100-
and a small, brown-haired man in the corner jumped ner-
vously and then relaxed Kim took a seat beside the door,
where she could get a good look at everyone who might
come in and still watch the rest of the big, square room
Once she was seated, she discovered that her view of the
yard outside was limited to a slantwise glimpse of a corner,
but she dismissed that limitation with a mental shrug Noth-
ing was perfect, and her job was to watch and listen to the
coves inside, not the goings-on outdoors
A large, grey-haired woman who was presumably the inn-
keeper's wife appeared a few moments later, carrying a tray of
mugs She replaced the farmers' drinks without comment,
then looked over at the nervous man in the corner He shook
his head, then nodded and beckoned "Make up your mind,
Mr Fenton," the woman said as she set a mug in front of
him "I haven't the time to be mucking about back and forth
to the kitchen twelve times an hour, not for the likes of you."
"My moneys as good as anyone's," the small man said
"And if you 'forget' to let me know when my associate
arrives, I'll see you regret it "
"Keep your hair on," the woman advised "Nobody's come
asking for you, not even Mr Frederick. And what he's think-
ing of, letting you off your work like this—"
The small man flushed "I have my half-day free, the same
as anyone "
"Only more often," the woman shot back, and the two
farmers chuckled audibly "I'm surprised he doesn't turn you
off, but there, he's always been the sort to put up with more
than he ought "
"Mr Meredith is kind enough to give me an extra holiday
occasionally," the small man said, and Kim thought he
sounded even more nervous than before
"Yes, because you ask him straight out' You're abusing Mr
Frederick's trust, you are, and you ought to be ashamed "
101
"That's 'Mr Meredith,' to you," the small man said with an
attempt at a haughty sneer
"Hoi 'Mr Meredith,' to me that's known him since he was a
tad? Next thing you'll be telling me what to call my husband'
Drink up and hold your peace. Mister Fenton, or we'll see,
that's all "
With this obscure threat, the woman picked up her tray
and sailed back toward the door She stopped long enough to
give Kim a mug of warm, dark ale and collect the shilling,
but Fenton did not take the opportunity to renew hostilities
He seemed content to glower over the top of his mug, alter-
nating between dark looks at the grey-haired woman and
equally dark but more apprehensive glances m the direction
of the window overlooking the yard
The innkeepers wife left, and the farmers continued to sit
in companionable silence For lack of anything better to do,
Kim studied Fenton while she sipped her ale and waited for
someone else to come in and start another conversation for
her to listen to He was brown-haired and thin-faced, and he
had an indefinable air about him that marked him as London-
bred From the conversation she had overheard, Kim guessed
that he was in service with Mr Meredith A footman, per-
haps, he was too well dressed to be a groom or stable hand,
and not well enough turned out for a butler or valet
Kim had Just reached this conclusion when the serving
room door flew open to reveal a dark-haired young man in
fashionable nding clothes He surveyed the room with an an"
of brooding intensity, then strode to the corner table and
flung his gloves down in front of Fenton "You sent me a
message," the young man said
Kim choked and slopped ale over the side of her mug She
recognized the young man's voice instantly, it was Jon, the
most zealous of the druids she and Mairelon had observed the
previous evening
102
"I don't know that I would put it that way, Mr Aberford,"
Fenton said, giving a significant glance in the direction of the
farmers "Merely, there are some things I think you ought to
know "
"If your intention is to sell me the information that your
master doesn't have the object he was commissioned to bring
me, your luck is out," Jon said with gloomy relish "I already
know "
Fenton's shoulders hunched together as if he were bracing
himself for a blow "How did you find out—"
"He told me himself, last night Blithering idioti What pos-
sessed him to play whist with Henry Brammgham, of all peo-
ple^"
"Ah, I believe there was a wager involved," Fenton said
His shoulders relaxed, but he did not look at all happy
"Well, he certainty didn't give Henry the Dishi" Jon
snapped
"Of course not, Mr Aberford I, ah, thought you ought to
know, that's all So if—" Fenton broke off in mid-sentence,
looking out the window He jumped to his feet, his face a
pasty white color, and bolted for the door Jon sat staring
after him in simple astonishment, taken too much by surprise
to remember any of his brooding airs
Fenton reached the doorjust as it opened to admit an enor-
mous man in ill-fitting new clothes "'Ere, nowl Watch what
you're about'" the man said in a deep, slow voice as Fenton
skidded to a stop in front of him
"Sorryi" Fenton gasped, then dodged under the big man's
arm and vanished
"'E's in a bit of a rush, ain't 'e~>" the big man commented to
the room at large
Kim rose quietly as the newcomer lumbered into the room
and slipped out the still-open door of the serving room
There was no sign of Fenton in the hall, so she took a quick
103
look out the front door to see if she could tell what had
driven him to make such a dramatic exit
The yard was full of activity A landau had pulled up in
front of the inn, its top open despite the cool weather A
handsome and vaguely familiar young man sat with his back
to the coachman, facing him were an extremely elegant
woman in her early forties and a stunningly beautiful blonde
girl of perhaps seventeen A second young man, whom Kim
recognized at once as the bland and somewhat foolish Freddy
Meredith from the druids' meeting, had pulled a targe, placid
bay horse to a halt at the edge of the innyard He was sitting
in the saddle as if stunned, gazing in admiration at the
blonde Standing next to him (or rather, next to his horse)
was a shabby, sour-looking man, and Kim found herself first
blinking, then squinting in surprise, and then sternly sup-
pressing a strong impulse to take to her heels as rapidly and
unceremoniously as Fenton had done
Jack Slower' What was Jack Stower dwng in Ranton Hill?
