“That’s awful,” I said. “But there are still two more members of the board who are pro-fey, aren’t there?”

“Yes, Talbot Greeley in Literature at Bard. He’s an Irish Cluricaune who did his DMA dissertation on the fey influence on Shakespeare. And Loomis Pagan, a pixy in Gender Studies at Wesleyan. I think we can count on Talbot, but I’m not sure of Loomis. To tell you the truth, I never understand a word she’s saying. Even if she speaks up for the fey her argument is likely to be so incoherent that she’ll do our case more harm than good.” Liz got into her car, shaking her head. “Our best bet is to make sure that no matter how the vote goes you can prevent them from closing the door.”

After Liz drove away I stood on the porch thinking about what I could do to help. It didn’t sound as if we were going to be able to count on support from IMP. If only we knew for sure what the Grove was up to … Then I remembered I did have a source at the Grove who might be able to help. I went inside and called Jen Davies.

Jen Davies was the freelance reporter who last year had exposed my roommate Phoenix’s memoir as fraudulent. I’d later learned that she belonged to the Grove (and that she felt bad about her treatment of Phoenix). After I was initiated to the Grove, Jen confided to me that she and a group of other young members had formed a splinter group, called Sapling, which questioned the ultra-conservative policies of the Grove. If anyone could tell me more about what the Grove was intending to do next week when they came to Fairwick, it would be Jen.

I reached her voicemail and left a message to call me back. Then I stood in my foyer wondering what to do next. Even with Bill’s ministrations the house still needed cleaning and I needed to do that reading before my new tutor showed up. I suddenly felt exhausted and unable to choose which I preferred: for Duncan Laird, DMA, to think I was a slob or an idiot. Of course, he was bound to be impressed when I showed him the Aelvestone …

The Aelvestone. With a guilty start I realized I hadn’t told Liz or Diana about it. How could I have forgotten? I must have been too distracted by their news about my new tutor. I should call and tell them now … but first I should check on the stone to make sure it was still okay.

I went upstairs to my bedroom and opened the drawer where I’d put it last night. The drawer was empty.

I’ve just forgotten which drawer it’s in, I told myself, my heart beating faster. I opened all the little drawers. Shells, stones, feathers … all the little oddments I kept, but no Aelvestone. There was only one drawer left: the one in which I kept the Dahlia LaMatte’s iron key, but that one was locked. It couldn’t be there …