Free Druids Sword by Sara Douglass Page A

family, Harry and Jack down to London.
    Jack whistled in admiration as soon as he saw the huge silver and red-enamelled Daimler.
    “Nice,” he said, then gave a small grin. “Bet it’s going to make a spectacular target in moonlight.”
    “Weyland has been asked to paint it something more subdued,” Noah said as Weyland put their small bags into the boot. “He’s been resisting until now.”
    “This morning’s announcement has put paid to the silver,” Weyland said, shutting the boot. “I’ll get one of the mechanics at the Savoy’s garage to dull it down somewhat.”
    He walked to the driver’s door. “Come on then,” he said. “Load up.”
    Noah moved to the front passenger side, leaving Harry, Jack and Grace to accommodate themselves on the back bench seat. Jack found this a little awkward. Grace hadn’t said a word all day, and frankly, he didn’t know what to say to her. It was obvious she wasn’t one for light chitchat, and in fact actively avoided conversation at all by refusing to look anyone in the face.
    She looked extraordinarily tired with pallid skin and dark rings under her eyes, and Jack wondered if there was any residual soreness in her wrists after Catling’s attack last night. He couldn’t see her wrists as the sleeves of her blouse, and now the cardigancoat she’d put on against the autumn chill, effectively hid any sight of them and he had no idea how to broach the subject.
    Jack walked around to the driver’s side of the car and folded himself into the back seat. On the otherside, Harry indicated Grace should sit in the middle, and Jack barely stopped himself from squirming closer to the car door as Grace slid in beside him. He wanted to make a bit more room for her, but was worried she might take the movement as one of revulsion.
    Her silence, her introspectiveness, was beginning to intimidate him.
    As soon as Harry had closed his door, Weyland pulled away.
    “London,” he said.
    The journey was accomplished in complete silence. By the time they drew close to the City—the inner square mile of ancient London—Jack was ready to scream. The sense of awkwardness had grown by the minute during the drive, and Jack wasn’t sure if it was due to Grace’s terrible reserve, or to the fact that what lay between Noah, Weyland and himself simply couldn’t stand close confinement in a car for longer than two or three minutes.
    Eventually, when Weyland pulled over close to the Tower of London, Jack had to restrain himself from throwing open the door and exiting with indecent haste.
    Noah leaned over the front seat. “Harry, will you and Jack join us for dinner? Weyland needs to hand over the keys to Jack’s car, and you might as well stay for a meal.”
    Dinner? Jack couldn’t think of a worse way to spend the evening. All he wanted to do was get out of this car and get as far away from Grace and Weyland and Noah, and their memories, as fast as he could.
    “We’d be delighted,” Harry said, his voice sounding so natural Jack’s mouth almost dropped open. Hadn’t he felt the tension?
    “Besides,” Harry continued, “Jack said last night that he’d like to take a closer look at Grace’s wrists…Catling’s hex. Perhaps he can do that this evening.”
    Noah looked over to Jack, who by now had his door ajar with one foot on the roadway. “Jack, that would be wonderful. Thank you.”
    Jack managed a smile, and slid even further towards the world beyond the Daimler.
    “You don’t have to,” Grace suddenly, extraordinarily, said, and Jack froze, staring at her.
    She was looking him directly in the face, the first time she’d done so all day, and Jack could see that strong emotion roiled inside of her, although he couldn’t tell what it was.
    He had a horrible thought that she knew full well how desperate he was to get away from both her and the car.
    “You don’t have to,” she repeated.
    Now every eye was on Jack, and Weyland had even swivelled around to mark Jack’s