"Wake up, Josie." The whispered words seemed to come from much too far away, and the girl ignored the gentle command. It felt so good to sleep.

She began to drift away again until a burning sensation flowed from her nostrils, down her throat, and into her lungs. The harsh smell of ammonia got her to not only open her eyes, but also bolt to an upright position.

"There you are." The well-dressed man sitting on the edge of her bed smiled and capped the small, brown bottle. Sticking it in his jacket pocket, he glanced behind him. "You shouldn't have scared this poor girl like that, Donatella."

Rubbing her nose, Josie looked past him at her aunt standing on the other side of the room. Moving her hand to her sore temple, the last few moments before she lost consciousness suddenly came back to her.

The fog. The cliff. The jump. "How . . . how did you do that?" she stammered.

Donatella shook her head, her hair bouncing with every move. "You can't trust everything you see, Josie. Don't forget that." She took a step forwards, but Josie retreated amongst her pillows as far as she could go.

"No! Don't come near me." She pulled her covers up to her chin.

The man with the closely cropped, light brown hair put a reassuring hand on hers. "It's all right, Josie. You're quite safe here." He picked up a funny looking contraption from the side table. "Now, if I could just listen to your heart one more time."

Josie wrinkled her nose from behind her blanket. "Are you a physician?"

"Yes. No." The two adults in the room said in unison before looking at each other.

"Don't be absurd, Jack," Donatella rebutted the man's denial and turned toward the girl. "The truth is, my dear, Doctor Jackson Leonard H—"

"—has been expelled from the General Medical Council and can no longer officially practice." He finished the sentence for her. Sticking two tubes of the device in his ears, he held out the flat, metallic end in the direction of Josie's chest. "But he doesn't need a piece of paper or a fancy title. Even as Mister Hyde – which you can use to freely address me – he can still tell whether your heart is now beating regularly. May I?"

The girl nodded, lowered the covers, and heeded Hyde's instructions to breathe normally.

"Excellent." After a few seconds, the man put the instrument away and smiled. "Good as new."

"Then there's no reason Josie can't come—" Donatella began before Hyde interrupted once again.

"No. Not yet," he said more forcefully than ever, making Josie wonder who exactly this man really was. Great Aunt Donatella was supposed to be the mistress of the manor, but Hyde's brazen defiance certainly made this position questionable.

"I think a bit more rest will do Josie a world of good." He patted her hand for good measure the same way Father always did when he wanted her to do something she didn't fancy. How did he know she didn't like to sit idle? "Meanwhile, perhaps you can send up some tea."

Donatella pursed her lips, but didn't object. With a subtle nod, she turned on her heels and elegantly strolled out of the room. Instead of also taking his leave as Josie expected, Hyde walked to the windows and pulled the drapes fully open.

Tiny particles of dust flittered through the air like miniature mirrors reflecting the light and surrounding the man staring outward into the garden below. With his hands in his pockets, it was as if he was waiting for something.

Josie, on the other hand, didn't like to wait.

Taking advantage of her great aunt's absence, the girl opened her mouth to speak. What does Donatella mean by not trusting things I see? she thought, unable to form the words.

Sighing, Josie tried it a different way. Why does that woman have to speak in riddles? Once again, her voice failed her.

Very well. If she couldn't ask, then she'd just demand.

"I'd like to go home, please." She finally managed to break the silence.

Hyde turned around and shrugged. "Well, you certainly can't stay here forever."

The girl jumped out of the bed, ran up to the man and looked him unflinchingly in the eyes. "I can go home then?" Donatella had said that it would be up to Josie how and when she left, but she didn't think it would be this easy.

Hyde brushed a lock of hair from Josie's forehead. "Perhaps. Or someplace else. Time will tell."

Josie scoffed. "I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. There's no other place I'd rather be than with Mother and Father."

The erstwhile physician put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I know, Josie. But you're not ready yet." Although his words were intended to comfort, Hyde's eyes conveyed an odd sense of sorrow. "It shouldn't take too long, though. Donatella's guests don't tend to dally here."

"Guests? You mean like Ezra Mollick?" Josie frowned at the thought of the unpleasant boy.

Hyde raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you've met Ezra, I gather?"

The girl nodded.

 "I see." The man sighed and pulled out a pocket watch. After checking the time, he snapped the cover closed with a loud clack. "And no, cousin Ezra is not who I meant. He's here . . . on a more permanent basis. Do you like to read, Josie?"

She had so many other questions – about who this Ezra really was and what other guests the manor could have – but Hyde's sudden change of topic made Josie bite her tongue. Instead, she just nodded again.

"Excellent." He walked to the bookcase flanking a cozy sitting area. Running his index finger along the spines of a row of dusty tomes, he stopped on a thin volume. "Are you familiar with the myth of Persephone?"

Stepping closer, Josie took the moment to think. Father had introduced her to the writings of the Greeks, but he'd said she needed to be a bit older for this particular tale. Not wanting to miss her chance now, she put on her best smile. "Oh, yes. But I'd love to read it again, if I may."

Hyde pulled the book off the shelf and handed it to her. "Here you are. I'm going to go check on your tea." He walked toward the door before turning around. "Come to think of it, I'm going to ask Wesley to bring your lunch up, as well. No need for you to be traipsing around this drafty house just yet. Get some rest, Josie."

He stepped out the door and closed it behind him. Instead of doing as told, however, Josie was much too curious of a girl to leave things be.

After quietly rushing across the room, she listened with her ear to the door until Hyde's footsteps faded. Depressing the handle just enough to leave a narrow crack, she peeked down the corridor. When she was sure it was empty, Josie slipped out. With her back to the wall, she carefully followed the mysterious man.

Since he too refused to give her answers, then she'd just have to find them on her own.