Shadow of the Son, page 36
“That sounds wonderfully hopeful—is it?”
“It is more than hopeful. It’s terrific!”
I recalled the cigars in my pocket and pulled them out.
“Stan, have a Cuban cigar, and I wouldn’t refuse a drop of Hamish’s stash to commemorate the moment. We have much to celebrate, even if we’re a bit premature. We can always drink another round when the weekend has officially ended.”
“I was about to suggest that myself, given how I feel, but with a fine Cuban cigar to accompany it, the moment is better than perfect. Allow me.”
Two glasses of the truly good stuff were in each of our hands as Stanley raised his glass.
“To Hamish, to freedom, to enchantments, and to her ladyship, who made it all possible.”
“To Hamish, to freedom, to enchantments, and to her ladyship, who made it all possible,” I repeated.
We smoked and relished the brew. The combination was a small but no less extraordinary piece of heaven, as beautiful as a sunset and as profound as the very finest that human excellence could create.
When we had finished, I said, “That was momentous. Thank you, Stan.”
“My pleasure. That brew really is sensational—and with the cigar … beyond description. But back to our discussion: I have a question. Do you think your father believed in the occult before he died?”
I considered his question.
“My father thought the occult a complete hoax at the beginning, at least according to the baroness. At the time he placed that abbreviated Book of the Dead into Alice’s hands, I’m not so sure. He would have had to believe that removing certain sections would be damaging, or else why do such a thing at all?”
Stanley said, “We can’t know why he did what he did. Perhaps he did it because he could. I’m sure he was a believer in the end. He lived in fear of what he’d done. I sensed that when he arrived. I also thought that it must have taken great courage to come here. Either that, or an extraordinary arrogance.”
“Or desperation. Johnny commented that fear was where my father lived. Perhaps my father knew he hadn’t heard the last of Alice and wished to dissuade her from what she had in mind. Maybe he realized that what he had done to her was reprehensible and wished to atone for it? Whatever it was it was, it galvanized him sufficiently to overcome any resistance to coming here.”
“That may be, but a reconciliation, let alone absolution, wasn’t going to happen with her. In the end, her ladyship ran out of time, and I suppose he did, too.”
“I agree. Perhaps that happens to us all. Our endings catch us unprepared. I will speak with Dagmar in the morning. I’m quite sure Bruni and I will be staying on for a few more days. Dagmar wants to apprentice her when we are here.”
“Dagmar mentioned that. They are an odd but most compatible mix. You and I have our friendship. Why shouldn’t they have theirs? By the way, how did you resolve the matters between Bruni and yourself?”
“She told me about her past. The deaths of the nannies were not accidental—and with good reason, in my opinion. She’d told no one until now. Talking about what really happened seems to have released her, and me, too. Between the vision I had on that rock and her ministrations after, any doubts I had evaporated. Hers, too. We’re joined, and that’s a fact.”
“I’m very glad to hear that. I should mention that Dagmar said that she had some thoughts about your visions. I will let her tell you. She thinks you might have a great gift, but that you will need a guide.”
“A guide?”
“It’s what she said, but what happened to you exactly? We didn’t have the time for you to elaborate.”
I told Stanley all that I experienced on the rock, including Bruni’s story, and when I finished, he sipped his drink and thought about what I’d told him.
“Thank you for that, and excellent that you and Bruni managed to work out the issues between you. I am heartily glad. I should also reaffirm to you that whatever is said in this room remains here. Your fiancée has an inner hardness not unlike Dagmar’s, or her ladyship’s for that matter. In the meanwhile, the house has changed. You’ve changed.”
“I have. The house and I are getting used to each other, and no small thanks to you. It feels like home now. I’ve also found a friend where I least expected.”
“It’s true. So much for knowing the future. I never saw it coming either. Now, one last puff and the tiniest of sips—I can’t help it—and then we’ll see how the world is dancing. What do you say, Percy?”
“Stan, that sounds terrific.”
88
I awoke to an insistent knock on the door.
“Yes? Who is it?” I called out.
A voice answered, “Good Morning. It’s eight o’clock. Breakfast is in an hour, and there is coffee outside the door.”
“Thank you!”
Bruni stirred from under the covers and murmured, “Is that our coffee?”
“It is. I’ll get it.”
I got up, pulled the drapes, and opened our bedroom door. Sure enough, to the side was a tray with two mugs and a thermos. I picked it up and placed the tray on the table by the window.
Bruni sat up. “Tell me this isn’t a much better way to wake up. Can you pour me some?”
“Of course, and yes, this is definitely a better arrangement. By the way, you looked beautiful last night. The party was wildly successful.”
I handed her a mug. She sipped. “It was, but on a more somber note, will we have to do anything about your father’s body?”
“I don’t think so. Stanley said that all the necessary arrangements had been made. He will be shipped back to England. I don’t know what’s involved, but I’m quite sure that between Malcolm, Angus, and Stanley, they will have it figured out.”
“I suppose we’ll have to fly to London for the funeral.”
“Yes, I think we’ll have to. We should also set a date for our wedding.”
