The River of No Return

recognize it unless it was pointed out to you. It is an eye in a circle.”
    “Was it buried with her? Did she leave it to anyone?”
    “When I last saw Eréndira—when she was dying—the ring, which she wore every day, was gone.”
    “Then Arkady has it. He must.”
    “Ah. But he doesn’t, for he asked for it after her death and was enraged when it couldn’t be found. The story goes that one of Eréndira’s great-grandfathers was a coppersmith, murdered in the Spanish conquest and plundering of the P’urhépechas. This one ring was saved by a daughter, who passed it to her daughter, who passed it to Eréndira’s mother. Eréndira’s mother was misguided enough to fall in love with Arkady Altukhov, have Eréndira, and pass the ring on to her. But the ring was gone by the time Arkady got to Eréndira’s bedside.”
    “So we have to find a small copper ring. We have no idea where it is. I am somehow integral to this search, and yet I have never met any of the characters involved.” Nick laughed. “Where the hell am I even supposed to start? For that matter, why me at all? Why am I not still driving around in my pickup in Vermont?” Solvig whuffed at the anger she could hear in Nick’s voice, and he pulled on one of her ears as he glared at Alva.
    Alva just smiled. “Poor Nick. None of it is really about you. It’s about your land and your position. Arkady brought you back for two reasons, reasons he does not know are connected. First, he wanted you to help him get close to Castle Dar, where he knows something strange has been going on. What better way than to tie himself to the neighboring Blackdown estate? Second, he had this wild idea that a virile young marquess could winkle my secrets out of me. It was a wild idea that I encouraged, because I, too, need your help. You see, Nick, I want to get to Castle Dar myself, to search for the Talisman. The reason Castle Dar thrums with time play is that my lover, the great Ofan teacher and scholar, was your neighbor. To the Ofan and the Guild, he was Ignatz Vogelstein. But you knew him as Ignatius Percy, the late Earl of Darchester.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
    H e’s brought home a dog!” Bella came into the drawing room and startled Clare and Julia, who were on the settee, bent over the cushion cover Clare was embroidering, trying to count stitches.
    “I cannot understand how I went wrong,” Clare said, glancing up at her sister and then back at her work. “Look, though.” She held up her frame for Julia to see. “Apollo’s hand is all skewed.”
    “Oh, who cares!” Bella snatched the frame away from her sister and tossed it, thread flying, onto an empty chair. “Did you hear me? Nick has brought home a dog. Move over.” Bella squeezed her small form in between Clare and Julia, and put her arms around their shoulders. “Is it not lovely all being together?”
    “Except that it’s like you’re eleven years old again.” Clare crossed her arms, refusing to be comfortable.
    “Her name is Solvig,” Bella said, ignoring her sister. “She is enormous. I shall be able to go anywhere with herby my side. Wait until you meet her.” Bella popped up as precipitously as she had wedged herself between them and left the room again, calling Nick’s name.
    Julia’s hand shook as she got up and fetched Clare’s embroidery. He was home.
    “Are you well?”
    “Yes.” Julia clutched the embroidery frame. Only a few days ago she had been able to stand up to Eamon’s depravity, even turn back time to keep him from killing her. Now, surrounded by friends and in the lap of luxury, she was entirely off balance, vacillating between fear and joy and absurdly missish confusion.
    “Come, sit.”
    Julia sat and Clare took the embroidery frame from her. She stroked Julia’s hand as she did so. “Everything is going to be fine,” she said, as if she could read Julia’s mind.
    Julia said nothing, only watched as Clare untangled her threads.
    “I am a spinster, an ape leader,” Clare said after a moment. “Do you know what that means?”
    “That you are unmarried.”
    “Yes, but ape leader . What does that delightful term mean?”
    “Oh, Clare.”
    “No, Julia. Say it.” She looked up from her embroidery. “Say it to my face.”
    “Because you have failed to marry and have children, your damnation is to lead the apes in hell.”
    “Right.” Clare sat back against the cushions. “Do you know, it’s rather shocking to hear it spoken straight out