Mairelon the Magician

by Patricia C. Wrede

  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'"