‘How? It was her, wasn’t it? His wife. She not only saved him, she managed to secure elite status in the City for him. They weren’t even seeing eye to eye, and she still managed to get him put on the world’s shortest list. Quite the achievement for a sentimental wallflower whom we know nothing about and nobody wants to mention. So, let’s talk about her, for a change, shall we? Tell me, Father, who was she? Who was Robert’s wife?’

Father flinched, he actually flinched, and looked at him, still leaning forward, and his shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath, then another.

‘Who was she, Father? Who was she? Who was Theo’s grandmother?’

Father smiled at him—a twisted, bitter little smile. ‘She is Sanctuary’s greatest, deadliest enemy, the enemy who wants nothing more than to destroy us, obliterate us.’

‘You mean—’ he started, then broke off again, unable to say it, feeling his head swirling with a hurricane of disjointed thoughts. If it was true! The implications! ‘You mean the—the—’

Father looked at him steadily, a slight frown on his face, the lines around his eyes so distinct they looked like individual rivers. ‘Yes, Albert, exactly.’

‘But that makes Theo—’

Father nodded. His frown widened, but his voice was steady, and so low they could barely hear him. ‘Yes, Albert, that is who Theo is. She is Bernadine’s granddaughter, the great-granddaughter of old man Zacharias himself, the last—’

He broke off, coughing. His face was pale again, he breathed out deeply, eyes shut, and then fixed them on Albert. ‘The last of the line of Bosquanet. And if Bernadine has her way, the future Keeper of the City.’

29

Albert stared at him, his heart beating so hard he was sure the others could hear it too. He looked around the room—at Colby and the other men. They were all staring at Father too, incredulous looks on their faces, as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. He knew exactly how they felt. Glancing across at June, he saw her looking down at her feet, shaking her head. Then he looked back at Father, whose clear blue eyes were still locked on him.

‘So that’s what it was,’ he said softly. ‘Castor’s bargaining chip. It was Theo all along!’

June looked sharply at the old man. ‘Castor wanted you to—’

‘Yes, and I refused,’ he replied.

‘Does Bosquanet know Theo is here?’

Father nodded.

‘So that’s what Ucho meant by the last line of defence! She is, isn’t she? She’s what prevents Bosquanet from attacking Sanctuary!’

‘She does not know where it is, at least that is what we believe, but when she does, Theo will be all that stands between us and her machines.’

‘So that’s why Cillian wants her, then.’

‘Yes. Not only does it make us vulnerable, but it strengthens his hand with Bernadine, too.’