Most of the students, including Ellie and Jamie, were off helping to wrap up club activities for the term, so the lunch hall wasn’t overwhelmingly busy. Sushi was on the menu and the smell of raw fish was making Lottie queasy.

‘Actually I’m not really hungry.’ Lottie smiled, pushing the plate back while the twins shared a suspicious look that she decided to ignore.

Clearly Lottie was not doing a good enough job of keeping face, and if the twins were seeing through it, then Haru might too.

‘You’re smiling too much,’ Anastacia said at last, not even looking up from where she flipped through her fashion magazine. ‘If something’s wrong, you need to tell us.’ There was a weight to her words that the twins wouldn’t understand, a crushing demand to keep Saskia and her in the loop about Haru. ‘Binah told us you walked off the other day when you two were supposed to be working together.’

The indictment made her stomach turn.

Anastacia wasn’t stupid, and Lottie could tell by the way her eyes locked on to hers that she knew Lottie was keeping secrets. But she couldn’t tell her, no matter how desperate she was to tell someone about Claude’s letters and their awful messages. It was impossible. She couldn’t do that to Jamie, not until she knew what it meant and what had happened to his mother.

‘Nothing’s wrong,’ Lottie replied, continuing to smile through the lie. ‘It’s just the smell in here, and –’

A bump at the back of Lottie’s seat stopped her midsentence. Everyone’s eyes turning to an unapologetic-looking girl standing behind Lottie.

‘Oops. I’m so sorry, Princess.’ Lottie’s ears pricked. She didn’t sound sorry. Haru might have got a hold on her too. ‘I walked right into your seat. I’m so silly.’

Lottie tried to get a whiff of the telltale baby-powder stench of the Hamelin Formula. But there was nothing, just a light sea-salt smell like the girl had walked out of the ocean. She had thick make-up on in an elaborate cobweb pattern that looked familiar, and as she turned round to walk off Lottie recognized her – she was from the Artistocracy.

Then she felt it. There was something in her blazer pocket that definitely hadn’t been there before.

‘What the hell was that?’ Saskia scowled, everyone staring daggers at the girl walking away, giving Lottie a chance to peep at what had been sneaked into her pocket.

It was a long aquamarine crystal with a note attached with green string that curled round her fingers like seaweed.

Please return the book you borrowed from me.

I’ll be waiting in the Ivy laundry room with what you requested.

The book is in your bag ☺

They had it – Haru’s box was waiting for her; all she had to do was go and get it. The very thought had her hands shaking.