After looking in the usual spot for the text and not seeing it, he moved to a stack of books on a nearby desk and spied it near the bottom of the pile. Smiling, he began to move the books on top out of the way, and as he did so, he set aside a newspaper that was hiding another book, which appeared brand-new.
Ian’s eyes widened when he took in the title. The Hobbit was printed in black lettering across a gray-blue cover with etchings of mountains and a menacing dragon. For a moment, Ian forgot his task and curiously opened the novel. There, on the inside cover, was an inscription:
For Ian Wigby,
A lad of great courage and character, as the Earl of Kent can testify
J. R. R. Tolkien
Ian’s mouth fell open and he plopped down into a nearby chair, stunned right down to his toes. He’d had to leave the copy of The Hobbit he’d originally been reading back at the Lafittes’ after getting through only the first several chapters, but he’d been so impressed by the novel that he’d talked it up quite a bit on the train ride back to Dover. He’d had no idea the earl would do such a generous and kind thing for him. His eyes moved guiltily to the atlas on the table and he felt a wave of shame wash over him. Not only was he about to desecrate the earl’s property, but he was also about to betray his trust.
Ian closed the cover gently and smoothed his hands over it. He did not deserve such a gift, and he felt a terrible guilt for what he and the others had to do to keep Theo safe. With a sigh he moved the newspaper back over the earl’s gift and stood up, ready to leave the atlas in place and untouched. He could purchase a map once they arrived in Amsterdam.
Ian was about to leave the library when he heard voices coming toward him in the hallway. One of them he was sure belonged to the earl, and Ian looked about quickly, then darted to the opposite end of the room, where he pretended to look thoughtfully up at the shelves.
A moment later the earl and his head butler pushed their way through the double doors. “They should be arriving on the evening train, Mr. Binsford. Please have my driver meet them at the station and take them to the keep,” said the earl when he suddenly noticed Ian alone in the room. “Master Wigby!” the earl exclaimed. “Whatever are you doing away from the keep’s grounds?”
Ian was quick to explain. “It’s all right, my lord. Landis escorted me here to ensure my safety. I merely wanted a new book to read.”
The earl’s expression immediately turned to delight. “Well, my lad, I must say that you are looking in the wrong place! I have just the book for you, in fact.” The earl strode over to the table with the atlas and moved aside the newspaper that Ian had just replaced. He pulled out the novel hidden underneath, walked back over to Ian, and gave it to him with an enormous smile. “Here you are, lad,” he said kindly. “Happy early birthday!”
With a start Ian realized that the end of the month was his fourteenth birthday, and he could hardly believe that the earl had remembered. “My lord,” he said, accepting the book and feeling guiltier than he could ever remember. “It’s a copy of The Hobbit. You’re far too generous.”
The earl rocked back on his heels. “Not at all, my young man!” he said with enthusiasm. “Open up the cover, Ian. There’s an inscription that I believe you’ll quite enjoy.”
Ian gulped. He opened the cover and read aloud the words written there, then closed the cover and held the novel tightly to his chest. “Thank you, my lord. I don’t deserve such kindness.”
The earl beamed happily down at him and gave him a pat on the back. “I had the great fortune of meeting Mr. Tolkien recently at a dinner party. Quite an agreeable chap, really.”
Ian nodded dumbly. He found it difficult to meet the earl’s eyes. Fortunately, he was saved from his patriarch’s continued kindness when Mr. Binsford cleared his throat and asked from the doorway, “Will that be all, my lord?”
The earl turned around to regard his butler. “Oh, terribly sorry, Binsford. I quite forgot you were standing there. Yes, that will be all, but tell Miss Carlyle that I shall be dining at the keep this evening. I’ll want to be there to welcome the new orphans.”
Binsford had barely bowed out of the room when Ian asked, “New orphans, my lord?”