Fortunately, his attention was fixed on the rider, and Kim had
time to pull her head back into the inn She shut the door far
enough to hide her face and forced her frozen wits into mo-
tion Dan Laverham couldnt have sent Jack after her, she
hadn't known herself w
here she was going when she left
London Jack was on some other errand, then, and all she
had to do was keep out of his way so that word of her pres-
ence in Ranton Hill wouldn't get back to Laverham To do
that though, she needed to know what Jack was up to, so
that she could avoid him Hoping that no one would come
into the hall to find her in so odd looking a position, Kim
opened the door a crack and peered out, listening with all her
might
"He's your man," Stower was insisting to Freddy Meredith
Freddy did not appear to hear "Brammghami" he called
104
with every appearance of delight "Didn't expect to find you
here "
The young man in the carnage twisted to look over his
shoulder "Freddy^ Good Lord' I mean, what are you doing
out at this hour?"
"Things," the nder said with a vague wave He clucked to
his horse, which ignored him A faint frown creased his fore-
head, and he made a tentative movement with his heels The
bay bent its neck to eye its nder, then ambled over to the
carnage, leaving Jack Stower standing with his fists clenched
and a black expression on his face
"Henry'" the elegant woman said in a peremptory voice as
Freddy was performing this maneuver "If you must stop to
speak with your friend, at least send someone in to inquire
about Jasper At this rate, we shall never get to Swafflton "
"Yes, of course, Lady Cranleigh " Henry nodded to the
footman, who Jumped from his perch at the rear of the landau
and came over "See if Mr Marston is in, and have a note
sent up to tell him we are here "
"Be better to go inside," Freddy advised from his perch on
the horse "Private parlor for the ladies Much nicer than sit-
ting out in the weather "
Kim missed Henry's reply, for she had to nip sideways and
flatten herself against the wall to avoid the footman's en-
trance He clumped past her without noticing, glanced
around, then rang loudly for the innkeeper Kim slipped back
to the door and saw that Jack Stower had vanished She
heard the innkeeper's footsteps at the rear of the hall and
made a quick decision Better to have room to move than to
be nabbed by Stower or the footman in the hallway She slid
out the door like a greased eel
"Very well," the elegant woman was saying in a disapprov-
105
ing tone "But I will have the proprieties observed Present
your friend to us, Henry "
"My pleasure, Lady Granteigh," Henry said in a harassed
tone "Lady Granleigh, Miss Thornley, this is Mr Frederick
Meredith Freddy, Lady Granleigh, and her ward, Miss Mar-
ianne Thornley They're down for one of Mother's house par-
ties "
"A pleasure," Freddy said, bowing
"Meredith," Lady Granleigh said pensively "Are you by
chance related to Lord Cecil Meredith?"
"M'uncle," Freddy answered "Stood godfather to me, or so
they tell me I don't remember it, myself "
"Indeed" Lady Granleigh's manner thawed noticeably.
"Lord Cecil is a dear fnend of my husband's."
"What brings you ladies out in all this muck?" Freddy asked
offhandedly, though his eyes had returned to the lovely
blonde girl
"Since it is not raining. Lady Cranleigh and 1 thought we
would drive to Swafflton to look at ribbons," the blonde girl
replied in a low, musical voice "Mr Bramingham was kind
enough to accompany us "
"This ain't one of the stops on the road to SwafHton,"
Freddy said in a knowledgeable tone "Sure Bramingham gave
the coachman the right direction?"
