The Alchemist's Key (4 page)

‘You didn’t have to do that, Talbot. I would have got round to it.’ Wade ripped a pair of jeans from the hanger.

‘I was my pleasure, Sir … believe it or not, I get paid to do such things.’

Then Wade had a horrible thought. ‘You didn’t attempt to unpack my computers, did you?’

‘I’m afraid that kind of technology is far beyond my reckoning,’ Talbot assured him with a smile. ‘Your equipment is awaiting your attention in the music room.’

This statement made Wade stop and think. He hadn’t mentioned his intention of making the music room his office. ‘I am really beginning to think you are telepathic, Talbot.’

The butler shied from the suggestion. ‘Just very good at my job, Sir.’

Wade stopped in at Hugh’s room to conscript him into his little adventure, discovering another drawing room on the way there.

Hugh was propped up in bed with his breakfast and the papers when Wade came striding in.

‘Get up, I want to show you something,’ Wade demanded, eager to keep moving.

Hugh threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh. ‘Not for a million dollars,’ he stated bluntly, and went back to his paper.

‘You’re no fun anymore.’ Wade resorted to the tactic that usually won him his way.

As Hugh had just about polished off breakfast, he allowed himself to be persuaded. ‘Oh, very
well. I do pride myself on being fun,’ he said with some sarcasm, but raised himself all the same.

Once Wade had rushed Hugh through dressing, to no great effect, they headed down the staircase, through the Great Hall and out the front door.

‘Speaking of strange dreams, I must say that fountain featured heavily in mine,’ Hugh confessed, as they descended the stairs towards it.

‘Half your luck.’ Wade veered to the left. ‘All I got was this great, huge cat! At least, I think it was a cat. As large as a medium-sized mutt it was, with these weird lookin’ ears that kind of folded over.’

‘That’s interesting,’ mused Hugh. ‘The cat is said to represent your intuitive or psychic aspect.’

‘Yeah? Well, my psychic aspect doesn’t like me very much. It took a swing at me.’ Wade’s eyes parted wide as he recalled the vision. ‘All puffed up, it was … like someone had shoved its tail in an electric socket.’

‘Why did it attack you?’

‘Oh no!’ Wade groaned, as they cleared the house and he spied a gazebo where the wondrous dwelling had been in his dream. ‘This wasn’t here … it was an octagonal temple thing, that housed a large circular room.’

‘Was the room furnished?’

‘I don’t know, I never got to see the inside. The
cat was blocking the entrance.’ Wade strode towards the small gazebo that, although beautiful, was no comparison to the structure he’d imagined.

‘Look here.’ Hugh was standing before the gazebo’s central pillar, staring at a plaque that was inset in it. ‘Erected in loving memory of my grandfather, John, the sixth Baron Ashby, who perished in the Temple fire of 1779. His passion for art and thirst for knowledge were equalled only by his devotion to those he loved. John is sorely missed.’

‘A chapter house of the occult, some would have you believe, my Baron.’

Wade spun around to find Dougal, the gardener.

‘The sixth Baron referred to it as his temple of knowledge. His private library was beneath the chapter house, you see, and that’s where the fire started. Once it got hold of the books, well … poof! It is said the Baron died attempting to save the books.’ Dougal concluded the yarn, which he’d no doubt perfected for the summer tourists.

‘That’s all very interesting, Dougal, but tell me … is there a painting of the temple anywhere?’

Dougal had to think a moment, as he never had much cause to roam inside the manor. ‘I do believe there is one in the long gallery, my Baron.’

‘Oh.’ Wade was none the wiser. ‘Well, thanks for the history lesson, Dougal.’

‘Anytime, my Lord.’ The old fellow went back to his gardens.

‘Well, how about that.’ Hugh was gazing back at the house, where a long open walkway on ground level supported an enclosed structure above. ‘I’ll bet that’s the long gallery up there,’ Hugh advised Wade. ‘In which case, we’ll find it goes to the end of my drawing room.’

‘Well, maybe we can get through this way.’ Wade was off, keen to explore. ‘Let’s try the tower.’

But as they entered the pillared walkway they were diverted from their course. The thick glass walls on the other side of the walk enclosed a whole host of plant life — and bird life, too, by the sound of it.