The earl moved to a nearby love seat and sat down with a contented sigh. “Yes, lad, I’ve found the perfect replacements to fill those two empty beds at the keep, or rather, our talented schoolmasters have done the job for me.”
“The ones you mentioned when we were in France?” Ian asked, still hugging the book.
The earl scratched his beard thoughtfully and explained. “Yes, lad. I know that you lot have been quite concerned about my order for you to remain at the keep and not venture through the portal, which is why, after receiving a particularly interesting telegram from your schoolmasters, I began to put forth a plan of my own.
“You see, Ian, I began to wonder if Laodamia might have foreseen certain obstacles getting in the way of the fulfillment of her prophecies, and took pains to ensure that we could work around them.”
Ian furrowed his brow, confused. “I’m terribly sorry, my lord, but I’m not following you.”
The earl laughed. “Right,” he said, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “When we were in France, I received a telegram from Thatcher and Perry, detailing the progress being made at the orphanage in Cornwall where I’d sent them. Do you remember my assigning them to oversee the improvements I’d funded there?”
Ian nodded. “Yes.”
“Well,” continued the earl, “in their telegram to me, they spoke at length of the talents of a certain young lady who’s recently been received at that orphanage. Her name is Vanessa. Her father, mother, and younger brother all perished from some terrible bout of the flu, or so I’m told. It appears this young lass is a most gifted child, and your schoolmasters claim that from the moment of her arrival, Vanessa has insisted upon spending most of her time in the orphanage’s infirmary, assisting the headmistresses there with any ill or injured child. The Masters Goodwyn assure me Vanessa is quite adept at nursing these sick children back to health, and both Thatcher and Perry are most impressed with her.”
The earl paused and seemed to be waiting for Ian to say something, but Ian was still confused about why the earl should be telling him this, so he attempted to be polite. “That’s very nice, my lord. I’m glad to hear of such a kind young lady.”
The earl sat up straight and exclaimed, “But it’s more than that, Master Wigby! Don’t you see the importance of this information?”
Ian shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
Again the earl leaned forward. “Vanessa is our Healer,” he whispered. “She is the one that Laodamia spoke of, I’m convinced!”
Ian’s jaw dropped. “She is?” He was wondering how the earl could arrive at such a conclusion.
“Yes,” the earl insisted. “I rest my theory upon the final prophecy that was discovered by Sir Barnaby. I believe it was written sometime after Laodamia had scribed the other prophecies found in your silver treasure boxes, and I also believe—counter to the professor’s theory—that you were indeed meant to hear it.”
“But …,” Ian began before words failed. He couldn’t imagine why the earl would be so convinced.
The earl, however, wasn’t paying a bit of attention to Ian’s outward expression of doubt. “Think of it, lad,” he continued. “The greatest Oracle of all time must have known that after reading this latest prophecy, I would forbid you to go through the portal, and I believe she wrote it for that reason. She must have sensed that if you and Theo went through the portal in search of the Healer, you would both be killed. Therefore, she took great pains to warn you, and also provide us with the solution, by allowing me to bring the Healer directly to the keep!”
Ian scratched his head. “But,” he said, trying again, “have the schoolmasters told you that Vanessa is actually able to heal these children she’s attending to?”
The earl’s pacing paused for a brief moment,
and he turned to face Ian again. “Not in so many words, but their enthusiasm for her natural nurturing abilities and the comfort she brings to the sick orphans must not be overlooked. Hence, I have instructed them to bring Vanessa to the keep as quickly as possible. She will be arriving this evening with a young lad who she’s been attending to and refuses to leave behind. She and the little boy—his name is William, I believe—will take up the two beds left by Jon and Emily.”
Ian looked up at the earl with a mixture of thoughts and emotions. He knew that if the earl was correct, and Vanessa was in fact the Healer from Laodamia’s prophecies, Theo would never agree to continue with their escape plan without her, and convincing a new orphan to run away with them was certainly a risky endeavor. What if Vanessa said no? What if she told the earl or the headmistresses of their plans?
