Mairelon the Magician

by Patricia C. Wrede

  recall, asked how you found this place and what you intend

  to do here, and you haven't told me that, either "

  "We might ask you the same thing," Jasper retorted

  "You might, but I don't recommend it," Mairelon said

  "You'll get a reputation as a poor conversationalist if all you

  can do is repeat what other people say to you "

  "This is absurd," Lady Granleigh said 'Tell us who you are

  and what you're doing here, or be off about your business I

  haven't time to waste on this nonsense "

  Mairelon rose to his feet and bowed "It is impossible to

  refuse such a charming request My name is de Mare, and I'm

  here by way of guarding the Sacred Hill "

  Jasper and Lady Granleigh looked at each other Behind

  them, Stuggs stiffened, and Kim saw his right hand rise to-

  ward his chest, as if to touch something underneath his coat

  for reassurance Kim frowned Mairelon had done a perfect

  imitation of Jonathan Aberford's tone, and both Jasper and his

  sister seemed to recognize the phrasing Stuggs's reaction was

  more difficult to interpret, and more ominous

  "Well, you can go along now," Jasper told Mairelon

  grandly "Jonathan Aberford said—"

  "If I may speak with you a moment, Jasper," Lady

  Granleigh interrupted

  Jasper turned his head and glared at her

  "Now, Jasper," Lady Cranleigh said with unruffled calm

  Without waiting for him to respond, she turned and walked

  straight toward the bushes where Kim was hiding Kim froze

  164

  She was certain she hadn't been seen yet, but if she tried to

  move now. Lady Granleigh would spot her for sure

  Lady Granleigh stopped a few steps short of the bush and

  tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her brother to

  join her

  "What are you playing at, Amelia?" Jasper said irritably

  "And what are we going to do now? Burn it, Miss Thornley

  never said anything about a guard'"

  "Marianne is far too innocent to think of such a thing, and

  Frederick Meredith was clearly too shatter-brained to mention

  it," Lady Granleigh replied "You should have talked to him

  yourself, Jasper, instead of leaving it to Marianne "

  "That was your idea' You were the one who said Meredith

  would tell more to a pretty face I never liked the idea of

  letting my fiancee empty the butter pot over that nodcock,

  and so 1 told you "

  "Miss Thornley isn't your fiancee yet, Jasper, and you'd do

  well to remember that before you take that tone with me,"

  Lady Cranleigh said "If you want my help in winning her—

  and her fortune—you wilt have to earn it. I must point out

  that so far you have been precious little help "

  "How do you expect me to help when you ruin everything

  I try to do?" Jasper waved his arms indignantly "I was about

  to get rid of that fellow so we could go ahead with your

  precious scheme, only you stopped me "

  "You were about to make yet another muddle, you mean "

  Lady Cranleigh shook her head "Really, Jasper, sometimes I

  despair of your intelligence Don't you see that Mr de Mare's

  presence changes everything?"

  "No, I do not," Jasper said "If we could Just persuade him

  to go away—"

  "He would remember us, and when the platter was found,

  165

  he would connect us with its reappearance That could be

  very awkward for us "

  "Well, what do you think we should do?" Jasper asked in a

  sullen tone

  "We shall give Mr de Mare the platter," Lady Granleigh

  answered serenely

  "What?'" Jasper all but shrieked the word, and both Mair-

  elon and Stuggs turned interested eyes in his direction. Jasper

  scowled back at them and lowered his voice "Amelia, have

  you gone mad?"

  "Do you want to have Jonathan Aberford lurking about Bra-

  mingham Place for the remainder of our stay?"

  "No, but—"

  "Can you suggest some other way we might be rid of him?"

  "We've already been over this, and you know I haven't But

  you just told me a minute ago why we can't give this de Mare

  fellow the platter'"

  "I explained why we cannot simply leave the platter here

  for Mr Aberford and his fnends to find, as we had originally

  planned," Lady Cranleigh corrected him "If you had been

  listening, or thinking, you would have understood Present-

  ing the package to Mr de Mare is another matter entirely "

  "I don't see how He's bound to remember us, and you

  already said that that would be awkward."

  Lady Granleigh sighed "The platter is well wrapped, tied

  up, and addressed to Mr Jonathan Aberford If we tell Mr

  de Mare that a young man, whom we took to be one of

  Henry Bramingham's friends, gave us the parcel in town and

  asked us to deliver it here, it will not matter whether he re-

  members us Once they discover that the platter is a forgery,

  Mr Aberford and his friends will look for the mysterious

  young man, if they look for anyone at all You and I will be

  mere innocent go-betweens "

  166

  "And how are you going to explain it if anyone asks why

  Miss Thornley was prying into Meredith's business?"

