And then I realised two horrible things simultaneously, and everything in the world slowed to absorb the shock. I was standing beneath the sprig of mistletoe, and the man with whom I’d collided was none other than Cousin Archibald. I screamed. He started and cried out, “What, what!” And he followed my gaze. I backed away, and he, realising the danger, went pale as he began to hop around, his cane swinging. “What, what, what, I say!” I slipped past and ran for the safety of King Henry’s Road, Ben Chambers laughing so loud I swear I could hear him halfway home.
DYING!