Alternatively, staying at the keep almost certainly ensured that Theo would be sent away to live with Major Fitzgerald. And Ian thought that if that happened, he would surely go out of his mind with worry.
“Well, my lad?” asked the earl. “What do you think?”
Ian stared back down at his birthday present as yet another wave of guilt washed over him. “I think it’s likely best to ask Theo what she thinks, my lord. I suspect we won’t know if Vanessa is the Healer until Theo tells us so. And if Vanessa is not the Healer, then we’ll know that we might still consider venturing through the portal again.”
The earl eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. “Lad,” he said, “did Theo immediately recognize Jaaved as the Seeker?”
Ian’s breath caught. The earl had a point. Theo had not recognized Jaaved as the Seeker until he’d received a burn on his hand in the shape of a diamond, which had happened several days after they’d met him. And this further complicated matters, because if Theo couldn’t positively rule Vanessa either in or out as the Healer, she might well insist on remaining at the keep until she was certain. But Ian could hardly express this concern to the earl, so he settled for saying, “Of course you’re right, my lord. Time will tell, I suppose.”
The earl gave him a broad smile. “Excellent!” he said. “I’m glad that you see it my way. Now, I’ll not keep you from your adventures with Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Why don’t you fetch Landis and go on back to the keep? I believe I saw him entering the laundry room earlier….”
When Ian and Landis arrived back at the keep, Ian immediately alerted the headmistresses to the impending visit from the earl, the schoolmasters, and two new orphans in time for dinner.
He could well have saved his breath, because no sooner had he finished telling them the news than Madam Dimbleby smiled and said, “Yes, Ian, Theo told us about tonight’s guests an hour ago.”
Ian smiled ruefully. It was no fun having anything exciting to share with Theo around.
He didn’t have long to dwell on his spoiled surprise, however, because not a moment later a motorcar arrived from the earl’s personal fleet with a small staff and enough food for a feast.
Ian wanted to find Theo and tell her about the earl’s theory, but Madam Scargill ordered him to help with the dinner preparations and he was quickly so busy that he lost track of time. Before he knew it, their guests were arriving, and Ian moved with the rest of the crowd outside to greet the visitors.
All of the keep’s children turned out on the front steps when the earl’s motorcar arrived. Carl and Jaaved sidled up to Ian as the earl, Thatcher, Perry, and the two new orphans got out of the car.
The young lady—Vanessa—was introduced first. Ian studied her closely, but she didn’t seem at all special. Slight of frame, with large brown eyes and long dark hair, she appeared shy and waiflike.
The boy next to her was introduced as William, and he looked pale, sweaty, and sickly. Madam Scargill seemed to notice that the boy might be ill, because she bent down to him and felt his forehead, then whispered something to Madam Dimbleby and took the poor little lad by the hand, leading him quickly through the crowd back into the keep.
Ian overheard her mumbling something about a fever as she passed him, and then he remembered the earl’s prediction that Vanessa was the Healer. He scanned the faces still gathered round their guests, looking for Theo, and he found her on the edge of the crowd, staring at Vanessa, her face stricken.
Alarmed, Ian began to edge his way closer to Theo to see why she appeared upset, but well before he could get to her, she turned and dashed back into the keep. Hampering his efforts further, at that moment the earl waved everyone indoors for the evening meal, and the eager and hungry children surrounding Ian blocked his entry for several moments. When he finally managed to get inside, Theo was nowhere to be found.
“What’s the matter?” Carl asked from beside him as Ian turned his head this way and that.
“Did you see where Theo went?” Ian asked.
“I saw her run up the stairs a bit ago,” Carl told him.
Ian felt a knot of anxiety form in the pit of his stomach. Theo wasn’t often given to theatrics. Something must be terribly wrong. “I’ve got to find her.”
“Why? Is something the matter?”
Ian sighed. “I believe so,” he admitted. “But I’ve no idea what.”
