The Alchemist's Key (8 page)

The once meek and timid chauffeur also seemed to Hugh to be sporting a lot more confidence than usual. ‘What the hell has been going on here? Did you all find God or something?’

‘Close,’ Wade informed as he looked to Louisa and Andrew, who both nodded to confirm his claim. ‘I think you’d better sit down,’ Wade suggested to Hugh. Wade then began to tell the
tale of the past week.

Louisa and Andrew added their impressions as the story progressed, though Hugh was beginning to think they’d all gone nuts.

‘You lot have been smoking Wade’s pot, haven’t you?’ he grinned. Surely it was either that, or they were all pulling his leg.

‘I wouldn’t have believed it unless I’d experienced it,’ Louisa told him sincerely, then smiled. ‘But I’ll grant that by the end of this weekend, you won’t doubt it either.’

As the evening marched on, the house seemed to be supporting the sceptic’s view. They waited up, anticipating the cat’s arrival, until two o’clock in the morning, when Hugh decided to retire.

‘Well, adventure seekers, maybe tomorrow night, hey?’ Hugh rose to go to bed.

‘I don’t understand!’ Andrew was most annoyed. ‘Maybe Arthur hasn’t made an appearance because we’re waiting for him.’

‘Maybe Arthur hasn’t made an appearance,’ Hugh postulated, ‘because he doesn’t exist.’

‘Oh, he exists, alright.’ Louisa rose to leave with Hugh, not wanting to risk stepping into another time period on her way to her room alone.

Wade and Andy were silent for some time after Louisa and Hugh departed, absorbed in their thoughts as they observed the crackling fire.

‘There must be something that serves as a trigger for the occurrences,’ Andy posed. ‘Something we’ve overlooked.’

‘Well, one thing’s for sure.’ Wade raised himself. ‘I’m going to get a couple of videos for tomorrow night’s wait. Be buggered if I’m going to sit around doing sweet f.a.’

‘That’s it!’ Andy sprang from his seat, nearly startling the wits out of Wade. ‘Maybe it has something to do with the electronics! The first time the cat came to see you in the music room, what were you doing?’

‘I was on the computer,’ Wade concluded, following Andy’s train of thought. He found this theory rather fascinating. ‘The next time, we’d just installed the entertainment system,’ he remarked further. ‘And last time, I was also on the computer!’ he concluded firmly, then wavered. ‘Yet, when I had that first dream about the temple, I didn’t have any of this set up?’

Andy frowned. ‘So again, that episode is contrary to the pattern of the others.’

‘Well,’ Wade slapped the lad’s shoulder, ‘we shall test out your theory tomorrow night and
turn everything on. If you’re right, Hugh is in for a rude shock.’

The next morning Hugh remained in bed until quite late, enjoying the house privileges, and Louisa went out riding.

So Wade found himself wandering around the house checking for electronics. Most of the lighting was gas, as was the hot water and the stove. The cool room was running on a generator.

‘Winston,’ Wade queried the cook about this, ‘would you like me to buy you some more cooking apparatus, and a dishwasher, perhaps?’

‘Oh no, my Lord, I do not need them?’

‘But wouldn’t you prefer to have such things?’

‘Well, of course,’ the chef confessed. ‘But my wife, Rosia, she won’t even use the washing machine. Modern technology frightens her,’ Winston whispered, discreetly. ‘She is not a young woman, my wife, best not upset her.’

Winston concluded his answer with a wink, returning to his normal tone of voice: ‘We manage just fine, my Lord, but bless you for asking.’

Wade found the cook’s explanation most curious indeed, and headed out the back door to investigate the laundry. He found a brand new washing machine and dryer, covered over with
sheets, but there was a large tub, scrubbing board and hand-wringer that still appeared to be in use.

‘Were you looking for something, my Lord?’ Rosia entered with a large basket of washing.

‘I was wondering, Rosia, why you don’t use the machines to do the washing?’

The elderly woman shrank backwards, looking to the covered apparatus as if it were taboo. ‘Is my laundry not satisfactory, my Lord?’

‘No, Rosia, your laundry is excellent,’ Wade assured her. ‘I just wondered why you make your job harder than it has to be?’

‘I don’t understand …’ Rosia was bewildered by his words. ‘If my ways are too old-fashioned for my Lord —’

‘No, no!’ Wade cut her off; she was getting him all wrong. ‘Whatever works best for you, is good for me.’ He backed away before he really upset her. ‘Carry on,’ he said with a smile, heading back inside.

