ade was awoken early in the morning by the smell of frying bacon. She stretched leisurely and smiled. The feeling of the house seemed to have sunk into her while she slept, and she felt thoroughly part of the family now. David was no longer beside her, so she got up and padded into the hall. She made her way slowly downstairs and entered the kitchen. Kat was standing at the stove, and Elainer and Julia were seated on the bench, and Tim was in an old wooden high-chair, happily smushing a pancake onto the tray in front of him. Elainer, being the older of the two girls was holding the bowl of pancake mixture, while Julia stirred it energetically with a wooden spoon. Both girls were flecked with mixture, and even Kat had a smudge on her cheek.
"Got that ready, girls?" asked Kat as she tipped the last of the bacon onto a plate to drain.
"No," pouted Elainer. "Julia can't stir. She's only three."
"I'm three and a *half*, Lainy," protested the accused, immediately ceasing to stir.
Kat turned to face the girls with a slight frown.
"How old were you last time you were here, Elainer?"
"Three," she replied sulkily.
"And didn't we make pancakes together, while Julia sat where Timmy is?"
"Yes, but-"
"No buts. Julia is perfectly capable of stirring, just like now that you're five, you're old enough to hold the bowl."

"Good morning," Jade interrupted, and Kat turned with a smile.
"Morning. David is on the porch, reading the paper."
"Thanks. Is there any coffee?"
"Sure, the percolator is just there," replied Kat, pointing. "Cups are above it. You want bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes?"
"Pancakes sound great."
"They'll be ready in a minute."
Jade set about making coffee, while Kat ladled a couple of spoonfuls of a yellowish white liquid into a frying pan, and stirred it. Jade watched curiously as the liquid turned into scrambled eggs. The toaster produced 2 slices of toast, which Julia pulled out and put on the plate beside her. Kat put 4 pieces of bacon on the plate, and then all of the scrambled eggs on top of the toast. She then immediately took the bowl of pancake mixture off Julia, and poured out two pancakes.
"Will you please take that out to Uncle David, Julia?" Kat requested, and Julia carefully picked up the plate and carried it from the kitchen.

By the time Jade had made her coffee, there were four on a plate, and two more almost done. With six pancakes on the plate, Kat displayed a selection of maple or golden syrup, lemon, sugar, 6 different jams, 4 of which looked to be home-made, whipped cream, butter, and margarine. Jade stared at the selection, and finally spread two of the home-made jams on two pancakes, added a blob of cream, did a third with lemon and sugar, and poured maple syrup over the remaining three. Kat's laughter followed her out of the kitchen as she collected her coffee, and joined David on the porch.

"Good morning," she said, placing her breakfast and coffee beside his on the table.
"Good morning," he smiled, and kissed her. "Are the girls in the kitchen still?"
"Elainer and Julia? Yes."
"Still safe out here then."
Jade laughed, and picked up a pancake, noticing that David had already finished most of his meal.
"Hungry this morning?"
"It's the house, combined with Kat's cooking," he laughed. "I'm always hungry when we come here."
Jade bit into her pancake and immediately realised what David meant. She quickly devoured her six pancakes, then leaned back in her chair.
"Those were really good."
David laughed. "I'm sure Kat would be pleased to hear that."
"What are we doing today?"
"Well, the auction in the morning... lunch here in the afternoon... who knows what else... dinner... and sleep."
Jade laughed. "Sounds like my kind of day," she smiled. "I'm going to go shower, be back soon."
As Jade passed through the kitchen again, Tim had gained another pancake, and the girls had stopped stirring the batter and were devouring their own stacks of pancakes. Kat was wiping down the bench.
"Those pancakes were fantastic, Kat," said Jade. "And the jam was amazing."
Kat absolutely beamed.
"Thanks. I made them."
"Well, they were delicious."
"Thanks," Kat grinned, and Jade moved out of the kitchen and upstairs to have a shower.

