Mairelon the Magician

by Patricia C. Wrede

  usual Kirn was sorry she had missed seeing their encounter

  Robert Choiniet and Mairelon s brother, Andrew, were stand-

  ing over Dan Laverham, who looked and smelted somewhat

  singed but seemed otherwise unhurt Renee D'Auber stood

  next to the door, her face composed, her eyes bright and

  alert; on the opposite side of the room, Lord St Clair

  watched the others with a cold, speculative expression

  "'Ere, now," Stuggs said to Jack, who was struggling in

  vain. "None o' that "

  "Get your hands off me!" Dan said to Robert and Andrew

  They had considerately helped him to his feet and then ne-

  glected to let go of his arms

  "And give you a chance to grab one of those pistols again,

  or start some more magic?" Robert said "Not likely "

  "Someone should find those guns and get them out of the

  way," Andrew added

  "Did you say something about brandy a bit ago, Jon?"

  Freddy asked "Like to get some for Marianne "

  "Get me out of this first." Jonathan said crossly, holding

  out his hands and the tangle he had made of Kirn's knots

  Mairelon was studying Kirn with an abstracted air, as if she

  were wearing her coat inside out and he couldn't puzzle out

  why she should do such a thing "Now what?" Kim asked him

  in a low voice "We ain't much better off than when we

  started."

  "Aren't," Mairelon said without thinking He blinked

  "Aren't we?"

  "Well, Dan don't—doesn't have his guns any more," Kim

  236

  admitted. "That's something But we still haven't found that

  platter The real one, I mean And we ain't—aren't going to

  with this lot of Bedlamites muddling everything up proper"

  "Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me," Mairelon said. He

  glanced around, then took two steps sideways and reached

  under a chair He straightened and held up the vine-covered

  silver sphere that Dan had used to focus the spell he had cast

  on Kim "You don't happen to see the other one, do you?"

  "It's next to Mr. Aberford's foot," St Clair said Maireton

  gave him a sharp, suspicious look, then retrieved the second

  sphere without comment "I do hope you aren't planning to

  repeat Daniel's lunacy, Mernll," Lord St Clair went on "Not

  only was it an uncomfortable and dangerous bit of sorcery, it

  was pointless as well I doubt that you could do any better "

  Mairelon raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly "You think

  not?"

  "Richard, don't be a fooli" Andrew said

  "It matters not at all," Renee announced "For that annoying

  person with the pistols was not so altogether unsuccessful as

  you think. Look'" She pointed toward the fireplace

  Kim blinked, not understanding, then she saw the silver

  shimmer on the hearthstone Mairelon immediately lost all

  interest in St Clair "Well, well' Andrew—no, you'd better

  keep hold of Laverham Aberford and Marston, then, come

  and lend a hand "

  It was not quite as easy as that, Jonathan had first to be

  extracted from the rest of the cords on his wnsts, and Jasper

  only stood and glowered until Lady Cranteigh poked him and

  pointed eloquently It took the three of them longer than

  Kim expected to find the notches in the edge of the stone and

  pry it out

  Mairelon reached down into the gaping hole and lifted out

  a familiar-shaped bundle Kim held her breath as he pulled

  237

  the canvas wrapping away and took hold of the silver han-

  dles.

  "The Sacred Dishi" Jonathan breathed.

  "Is it another fake?" Kirn demanded, unable to bear the sus-

  pense.

  "No," Mairelon said He looked up with a broad smile.

  This is the real Saltash Platter "

  238

  ^w-^ '"T* here was a long silence while everyone

  JJ^^^ 1 stared at the heavy silver tray. Then Lady

  f ' Granleigh swept forward.

  "I believe that belongs to my dear friend, Mr. Charles Bra-

  mingham," she said. "It should be returned to him at once."

  "By you?" Mairelon's tone was polite; too polite.

  Lady Cranleigh lifted her chin. "Certainly," she replied

  without blushing

  "No!" Jonathan Aberford leaped to his feet and planted

  himself between Mairelon and Lady Cranleigh. "The Sacred

  Dish belongs to the Sons of the New Dawn! It will not leave

  this house!"

  "No, no, really, Jon," Freddy protested. "1 lost it to Henry

  at play; told you that ages ago- So it doesn't belong to the

  Sons Doesn't belong to this Charles person, either, if it

  comes to that. It's Henry's."

  '"Ere," said Stuggs, "somebody give me a 'and with this

  cove afore 'e breaks 'is arm accidental-like."

