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other things she’d taken out of the trunk. Was there anything she’d missed? Trudy had said there’d be lots of old stuff up here.
    She stood up and scanned the clutter: a clothing rack covered in plastic; some old furniture, including her father’s hobby horse; and boxes of Christmas ornaments. She pushed them aside and noticed a box with the notation Articles — Jonnie .
    Wasting no time, Anne pulled it off the shelf and pried open the lid. Inside was a haphazard pile of magazine articles. The top one was titled, “Time Reversal.” The upper left corner held a penciled notation in her grandmother’s hand: Very interesting .
    Anne picked up two more articles. “On the Generalized Theory of Gravitation,” with another notation: Get non-scien. translation . And the third, “The Flow of Time,” which was unmarked.
    “What the...?” Anne whispered. She dug into the box, finding articles about time loops, wormholes, light speed, quantum physics, and innumerable other subjects she couldn’t wrap her thoughts around. Why in the world had her grandmother been reading such stuff?
    Suddenly, Anne heard the muffled sounds of Duffy barking. After taking a breath to steady her nerves, she pushed everything back in place and crept downstairs.
    Trudy’s voice rose from the kitchen. “Twee, laddie, ye’ll no’ be gettin’ more mince beef from this woman, surely. Now shoo, McDuff, shoo!”
    Was her grandmother in there, too? Not wanting to see anyone yet, Anne slipped into the quiet of the library.
    “Anne!” Catherine spun around and stared at her for a moment, then shoved a book onto the shelf. “You startled me. I thought you were down with a headache.”
    Anne stood silent, confused. She shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding her grandmother’s questioning look. The headache must have been Trudy’s cover for her sneaking around. “Well, yes, but I couldn’t sleep really.”
    “Dear Lord, I’ve upset you with the things I revealed about Jonnie, haven’t I?”
    Anne noticed a little tremble in her grandmother’s voice and knew she couldn’t tell her about what had happened at the Abbey. Forcing a smile, she shook her head. “I’m fine. You know I love a good mystery. I’m just looking for something to read. I thought I heard you in the kitchen with Trudy. She was telling Duffy he couldn’t have any more hamburger, er, mince.” Anne looked at the dust cover on the sofa. “I haven’t seen you in here since Grandpa died.”
    “You’re quite right. I don’t often come in,” Catherine said softly. Stepping back from the shelves, she placed her hand on top of the high back desk chair and pulled away its cover.
    “What were you reading?” Anne asked as she went to the spot where Catherine had stood. She glanced at the titles, unsure of which one her grandmother had held. A History of France by Maurois, The Decline and Fall ... by Gibbon, and Tudor England by T.S. Bindoff. Anne took down Tudor England .
    “I remember Grandpa was a real history buff, wasn’t he?” Anne casually leafed through the pages. “Were you going to read this one? Mind if I take it to my room?”
    “No, darling. Please, do go right ahead.”
    Anne nodded. “Grandma, I thought I’d take a little sight-seeing trip out to Hampton Court soon, maybe tomorrow. Okay?”
    Catherine didn’t respond right away. Then, in a small yet determined voice, she replied, “I should very much like to come along, if you don’t mind.”

Chapter Five
    The vast Renaissance portrait gallery at Hampton Court Palace had windows along the north side, letting in plenty of sunshine but no direct rays. The gilt carvings along the ceiling, doors, and windows glittered in the natural light.
    Anne and Catherine stood in the middle of the room studying the Tudor-era portraits, taking in the details of the subjects with their ornate costumes. In the hours since they’d arrived, the tour had gone on normally. With relief, Anne detected nothing