‘There you are, my Lord.’ Talbot confronted him in the kitchen. ‘You have a visitor. Hannah Martin from Glenoak College is in the lower drawing room.’

‘Really?’ Wade was intrigued, though dubious, as the girl seemed to entertain an eternal bad mood.

‘I must say, this is a surprise.’ Wade entered the lower drawing room, closing the door behind him.

Hannah stood up when he arrived. She seemed troubled, but not angry. Wade had never seen her in casual clothes, and with her long, dark hair loose, Hannah seemed an entirely different person.

‘My Lord, I am so sorry to barge in uninvited like this, but I felt I must apologise for my behaviour yesterday.’ Wade moved to wave this off and interrupt, but Hannah persisted with her speech. ‘There I was treating you like an ignorant fool, but it is I who am ignorant and a fool. The Contessa told me of your proposals for the college.’ Hannah took a few steps towards him, inspired by her own convictions. ‘And I want to help, in any way I can.’

How fortunate
, thought Wade, motioning her to take a seat. ‘Well, I don’t think the Contessa is one hundred per cent convinced.’

‘Oh, believe me, I’ve been fighting to update the curriculum for ages, and this is far and away the closest the Contessa has ever come to even considering such a proposal. I fear we must move swiftly, however, before her excitement fades.’

‘It won’t,’ Wade assured Hannah. ‘What I showed the Contessa yesterday on that little
laptop was nothing compared to what my system upstairs is capable of. If the Contessa cools down, I’ll just blow her mind with something even more impressive.’

‘Could I see?’ Hannah was curious to observe what had turned the Contessa’s head.

‘Sure.’ He moved to lead the way, but then, remembering Andy’s notion that the equipment could be the trigger for the time phenomena, Wade refrained. ‘Oh damn, that’s right. I’m in the middle of cleaning out my system.’

‘Does that take long?’ Hannah queried.

‘Hours!’ Wade exaggerated.

‘Well, if you have no objection, I don’t mind waiting?’ As there was a frown threatening to form on the Baron’s brow, Hannah added, ‘… or I could come back another day, if you’d prefer?’

Hannah’s big blue eyes seemed in vast contrast to her dark hair and pale milky skin. Her luscious red lips had a cute kind of pout happening as she awaited his response.

Wade was torn. The time phenomena hadn’t occurred for days now. What if Andy’s theory about the equipment proved to be wrong? He could be blowing the perfect opportunity to get to know this girl better. ‘Whatever you’d prefer,’ he
said, whilst a little voice in his head cursed his change in resolve. ‘You could even stay for dinner, if you’d like?’

‘I wouldn’t want to impose,’ insisted Hannah, looking to the drawing room door as it opened and Louisa entered.

‘Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.’ Louisa looked at Hannah, and obviously had no intention of withdrawing. ‘How are things at Glenoak, Miss Martin?’

‘Very well, thank you, Lady Sinclair.’

‘You two know each other?’ Wade queried, noting that both women seemed to become slightly agitated by the other’s presence.

‘We have met on more than one occasion,’ Louisa informed Wade. ‘So, what brings you to Ashby?’ The Lady retrieved a cigarette from her silver case on the table, and lit up.

As Hannah seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond, Wade intervened. ‘We are going to be working on a project together.’

‘How nice.’ Louisa strained to produce a smile.

‘I was just trying to talk Hannah into staying for dinner this evening.’ Wade again looked at the dancer for her response.

This announcement was most disturbing to Louisa in view of the episode she anticipated
would occur. ‘Do you think that is wise, Baron?’

Hannah, knowing Louisa to be the money-grabbing bitch she was, resented the question. She was sure that Louisa was only out to monopolise the new Baron’s attention and cheque book, just as she had done with his grandfather. ‘Actually, Baron, I will come back for dinner … if it’s no trouble, and you can show me your images then.’

Terrific
, thought Louisa, as Wade smiled at Hannah and assured her it was no trouble at all.

C
onsidering there were several people expected for dinner this evening, Wade thought that perhaps they should eat in the dining room.

He sought Talbot’s opinion in regard to Andy joining Hugh, Hannah, Louisa and himself for the occasion. He didn’t wish to put any of the servants in an awkward position by inviting their co-worker.