  Kim grinned malevolently at Jack and crossed the room to

  retrieve the cord that had been used to tie Mairelon and

  239

  Jonathan She tossed it to Stuggs, who snatched it out of the

  air and had his grip back on Jack's arms before Jack realized

  he had missed a chance to get free Kirn grinned again to

  hide her unease and kicked a broken chair rung out of her

  way Between the chair Freddy had smashed, the window

  Dan had broken, and the table Kim herself had overturned,

  walking across the room was becoming decidedly hazardous

  Kim retreated to the back wall, where she could see everyone

  without getting in the way

  Lord St Clair looked up from the platter at last and turned

  a coot, thoughtful gaze on Renee d'Auber "So you were

  lying," he said

  "But of course," the Frenchwoman replied with a Gallic

  shrug "I did not at all like that person with the pistols, whom

  I hope Monsieur Andrew is holding very hard Why should I

  not lie to him?"

  Dan lunged, almost breaking free of Andrew's hold "Sal-

  awlei"

  "What?" said Freddy Lady Cranleigh stiffened in outrage,

  from which Kim deduced that whatever Dan had said was

  disrespectful, if not actually shocking Stuggs and Jack Slower

  wore identical expressions of bafflement, while Robert

  glanced warily at Renee. Andrew was plainly appalled, but

  Mairelon seemed to be holding back a smile St Clair was

  watching everyone with an expectant air, like a cat waiting

  for the right moment to pounce

  Renee D'Auber raised an eyebrow, looking faintly puzzled.

  "Pardon? Your accent is not at all good, monsieur If you wish

  for me to understand, you should speak the English."

  "1 think not," said St. Clair. "It might distress the ladies."

  "You!" Dan transferred his glare from Renee to the Baron

  "You won't get away with this!"

  "With what?" Lord St. Clair asked in a reasonable tone.

  "You're not getting that platter! You've had everything

  240

  etse—the money, the title, everything—)ust because you

  were born on the right side of the blanket, but you're not

  getting this "

  "That remains to be seen," St Clair said calmly

  "Does if" Mairelon said "By whom?"

  "The Sacred Dish is the property of the Sons of the New

  Dawn
," Jonathan repeated stubbornly No one paid him any

  more attention this time than they had the last

  "Richard," Andrew put in uneasily, "you're not going to

  keep that thing, are you? If you're found with it—"

  "—there are at least thirteen people here who can say that

  I didn't have the smallest idea where it was until Laverham

  there did his locating spell," Mairelon interrupted "I'm sure

  that at least one or two of them would be willing to say as

  much in court Don't be a fool, Andrew "

  "Ah, but you might have been acting," Lord St Clair said

  with a cold smite "I think Mr Mernll's point is well taken "

  "You would," Mairelon said

  "They don't like each other much, do they?" Freddy com-

  mented sagely to Robert

  "Freddy?" Marianne Thorntey was coming around again,

  and the sound of her beloved's voice had caught her atten-

  tion "Oh, Freddy, what has happened?"

  "You have behaved very badly," Lady Granleigh answered

  in a severe tone "We shall, however, discuss it later, in pri-

  vate Jasper' We have wasted enough time Bring the platter

  out to the carnage at once Come, Marianne "

  "You aren't taking Marianne anywhere," Freddy said, step-

  ping in front of the shrinking Marianne

  "Nor you the Sattash Platter," Mairelon said to Jasper

  "Amelia " Jasper said, waffling visibly

  "Really, Jasper' You're larger than he is," said Lady

  Granteigh over her shoulder "Just take it"

  "Allow me to get out of the way first," said Lord St Clair

  241

  Kirn frowned as St Clair moved farther away from the

  hearth where Mairelon, Jonathan, and Jasper stood. She

  could understand a gentry cove not wanting to get involved

  in a turn-up, but St. Clair hadn't been close enough to be

  inconvenienced by a fight. She watched as he crossed the

  room to Join Lady Granleigh, and saw him stumble as he

  passed a footstool Her frown deepened Had he scooped

  something from the floor? She couldn't be sure, he had turned

  away from her as he straightened

  The sound of a scuffle distracted her She turned in time to

  see Mairelon shove the handle end of the Sattash Platter into

  Jasper Marston's stomach Kim winced in sympathy as Jasper

  doubled over with a huff of exhaled breath Mairelon yanked

  the platter back, grabbed the free handle, and brought it

  down on the back of Jasper's head There was a satisfying

  clang, and Jasper collapsed without another sound

  "Very impressive," St. Clair said without enthusiasm Kim

  looked quickly back at him, but his hands were empty; if he

  had picked anything up, he had hidden it under his coat

  Mairelon turned and flourished the platter in an elegant

  stage bow "Would you care to be the next to try to take it?"

  "Richard!" Andrew said, sounding horrified "You can't go

  around assaulting peers of the realm!"

