And that, of course, is where half the story, and most of the adventure, takes place. It turns out that the Elians are a family of time-travellers, and Saira’s mother, who is normally gone for only what seems to be a couple of days is now being held against her will in Victorian London. It wasn’t much, that wink, but it was something. Jeeves caught my eye in the rear-view mirror and very slowly, he winked. “I don’t joke.” Millicent’s expression didn’t change. “Home, Jeeves,” she said with total authority.

Millicent’s fancy gray Rolls Royce waited at the curb outside the airport, and her fancy gray driver held the door open for us. “I have a car waiting.” Of course she did. “Hello, Millicent.” I knew I should be more polite and call her “Grandmother”, considering she just kept me out of foster care, but she hadn’t really earned the title. “I see you got his height.” Millicent’s tone was not flattering. Not a big surprise given the way she was sizing me up, probably wondering if I was worth the effort. I hadn’t seen my grandmother since I was three years old My mother couldn’t stand her.

That someone was waiting for me when I stepped off the British Airways flight in London: Millicent Elian. Faced with the Child Protection Services unless she can name a relative who will take responsibility for her, Saira reluctantly tells them about someone in England. Saira Elian is a 17-year-old Californian girl whose English mother disappears while Saira, a solitary parkour free-runner and tagger (hope I got that right!), is out doing her thing in “the tunnels” somewhere under LA. I am re-reading this story and enjoying it even more the second time than I did the first time – so am re-posting this review for any of you who didn’t see it first time round.

Marking Time by April White