dan crows. ‘Did you hear that, Luca?’ he calls to the guy in the purple suit. ‘I was first.’
‘Mother would be so proud of you,’ Luca purrs sarcastically. ‘If you hadn’t thrown her to a zombie to saveyourself, that is.’
Dan-Dan’s face drops. ‘I thought we weren’t going to mention that again.’
Luca sniffs and leans towards me. ‘Tell us about yourself, girl. Where are you from? How can you speak? Are there many more like you?’
I cock my head at him and don’t answer. He studies me silently, then grins viciously. ‘The next time you refuse to answer a question, I’ll have one of my mencut off the little finger on your left hand. After that, it will be your head. I only believe in a single warning. So, unless you’re keen to die today, talk.’
‘There’s not much I can tell you,’ I say sullenly. ‘I don’t know how I can talk or why I’m different.’ That’s a lie, but I’m not going to rat out Dr Oystein to this pack of creeps. I think about saying I’m a one-off, but Barnes hasseen me with other Angels. I have to be careful, lie cautiously, mix in a bit of truth.
‘There are several of us that I know about. We wander around London together. We’ve been looking for answers but haven’t found any, so we’ve been getting by as best we can.’
‘Does the girl need to eat brains?’ the other woman at the table asks. She’s conservatively dressed in a dark jacket and trousers.Grey hair. A pinched face. ‘Ask her if she needs to eat brains, Luca.’
‘Ask her yourself,’ Luca snaps.
The woman frowns. ‘I don’t want to talk to one of them . She’s a thing, not a person.’
‘But you’re happy for me to talk to her?’ Luca growls.
‘You’re more natural in situations like this,’ the woman simpers.
Luca barks a laugh. ‘You’re useless, Vicky. I don’t know how yougot into Parliament so many times.’
‘By being ruthless with people who displease me,’ Vicky says flatly.
‘Peace,’ the final man to speak says. He’s the oldest, a white-haired, thick-limbed guy. The others quit squabbling immediately. The man rises and crosses the room to study me up close. If I leant forward quickly, I could bite him. But it would be my final act and he knows it. I don’tsmell any fear on him.
‘My name is Justin Bazini,’ he says. ‘If you had the right connections, you would know what that name means. I’m a man of immense wealth and power. Those are Lords Luca and Daniel Wood, not as well off as my good self, but not short of a few shillings either.’
‘What are shillings?’ Dan-Dan asks jokingly.
Justin points at the overdressed woman. ‘Lady Jemima.You probably saw her picture a lot in the fashion magazines when you were alive.’
‘I didn’t waste my time reading fashion mags,’ I sniff.
He looks down at my clothes and smiles
‘We never doubted you, Barnes,’ another man says.He’s smartly dressed in a purple suit. He looks young, but there are faint wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles, which make me think he’s older than he appears. ‘We were just concerned that it was taking you so long to find one for us.’
Barnes shuffles his feet and pulls a face. ‘I’m slow but sure.’ It’s an act. There’s nothing slow about Barnes. But he’s clearly wary of these peopleand their armed guards.
‘Remove the gag,’ one of the other men says. This one has an eastern European accent. He’s dressed like a prince, crown and all.
‘Yes, sir,’ Barnes murmurs and reaches up to free my mouth. ‘Be careful what you say to them,’ he whispers. ‘They don’t have a sense of humour.’
I stare silently at my regally attired captors when the gag has been removed.
‘Well?’Lady Jemima asks, twisting a diamond ring as she bores into me with her gaze.
‘What?’ I sniff and she stops turning the ring.
‘Incredible,’ she sighs.
‘She spoke to me first,’ Dan-Dan crows. ‘Did you hear that, Luca?’ he calls to the guy in the purple suit. ‘I was first.’
‘Mother would be so proud of you,’ Luca purrs sarcastically. ‘If you hadn’t thrown her to a zombie to saveyourself, that is.’
Dan-Dan’s face drops. ‘I thought we weren’t going to mention that again.’
Luca sniffs and leans towards me. ‘Tell us about yourself, girl. Where are you from? How can you speak? Are there many more like you?’
I cock my head at him and don’t answer. He studies me silently, then grins viciously. ‘The next time you refuse to answer a question, I’ll have one of my mencut off the little finger on your left hand. After that, it will be your head. I only believe in a single warning. So, unless you’re keen to die today, talk.’
‘There’s not much I can tell you,’ I say sullenly. ‘I don’t know how I can talk or why I’m different.’ That’s a lie, but I’m not going to rat out Dr Oystein to this pack of creeps. I think about saying I’m a one-off, but Barnes hasseen me with other Angels. I have to be careful, lie cautiously, mix in a bit of truth.
‘There are several of us that I know about. We wander around London together. We’ve been looking for answers but haven’t found any, so we’ve been getting by as best we can.’
‘Does the girl need to eat brains?’ the other woman at the table asks. She’s conservatively dressed in a dark jacket and trousers.Grey hair. A pinched face. ‘Ask her if she needs to eat brains, Luca.’
‘Ask her yourself,’ Luca snaps.
The woman frowns. ‘I don’t want to talk to one of them . She’s a thing, not a person.’
‘But you’re happy for me to talk to her?’ Luca growls.
‘You’re more natural in situations like this,’ the woman simpers.
Luca barks a laugh. ‘You’re useless, Vicky. I don’t know how yougot into Parliament so many times.’
‘By being ruthless with people who displease me,’ Vicky says flatly.
‘Peace,’ the final man to speak says. He’s the oldest, a white-haired, thick-limbed guy. The others quit squabbling immediately. The man rises and crosses the room to study me up close. If I leant forward quickly, I could bite him. But it would be my final act and he knows it. I don’tsmell any fear on him.
‘My name is Justin Bazini,’ he says. ‘If you had the right connections, you would know what that name means. I’m a man of immense wealth and power. Those are Lords Luca and Daniel Wood, not as well off as my good self, but not short of a few shillings either.’
‘What are shillings?’ Dan-Dan asks jokingly.
Justin points at the overdressed woman. ‘Lady Jemima.You probably saw her picture a lot in the fashion magazines when you were alive.’
‘I didn’t waste my time reading fashion mags,’ I sniff.
He looks down at my clothes and smiles
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