Wade opened the French doors that led inside. One storey up, the glasshouse roof slanted on all sides to meet in a central pinnacle that formed a glass pyramid.

‘It’s a greenhouse cum aviary …’ Hugh closed the doors quickly behind them.

‘I can see that.’ Wade observed the many exotic and colourful species of bird living it up in the carefully-tended paradise.

‘This house is really something extraordinary.’
Hugh gazed up through the glass roof to the rooms on the second floor, where large bay windows looked down upon the aviary gardens on two sides. ‘I find it unbelievable that you, who have no appreciation for anything historical, should inherit this. Perhaps there was a mix-up on the ship on the way to Australia and I am really the Baron.’

‘I have to admit, it does seem as if the cosmos got its lines crossed somewhere,’ Wade agreed.

The path led to a T-junction, where a cafe setting was placed in a small, paved clearing.

‘Left or right?’ Hugh asked the navigator, as both ways led to double French doors.

‘I should have asked for a map.’ Wade shrugged, heading left.

‘Enter, the library,’ Hugh announced with glee, going weak in the knees as he beheld the rows of books running from floor to ceiling. The room also had a mezzanine level.

‘Check this out.’ Wade took hold of a ladder and slid it along a track until it aligned with the gap in the wooden railing above. ‘This way.’ Wade proceeded up the sturdy wooden steps to the next level.’

‘Have you no soul, man. Just look at these works of art, both painted and written.’ He perused the titles on the shelves, some of which
Hugh had only dreamed of reading. ‘This room alone must be worth a king’s ransom.’

‘Later, Hugh.’ Wade was off towards the tower that would, he hoped, grant him entry to the long gallery.

The tower room was completely enclosed with stairs leading down to a door located halfway down the stairwell.

‘That will lead back down to the outside walkway.’ Hugh caught up to his friend in the tower.

‘So this must lead,’ Wade opened the door, ‘to the long, long, long gallery,’ he decided, upon viewing it.

This enormous space also served as a games room, for chess boards and the like were set ready to play on the tables by the windows. The highlight of the room, in Wade’s eyes, was positioned halfway down the gallery in front of the fireplace.

‘A pool table!’ Wade cried in rapture, then mumbled praise to God as he hurried over to admire it more closely. ‘Just look at this baby — chunky, full size, with a surface as level and smooth as they come.’ Wade took up the cue to knock a couple of balls around the table. But, as he leaned forward to take his shot, a painting in the background caught his eye. ‘That’s it, that’s the place I saw.’

The plate read: T
EMPLE OF
K
NOWLEDGE
, S
PRING
, 1778.

‘The year before the fire,’ Hugh pointed out.

‘But the detail is exactly as I saw it, not a feature out of place.’ Wade turned pale. This was really freaking him out.

‘Hang about,’ Hugh interrupted to calm him down. ‘You could have seen this picture when you were a child.’

‘You’re right.’ Wade was much relieved to have a rational explanation until his logic shot a hole in the theory. ‘So how did I know where the temple was located?’

‘Who knows. The human mind is an amazing and complex instrument.’ Hugh waved it off, and led Wade away from the cause of his dismay. ‘But this much is painfully obvious … we need to set up your computer, my friend. You get so weird when you don’t get your fix.’

‘Absolutely.’ Wade shook off the scare. ‘And I don’t suppose you’ve spied a stereo, VCR or television anywhere?’

‘Not as such,’ Hugh informed him. ‘But never mind, once your modem is connected up, we can go shopping.’

B
y breakfast the next day, Wade and Hugh were able to sit up in their own beds and talk to each other as they ate, via their laptop computers.

Wade also had a top-of-the-line Macintosh and all the accompanying hardware, down to his own CD burner. All this desktop equipment had now transformed the music room into a graphics studio; fantastic visual images were Wade’s forte. He constructed websites, logos and suchlike to earn a living, but what he really wanted to do was create interactive games. Trouble was, he couldn’t seem to come up with a concept that hadn’t been done a thousand times before.

‘Talbot has just handed me a ghastly-looking brochure on the house. I’ll have to design a new one,’ Wade informed Hugh, who could be seen
sipping coffee on the screen of the laptop positioned on the bed beside Wade.

