The Last Suitor. A J McMahon
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across Mr Zarek chatting to two ladies and stopped to say hello, and so it was that he was introduced to Miss Amanda Dahl and Miss Eileen Radcliff.
At around midnight, Nicholas left the party. No-one questioned him on the way out, as obviously the defences were maintained against the traffic coming the other way. He was just another figure leaving the party, and by no means the only one; a stream of mostly older people, with reluctant youngsters pulled along behind them, were also leaving.
Nicholas gave no further thought to Lady Isabel Grangeshield in the days that followed. His first sight of Isabel had wrenched him off balance yet Timothy’s introduction to her had restored that balance; it had all been perfectly imaginary, yet perfectly real. He felt no interest in trying to understand what had happened. There was either nothing to understand or it would do him no good to understand it. He was content with everything as it had happened and he moved on with his life without a backward glance.
2:00 AM, Friday 6 May 1544 A.F
The evening had been merry, merry, merry. There were many hilarious things that happened that evening; everyone seemed to sparkle with intelligence and good humour. It was the best party Isabel had attended for a while. The conversation was witty and free flowing, the spirits of all the guests cheerful and merry, the food and drink plentiful. The bride-to-be Sofiya looked a little tense, it was true, but then she was now engaged after all; the bridegroom-to-be Hedley was a little forced in his good humour, but then, he also was now engaged. Not everyone could be expected to be happy about being engaged to be married. If anything, the lack of complete enthusiasm on the part of Hedley and Sofiya added a frisson of amusement to the entire evening; the laughter of the guests was sharpened by the dullness of the centrepiece of the evening as a knife is sharpened on dull stone.
Isabel returned home in the early hours of the following morning in her flying carriage, sleepy in the midst of the surrounding sobriety of her chaperones, her body relaxed in the shuddering aftermath of so much laughter. By then she had completely forgotten about her introduction to the shabbily dressed stranger. The incongruity of the presence of the stranger in the midst of all the surrounding wealthy merriness of the evening meant that his presence had not fitted into her perceptions and so he had slipped out of her memory as an item of the evening not in accordance with anything else. The particular memory of his introduction was swallowed up and digested by the more general memory of the merriness of the evening.
It was as if it had never happened at all.
FIVE
The Threat Made by Mr Frank Jollison to the Family
of Mr Nicholas Raspero
10:00 AM, Friday 6 May 1544 A.F.
Jolly, Tagalong and Angela were sitting in Jolly’s private quarters. Tagalong had just recounted the story of his day with Nicholas Raspero, leaving nothing out except the part about Tagalong giving his word of honour that he never tell the story he was telling.
Jolly heard him out in silence, then sat back and went deep into thought. Angela put aside all speculation concerning Lord Foxley’s next gift, and paid close attention to what was going on. She knew when Jolly meant business, and he looked as serious as she ever saw him.
There was something about Jolly that immediately inspired trust in the unwary. The gleaming white hair combed back in gentle waves over his noble brow added such an air of distinction to his kindly face that it was made immediately clear that here was a man who would do the right thing. It was true that his lips were lizard thin and his eyes snake-black, but you had to look closely to see these things.
There was a strangeness to Jolly’s presence that to those used to his company had come to seem like the inevitability of his rule. His voice had an almost hypnotic quality to it, and the compelling nature of his voice coupled with the commanding look in his eyes made obedience to his orders seem almost a matter of course, as if to hear Jolly was to obey him. It was rumoured that Jolly knew secrets of the world that gave him power over human minds.
Jolly came out of his reverie and looked at Angela. ‘Remember what I told you about there being more ways of fighting than wandfighting?’
‘No, Jolly,’ Angela replied, knowing that this was what he wanted to hear.
‘Raspero can’t be taken down with a wand. But he’s got a weakness for women. A man who’ll do the Three just to get an introduction to a beautiful woman, even if it is Lady Isabel Grangeshield, is a man who I want you to get to know. You’re a beautiful woman, Angela. You will take down Raspero for me.’
‘You mean he’s my next client?’ Angela asked, not very pleased to learn that a man with no money would be her next client.
‘No,’ Jolly shook his head, ‘you just get to know him, that’s all. You do what has to be done. You just make sure that when the time comes, you’ll be ready to do what I say.’ Jolly turned to Tagalong. ‘Now here’s where you come in. Angela is going to need rescuing from the attentions of men who would misuse her, and Raspero is going to rescue her. You’re going to make sure Raspero is where he has to be to do the rescuing.’
‘We’ve done rescuing already, boss,’ Tagalong pointed out. ‘We’re playing the same trick twice.’
‘I’ll put Pay in charge of this one,’ Jolly continued, as if Tagalong had not spoken at all. ‘And you, Angela, once Raspero has rescued you, will be the grateful damsel in distress who worships your saviour. You do what you have to do, but you get Raspero eating out of your hand. You’re grateful to him as your hero, the man who saved you from villainy and that makes him responsible for your happiness. Whatever it takes, you do it.’
‘Yes, Jolly,’ Angela said obediently.
Jolly waved them away with his hands and sank back into his thoughts. Whatever his thoughts were, they were too deep for him to notice them leave his quarters.
2:30 PM, Saturday 7 May 1544 A.F.
Nicholas was walking along Giffard Street the next day when he heard his name called. He turned around to see Tagalong hurrying over to him, a broad smile on his face.
‘Mr Raspero! I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me.’ Tagalong looked around, and then said in a low voice, ‘I spoke to the lady whom I mentioned, and she was so gracious as to inform me that soon she will be mine! And it is all thanks to you, Mr Raspero! I owe you far more than my life.’
Nicholas wasn’t quite sure what to make of Tagalong. ‘Think nothing of it, Mr Longman.’ He turned and continued walking along the street. Tagalong fell into step beside him.
‘You are modest and talented, a gentleman after my own heart,’ Tagalong cried out. ‘But I know where you are going. I was going to go there myself so I would be delighted to accompany you if I might be so bold as to suggest such a pleasing outcome.’
‘I’m not going anywhere, I’m just wandering around,’ Nicholas replied, perfectly truthfully.
Tagalong looked at him in surprise. ‘But surely you are going to see the duel at three o’clock at Mildgyd?’
Nicholas shook his head. ‘I haven’t heard of it. Anyway, I’m not interested.’
‘Not interested in witnessing a duel? My dear Mr Raspero, do you not realise that this is where you can meet people who will appreciate your unique gifts? The story that you have done the Three at the Regana Palace the other day is already spreading amongst wandfighters throughout New Landern. There you will meet people who will adore you, there you will meet people who will wish you to do the Three at Kenina Park and have your name on the List. There you will be a very popular man.’ These were guesses in the dark from Tagalong, who was probing Nicholas for his weaknesses, but they were good guesses. Nicholas was starting to feel that he did not know enough people in New Landern. He had been there for five whole days and had hardly met anybody! It was a feeling that had started to grow in him recently, and as he had not given Isabel another moment’s thought, he did not connect this sense of loneliness with having seen her.
‘It would be good to meet more