The Alchemist's Key (6 page)

Wade, however, only made it halfway across the gallery before espying a couple of figures emerging from the shadows where the cat had gone. Andy halted right behind him.

Two middle-aged, well-dressed gentlemen were headed their way, but they were not of this time. They appeared to have stepped straight out the eighteenth century, and were deep in discussion as they walked.

‘Do you believe in ghosts now?’ Andy mumbled.

‘Shh!’ Wade didn’t want to attract their attention, as they looked so engrossed in their conversation they might just walk on past.

But they did not. The gentlemen came to a stop beside Wade to address him.

‘I’m afraid the Baron is certifiably mad,’ the larger of the two stated.

‘No doubt about it,’ the other man agreed. ‘We shall recommend the estate be signed over. Good day, my Lord.’ They bowed astutely and continued on their way down the stairs through the Great Hall, where they let themselves out via the front doors.

‘What the hell was that about?’ Wade dared to speak, but at that moment the cat emerged from
the shadows of the drawing room to lure him back into a chase.

‘You’re following a ghost. Why won’t you believe me?’ Andrew queried, innocently. He received no answer and gave chase through the drawing room into the long gallery where Wade had paused to reassess going further.

‘Is it Halloween or something?’ Wade uttered, his eyes fixed on another strange character, who, judging from his appearance, was from same period as the last two.

Caught up in his own little world, the colourful noble was bustling around the large open spaces of the long gallery, which was entirely candlelit.

‘Do we usually leave candles ablaze all night?’

‘No, Baron.’ Andrew couldn’t understand it. ‘We haven’t used candles in here for as long as I can remember.’

‘I knew you were going to say that.’ Wade ventured further into the room to discover something else amiss. ‘Where’s my pool table?’ he cried out in dismay.

Andrew noticed the noble had stopped his idle movement, and was observing them. ‘I think you’ve got its attention.’

‘I don’t care. Where the stuff’s my pool table?’ Wade stormed towards the empty space it had
occupied only days ago. ‘Did you move it?’ He looked to Andrew, who was speechless.

‘I took it,’ the noble claimed, in a loony, though proud fashion. ‘And I will be damned if I will tell you where it might be found. So there,’ he concluded, and then blew a big raspberry at Wade.

The lads were so stunned by the performance they had to laugh.

‘Laugh if you will.’ The skinny old noble was offended. ‘I know you all think I’m mad! Should be locked up! Well, go ahead, lock me up, see if I care. It won’t make any difference … I still won’t give it to you.’

‘Give me what?’ Wade gasped for breath. ‘The pool table?’

‘No! The key, you fool, the key!’ The noble’s mood swung to a more frustrated one. ‘I promised my grandfather, all right? So you can just forget it. End of story!’

‘What key?’ Wade appealed.

The nobleman snorted in an attempt to laugh. ‘Do you think me stupid? You’re not about to trick me that easily. You are with them.’ His eyes darted all over the place, as if he was searching for spies, as he backed up towards the tower that led to the library.

‘Wait a minute, who are
they
?’ Wade called,
motioning Andrew to join the chase as he bolted up the long gallery after the loony.

By the time they got to the tower the madman had gone. Wade put in a good search, checking the library and down the tower stairs, but came up with nothing. Andrew was closely observing the furniture in the long gallery when Wade returned.

‘This fabric is like new.’ The lad looked at Wade. Andrew was wide-eyed with amazement, and was a tad fearful.

‘So?’

‘So, where are we?’

Wade spotted the cat again, down near the drawing room, and threw himself back into the chase.

‘Baron.’ Andrew implored him to listen. ‘I think there’s something really amazing happening here.’

‘Me too, come on.’ Wade disappeared around the corner into the drawing room.

‘Aw!’ Andrew gave in and followed. On his way past one of the games tables, he recognised a large cigar case. The only difference being that it was all shiny and new instead of tarnished and old. He grabbed it to use in explaining his point to the Baron later on.

The last Wade saw of the cat it was headed into the music room — where it vanished.

The movie was still playing on the television, and strangely enough, only the first few minutes of the film had lapsed.

‘Good pot,’ said Wade, unable to grasp what was really going on.

‘Everything is still normal in here.’ Andrew looked to the new cigar case in his hand, his sights turning back to the long gallery at the end of the row of open doors. ‘I’ve got to check something.’ He headed back to the other end of the house. Wade followed in a daze.

In the long gallery they found the electric lights dimmed low, the pool table returned, and the old cigar box missing.

‘At least someone was with me this time.’ Wade quietly thanked God for that.