‘Good morning, Talbot.’ Hugh gave him a wave.

‘And a good morning to you, Mr Prescott.’

‘What do you think of our little setup?’ Hugh inquired.

‘Oh, it’s most impressive, Sir,’ Talbot conceded dryly, ‘I feel just like Dr Spock.’

Wade had opened out the brochure of the house, and sat observing a floor plan of Ashby. ‘According to this, there are still several rooms we haven’t discovered yet.’

‘Good.’ Hugh was delighted. ‘I’ll be along soon. Now that you’ve had your electronics fix, it should be safe to take you exploring. No strange dreams last night?’

‘Nah, too stoned,’ Wade explained. Then, remembering Andrew’s warning about mentioning such things around his father, Wade glanced over to catch Talbot’s reaction. The butler was going about his business as if he hadn’t even heard the comment. Wade, who was not used to having other people around him all the time, decided he would have to be more careful about his off-the-cuff comments.

By that afternoon, Wade and Hugh had explored the interior of the manor.

There was only one room upstairs they had yet to stumble upon and that was the conservatory — to be found at the far end of the mezzanine level of the library.

Wade, being a softy at heart and rather fond of animals, found this room most disturbing. The bug and butterfly collections he could almost appreciate, but the sight of the other stuffed creatures made his stomach turn. ‘What compels someone to hunt down and slaughter little furry animals?’

Hugh could have predicted this would be his friend’s reaction. ‘In this instance, I believe it was probably for scientific observation.’

‘It’s still sick.’ Wade screwed up his nose and left.

Downstairs, off to the left at the rear of the Great Hall, was another drawing room. The two bedchambers adjoining had an en suite each. The only difference between them was that one of the bedchambers was slightly wider than the other.

A hallway led straight out of the back of the Great Hall, and took you past a cool room and pantry into the huge kitchen and servants’ dining area. At the far end of the kitchen, a hallway led past the servants’ sleeping quarters to an enclosed stairwell. This flight of stairs gave access to Hugh’s rooms — back before the Restoration
period his had been the master’s chambers. Another room, dividing the kitchen from the eating area, housed a staircase that led to the little hall between the music room and the round picture gallery upstairs.

Downstairs, at the foot of the enclosed staircase, but off to one side, was a door that led outside. Opposite the bottom of the staircase, was the door to the cellar — a very well-stocked cellar, at that.

‘And last, but by no means least,’ Wade announced as he headed towards the double doors located to his right and at the rear of the Great Hall, ‘the marble dining room.’ Wade breezed inside, though he nearly had a coronary once he beheld the opulent splendour of the chamber within.

It looked more like a Roman temple than a dining room. Fluted alabaster columns towered up and down each side of the room and statues of classical gods and goddesses were inset into small individual shrines around the walls. The dining table had been placed hard up against the wall, along with the twelve or so chairs; this was so that nothing would detract from the beautiful mosaic in the polished marble floor.

‘Wow, what is it?’

‘I’m not too sure.’ Hugh eyed the design closely.

It was in the shape of a cross, with arms of
equal length. A central feature in the simple design was a lotus flower. At each end of the cross’s arms was an equilateral triangle. Two of these were pinnacle up; the other two were pinnacle down. One of the inverted triangles had a line drawn across the middle, as did one of the triangles that was right way up. The two remaining triangles were perfectly plain.

‘The symbolism is strikingly masonic, but don’t quote me on that,’ Hugh stated at last. He had seen these symbols during the course of his studies, though for the life of him he couldn’t recall where.

‘Masonic?’ Wade frowned.

‘Yes. You know, as in the freemasons,’ Hugh prompted, though Wade seemed none the wiser. Hugh was about to expand on his explanation when Talbot knocked and entered.

‘Sorry to disturb my Lord, but —’

‘Now what did we agree about my title, Talbot?’ Wade interrupted.

‘We have company, Baron. Lady Louisa Sinclair, who handles the affairs of your stables, awaits your presence in the lower drawing room.’

‘My mistake,’ Wade granted, looking back to Hugh. ‘Do I bow to this one?’

‘No.’ Hugh got them moving. ‘This one bows to you.’