  "Oh, really, Andrew, he's only a Baron," Mairelon said irri-

  tably

  Renee D'Auber rolled her eyes "It is not how it must be

  done," she declared

  "And giving St Clair the Saltash Platter is?" Mairelon

  asked, his jaw tightening

  "I did not say such a thing at all," Renee said with dignity

  Lady Cranleigh turned, her attention momentarily diverted

  from Freddy and Marianne She raked Mairelon with a

  haughty look that had no apparent effect whatever, and

  sniffed loudly. "Lord St Clair seems an infinitely more proper

  242

  person to have charge of that object than you, Mr de Mare,

  or whatever your name is "

  "Just so," said St Clair "And after all, Mr Merrill is a

  wanted man I wonder what the Bow Street Runners would

  make of this little scenes"

  Mairelon's lips thinned Jack Slower lurched sideways,

  whimpering, in spite of William Stuggs's gnp on his arms and

  the cord Stuggs had knotted around his wrists, dragging the

  two of them several feet nearer the door Jonathan Aberford

  shifted uncomfortably and ran a hand through his hair as if in

  search of the stocking mask that had been taken from him in

  the carnage Lady Cranleigh turned a shade paler and raised

  her chin imperiously

  "Oh, no," Dan Laverham said softly He was staring at

  Lord St Clair with single-minded intensity, and Kim had

  never heard so much hatred in anyone's voice before- "Not

  this time, Gregory This time, if I lose, you lose, too "

  "You had better think what you are saying," St Clair re-

  plied, frowning "In any case, this is not a suitable place for

  that discussion."

  "I have thought," Dan said. "You lied to me before and

  tried to use me; 1 won't make the same mistake again. You

  call the Runners in, Gregory, and I'll tell them whose idea it

  was to nick that bloody platter, yes, and exactly how it was

  arranged, too Shall 1 tell this lot right now?"

  "Please do," Mairelon said

  "Don't be absurd, Daniel," Lord St Clair put in quickly

  "No one will take your word for anything "

  "St Clair?" Andrew said "You mean St Clair stole the Salt-

  ash Set? I don't believe it "

  There, you see?" said the Baron

  "Not so fast," Mairelon said "I want to hear him out "

  Robert nodded "Let him have his say "

  243

  "He's a gutter-bred criminal'" St Clair snapped "I give you

  my word as a peer of the realm—"

  Dan's high, half-hysterical laughter cut off whatever Lord

  St Clair had planned to say "Peer of the realm! The only

  reason you're the peer and I'm the gutter brat is that our blue-

  blooded rather was too high in the instep to marry a kitchen

  maid, though he wasn't above giving her a tumble "

  "Good Lord," breathed Mairelon, looking from Dan to St

  i Clair. "So that's it "

  "This discussion is highly improper," Lady Cranieigh an-

  nounced "Marianne, cover your ears 1 recommend that you

  do the same. Miss D'Auber, though I am well aware that

  French persons do not have any real delicacy of mind "

  Everyone, including Marianne, was too busy studying the

  two men to pay any attention to Lady Granleigh The re-

  semblance between them was marked Kim remembered how

  shaken she had been by her first glimpse of Lord St Clair,

  when she had thought for a moment that he was Dan Lav-

  erham, and cursed herself mentally for not guessing the truth

  before But who would have pegged Dan for gentry blood,

  i even on the wrong side of the blanket?

  St Ctair looked a trifle pale, but seemed otherwise un-

  moved by the intense scrutiny "This does not change matters

  at all," he said. "Your wild accusations are clearly the delu-

  sions of a mind deranged by jealousy I am very sorry you

  have been subjected to this, Lady Cranteigh, but I venture to

  hope that you will not hold my father's indiscretion against

  me

  Dan laughed again, bitterly "Still wanting to have your

  cake and eat it, too, Gregory? You were pleased enough with

  me as long as you could make use of my services You

  shoul
dn't have lied to me about the Saltash Set, though If I'd

  known it was magical, I'd never have split it up to sell "

  244

  "You ad this ere dish as all the fuss is over?" William

  Stuggs put in unexpectedly "'Ow did that 'appen?"

  "Fenton was my man," Dan said, speaking directly to St.

  Clair "He wouldn't have dreamed of cracking a crib without

  cutting me in You didn't know that when you told him to

  keep mum about it, did you?"

  "Be quiet, Daniel," Lord St. Clair said

  "Why? I told you, this time you're going to lose, one way

  or another "

  "No " St Clair sounded regretful, almost sad "You may

  make my life a little difficult for a time, but even if everyone

  here believes you, it won't make any real difference Bow

  Street won't take the word of a criminal against that of a

  Baron, and without Fenton you have no proof of anything

  you say There will be rumors, of course, and one or two

  houses may shut their doors to me for a time, but nothing

  more serious than that Its one of the advantages of my posi-

  tion, you see "

  Dan Laverham growled and lunged again St. Clair stood