‘This has happened to you before?’ Andy was shocked. He’d been here nearly all his life and had never experienced anything like this.

Wade nodded. ‘I thought I might have been dreaming … I still could be, for all I know.’

‘Then we’re having the same dream, Baron.’ Andrew placed the new cigar case on the games table in the space where the old tarnished case had once been. ‘A most curious dream at that.’

All the excitement had been a drain on Wade and his young friend, and though they wanted to
sit up to discuss what had happened, they were yawning each other to sleep. They gave in, in the end, deciding to sleep on it. Perhaps one of them would have a revelation by morning.

W
hen Talbot woke his Baron with an early breakfast, he found him as grumpy as hell.

‘Later, Talbot. I had a late night.’ Wade waved the butler away and disappeared back under the covers.

‘But Lady Sinclair shall be here to collect you within the hour, Sir. Don’t you want to eat first?’

‘Oh, shit.’ Wade flipped the covers down, his face all scrunched up with remorse. ‘I’d forgotten all about that … damn it.’ Now he and Andrew wouldn’t have time for their little powwow. ‘Never mind.’ Wade pulled himself up into a seated position, figuring that he could follow Louisa in his own car and talk to Andy on the way. Plus it would save Louisa’s chauffeur from having to drive him back to Ashby this evening.
Moreover, Wade wanted to prove Hugh wrong about Louisa. But, as his friend was usually a far better judge of women than he, Wade intended to keep his distance, at least until he knew Louisa better.

‘Then I shall travel down with you,’ Louisa suggested playfully.

‘I chain smoke,’ Wade blurted out. ‘Ask Andy, I’m chronic.’

‘Like a chimney, my Lady,’ Andy assured her.

‘Well, I smoke,’ she informed Wade, ‘so there’s no problem.’

As Louisa moved to the car’s open back door, both men searched desperately for something that might deter her.

‘My Baron also passes an offensive amount of wind, my Lady.’

Wade gave Andy a look of objection, and Andy shrugged, as he couldn’t think of anything else on the spur of the moment.

‘I work around horse manure all day. I think I can handle it.’ Louisa climbed in the Rolls.

‘Great,’ Wade uttered on the quiet.

‘Looks like our discussion will just have to keep.’ Clearly disappointed, Andy motioned the Baron into the car.

Louisa killed the first ten minutes of the hour long journey with polite conversation about the stables and Wade’s grandfather. But Wade’s mind was very obviously elsewhere. Louisa was not used to being ignored, nor did she like to beat around the bush. She knew exactly how to gain his attention, and keep it.

‘Am I boring you, my Lord?’ She began to unbutton her blouse.

‘No, I’m —’ He turned to see Louisa expose her lacy bra, which didn’t leave much to the imagination.

‘Not bored any more.’ She finished his sentence for him, drawing him into a kiss.

Before Louisa came up for air she was on top of Wade, her skirt hoisted up around her waist to flaunt her black suspender belt and stockings.

These proceedings did not go unnoticed by Andrew, who was watching in the rear view mirror. As Louisa ripped the shirt from her body and reached for the bra clip at the centre of her back, the young chauffeur became mesmerised.

The ride became a little bumpy suddenly, and before Andrew realised it they were off the road — the vehicle had gone into a spin in the mud. The next thing Andrew knew, a tree was implanted in his passenger side door.

‘Baron?’ Andrew’s first thought was for his charge. ‘Are you alright?’

As Wade raised himself, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Louisa pulled her clothes on indignantly, obviously not so amused. ‘Weren’t you taught to keep your eyes on the road?’ she snapped at the chauffeur.

‘Hey, don’t be mad at him.’ Wade put Louisa in her place. ‘What do you expect is going to happen when he spies a hot-looking redhead undressing in the back of the car! What the hell were you thinking?’

She stared blankly at the Baron before bursting into tears and scrambling out of the car.

Andrew rolled his eyes at the melodrama. ‘What’s she crying for? I’m the one in trouble.’

‘No. You’re not,’ Wade insisted.

‘As far as you’re concerned, maybe … but my father will have a very different view.’

‘I’ll think of something,’ Wade vowed on his way out to calm Louisa down.

‘I’m so sorry. I claim total responsibility,’ she blubbered, wiping the tears from her face with a handkerchief. ‘You must think me an awful tart.’

‘No, no, it’s not your fault … I have that effect on women all the time!’ Wade made light of it.

‘And your Rolls …’ She bit her lip, wanting to die where she stood. ‘I’ll pay for all the damages.’

‘I’m sure the family fortune can cope.’ Wade declined her offer. ‘It needed a new paint job anyway.’