‘Louisa Sinclair, my Lord.’ She strode straight up to shake Hugh’s hand.

‘I could be wrong, of course,’ Hugh uttered for Wade’s information, passing Louisa’s hand onto the rightful recipient.

‘I’m pleased to meet you, Louisa,’ said Wade, delighting in her bemused expression. ‘This is my friend, Hugh Prescott.’ Wade returned her hand to Hugh’s, who bowed accordingly.

‘Delighted, my Lady,’ Hugh stated, as he considered to himself:
A beautiful, tenacious, redhead … how interesting
.

‘I should have guessed.’ Louisa looked back to Wade and smiled warmly. ‘You have your grandfather’s eyes.’ She paused only long enough for Wade to recover from the mention of his grandfather, before she withdrew a few paces. ‘I am sorry I was unable to be at the reading of the will. I had an important auction to attend … and I think that the late Baron would have wanted me to make sure that everything ran as usual.’

‘So is that what you do for me, buy and sell the horses?’ Wade motioned for Louisa to take a seat, as he and Hugh did the same.

‘I buy them, race them, breed them, and sell them. As well as hire and fire employees and
generally take care of all the financial dealings of your stables,’ she concluded confidently.

Louisa looked to be in her late twenties, and it seemed an awful lot of responsibility to have been placed in the hands of one so young. ‘You, alone, do all that?’

‘I’ve been involved with horses since before I could walk, Baron. I have a gift,’ she assured him. ‘Your grandfather highly recommends that you listen to me.’

‘Does he now —’ Wade began.

‘Wade, too, has a gift when it comes to racehorses,’ Hugh informed Louisa, to head off any unpleasantness.

‘Really.’ She was surprised, though delighted, to learn this. ‘In what area — breeding, training?’

‘Punting, actually,’ Wade explained, proud of the fact.

Louisa found this information amusing, though she was gracious, careful not to insult the new owner. ‘So you think you know a winner when you see one.’ She gave a cheeky smile. ‘Then you must come down to the stables and take a look at our latest acquisitions.’

‘Well, let’s go.’ Wade was on his feet immediately, which surprised his guest.

‘You wish to go now, Baron Ashby?’ She rose accordingly.

‘Well, it’s only a short walk.’ Wade recalled seeing the stables on the layout of the property.

Louisa, understanding his misconception, again smiled. ‘Those are your personal stables, my Lord. Your commercial stables are in the next county.’

‘Oh.’ Wade sat back down, not yet ready to leave his new home. ‘Some other time then.’

‘I should be passing by here next week,’ Louisa said, as she lowered herself back into a seat. ‘How does Tuesday suit?’

Wade looked to Hugh to catch his thoughts.

‘I’ll be off to Oxford, come Sunday. You’re on your own, old boy.’

‘How exciting.’ Louisa’s interest shifted to Hugh for the first time since she’d discovered he was not the Baron. ‘What courses do you intend to study?’

‘Philosophy.’ Hugh was quietly stunned by her sudden change of focus. ‘Lit Humaniores,’ he further advised.

‘How wonderful. Does that mean there is a Masters or a Doctorate on the horizon?’

Although this was Hugh’s ultimate goal, it seemed so far off that he couldn’t even think
about it at this stage. ‘God willing,’ was all he said.

‘Well, then,’ her attention reverted back to Wade, ‘will Tuesday be suitable for you, Baron?’

‘Sure, why not?’ Wade figured, as Talbot entered bearing lunch.

Although Louisa had been informed of Wade’s passion for horses, she discovered over lunch that he’d never actually ridden one.

‘Then this afternoon you shall have your first lesson,’ Louisa decreed.

The lady proved to be an excellent instructor, as far as Wade was concerned anyway. Poor old Hugh barely got a look-in all afternoon. He felt like little more than a spare appendage of his friend, the Baron, by the time the lesson was over. Louisa was polite enough when she had to be, but from the way she lavished her attention on Wade, Hugh began to suspect she might be after something. Or perhaps he was just jealous and she really did find Wade more attractive. Usually, just the opposite was the case.

It wasn’t that Hugh was any better looking than Wade; it was that most women, especially the refined ones like Louisa, found Hugh more readily charming.