“We must. After the funeral, we might want to visit the castle. Papa will be thrilled to show it off.”
“I’m sure he’ll want to. Let’s start with some breakfast. Once I eat something, we can work out whatever we need to do, but only after.”
“That would be perfect, and by the way, there’s a meeting in the library between Papa and Mama, Bonnie, your mother, and Angus. I’ll be there as well.”
“The shares?”
“Yes.”
“I hope the matter settles to everyone’s satisfaction.”
“It should, thanks to your mother and Bonnie. Poor Angus never knew what hit him.”
“I’m not so sure of that. Likely it’s going exactly the way he wants. My assessment of Dr. Angus Maxwell-Hughes has taken a serious upturn recently. I wouldn’t underestimate him. Besides, he and Bonnie seem to be getting along. I’m sure you noticed.”
“Yes, and I wasn’t the only one. They do seem rather suited, and that’s fine by me.”
“I see. Well, let’s get up and get going. Race you to the shower?”
Bruni, closest to the bathroom, won the race easily. While she showered, I looked in the closet for something to wear and thought about the end of the party after Stanley and I had spoken.
By the time I had rejoined my guests, the volume had been turned down and ballroom dancing had replaced the more modern arrangements. Bruni grabbed me, and we foxtrotted, waltzed, and on occasion merely swayed back and forth in time to the music. As our guests faded and made their way to bed, Bruni and I thanked each of them for the pleasure of their company, until only we remained. We took one more leisurely spin around the floor before heading off to our apartment. We had slept in each other’s arms, and I had felt at peace.
Still feeling that calm, Bruni and I made our way to breakfast. As we passed into the drawing room, I noticed that the house seemed more at ease, the tensions less evident, and the darker undercurrents possibly more quiescent. Breakfast was also quiet, although Johnny, sitting beside me, looked a little worried.
He whispered, “Father wants to see me. You didn’t happen to mention anything about that tab at 21, did you?”
“Frankly, I’d forgotten all about it, but now that you brought it up …”
Johnny looked aghast.
“I never said a word,” I whispered, “but I’m glad I can still rattle you on occasion. I think your father has a proposal for you.”
“Really? You never told me about this.”
“You were recovering from your excesses with Hugo. It would have added to your troubles.”
“Troubles?”
“Troubles.”
“What troubles?”
I had him at last, but I was mid-breakfast. I simply said, “Quite the opposite, so settle down.”
“Well, I do feel a bit better now that you put it that way, and thank you for not taking advantage of me. You could have wound me up with no effort at all.”
“I could have, and likely I’ll regret that I didn’t. Have a talk with him. A walk would be best. The library will be in use by almost everyone else as the disposition of the shares gets sorted out.”
“You won’t be presiding?”
“Thankfully, no. I’m going to speak with Dagmar.”
“Interesting choice. I would keep an eye on that meeting. If all goes well, you will need to be available to lift that check from Hugo. He’ll be in a good mood, and timing is everything in such matters.”
“I’ll keep an eye out. See you at lunch, and … good luck.”
“Good luck? Do you think I’ll need it?”
I rose, nodded to everyone, blew Bruni a kiss, and made for the kitchen. Johnny looked suitably troubled.
89
Dagmar was sitting at her table.
I asked her, “Is now a good time?”
“It is. I’m brewing some tea. It will be done shortly. Please sit.”
“Thank you, Dagmar. Firstly, I want to express my gratitude. Without your help with the letter and your culinary skills, I’m not sure what would have happened this weekend. The only thing I’m certain of is that it wouldn’t have turned out as well as it did.”
“You are pleased, then?”
“Very much so. Are you?”
Dagmar nodded. “I am. Justice was served, and that is rare from what I’ve seen. It certainly took its time. Her ladyship had her say, and before twelve witnesses. Your father wronged her most severely. I apologize if that’s not complimentary; I haven’t asked you how you feel about him. Conflicted, is what I would imagine. Am I right?”
“Yes. I really didn’t like him, although there were moments here and there when I must admit I did. My dislikes turned to likes and then back again.”
“I’m sure he felt as topsy-turvy about you. No one is wholly bad, and of course, the opposite is true. Our intentions and what follows are often contrary, and that creates difficulties for us all. We mean well, yet the result is a stunning disaster. We act out of spite and the most wonderful thing happens. Time is what’s required to gain the necessary perspective, and even then, more time may be needed. Now, I’m quite sure it’s not your father that we should be discussing.”
“Stanley mentioned that you said I needed a guide.”
“Perhaps you do. I suspected that even before Stanley told me about your other experience. The tea is ready. Let us drink, and then I will speak.”
Dagmar laid the service and prepared the tea. I sipped. It was soothing and most pleasant. After a time, she said, “There are stories of certain individuals who can travel places in their minds. Some have said they visited worlds different from this one. It is now in vogue to study ancient indigenous peoples and their beliefs. As a result, there are many recorded accounts, mostly from peoples of the North. Whether the stories they told were real, or simply exaggerated lies, we don’t know. All we do know is what was written down by those who went in search of them.