  "I shall say that she finds him interesting," Lady Granleigh

  replied She frowned slightly "I shall have to see that she

  continues to spend time in his company for the next day or

  two After that, it will not be thought wonderful if she tires

  of him "

  "Interested in Meredith^" Jasper snorted "That won't fadge,

  Amelia Nobody could be interested in that simpleton "

  Lady Granleigh gave him a cold look "Are you hinting

  that I will not be believed? 1 assure you, no one will think

  twice about it Mr Meredith is no more foolish than most

  young men, and Marianne is no less so than most girls, so it

  is quite plausible "

  "Yes, but look here, Amelia, how am 1 supposed to pay

  court to Miss Thornley if you're forever telling her to talk

  with Meredith?" Jasper said hastily "I don't like it "

  "I did not ask you to like it," Lady Granleigh said "I simply

  wish you to refrain from interfering Keep quiet, and let me

  talk to Mr de Mare "

  "Amelia—" Jasper was too late, Lady Cranleigh had turned

  and started back toward the hill as she finished her sentence

  "Friday-faced harpy!" Jasper muttered, so low that Kirn almost

  missed the words He raked his fingers through his hair, pat-

  ted his cravat, and smoothed the front of his coat, then

  started after his sister

  Lady Granleigh reached the foot of the hill and raised her

  chin to study Mairelon "Mr de Mare," she said as Jasper,

  still glowering in disapproval, joined her, "you have an honest

  face, and your reasons for being here interest me Are you by

  some chance acquainted with Mr Jonathan Aberford?"

  "He is the leader of the Company that meets here," Mair-

  elon said cautiously

  167

  "Very good," Lady Cranleigh said "My brother and I are

  on our way to Swafflton A young
man in the village re-

  quested that we deliver a package to this place, and we

  agreed The package is addressed to Mr Aberford, presum-

  ably he will know what to do with it I trust you can see that

  he receives it?"

  "I am quite capable of doing so, madam," Mairelon replied

  "Then we will entrust the package to you We have spent

  far too much time on this errand already Stuggsi"

  "Ma'am " The large man lowered his eyes as Lady

  Cranleigh turned to face him, transforming his expression

  from one of intent interest into one of bored resentment

  "Fetch the parcel from the carriage at once, and give it to

  Mr de Mare, with my compliments," Lady Granleigh com-

  manded

  Kim frowned as she watched Stuggs nod and walk off Un-

  less she'd forgotten the difference between a sharper and a

  Hat, there was something about that cove that didn't fit He

  smelled of the back streets and rookeries of London, and gen-

  try didn't hire servants there if they wanted to keep their

  silver If only she could pike off to the Hungerford Market

  for a few hours and ask Red Sal or Tom Correy what they

  knew about Stuggs! One of them was bound to have heard

  something Kim put the thought firmly aside, there was

  nothing to be gained by wishing for the impossible

  Stuggs returned, carrying a large brown package He

  paused at the foot of the hill, but one glance at Lady

  Granteigh set him climbing Mairelon waited where he was

  and accepted the package with a solemn half-bow Kim, still

  watching Stuggs closely, saw a crease form between his eye-

  brows as he turned and came down the hill, and realized that

  Mairelon's bow had prevented Stuggs from getting a good

  look at his face

  Kim brooded over the possible implications while Lady

  168

  Granleigh and Mairelon exchanged polite farewells Jasper's

  concession to good manners took the form of a curt nod,

  which drew a glare from his sister and another half-bow from

  Maireton Lady Cranteigh hesitated, looking as if she would

  have given her brother a rare trimming then and there, except

  that she would then have been guilty of even worse conduct

  than his In the end, she turned and swept away without say-

  ing anything, but her lips were pressed together in a manner

  that boded ill for Jaspers peace during the coming carriage

  ride Jasper followed, still scowling, and a moment later Kim

  heard the sounds of the coach departing

  169

  SEVENTEEN

  Kim let out a long breath as the noise of the

  carriage died away among the trees She

  could hardly believe she had gone unnoticed.

  "Well, well," Mairelon's voice said meditatively from the

  hillside "How very interesting "

  Kim jerked at the unexpected sound, and her arm grazed

  the bush in front of her Mairelon's head snapped in the di-

  rection of the mstte "Renee^" he called

  "No, it's me," Kim said, rising She walked forward, brush-

  ing dead leaves from her coat

  "You were supposed to stay at the wagon," Mairelon said

  without heat

  "That's what you said," Kim agreed "I never told you I

  would."

  'True " Mairelon pursed his lips and gazed at Kim thought-

  fully "1 can see I'll have to listen to you more carefully in the

  future How long have you been here?"