Whatever the reason behind her attraction to Wade, she was seducing him with enthusiasm. Hugh had seen that glint in Louisa’s eye when she’d first approached to shake his hand, mistaken in thinking he was the Baron. The expression, once she’d realised her error, had seemed to Hugh rather more like disappointment than confusion. He must have been mistaken, however, as she was clearly not disappointed with the new Baron now.

‘What a nice girl,’ Wade concluded, as they watched her sports car tear out of the roundabout and down the drive.

‘That girl is a woman,’ Hugh pointed out, ‘and I’d proceed with utmost caution, if I were you.’

‘Proceed, I will,’ Wade assured. ‘The lady wants me bad, wouldn’t you say?’

‘And everything that comes with you, like the stables, I’ll warrant.’

‘You’re jealous.’ Wade picked up on it at once. ‘Well, fancy that. I’m hitting it off with the female aristocracy better than you are, and that bugs you.’

‘Not really,’ said Hugh. ‘You’re one of them, so that’s to be expected.’

‘Well, it’s Louisa then,’ Wade concluded with a smile. ‘Fancy her, do you, Hugh?’

‘No, I do not. And even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. Her kind don’t see a man, only a title and estates,’ Hugh stated, turning to head up the stairs to the front doors.

‘Well, I think she was just being nice to the new owner of her business.’

Hugh paused, and was again compelled to smile at how naive Wade was. ‘Well, if she doesn’t try to get you in the sack next Tuesday, we’ll know for sure, won’t we?’

‘But what if I coax her into it?’ Wade queried.

‘Somehow, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble doing that.’ Hugh headed indoors.

‘Bastard,’ Wade mumbled. ‘Now he’s spoilt the fun, whichever way it goes.’

As the weather kept them indoors for the next few days, Wade and Hugh didn’t get the chance to explore the gardens until the morning of Hugh’s departure.

This was most disappointing for Hugh, as he did not have the chance to make use of the huge telescope inside the temple observatory. This was located beyond a large fountain that had been erected between the observatory and the gazebo.

‘I shall come for a weekend, soon. And every other chance I get,’ Hugh vowed, as his baggage
was loaded in the Rolls. For in truth, Ashby’s old-world charm and elegance had Hugh completely enchanted. ‘God, if only I could stay a while longer.’ He gazed up at the house mournfully.

Wade gave him a chug on the shoulder, not wanting to get too emotional over a couple of weeks without his mate’s company. ‘Give me a holler once you’re connected.’

‘Will do.’ Hugh gave a wave and headed off. ‘Oh, and if any of these bloody heiress’ talk you into marrying them, promise you’ll call me before diving in?’

‘Of course,’ Wade assured. ‘You’ll be my best man.’

Hugh hesitated before climbing into the car. ‘And for heaven’s sake, don’t knock any of them up.’

‘Yes, Dad.’ Wade waved him goodbye to encourage his departure.

Once inside the Rolls, Hugh wound down the window. ‘Well, aren’t you going to wish me luck?’

‘Luck is not a factor with you, Hugh,’ Wade assured. ‘Go, knock ’em dead.’ He pursued the car a ways, one arm raised in victory. Wade held this gesture until the car was out of sight.

A sense that playtime at Ashby was over descended upon Wade. Now that he had nothing to distract him, he supposed it was time he took
some sort of interest in his responsibilities, like the stables and the arts college.

‘This could be fun,’ he decided, unable to keep the grin from his face; both the Contessa and Lady Sinclair were appealing associates indeed. ‘I have to hand it to you, grandfather. Your taste in women was exquisite.’ Wade turned to view the mermaid fountain and, admiring it a moment, nodded in firm agreement with himself.

That evening Wade took an early dinner in front of the computer, and so retired the servants for the day. After a few joints he became heavily engrossed in a 3D animation program, and lost track of time.

It must have been well after midnight when the door that led from the hallway to the music room creaked slowly open.

Wade, not easily spooked, paid this no heed, expecting that a draft had set the door in motion. But when he glimpsed a movement out of the corner of his eye, Wade froze. It was the cat from his dream. It could have been a lion, such was the fear that set Wade’s heart pounding in his chest.