The Lady Astronomer (21 page)

She broke into noisy tears as soon as she
saw her brothers, and the king lifted his daughter away to allow the siblings
some time together.

“Freddie! Al!” She opened her
arms, and they sat on the bed with her, Leibniz squeaking at their intrusion.

“I will never forgive myself,
Lucretia.” Freddie hugged his sister to him tightly and his words were
muffled by her hair.

“Freddie, how were you to know?”

Al sat immobile.

“Al, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you
cross like this,” she remarked.

He stood and began pacing.

“Cross? A pretty word for children. I
am furious. Raging. Apoplectic. Capable of violence after the way you have been
treated.”

“Al, please, come and sit down again.”

“Lucretia,” said Freddie, “I
have the assurances of the king that things are being put to rights–where they
can be.”

“Orion,” she whispered.

“Lucretia, you should have seen
Wodehouse and Leibniz when they arrived. The poor horse they came on was as tired-looking
a beast as I’ve ever seen,” said Al.

“Al, I…”

“Lucretia, shhh,” Freddie took
her hand.

“No, Freddie.” Al took her other
hand. “Lucretia deserves to know what happened. After Wodehouse handed the
owl over, I took him to my workshop. As pure luck would have it, Mr. D decided
to call in on another of his jaunts. I wonder how he actually gets any work
done.”

“Do go on, Al. Please.”

“Yes, well. I have left Orion in his
care. But you must not hold out too much hope. The owl’s Essence had been departed
a fair while before we got him back.”

“But Mr. D is an expert in vitalism.”

“While that is true, I am unwilling to
promise anything.”

“Oh, Al. Oh, Freddie, it is too
horrible.” She wept in her brothers’ arms. “I don’t know how I can
face things without Orion.”

Al looked over her bowed head at Freddie, murderous
intent against those who had hurt his sister writ plain for all to see on his
handsome features.

The king disturbed the family reunion.

“Excuse me, what what. We have
cornered Rapier and felt that you might like to come along to ease your mind as
to the fact that everything is being done to make reparation.”

“Reparation, my arse. I shall tear him
limb from bleeding limb and then stomp on his remains!”

Lucretia and Freddie were shocked at their
usually mild-mannered brother rising from the bed, face reddened in pure rage.

“Al, you should not speak to the king
like that.” Freddie pulled on his sleeve.

“Damn the king! Begging your pardon,
Majesty.”

“Pardoned, under the circumstances.”

“Freddie, Lucretia was brought here as
a guest and treated as the lowliest of thieves. And Orion was killed, for
heaven’s sake, and there is no justice in that! Come on! I am after this
Rapier,” he spat out. “Lead on, Sire!”

“Freddie, please, go after him. I am
worried.”

“No need, little sis, but I will.”
He kissed her cheek and ran after the king and his brother.

*

Rapier stood in the great receiving room with
its huge chandelier and wall sconces, tapestries and portraits. It was far too
fine a place to hold him and Al sneered at the man.

The former fencing master’s arms were held
by two guards. Al walked up and looked into his eyes. He hit him across the face,
putting all of his strength behind the blow. Rapier’s head snapped back.

“That is for my sister, you bloody
cowardly craven worm!” He spat at the ground by Rapier’s boots before
lifting his eyes again to meet the fencing master’s.

Al nodded to the guards. They let go of
Rapier’s arms and stepped back. Al shoved Rapier with all of his strength, and
at the same time kicked his legs out from under him.

The man fell in an ungainly lump on the
floor, stunned, furious.

“Al, watch out!” Freddie saw
Rapier springing to his feet and grabbing a sword from the nearest guard.

The spectators backed away and formed a
ring with Rapier and Al at the centre.

“Guard,” Al said calmly, coldly. “Your
sword if you please.”

“I see you have an injured hand there,”
jeered Rapier, taunting. “You will never defeat me.”

“You are already defeated, worm.”

“How very dull you are.” The master
advanced, low down, sprightly, sword held out in front of him. “So, how
shall we do this?”

“I would say man to man.” Al
smiled. “But you are not a man.”

“We shall see who the man is here.”

“Leave him alone!” Freddie rushed
forward.

The king put his arm out, stopping Freddie
in his tracks. “It is not your place, Mr. H. This particular battle, what
what?”

Freddie grimaced and nodded, allowing the king
to lead him out of the way.

“So, boy, you need your brother to
fight your battles for you?”

“I don’t think so.” Al advanced
with the sword. He had never fought with one before and had to adjust how he
held it to come to terms with how heavy it actually was. His palm was sweaty
and he nearly dropped it.

“Oh, dear,” remarked the master. “You
hold your sword like it might bite you. Not used to this are you?” He darted
forward and scored Al’s cheek with the tip of his blade, drawing blood.

Al put his hand to his face.

“What’s the matter, little girl? Did
the bad man give you a boo-boo?”

Al rushed Rapier, roaring as he went.

Rapier sidestepped, laughing, and Al
whirled around to face him.

“This is getting rather tedious,
wouldn’t you say? What’s say I end this now and put us all out of our misery?”
He held his wrist up and a hidden blade shot forward. He hefted it in his hand,
and then threw it at Al.

Everything happened in slow motion for Al.
He ducked the blade but lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, face-first.
He rolled over onto his back and tried to catch his breath.

“Now, boy,” Rapier advanced toward
him and held his sword over Al’s chest, tip down, ready to plunge it into his
heart. “All set for the final parry?”

Leibniz scampered in, and on seeing Al on
the ground, ran over and bit Rapier on the behind.

Rapier turned and threw the lemur across
the room, shouting after him, “I am sick to death of animals ruining
things for me!”

