(I have to admit it- I’m a little blocked on the Warbeck sisters’ story. Mainly because I’ve got to the point where there needs to be a bit of exposition, and I’m not sure of the best way to deliver it. So I’ll post what I’ve got so far, rather than sitting on it for another month, and then see what I can do about the next bit.)

*

Kai (the moth) (the moth’s name was Kai) told them about an old folk tale he’d heard from Uncle Colwyn.  (This was a moth, telling them this story.  The moth could talk.)  In the story, an elderly midwife was called out in the middle of the night to deliver a baby (the moth moved his front legs as he spoke, as if they were arms).  She was taken to a mysterious grove, and it gradually became clear that the expectant parents weren’t human (Rube tried to pinpoint exactly where on the moth’s face his mouth was, and couldn’t).  The midwife was shocked, but remained professional and successfully delivered the baby, earning the parents’ eternal gratitude.  (Rube was pretty sure she’d heard a version of this story where the old midwife accidentally rubbed some magical liquid into her eyes, found out that she could see supernatural creatures, and eventually had her eyes poked out by a passing fairy, but she didn’t know whether or not that was relevant to the discussion.)

“And that’s… not exactly the reason Dovecote Gardens is here, but it’s similar,” the moth concluded.  He scratched his… he scratched the place where his nose would have been, if moths had them.  “You’ve noticed the paths and walls all over the hills, right?”

“Does it have anything to do with the big staircase me and Jeanette just found?” Rube blurted out.

Sally gave her an odd look.  They were sitting around the kitchen table, with the moth perched on the edge of the fruit bowl in the middle, using it as a platform.  “What big staircase?”

Rube pointed to the window.  “Well, you should be able to see it through there, but you can’t.” 

Sally stood up to look anyway. 

The moth nodded.  “White?  No bannister?  Disappears into the clouds?”

“There weren’t any clouds, but yes.”  Something occurred to her.  “I left Jeanette to keep watch.  Is it safe?”

“Should be,” said the moth, “That staircase leads up to the Jackeries- the worst they’ll do there is try and feed her their casserole for hours.  The last time Colwyn and me were up there, we had three or four families shoving plates in our faces.  They just wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“How do you know Colwyn?” asked Rube, because it felt like the only line of conversation that wouldn’t make her feel even more lightheaded.

The moth looked from Rube to Sally, and then back again.  “Well… this is a little awkward, but he adopted me.”

“Adopted,” said Rube flatly.  She didn’t know why that was supposed to be the awkward part.