Louisa observed the immaculate bodywork; Wade was clearly just being nice. ‘I don’t know what’s come over me lately,’ she confessed, looking back to Wade. ‘Since your grandfather’s death, everything has been so up in the air. The fate of the stables and so forth … I just wanted to …’ she became stuck for words.

‘Please me?’ Wade helped out.

‘Quite,’ she cringed, as he’d hit the nail right on the head.

‘Louisa, when we met the other day, I think I might have given you the impression that I imagined I could run Ashby stables on my own. If I did, let me assure you that there is no way in hell that I would even attempt it. Furthermore, there is no one I would rather have to advise me than you. The position you hold is yours for as long as you want it.’

‘Are you the kind of man who listens to advice?’

Wade cocked an eye to think about this. ‘If it’s good advice, as I’m sure yours will be.’

The smile returned to Louisa’s face. ‘You know, Baron, for someone who was not brought up to nobility, you are very noble nonetheless.’

Wade shrugged off her compliment with a flick of his head. ‘You probably have Hugh to thank for that. Some of his manners must have rubbed off somewhere along the line.’

‘Your friend, Mr Prescott?’ Louisa’s gaze shifted to distant ground and, recalling Hugh’s image, her smile softened. ‘Yes, he seemed an intriguing fellow.’

Wade thought her comment curious. ‘I don’t get it? If you thought Hugh was so interesting, then why did you ignore him all day?’

‘I wasn’t ignoring him,’ she snapped. The question clearly made her ill at ease.

‘Don’t bullshit me, Louisa. If I can’t trust you to be straight with me, then how are we supposed to work together? Jesus, I’m straight with you, aren’t I?’

She nodded her agreement, damning her own fears as she did so, and her inability to blindly trust others as Wade obviously did. ‘As I have already explained, I was on a bit of a mission that day, and didn’t wish to be distracted.’

‘And the temptation was so great, you had to ignore Hugh completely?’ This made Wade smile,
although Louisa was horrified at the implication of what he said. ‘Well, holy shit, Louisa, it must be love!’ Wade teased.

‘Oh no, it must not!’ she stated adamantly, moving to retrieve her mobile phone from her briefcase in the car.

‘So Hugh was right about you,’ Wade was sad to concede. ‘Land and title
is
all you’re about.’

‘He said that?’ Louisa was quietly fuming inside.

‘I really thought he was wrong.’ Wade offered his point of view.

The look of disappointment on the Baron’s face made Louisa’s heart melt, but not her resolve. ‘Well, he’s right … in so far as
he
is most certainly out of the question.’ She opened her mobile phone to end the conversation. She would get them a tow and a new set of wheels.

Although Louisa wanted to continue on to the stables, Wade was not about to leave Andrew to explain the accident to his father.

‘Baron, my father will be even more annoyed if I spoil your plans.’ Andrew urged Wade to go.

‘I can do it another day. It’s no big deal,’ Wade insisted.

Louisa stood at a distance, watching them argue. In all her born days, she had never seen anything
like it — a Baron more concerned about his people than his business or his possessions. She let loose a whistle to draw their attention. ‘Come on. I shall get my driver to take us back to Ashby. I can hardly allow our new Baron to catch a ride in a tow truck.’

Although the excuse seemed lame, Wade managed to convince Talbot that Andrew had swerved to miss an animal that had wandered onto the road. Louisa backed the Baron up on this. It was far better than having to confess the truth.

After lunch at Ashby, Louisa’s chauffeur drove her and the Baron down to the stables, and later returned them to Ashby for dinner.

Louisa was much more at ease by evening, as the Baron had been most impressed by her whole operation. She suggested over dinner in the lower drawing room that she take Wade to the races. Unfortunately, there was not much happening in the United Kingdom at this time of year, but Louisa promised to send Wade a schedule for the upcoming season.

Once they’d polished off dessert, Wade politely excused himself on the premise that he had some work to do. Louisa, who had decided to stay the night at Ashby, and return home in the morning, seemed a little put off by Wade’s early departure.

‘What kind of work do you do?’ she inquired.

‘Computer stuff. You wouldn’t be interested.’

‘On the contrary, Baron, I am most interested,’ Louisa insisted.

‘All the same,’ Wade smiled, hoping he would not appear too rude. ‘I need to concentrate. I could show you some other time, perhaps?’

In truth, Wade was dying to speak with Andrew, and he simply couldn’t put it off any longer. Louisa got the distinct impression, however, that Wade was avoiding her because of this morning’s misadventure.

‘Of course.’ She forced a smile. ‘I’ll look forward to it, then.’