  "Since right after the bracket-faced gentry mort and her

  brother came," Kim answered "I saw them on the road, but I

  couldn't hop it fast enough to get here first "

  170

  "You didn't by any chance see Mademoiselle D'Auber as

  well, did you^"

  "No," Kim said with some satisfaction. "I didn't."

  Mairelon eyed her sharply, then frowned "It's not like Re-

  nee to be late " He tucked Lady Granleigh's parcel under his

  arm and pulled a watch from his pocket As he glanced at it,

  his frown deepened "Certainly not this late "

  "Maybe she saw them two on their way here," Kim sug-

  gested, jerking a thumb in the direction Lady Granleigh's car-

  riage had gone There was no reason for Mairelon to get in a

  taking over Renee D'Auber She was a wizard, after all; she

  could take care of herself

  Mairelon looked up, still frowning "Yes, that would ex-

  plain it," he said "And it's 'those two,' not 'them two '"

  "Those two, then," Kim said, obscurely comforted by this

  offhanded correction "What are you goin' to do with the

  platter?"

  "Planer?" Mairelon's expression went blank; then his eyes

  followed Kim's pointing finger "Oh, is that what's in this

  package^ How convenient"

  "It's the cheat they nicked from the library at Bramingham

  Place," Kim added "I heard them talkin' "

  "Indeed " Mairelon took the parcel out from under his arm

  and studied it "Why would Lady Granleigh want to give the

  fake platter to Jonathan Aberford? And why deliver it here?

  He lives in the vicinity, his direction can't be particularly

  difficult to discover"

  Kim shrugged "They didn't say "

  "Mmmm " Mairelon continued his examination of the par-

  cel for a moment Suddenly he flipped the package end for

  end, tucked it back under his arm, and started briskly down

  the hill. 'Time to be going It wouldn't do for someone to get

  into the wagon while we're away "

  "Or catch us hangin' about here with that thing," Kim mut-

  171

  tered, eyeing the package Mairelon was carrying As he

  reached the base of the hill, she fell into step beside him and

  added in a louder voice, 'There's somethin' smoky about that

  Stuggs cove, that drove the carnage "

  "Do you think so? He's not the usual gentleman's gen-

  tleman, I'll admit, but then, Jasper Marston doesn't seem very

  good at being a usual sort of gentleman "

  "I don't know what his lay is, but he's no flat, that's sure,"

  Kim said positively "He pokered up when you said your

  name was de Mare, and he was watchin' everything too close

  And he wasn't keen to give you that package, no matter what

  the bracket-faced mort said "

  "Wasn't he, now," Mairelon said "How interesting You

  know, Kim, this whole business is beginning to look ex-

  tremely odd "

  "Begmwn to look odd?"

  "Marston, who has no reason I can think of to even be

  aware of the existence of the Sattash Set, hires the unlikely

  Mr Stuggs to run errands and you to find out whether I have

  the bowl Not, mind you, to steal it, but only to discover

  whether the thing is hidden in one of my cupboards He and

  Lady Cranleigh go to a great deal of trouble to steal a copy of

  the Saltash Platter from Bramingham Place, in spite of inter-

  ruptions from several people who ought not to know any-

  thing about it, either Then when they get it, they

  immediately set out to give it to Mr Aberford, whom Mar-

  ston, at least, must have recognized as one of the inept

  housebreakers "

  "Maybe he didn't," Kim said "And they've had the platter


  since night before last That ain't givin' it back very imme-

  diately "

  "Isn't," Mairelon corrected "The real question is, why

  would Lady Granleigh want to turn the fake platter over to

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  Aberford instead of giving it back to Henry Bramingham?

  Bramingham is, after all, the person from whom she stole it "

  Kim shook her head "There's no accountin' for gentry

  folk "

  "Nonsense," Mairelon said firmly "She must have had some

  reason Your Mr Slower is another puzzlement I doubt that

  he is in league with Lady Granleigh, but given Marston's ob-

  vious penchant for unusual servants, I don't think we can rule

  out a connection there "

  "He ain't my Mr Slower," Kim said "if he's anybody's, he's

  Dan Laverham's "

  "So you've said In which case, the question that leaps im-

  mediately to mind is, is Slower on his own in this or not?

  And either way, why is he, or Laverham, interested in the

  Saltash Set? And how did they find out about it"?"

  "The last part's easy," Kim said "Laverham's got an eye for

  anything that'll bring in money, and London's full of coves as

  would put him in the way of nicking the platter just to get on

  his good side "

  Mairelon gave her an indecipherable look "Possibly Hunch

  will have more to say about it when he returns from London