‘I feel sure Andrew would much prefer to dine with you young people,’ Talbot granted. ‘I don’t believe any of us old fogies are going to object to the lad enjoying himself on a night off.’

When Wade advised the cook of his plans, Winston was both delighted and concerned by the prospect of entertaining. ‘This occasion demands something more lavish than usual … I shall head
into the village at once, my Lord, to procure that which I shall need.’

‘Don’t put yourself to too much trouble, Winston,’ Wade tried to head off the cook’s obvious panic.

‘Oh, it’s no trouble.’ Winston removed his apron and replaced it with his coat. ‘It’s an excuse,’ he chuckled, placing a hat on his head. ‘Besides, my reputation demands it,’ Winston informed, heading out the back door.

As most of the servants were getting on in years, Wade roped Hugh into helping Andrew and himself shift the dining furniture into the middle of the room.

The long, slender table separated into four sections. These divisions enabled them to manoeuvre the table around the four huge columns that ran parallel to the wall where the table was positioned. In the end only one section of the heavy wooden piece was required, this section being more than adequate to accommodate a party of five.

‘I’ve never been to a dinner party before,’ Andrew remarked, as they finished placing the chairs around the table in the middle of the huge marble dining room.

‘That’s okay,’ said Wade, ‘I’ve never thrown one.’

When Hannah arrived back at the manor, she was more suitably attired for dinner. Talbot led her to the lower drawing room, where the others making up the party were indulging in a few pre-dinner drinks.

‘Wow,’ commented Wade as he moved to greet her, ‘you look amazing.’ As Hannah only smiled, a little awkward about his comment, Wade changed the subject. ‘You remember my friend, Hugh?’

Hugh stood, unable to place her. If he had met such a beauty, surely he would recall. ‘Sorry, we met when?’

‘This is Hannah Martin, the Contessa’s assistant.’ Wade jogged his memory.

‘Oh, of course.’ Hugh could hardly believe the transformation. ‘I do apologise. You appear quite different out of business hours.’

‘I try,’ was Hannah’s droll reply.

‘Louisa you know.’ The two women smiled at each other sweetly, so Wade skipped quickly to his remaining guest. ‘And I’m sure you must have met Andrew.’

‘Yes.’ Hannah reached out and shook his hand. ‘How are you, Mr Jenkins?’

‘Very well, Miss Martin. And yourself?’

‘Stop, stop, stop!’ Wade objected. ‘This is my dinner party, therefore we dine by my rules.’

‘Ah, I don’t think you usually have rules for a dinner party, old boy,’ advised Hugh.

‘Then what do you call all that using the right fork rubbish?’

‘Fair enough,’ Hugh shrugged. ‘State your rules?’

‘There is only one,’ Wade informed them, ‘and that is, everyone must call each other by their first name.’

‘And if we don’t comply?’ Louisa toyed.

‘Then there’s the door,’ gestured Wade, just as playfully.

This rule worked wonders; everyone relaxed rather quickly. Only the two women seemed to be avoiding each other, but even their animosity mellowed after a few drinks.

As they finished the main course, Wade rose to make a toast. ‘To my new friends, and my old one.’ He acknowledged Hugh, who tipped his head in appreciation. ‘And to my new-found home and wealth. May we all profit greatly from the acquisition.’

‘Here, here.’ Everyone drank to that.

‘That means you, too,’ Wade commented to the butler and the maid, as they cleared the dishes onto a trolley.

‘Thank you, my Lord.’ Talbot glanced briefly at his son, who was deep in conversation with Lady Sinclair. ‘I am a content and happy man.’

A second later, a dish shattered on the marble floor. Wade turned to discover that Talbot had dropped the object, but before he could inquire after the problem he spied it.

Arthur McCloud was seated by the dining room doors leading into the Great Hall. One of the doors was opened just enough to allow a cat of his size to enter.

‘Andy …’ Wade looked at him. ‘You didn’t turn on my equipment, did you?’

‘Well, yes … you said to.’

As Rosia spied the cat she screamed and fled through the doors at the opposite end of the room.

‘What is all the fuss about, Talbot?’ Wade queried, as the butler backed away in fear. ‘You told me that Arthur had only recently disappeared?’

‘I lied, my Lord. I didn’t want to alarm you.’

‘See.’ Andy stood up. ‘I told you I was telling the truth.’

