Mary presses her fingers in return, almost dancing. "You really are here! And it is a castle. In Scotland. And look, behind you is the wardrobe we stepped through!" Cosette's speech sounds a little funny now, without Milliways magic to smooth out the centuries between them, and Mary wonders if she sounds funny too. But she can make out what Cosette is saying. So that's all right.

She squeezes Cosette's hands a moment longer and then darts over to the storage-room door. "See, I already blocked it with a big chest. I pushed it there all by myself! And I have some bread here and some cheese and a little small pitcher of red wine...and when we hear the bells ring for Mass we'll know everyone is getting out of the way."