***

An hour later, David, Kat, Jade, Darryl and Sarah were on their way to the auction. Darryl was driving, with Sarah beside him, and the other three squished into the back seat. Jim and Melissa stayed home with the three children, who were all occupied playing in the garden. Suddenly, David laughed.
"You know, Kat, we're going to be in trouble if you ever decide to stay permanently attached to anyone. We'll not be able to fit in one car any more!"
Laughing, Kat poked him in the side, causing him to jump and hit his head on the roof. Jade and Kat both laughed unfeelingly.
"That's your punishment for being over 6' tall," laughed Jade.
Eventually, they arrived at the estate in Teesside, and the five passengers tumbled out of the car. The two couples joined arms, and Kat wandered over to a nearby herb garden and sniffed at a straggly looking plant. She quickly came back with a few sprigs of plants, which she handed around.
"Sarah... A twig of Elm."
"You picked that off that tree!"
"It's for childbirth," Kat replied with a cheeky grin. "And you, Dazzling, can have this Eglantine."
"That is a briar, Kat!"
"'Tis Sweet Briar, dearest brother mine, for pleasure - would I give you something to hurt you?"
"Just wait until I prick my finger," he griped, but accepted the twig anyway.
"And David... How about some Marjoram?"
David accepted the sweet-smelling sprig without comment.
"What's his for?" asked Sarah, still wondering what she was going to do with her twig. "His has flowers, that's not fair."
"Marjoram," lectured Kat, "for defence and cleansing, health, love and money, but most importantly, peace, happiness and joy. And finally, Hawthorn," Kat continued, presenting Jade the final sprig.
"Ugh, it smells revolting."
"It is for marriage and fertility."
"Well that's alright then!" laughed Jade, tucking the twig with small white flowers behind her ear. "What about you, Kat?"
Kat looked around the garden, then wandered off the path and picked a couple of long strands of jasmine, which she twisted into a wreath.
"Jasmine?" asked Sarah in a puzzled tone."
"For attraction," Jade laughed. "At least, that's what the Jasmine perfume I have at home says!"
"Yes - also love, money, and prophetic dreams. Now let's go... I want my mirror!"

The five continued up the path, until they reached the manor which was housing the auction. They moved inside, and slowly separated as they looked around. Jade picked up a small blue and white bowl with a gasp of pleasure.
"Oh, look, David!"
"Um... it's nice, dear."
"It's an antique, dear. It's Ming dynasty china."
"Probably expensive then," he laughed.
"More than you realise. It was made in the 16th or 17th century, probably. It's rather rare. See, look..." Jade pointed to each of the four characters in turn. "Da Ming Nian Zuo. That means Great Ming Period Made."
"Know a bit about Chinese pottery, do we?" David teased.
Jade blushed. "Oh... It's a hobby."
David smiled, and they continued on through the house. Sarah and Darryl were looking at the solid Oak wood table, and were being told by the auctioneer how the late owner's husband had made the table from an Oak that had fallen on the property. Kat was wandering fairly quickly from room to room, looking for her mirror. It was only when she paused momentarily to eye some medieval goblets that she realised someone was following her. She looked up and met the eyes of the guy leaning in the door jamb. For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Then, he straightened and entered the room.
"You're looking for something?" he asked, walking over to her.
"Yes. My mirror. But I was distracted by the goblets."
"You like them?"
"Yes. I collect them."
"Ah, I see. Well, the goblets and the plates and bowls over there are in lot 36."
Kat smiled. "Thank you."
"Not a problem. You said you were looking for a mirror?"
"Yes. It's about this high," she held her hand above her head, "and oval in shape. The frame is made of a dark red wood, probably jarrah, though I didn't know that much about wood the last time I saw it, so it may be mahogany. It's a free standing mirror, and the stand is carved with faeries and sprites, and the edge of the mirror is covered in swirls."
The guy looked curious. "How do you know so much about it?"
"It belonged to my grandmother. After she died, someone came for it, but Mum wouldn't let them take it. After my mother died though, they came and took it. I couldn't stop them, and my brothers didn't really care."
"Ah, I see. The mirror isn't in the catalogue."
"Oh..." Kat's face fell immediately.
"The owner was given an offer of £100, and so he withdrew it from the auction."
"I thought this was a deceased estate?" Kat queried.
"Oh, no... The woman's son inherited, but he already has a house in Portrack."
"And he doesn't want all these beautiful things?"
"He has some of them. But not room for all of them."
"I see."
"Did you want to see the mirror?"
"It's still here?"
"Oh, yes. It's not being moved until the payment is made."
"I would love to."
"Come on then."