Wade felt like a complete heel as he climbed the staircase to his quarters. Louisa would be gone in the morning, and it wouldn’t have killed him to play host for just a while longer.

‘What took you so long?’ Andrew stood up, thankful to see the Baron. ‘I was paranoid that the cat would show up before you did.’

‘Been smoking have we, Andy?’ Wade jeered.

‘Well, yeah. Between last night and the crash this morning, I had to do something to calm my nerves.’

Wade sat down in front of the computer and
booted it up. ‘So, have you had any thoughts about our spooks?’

‘If that is what they were.’ Andy seriously doubted that theory. ‘It seemed more like we went to them, than they came to us, if you catch my drift. Only that scenario could explain the candle lighting, the outstanding condition of the furniture, and the missing pool table.’

Wade shook his head, certain that this simply could not have been the case. ‘My logic says it is far more likely that we were hallucinating, or —’

‘Rubbish! Why do you persist in clutching onto that conclusion, when there is no evidence to support it. The movie we were watching at the time would have played on if we were dreaming.’ The sound of the door creaking open silenced Andrew. Both men looked to the doorway, anticipating the cat’s entry. When Louisa walked in, however, Wade and Andrew released a disappointed sigh.

‘Well, thank you so much.’ She entered despite their reaction. ‘I am just here to apologise to you both for my behaviour this morning.’

‘Think nothing of it. The whole thing is forgotten.’ Wade rose from the computer to get Louisa out of his chambers, just in case the house had another strange episode planned for this evening.

‘If that is true,’ Louisa queried Wade, as he accompanied her to the door, ‘why are you so eager to be rid of me? Am I really such dreadful company?’

‘Heavens no.’ Wade paused in his course to assure her. ‘It’s just that I’m …’ he fished for an excuse.

‘Busy.’ Andrew helped the Baron out.

‘That’s absolutely right.’

‘And your chauffeur is helping you?’ Louisa sensed that she was not getting the whole truth.

‘Ah, yes. I am expanding young Andrew’s horizons,’ Wade informed her.

‘O-oh.’ Andrew spied the cat by the open music room door, and motioned Wade to it.

Wade cursed upon sighting the animal and, much to Louisa’s confusion, he pushed her around behind him, as if to protect her from it.

‘Is it diseased or something?’ she wondered out loud, though it certainly looked healthy enough.

As the cat disappeared out the door, Wade seated Louisa on his computer chair. ‘Wait here until we get back,’ he instructed sternly, motioning for Andrew to follow him.

‘What is going on?’ she appealed, exasperated by their boyish behaviour. As both men completely ignored her, Louisa decided to defy the Baron’s instruction and follow.

‘Holy moley, the great chamber,’ Andrew mumbled, wonderstruck to be standing in an entirely different room than the round gallery usually located here.

The chamber, though of the same dimensions, was now squared off, and housed a large wooden dining table and chairs. Bare timber feature supports sustained the roof in place of the dome, and the marble floor had turned to lacquered timber.

‘What’s happened?’ Louisa gasped.

‘I thought I told you to —’ Wade, having turned to chastise her, noticed a blank wall where the doorway to the music room had been. ‘Oh shit!’ The little hallway was still there, though there was no door at the far end.

Wade’s companions were just as alarmed to discover this.

‘We must be in a time before the music room existed.’ Andrew turned to eye their surroundings very carefully. ‘This looks like the musicians’ gallery, which hasn’t been in use since around the time of the restoration of Charles the Second.’

‘What does he mean?’ Louisa demanded to know, horrified beyond all reason.

‘Hey,’ Wade cautioned her. ‘I told you to stay put, you didn’t listen, so cope with the consequences.
We don’t have any answers, so … Just stay close to us,’ he advised, in a more obliging fashion and followed Andrew back into the great chamber. ‘Did you see where the cat went?’

‘Ssh!’ Andrew set them all straining their ears.

A loud thumping on the doors of the Great Hall startled the three of them out of their wits.

‘Quick, in the drawing room,’ Andrew urged, and all were quick to comply.

The long gallery, located to the far end of this chamber, had vanished. Only the door to the bedchamber Hugh had occupied during his stay at Ashby remained.

A guard emerged from the downstairs quarters to answer the door, though he did not unbolt it, only the small hatch that sat at eye level. ‘Can I help you?’

‘I demand this door be opened in the name of the Lord High Protector of England,’ a harsh voice yelled from beyond the doors. ‘A charge of treason has been brought against Gisborne, Baron Ashby, and we have been sent to escort him to answer these charges before Cromwell’s council.’