Al’s rage returned full bore, and he quickly
took the rope from his legs so he was standing as Rapier returned to him.

“Now it is my turn, you turd.” Al
held the point of his sword to Rapier’s chest.

Rapier threw back his head and laughed, “I
think not.” Quicker than the eye could see, he stepped back, and with his
own sword knocked Al’s to the ground.

“Do what you will, little man,”
hissed Al, blood dripping from his cheek.

“Enough!I have had enough of this vile
behaviour,” said the king, seething. “Take Rapier to the dungeons. Let
him join his so-called friends. guards, at once I say!”

In Which The Perpetrators Learn The Error Of Their
Terrible Ways
Right Royal Reparation
Two-Horse Town, Revisited
Correspondence
The Great Forty-Foot

Lady K, Mr. E, and Rapier stood in the
great hall, which had been converted for their trial.

Rows of noblemen sat in long benches that
had been hastily put there for the occasion, their fine robes trailing on the
ground.

At the front sat a high table, behind it
the king, the queen, Lucretia, Freddie, and Al. Leibniz sat on Lucretia’s lap,
glaring out over the assembled.

The king’s most trusted advisor, Lord HCD,
paced in front of their table, firing questions at the accused.

“So,” he said in cultured tones, “you
have no answer as to why you so defiled a person in the king’s castle, here as
the king’s guest. Moreover, you have committed two very serious crimes, for
which you must learn the error of your ways.”

He banged his staff of justice twice on the
ground, and two animated suits of armour stepped forward. “These are the truth
seekers, for though you say you do not know why you acted so poorly, we must
see this thing through. Each has a mechanism that will deliver a truth serum,
which is sure to loosen your tongues.” The seekers stepped forward.

“Stop!” Lady K and Rapier turned
to Mr. E in astonishment. “They did it. They made me do it, her and him,
working together, in league with each other!”

“How dare you!” Lady K rose to
her feet. “It was you and the fencing master that made me do it!”

Then Rapier was on his feet, too. “I
had nothing to do with it, nothing at all!”

“Silence!” The commanding tones
of Lord HCD cut through the squabbling. “We have a testament from a very
brave young lady, who has said that she will come and tell what she knows.”

The prisoners looked to each other,
confused.

Princess Twelve walked into the hall and up
the aisle created by the benches.

“She’s just a child! Everyone knows
little children are born liars!”

Princess Twelve ignored Lady K and continued
up until she came to Lord HCD.

“Now my dear, I believe you have
something to say.” He lifted her onto a high chair that had been left
there for that purpose. She looked so tiny on it, feet dangling.

“Well,” she began, “one
day…”

*

“And so you have it, my Lords, Your
Majesty, Misters H and Ms. H. And lemur. We have first-hand knowledge of what
went on. Though I would not recommend spying on the whole, in this instance I
would not dare to reprimand. And, Lady K, children are not ‘born liars’. What’s
more, Princess Twelve provided evidence in the form of the missing monoscope.”

“That doesn’t prove anything!”
Mr. E was still trying to extricate himself.

“It proves everything! And you,” Lord
HCD pointed his finger at each in turn, “and your cohorts shall now be
judged. Be seated.”

Turning to the crowd, he said, “My
Lords. It is clear that these prisoners did the unthinkable. They falsely
accused Ms. H of theft, falsely accused her owl and companion in Astronomy of
doing damage to the Most Important Personage in the castle. Not only that, they
themselves injured Empress, imprisoned Ms. H and most woefully and dastardly of
all, killed the owl. And they bribed a guard to carry out their wishes.

“To what gain, you may ask yourself.
What indeed. Of making their way up a social ladder, to gain the confidences of
the king. Fools!” He thundered. “Deluded
fools to think that such a thing could ever happen! As a result of their
actions, all courtiers and guards shall be thoroughly investigated before staying under the king’s roof. Now my Lords,
all of you who say that Lady K, Mr. E and Rapier are guilty, stand now. All of
you who say that they are not, remain seated.”

In complete silence, and to a man, the lords
stood.

Lord HCD looked around and nodded. “Thank
you, I think we can take that as a unanimous guilty verdict. You may sit, and
we shall not take up much more of your time. Princess Twelve, you are to be
highly commended for your bravery, I would ask you now to leave the room, and
thank you.”

He waited for the little girl to leave
before turning to the prisoners.

“You have been found guilty, as
charged. I shall now hand you over to the king who will decide your fate.”
He left the centre of the room and sat down.

The king stepped forward. “Thank you,
Lord HCD, and thank you all for being here today. It will not be forgotten. I
do not think it is my place to decide what should happen to these perpetrators,
for though they did grave injustice under my roof, it was not me or mine that
were especially harmed. So, please, if I could ask Ms. H to stand forward.”

Lucretia looked at her brothers and then
the king uncertainly.

“Please, my dear,” he said.

“I am not sure,” she whispered.

The king walked over and took her hand. “As
I did not interfere when your brother fought Rapier, I think that I should
interfere here. Come, be brave again.”

Lucretia handed Leibniz to Freddie, and
still holding the king’s hand walked to face her tormentors.

“So,” remarked the king, “Ms.
H has two options open to her, beheading or banishment.”

Lucretia blanched and swallowed, yet remembered
Orion, remembered her ill-treatment.

“Banishment,” she replied, loud
and clear.

“Good girl,” the king whispered
in her ear, hugging her close. “Banishment is a far worse punishment for
people such as these.”

Turning to the assembled, he said, “You
shall be stripped of what titles and wealth you have. You are never allowed
back at my Court, and I shall spread word far and wide of your most horrible
misdemeanours. You shall be as the dirt you walk upon.”