Kat followed the man through the house, towards the back rooms. He opened a couple of doors, and eventually, he opened the door to a darkened room. Kat hesitated, but he walked in an opened the curtains, which simultaneously made the room look safer, and revealed the mirror. Kat moved swiftly into the room, and stood before the mirror, her fingers reaching up to lovingly trace the edge of the mirror. From the window, he watched her smile of delight, and the sunlight hit the mirror and reflected onto her, making her hair shine. For a moment, it looked as though the crown of jasmine in her hair was a circlet of gold, and that the golden dragons about her wrists were real and writhing up her arms. He blinked, and she was just a girl again, with slightly wilting flowers in her hair. She was, however, looking most puzzled.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"The swirls... They're not swirls at all, they're runes."
He nodded. "Yes, Pictish. Easy to mistake as swirls with all the other decorative work. Especially if you were just a child the last time you saw it. How old were you again?"
"Thirteen," Kat informed him, "but eleven when I last studied it properly."
"Understandable then," he replied. "Can you read it?"
"Not without my book," she laughed. "There's a few 'e's and the 13th letter is an 'a'. But I didn't memorise pictish runes."
"It reads, "Here lies the gate to Avalon"," he said. "The bottom says, "She with the key may enter freely." Up the two sides are dragons."

At that moment, the auctioneer entered the room, followed by Darryl and Sarah.
"Oh, Mr Bradshaw, sir. I didn't realise you would be here."
"Just looking over the house, Greg."
"Uh... These people wished to see the mirror, sir."
"Popular mirror," he commented. "But it's already been sold."
"The gentleman here was willing to-" Greg, the auctioneer, stopped talking as Darryl stepped very firmly on his foot.
"Hello, Kat," he said, deliberately.
The auctioneer finally noticed her, and made a small gurgling noise in the back of his throat. Kat just laughed.
"Did you train him to be that obvious?" she asked Sarah with a laugh. "I'm sure he used to be sneakier when we were younger."
Darryl looked slightly guilty. Sarah merely laughed.
"I see you found it," Darryl said with a smile.
"Yes. But it's not for sale. Someone offered £100 for it, and it's gone."
Darryl looked to the window.
"I take it you are Marc Bradshaw?"
"Yes, I am," he said, stepping forward. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."
"Darryl Ross," he introduced himself. "This is my wife, Sarah. Lurking in the hall is my brother, David, and his fiancé Jade."
David and Jade entered the room, looking a trifle guilty.
Darryl concluded, "And you've obviously met my sister, Kat."
"Your," there was a pause, "sister and I had yet to introduce ourselves. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Ross."
"I'll give you £150 for the mirror."
Jade and Kat both gasped.
"Dazz, you can't do that!" Kat exclaimed. "You have Timmy to look after, and-" she stopped abruptly, with a sharp look at Sarah.
Surprisingly, it was David and Jade who both picked that up, rather than Darryl.
"Alright then," Jade offered. "David and I offer £180 for the mirror."
Darryl looked bewildered at being out-bid, by his brother's fiancé, when he knew that both parties were attempting to buy the mirror for the same purpose - or in this case, person.
"180?" David murmured to Jade.
"I can afford £30," she murmured in reply, "and if I'm going to be part of this family, I better start getting used to when birthdays are!"
"What do you want it for?" Marc asked curiously, before Darryl could work out if he wanted to bid against David.
"To give to Kat, of course," laughed David. "£180?"
Marc hesitated. Jade, who often attended auctions for rare china, realised he was close to giving in.
"Make it £200," said Jade.
"Done," Marc gave in, and Jade grinned.
Kat turned to Jade. "*You* shouldn't have done that either!"
"Stop me," teased Jade, wandering over to look at the mirror.
Kat laughed, and ran her finger along the edging again.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"It is. Looks very old."
"It is," Kat replied.
"I bet I got a fantastic bargain then," laughed Jade.
Kat and Jade laughed. Then Kat smiled.
"Thank you."
"Hey, David's putting in most of the money. But you're welcome."

