She sat up, rubbed her eyes, then smiled: Star had said he was going out, that was it, and she should rest: well, now he had returned.

He was sitting opposite her on a small wooden chair, and he was watching her wake.

“What time is it, Star?”

“Time for the second Mass. Eight o’clock.”

“Mass? You mean it’s Sunday?”

“It’s Sunday. You were exhausted. It was a long drive. We had to find this place. You’ve been sleeping for hours and hours. You want some breakfast? There’s a café I know near here.”

“I am hungry. Maybe the pink jewel made me extra sleepy. I would like breakfast.”

“There’s a bathroom on the landing. You can use that. Look—I bought you a present while I was out. It’s a scarf. A blue scarf. It matches your eyes.”

He magicked the scarf out of his pocket; he magicked it into his hand. Mina saw that it was silk, and a most beautiful color, the color of a kingfisher’s wing. She gave a small cry of delight. Star rose and put it gently in her hand.

“Cover your hair with it,” he said. “Just for now. We have to be careful, Mina. Even here.”

Mina looked at him hesitantly.

“I will be able to call them soon, won’t I, Star? I don’t want them to worry. My mother—Star, if it’s Sunday now—she’ll just be frantic. I have to tell her I’m safe. It’s all right—I won’t say where we are…”

“Sure you can call them.” He smiled, and the room lit with his smile. “If you hadn’t been sleeping—you can call them from the café. It has a phone booth. Come on, little Mina.” He took her hands in his. “This is an adventure, remember? Our adventure. Later this morning—” He broke off, and Mina saw his face change.

“Later this morning, what?” she said, watching his eyes alter and darken.

“Later this morning I have an appointment, that’s all. I have to go out to the airport. Charles de Gaulle. While we’re there—you can decide. There’s hundreds of flights to London. One every hour—more. If you want, I’ll put you straight on a plane. You can be back home this afternoon.”

“I could?” Mina looked at him uncertainly. “Star, I don’t have any money for airfare. I don’t have any money at all. I gave all the money I had to Cassandra.”

“No problem.” He gave another of his conjuror’s movements, and there was money, fistfuls of it, in his hands.

“Francs, dollars, pounds—more than enough for a flight to England. Just say the word, Mina, and we can both leave. We can go anyplace in the world.”

“I couldn’t let you pay my fare.” Mina frowned. “I’d have to pay you back, Star.”

“Let’s not fight about it. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get out to the airport and you won’t want to go. Hurry up—it’s a fine day. We can sit in the café and watch the sun shine on Paris. Paris is one of the four most beautiful cities in the world.”