"Freddy!" Henry said "Don't be ridiculous "
"We are here to meet my brother," Lady Granleigh said in
an icy voice
"Oh, that's all right, then," Freddy said "Didn't know you
had one "
Miss Thornley giggled Her guardian gave her a quelling
look. "Really, Mr Meredith—"
The door of the inn flew open "Meredithi I knew it was
you," Jon Aberford said in threatening tones
106
"Hullo, Jon," Freddy said mildly "Bit of a surprise, meeting
you here I must say, I didn't expect it"
"I should think not> How do you dare show your face in
public?"
"Because I ain't a Turk," Freddy replied in reasonable tones
"Why should I care who sees it? Perfectly good face, besides,
it's the only one I've got"
"Don't play the fool'" Jon said "Henry, do you know what
this this blithering idiot has done?"
"No, and I don't much care to," Henry answered frankly
"It's nothing to do with me "
"Henry, you will do me the favor of not presenting me to
your unpleasant and most unmannerly acquaintance," Lady
Granleigh put in "I must have the lowest opinion of anyone
who would enact a scene in so public an arena "
"Ah, but it does'" Jon said, ignoring Lady Granleigh's inter-
jection He gestured at Freddy "This traitor lost the Sacred
Dish to you at play Will you return it?"
"Here, now'" Freddy said "Got no reason to go calling
names' Everything was quite in order; told you so last night "
"Sacred dish?" Henry said, bewildered "What are you on
about now, Jonathan? You don't mean that big silver platter,
do you?"
"Platter^" Lady Granleigh said with unexpected interest
"What have you done with it?" Jonathan demanded
"If you are talking about the platter, 1 haven't done anything
with it yet," Henry snapped in evident exasperation "It's sit-
ting m a display case in the library, and it will stay in the
display case until Lord St Clair arrives tomorrow At which
point I am going to present it to him for his collection "
"What, your uncle's coming?" Freddy said to Henry "You
didn't tell me "
"Why should I?" Henry retorted "It's nothing to you "
107
"No reason to keep it a secret, is there?" Freddy answered
"And it's bound to be of interest Why, m'mother will want to
call if Lord St Clair is staying with you "
"Be quiet, Freddyi" Jonathan said "Henry, be reasonable
You can't just give away the Sacred Dishi"
"Don't see why not," Freddy said, giving the matter due
consideration "He isn't one of the Sons, the thing don't mean
anything to him Unless St Clair don't arrive Hard to give
something to someone who ain't there "
"Come by Brammgham Place tomorrow at three and watch
me," Henry invited Jonathan cordially
"You don't know what you are doing," Jon said, suddenly
calm
"I know enough "
"Quite," said Freddy He had one eye fixed on Miss Thorn-
ley, who was beginning to look distressed "Here, Jon, be a
good fellow and come away, you're upsetting the ladies "
"You haven't heard the last of this," Jon said With a part-
ing glower he turned and reentered the inn
"If that isn't just like Joni" Freddy said
"I trust we have seen the last of him," Lady Cranleigh said
"Henry, are you quite certain that man
of yours isn't carous-
ing inside instead of delivering your message^ Jasper ought to
have come out by now "
Henry pressed his lips together "I'll go and see, if you like,
Lady Granleigh "
"If you do that, we'll lose you, too," Lady Granleigh said
"Send that boy over there, he may as well be useful "
"Hi' You there'" Henry beckoned to Kim "Pop inside and
see what's holding up Mr Marston, there's half a guinea in it
for you "
"A shilling," Lady Granleigh said sharply "No more than a
shilling, and not until you come back Really, Henry, you
ought to know better "
108
K.im muttered something that would pass for "Yes, mum,"
and touched her hand to her cap The respectful gesture
might please the bracket-faced old cat, and it would screen
Kirn's face from unwanted notice Reluctantly she turned and
started for the inn
Before she reached it, the door swung open and the foot-
man emerged, followed by a tall man in a driving cape Kim
stepped aside without thinking, and froze as she got a good
look at his face It was the skinny toff from the Dog and Bull
who had hired her to crack Maireion's cnb Had all of
London followed her to Ranton Hill"?
"Amelia'" the toff said "What d'you mean by arriving at
dawn like this? I'd barely got my breakfast finished'"
Mairelon the Magician Page 12
