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in Torcal so I looked up symbols and I found out there is a secret society protecting medieval manu—’’
    ‘Not now, Marina, we must finish this before you discuss other issues.’ Doctor Robson whispered to his sister. His gaze swept back to Kelby, as he said in a gentle tone, ‘The pendant’s precious to you.’
    Kelby nodded, reached out and lifted the ancient book. Her fingers traced the grooves, along the sides and corners. The book sent a bolt of exhilaration to every nerve fibre in her body, electrifying her.
    Even though most of the outer brushed leather had cracked and dried out, something about this book touched her deeply, as though the author’s warmth still radiated through it. She had spent the past ten years touching every conceivable product entrepreneur’s invented. None of them had ever caused her to react in this way. Her heart skipped a beat as though a mystery rippled through the centuries and struck a chord within her.
    Kelby fondled the knot. It gave her an odd sensation, as though she had stepped into the shoes of the creator, and now, centuries later, took the same pleasure and satisfaction in their handiwork.
    A slight bump near the top caught her attention, but she ignored it for the moment. As Kelby balanced it on her fingers, she muttered, ‘It’s so unusual.’
    ‘ Si, it’s made to dangle the girdle from your belt.’
    ‘Thankfully, otherwise it could bring their trousers down!’ Doctor Robson grinned.
    Marina slapped his arm in disgust, ‘No!’ She turned to Kelby and said, ‘Anyone who carried girdle books in the Middle Ages wore dresses or habits, not trousers! My brother is full of, how you say, diablura .’
    ‘Mischief.’ Doctor Robson’s eyes twinkled, ‘That’s my middle name.’
    Kelby marvelled at how his face lifted as the corners of his eyes crinkled. A tender warmth filled her. Even as she watched this brother and sister’s banter, it reminded her of Gary. Instead of filling her with the usual sadness she felt when remembering him, it gave her fond memories of how they used to tease in much the same way.
    ‘Aside from my devilment,’ he chuckled, ‘one opens a girdle book pretty much in the way one opens any bound book. The only difference is there’s the extra length of leather hanging from the book.’
    Marina pulled Kelby back into the moment as she said, ‘ Es triste , it’s sad. Very few of these book carry-bags have survived.’
    Kelby’s index finger hovered over the book, resting like a butterfly on the stiff cover. ‘It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like this before.’
    Marina gleamed with pride. ‘ Mira aquí , you see inside is an elaborate family crest and the word “Carbonela”.’
    Kelby pushed her glasses closer to her eyes and leaned in to examine the.
    ‘Marina has done so much work on this. She found out there were a variety of ways in which medieval ink was made. In general, the recipes produced very long-lasting inks that typically don’t fade.’
    ‘Don’t we need gloves to touch it?’ Kelby kept her gaze on the book.
    ‘But this is not papyrus, it’s parchment!’ Marina spoke as though everyone should know the difference between papyrus and parchment.
    Doctor Robson blushed and explained, ‘Parchment is a strong material. Remember, it’s animal skin, and not like papyrus or paper in consistency. Pages made from early papers or papyrus are fragile, turning them can cause damage.’
    Marina chipped in, ‘And wearing gloves can make it worse.’
    ‘Yes, true. But Kelby is right to ask because medieval books are not to be taken for granted.’ Doctor Robson said to Marina.
    Kelby squirmed in her seat.
    ‘I checked with an old friend of mine from university who’s now an expert on this. Tim studies medieval documents across the globe. He said institutions have different policies. He’s never been asked to wear gloves in the British Library’s manuscripts room. And he was only asked once to wear gloves