“Do you think she might be upset about that man claiming to be her father?”
Ian had almost forgotten about that awful business, and immediately his mind settled on it as the probable cause. “Perhaps,” he said.
“Come along to the table, lads,” said Madam Dimbleby from behind them. “We’ve quite a few mouths to feed this evening.”
Ian turned to her and said, “Ma’am, I believe Theo might be upset again about that whole Major Fitzgerald business. Might I be allowed to find her and see that she’s all right?”
Madam Dimbleby’s mouth turned down as she frowned. “Oh, the poor lass,” she said. “Yes, of course, Ian. Go, see to Theo. I’ll save you both a plate of food and make your excuses at the table.”
“Did you want me to go along?” Carl asked, and Ian had to give him credit for the offer, as Carl’s eyes kept drifting toward the dinner table.
“Naw, mate. You go on. I’ll be down with Theo in a bit.”
With that Ian dashed up the stairs and looked first in his room. Then he knocked softly on the loo door, but no one answered. He looked back down the hallway and wondered where she could have gone when he got the smart idea to ask his sundial. Pulling it from his pocket, he said, “Sundial, show me where Theo is.”
Immediately, Ian received his answer and he looked to his left at the door leading to the tower. Making haste up the stairs, he found Theo pacing the floor in quite a state of distress. The moment he crested the landing, she flew across the room and gripped his arms tightly. “Ian!” she gasped.
“What is it?” he replied, now very much alarmed.
“The serpent!” she whispered. “It’s here!”
Ian wrapped an arm around Theo protectively, his eyes darting about the tower room as he expectantly looked for anything that slithered. “Where?” he demanded.
“That girl!” Theo told him. “It’s the new girl!”
Ian blinked. He focused on Theo again and asked, “What? Theo, what do you mean it’s the girl?”
Theo pulled away from him and returned to her pacing. “The new girl the earl brought here! She’s the serpent!”
“You’re talking about Vanessa?”
“Yes!”
For a long moment Ian simply stared wide-eyed at Theo, wondering if all the stress she’d been under lately had finally caught up to her. “Theo,” he began in a calm, even tone.
“I know what you think!” she snapped, looking at him with accusing eyes. “But she is the serpent!”
“She’s a harmless girl!”
But Theo was not to be dissuaded, and she shook her head vehemently back and forth. “She’s not! She’s the serpent Laodamia warned us about!”
Again Ian was left speechless. How could he argue with such a ridiculous statement?
Theo’s frant
ic pacing continued. “We must leave at once!” she announced. “Tonight, if we can! We’re all in terrible danger if we stay!”
Ian ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Theo,” he said, trying again. “We cannot possibly leave tonight.”
“Why not?” she demanded.
Ian sighed. She was being unreasonable. “Because it’s Saturday! You know as well as I do that the ferries don’t run on Sunday.”
Theo stopped her pacing abruptly and her eyes misted over. “We’re doomed,” she whispered, and dissolved into a fit of tears.
Over the next half hour, Ian did his best to console her, but it was to no avail. Theo clung to him and cried and he began to wonder if she would ever stop. He was quite relieved when Carl found them after supper. “Is she all right?” he asked, cresting the landing, carrying two plates loaded with food.
Ian squeezed Theo tightly. “She’s fine,” he said, hoping that saying it aloud would make it true.
“Oh, Carl!” Theo wailed.
Carl set down the plates and moved quickly over to Theo, who shifted away from Ian to hug his friend fiercely and continue her wailing. Carl looked questioningly at Ian, but all Ian could do was shrug. How could he explain Theo’s theory when he didn’t even understand it himself?
Carl patted Theo’s back and whispered, “The earl has requested a word with you, Ian.”
“Now?”
“Yes. He’s going back to London to meet with his barrister and he’s leaving first thing in the morning. He’s waiting for you downstairs right now, in fact.”
The Curse of Deadman's Forest Page 18