In strict accordance with the invitations, the garden party ended at four o’clock and carriages bore the invitees away. By a quarter past the hour, the garden was nearly empty. Maud spoke briefly to the King before she left, making a time to see him on the morrow to bring him up to date and to confer with him on any pressing issues.
She returned to her room and rested for a couple of hours before ordering an early dinner. Sheldrake had not yet returned from the library, but she wanted time to check out the area around the Hidden Lantern before entering it later in the evening.
Once darkness had fallen, she retired to her room and produced the image of a cat in her mind: its shape, its movements, its habits, attitudes and tastes. Slowly Maud shimmered into particles and almost disappeared