“The majority of these reports form the source materials for shamanic studies, a field of great interest to her ladyship and myself. My interest was from the pharmacological side, rather than the mystical. You will find numerous texts on all aspects of the subject in the library, and voluminous notes written by both of us on related topics. Should this field be of interest, I think you will need a guide—not some hippie with long hair, and wampum beads, spouting new-age nonsense. I mean the real thing. Such people are extremely rare, but you will know them when you see them, and I wouldn’t doubt that they will know you.”
Dagmar looked at me critically.
“Perhaps you wanted me to say more about the details of what you saw and interpret them for you. I can’t. I know a great deal, but only along specific lines of research. I do not have your gift. You require someone who has the gift to teach you. For now, you must study what is available to you. Based on our rules for doing homework that we established years ago, we can talk more on this after you’ve put in some serious effort. Some of the answers are in that material. The others you must find elsewhere—that is if you wish to go further in that direction.
“On another matter, I will be teaching your fiancée some things in the kitchen. You should encourage her on this. Her mind goes a mile a minute. She must learn to use her hands to quiet it. The child might help, but I doubt it. What I will teach her will not solve her issues, but like you, it will give her the time to work out what she must. Stanley will direct you as to how to use the library. It’s an extraordinary resource. Now, is there anything else?”
“Yes, you knew all this time what was in store for my father. How was that for you?”
“Difficult, but not too difficult. Keeping it from Stan was the hardest. Her ladyship gave your father plenty of room to avoid his fate. She didn’t lure him, rather it was he who ran toward it. In the end, he did it to himself. Perhaps we all do that, believing that we don’t. Do you have further questions?”
“I don’t believe so, other than that I wish to give you my gracious and heartfelt thanks once again. Your meals were sensational.”
I stood to hug her, and she rose as well.
“Well … I do appreciate your thanks. You are most considerate. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have missed it, not for all the tea in China, and I imagine most of your guests feel the same. I’m glad it’s over. Now, there is still a lunch to prepare, and I must get to work.”
90
I ran into Malcolm coming down the stairs.
“Care for a walk?” I asked.
“By all means. Thank you for asking.”
The morning was bright and sunny. We walked up the drive. Malcolm towered over me. Like most tall men walking next to those who are shorter, he slowed his pace to match my own.
“Have the necessary arrangements been made?” I asked him.
“Yes, for the most part. I will take the QE2 to Southampton and accompany your father’s body to his supposed resting place. He may not rest at all. Who knows? Last night scrambled that for me. Once there, I’ll make further arrangements. Will you come to the funeral?”
“I should, so yes.”
“That would be appropriate. I’ll telegram the details. While you’re in England, I would like to invite you both to my country house.”
“We’d like that. I understand you have an Aston Martin. I’d love to see it.”
“I’ll even let you drive it. It’s the smell of the leather that does it for me. That and the sound it makes. There’s nothing like it. Alice and your father visited there years ago on their honeymoon. It’s where the accident happened. Had it not, I wonder how everything would have turned out. It changed him, you know.”
“You mean there’s hope for me yet, provided I don’t fall on my head.”
Malcolm laughed. It was deep and rich. I hadn’t heard him really laugh before.
Malcolm continued. “Provided you don’t. He really was quite different then. My father was still alive, so I was in the background, but Bromley and I spoke on several occasions. I always thought him considerate and kind. He never failed to say hello to me and was ever so polite. Alice, of course, was Alice. I fell in love with her the very moment I saw her. It wasn’t unusual. The people she spoke to, and she met many, either loved or hated her. She never seemed to mind what they thought of her, although I thought that deep down, she did. We all need reassurance, and I doubt she was any different. She hid it better than most.”
We walked, content to be a part of the morning.
“It was your father’s former kindnesses that convinced me to work with him years later. I really didn’t need to. After my father passed, there was sufficient money for me to while away my days in the Bahamas playing golf during the winter months and returning home in the late spring.
“Bromley was not the same after the accident, although I saw glimpses of his former self on many occasions. The change was in the volatility of his temperament. He grew less tolerant. The accident did that. I suppose what I am trying to say to you is that his darkness is not your darkness. Don’t make it yours. You have Brunhilde, and she is truly marvelous. Make that last. I never married. Instead, I only gazed at the one I loved from afar. There have been ladies in my life, don’t get me wrong, but I was always too … big, too tall. I could barely fit in a bed. So here I am. I even have a nickname. I’m called the Tall Man.”
“I am aware of that. Forgive me for asking, Malcolm, but are you feeling slightly adrift?”
“No need to apologize. Yours is a most perceptive question, but then the people here are all like that. They see things, and not only visions. Most have a keen sense of discernment. They can tell at a glance who you are, and what you might be capable of. Everyone is a threat of sorts, and when you move among the finest of minds, is it any wonder? Theirs is survival by mutual interest and with vast resources available to them, they feel more secure among themselves. Still, they are always wary of each other. I’m not like them. I never fitted in, not really. I’ve always been adrift.”
