Page 29 of Leafpoint Lighthouse

William frowned. “You consider that to be important.”

“Hmm, not sure, but I know someone who might have answers,” I replied, thinking of Mrs Penrose.

“Well, it’s too late to act now. Lyra, I shall let you sleep,” William said awkwardly.

Panic rushed through me. “No, you must not leave me!” I cried.

“It is not suitable that I’m in here…”

“William. It’s not frowned upon these days, and we’re not doing anything. Please, I feel safer with you,” I murmured.

William struggled and then settled back down. “Sleep, Lyra,” he said wearily.

I woke up feeling better than I had yesterday. Quickly showering and dressing, I headed downstairs. William sat at the kitchen table with my laptop open, frowning at the blank screen.

“How do you make this magic work?” he inquired, puzzled.

“It’s a device. Not magic. Look, press this.” I showed him the ‘on’ button, and William jumped back as the display loaded.

“Lyra, I need whale oil. I’ve seen you type into this thing and items appear the next day,” he said.

“Um, that’s a banned substance now.”

“What?” William turned to me incredulously. “How do I fuel the lantern?”

“Refined liquid paraffin is used in non-electrical lighthouses. I did some research when I had a chance. Let me check. Yes, here, see? Nothing needs adjusting as long as you have an Argand lamp installed.”

“Yeah, Leafpoint has that. How do we purchase this?”

“It comes in barrels. I can place an order,” I replied.

“So much has changed. How are you purchasing this?”

“It’s called online shopping.”

For the next hour, I answered William’s questions about the internet and how it worked. I left him with my laptop while he pored over the interactive world map. I lay on the sofa, scanning a book, but I was becoming antsy. Nobody was going anywhere today; the snow had dumped another six inches, and it was still falling. Finally, after reading the same page five times, I got up, headed upstairs, and dressed warmly.

“Where are you off to?” William demanded as I entered the kitchen.

“For a short walk. Want to come?”

“No, I can’t leave Leafpoint.”

“Since when. You chased that spirit the other night,” I replied, and William looked stunned. “You’d not realised?”

“No. I just acted. Would you be content to stroll with me?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You are a Jasper, and I am a lighthouse keeper. We are of different classes,” William pointed out stiffly.

My eyes widened, and I began to laugh. “William, I’m probably more working-class than you are. Come on. Let’s head out.”

It was late afternoon, and the sky was a little brighter than it had been yesterday. The snow fell light and fluffy, but wrapped up, I didn’t feel the cold. The air was fresh and biting, and as I drew it into my lungs, it stung a bit, but it was soothing. We walked along the coast, and I explained my working-class status.

“I do not understand. How did you lose the title?” William finally asked.

“Huh. I never considered that. But from what I know of nobility, it could be possible that the title passed to the nearest male heir while the estate remained within Charles’s direct line. That has happened in the past. I can call Joseph tomorrow and ask him,” I replied, almost confident that I was correct.