‘So that’s Arthur, hey?’ Hugh rose also, still not convinced that the cat’s appearance gave the rest of their tale any credence.

‘It sure is.’ Louisa watched the feline’s movements from behind Hugh.

Hannah didn’t know what to make of everybody’s reaction. The cat may have been large, but it was one of the cutest she’d ever seen.

‘Why, he’s lovely,’ Hannah commented, moving to comfort the animal in the wake of the maid’s hysterical reaction.

‘Hannah!’ Wade was not quick enough to stop her getting too near, and Arthur exited out the door.

‘It’s scared, poor thing.’ Hannah sped up a little to avoid Wade’s grasp, and slipped out the door after it.

‘Hannah, wait.’ Wade exited in her wake.

‘Quick …’ Andy advised the others to follow, and all three of them ran for the door.

‘No son, don’t,’ cried Talbot. ‘It’s not natural!’

By the time the old butler hobbled to the doorway, there was no trace of the young folk. He called and called for them, but no response was forthcoming.

The Great Hall was overflowing with people, dressed in the grand, evening attire of the mid-to late-seventeenth century.

‘Dear God,’ uttered Hugh, as he came to a stop
behind Wade and Hannah, who were also staring in awe at the scene.

‘Is it a surprise party?’ Hannah queried, admiring all the beautiful gowns the ladies wore, and the music that filtered down from the orchestra on the floor above.

‘You could say that,’ Wade ventured, as Andy came forward to have a quiet whisper in his ear.

‘Perhaps we should back out of here, discreetly,’ Andy motioned to their attire, ‘before the women get arrested.’

The strange thing was that the colourful characters around them acknowledged their party with smiles and nods, not seeming in any way curious or affected by their presence.

‘Nobody seems too bothered.’ Wade spied Arthur halfway up the staircase, and he took hold of Hannah’s hand to make after the cat.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked, delighted and bemused all at once. Wade did not reply.

Andy was quick to join the pursuit, and although the lad was admired by several ladies on his way up the staircase he managed not to be swayed from his course.

‘My Lady,’ Hugh held out his hand to Louisa, who placed her hand on top of his.

‘Charmed,’ she played along, as they followed the rest of the party up the stairs.

Arthur entered Hugh’s drawing room, which was more sparsely occupied than the grand domed saloon, or the Great Hall. As Wade and Hannah kept pace with the animal, a small boy came charging out of the long gallery to collide with them.

‘Steady on there, mate,’ Wade made sure the lad was stable in the wake of the crash.

‘Let me go’ The boy tried to wriggle free of Wade’s grasp.

‘Ernest!’ An elderly man entered the drawing room in pursuit of the boy. ‘Hold him,’ he requested of Wade, and approached quickly to apprehend the cause of the dismay. ‘Thank you kindly.’ The old man took the five year old by the arm and headed back into the long gallery with the lad squirming in protest.

‘That’s not fair, Grandfather,’ said Ernest. ‘You said I could keep it.’

‘After I die, and not before,’ the old man clarified. ‘Now give me the dodecahedron,’ he ordered, disappearing around the corner with the child.

‘What is wrong?’ Hannah asked, seeing Wade’s perplexed expression.

‘Who was Ernest, again?’ he inquired of Andrew as he caught up with them.

‘The loon,’ Andrew replied, refreshing Wade’s memory.

‘Then his grandfather was John Ashby, the one who built the temple … and if he is still alive at this time, then …’ Wade nicked into the long gallery to peer down into the gardens through the closest window. ‘The temple is still here,’ he uttered, admiring the exquisite dwelling seen in his dream.

‘Unreal,’ Andrew mumbled, to second the Baron’s awe as he joined Wade at the window.

‘What temple?’ Hannah followed Wade and Andrew’s line of vision to spy the opulent dwelling that stood in the gazebo’s stead. ‘Oh … that temple.’

Wade looked to the old man as he carted young Ernest into the tower. Arthur McCloud sat waiting by the tower door. ‘Finally, he’s taking us there.’ Wade grabbed Hannah’s hand and started off again.

Hugh and Louisa, having just arrived on the scene, briefly gaped out the window at the magnificent temple before catching up with Wade and Hannah.

‘Wade, I notice a similarity between this temple and your gazebo.’ Hugh waved him back to the
window to take a look, and although the delay frustrated Wade, he backed up to see for himself.