The girls smiled at each other, and joined Sarah, Darryl, Marc and David. David had written out a cheque, and Marc was promising that he would deliver the mirror himself the next morning. Darryl was writing out the address for him. By the door, Greg cleared his throat.
"Um... the auction is about to begin in the dining room," he said, a little nervously.
Transaction concluded, the six people followed Greg back to the dining room. On the way, David and Darryl both whispered hastily to Kat, mentioning lot numbers and upper limits, and when they arrived in the dining room, the group "somehow" got split up in the crowd, leaving David and Jade, and Darryl and Sarah, and Kat and Marc in different areas of the very crowded room. Greg moved to the front of the room, and began the auction. Once out of eye-shot, Kat scribbled prices and lot numbers on a scrap of paper. Marc watched curiously as, when those items came up, she bid, merely by flashing one arm in the air until the item was hers.
"Why don't you call out?" he finally whispered to her.
"Because Sarah, and probably Jade too now, would recognise my voice, and that would spoil the surprise that David and Dazz are trying so hard to set up."
Marc chuckled quietly. Through the auction, he quietly queried Kat about herself, and she happily gave him answers, when she wasn't distracted with bidding. By the end of the auction, Darryl and Sarah had purchased the table, and Jade was disappointed at being outbid for the ming vase *and* the ming bowl. David had not bought anything else. The six met up near the centre of the room, and Jade was scowling.
"Who was it that outbid me, does anyone know?"
"Yes," Marc said. "See the woman over there, in the peacock feather hat? She was bidding rather furiously."
Kat grinned. Marc had, rather cleverly, avoided directly lying with that statement. Sarah noticed the grin, and raised an eyebrow.
"I got the goblets I wanted," Kat told her, in reply to the unasked question.
"Lucky you," replied Sarah. "At least we got the table."
"Oh, did you?" Kat asked. "Congratulations."
"Thanks. We had better actually go and claim it."
"Yes, I need to claim my goblets, too!"
"I won't let anyone else take them," offered Marc.
Kat smiled at him. Jade watched the exchange, with a small smile. Then she met Sarah's eyes, and saw an identically knowing look.
"Well, why don't you and Darryl go and claim your table?" Jade suggested, brightly. "David and I will go and bring the car up, and we'll meet you at the front."
"That's a good idea," said Sarah, taking her husband's arm, and tugging him towards the front of the room.
Jade gripped David's elbow, and gave him a "do what I say, now" look, and he obediently, if somewhat bewilderedly followed her from the house, leaving Kat and Marc alone. Kat stood talking to Marc until Sarah and Darryl left the room, and then the two of them moved up to give the details to the auctioneer. Marc walked Kat to the car after that, bid the family goodbye, and said he'd see them tomorrow. He shut the door for Kat, and watched as Darryl drove off.

***

"So," said Mel that afternoon, looking to Kat. "Who is this Marc I keep hearing about?"
Lunch was over, Tim was down for his afternoon nap, and Julia was also having one, after falling asleep on the couch. Elainer was pottering around in the garden, playing a game which involved collecting things and placing them in various positions around the yard. The adults didn't even pretend to understand, but it was keeping Elainer entertained, so they didn't complain. The afternoon had worn on slowly, and the seven elder family members were sitting on the veranda with a glass of wine each, and some nibbles. It was, they had earlier concluded, a very sophisticated way to spend an afternoon, and quite a satisfactory one as well.
"Marc?" asked Kat, looking puzzled for a moment. Then, "Oh, from the Auction. You should have come, Mel, there was some very nice things. Some nice silver you would have liked."
"Don't change the subject," laughed Sarah. "Mel was asking you about Marc."
"Right... Um... Well... his mother owned the house... He lives in... uh... I don't quite recall. Portrack?"
"I love the name of that place," laughed Jim. "Port Rack. It sounds so alcoholic."
"Anyway... He let me have my mirror, and he's dropping it over tomorrow... He said he'd bring the goblets and plates over for me too."
"He was mesmerised," supplied Jade, with a cheeky grin. "I think it was the jasmine. I knew you and I got a raw deal, Sarah."
"Hey, at least you got flowers! I got a stick!"
"Yes, but it stinks!"
The family laughed, and from the depths of the house, the tell-tale wail of a freshly-woken child sounded. Sarah left the porch to tend to her son, and the conversation was disrupted - the only concession Kat allowed was that Mel would meet him tomorrow, and that Kat was going to invite him to stay for lunch - at which Mel and Jade exchanged grins, and let the matter drop.