His need to get moving blinded Wade for a moment, but then he saw the common feature to which Hugh referred. Out of the temple roof rose the same large metal spike that currently extended from the roof of the gazebo.

‘That looks rather like an antenna of some description,’ observed Hugh.

‘You think he’s trying to pick up cable?’ Wade commented in jest, moving off after the cat that had by now wandered into the tower. ‘Come on, Andy,’ he called back to his young friend who was dragging the chain.

Wade preceded Hugh, Hannah and Louisa down the stairs, to find the tower door, which granted access to the open walkway, was open. Arthur disappeared into the darkened shadows of the arched walkway outside as a hysterical woman, wailing like a banshee, ran into their midst.

‘Rosia?’ Wade grabbed hold of the maid.

‘My Lord?’ She gulped, looking back to the dining room where she’d just left him. The maid went into another brief screaming fit, before she finally fainted.

‘Damn it!’ Wade lowered her carefully to the
ground, realizing that if Rosia was here, the temple was gone.

‘It’s vanished!’ Louisa confirmed his thought. ‘Only the gazebo remains.’

‘Speaking of missing —’ Hugh turned a few circles, then moved to peer back up the stairwell, ‘where is Andrew?’

Andrew was distracted from his pursuit of the Baron by the silhouette of a man and woman who were occupying one of the moonlit, bay-window seats in the long gallery. For it looked as if the woman was being held there against her will. ‘Are you all right, my lady?’ he queried.

‘This one is no lady,’ the rather overweight, middle-aged man spat back in response. ‘You would do well to mind your own business, boy.’ With a hand clasped over the mouth of the whimpering girl, the gent was more than a little the worse for liquor.

‘I was addressing your lady friend,’ Andrew ventured, unaffected by the middle-aged drunkard’s threat.

‘Stay,’ the man ordered the maid, releasing her as he stood to confront Andrew. ‘This is no way to treat your host, lad. Someone should teach you some manners.’

Andrew laughed at this, considering the fellow’s state. ‘Well, I have nothing planned, if you think you are up to it.’ Andrew coaxed him away from the distressed female, who was now openly sobbing.

‘Up to it, I am,’ the man vowed. He turned, enraged, and retrieved a sleek sword from its place of display on the wall.

‘Oops!’ Andrew jumped back to avoid the sharp tip of the extended blade as it sliced through the air only inches away from his gut.

‘Lost your sense of humour, son?’ The man took another swing at his defenseless opponent and fell short of his aim yet again.

Andrew spotted a large silver tray on the coffee table and quickly retrieved it to use as a shield. He edged his way towards the matching sword still mounted on the wall, fending off his attacker’s blows as he went. But as Andrew reached for the weapon, the drunkard quickly deterred him with a slice to the forearm. ‘Shit!’ Andrew withdrew, searching the dim room for an alternative form of defence.

‘Would you like to apologize, before I run you through,’ the man offered, gloating over the fact that he’d drawn blood.

At a loss for a witty retort, Andrew was startled by the sound of breaking china. His assailant
dropped to the floor like a stone. The maiden stood over her unconscious Lord, obviously horrified by what she’d done.

‘He shall have my hide for this … that vase is worth more than I shall earn in my lifetime.’

‘He’ll have to find you first.’ Andrew tossed the tray aside and, gripping his wound with one hand, held out the other to the petrified young woman.

Her first reaction was to take her saviour’s hand, but with a second thought she hesitated. ‘I thank you, Sir. But there is no point in risking yourself further. Lord Ashby shall only hunt me down.’

‘Not where I can take you,’ Andrew assured.

She shook her head and was seated. ‘Make no mistake, he will find me, no matter where I go in the whole of the known world.’

Andrew could understand her reserve and even though he was fairly sure he shouldn’t even be suggesting she accompany him, the young woman’s despair urged him on. ‘What is your name?’ He decided to try another tack.

She drew deep a breath to contain her dismay. ‘Grace, my Lord.’

‘Do you have family in this house, Grace, or anyone the Baron might punish in your stead?’ When Grace shook her head, Andrew closed the
distance between them a little. ‘Then consider this … if you are right, all you’re risking is the chance to have a bit of an adventure before the Baron turns his wrath upon you. And if I am right, which I am sure I am, you shall never have to give this aging bastard another thought.’