by Mark Hayden
‘And what do you do?’
She grinned. ‘Lord Mowbray’s personal pilot. You’re going to do part of my maternity leave.’
‘Am I now?’
‘Mr Cador saw it coming, and that’s why you’re here. I’m going to be your pilot trainer so that you can fetch the Daughters down for the conference.’
‘What have you got? A Chinook?’
‘As if Lord M would slum it in a Chinook. He has an H155.’
My my. The H155 Eurocopter is the Bentley of helicopters. ‘Does it have the leather seats?’
She showed me her right hand. On the third finger was a ring with an enamel badge in the same blue as Cador and Eseld’s neck wear. ‘The upholstery is in Mowbray blue leather. I’ll fly up to Cheltenham and we’ll put in the hours over the next few weeks. If you’re okay with that, of course.’
‘I’ll look forward to it.’ I’d noticed a wedding band on her other hand and pointed to it. ‘Who’s the lucky fellow?’
She shook her head. ‘One of the reasons I joined the RAF was to get away from the farm next door. Now I’m a part-time farmer’s wife. At least being pregnant gets me out of milking.’ We were walking along Aldwych, with the Waldorf coming into view. ‘And how are you, Conrad? I’ve heard all the magickal gossip, of course, but I didn’t serve with a Mage.’
I took a moment to stretch out my leg. ‘I think I’m the same person underneath. Older. Wiser. Definitely more scars. Happier, too.’
‘Sorry about the leg.’ She paused, because we both knew I’d got off lightly compared to many former comrades. ‘I saw Ms Desai with the Constable. She isn’t your normal type … sir.’ A smile drifted over her lips.
I started walking again. ‘In what way is Mina unusual, lieutenant? Short? Indian? Ex-convict? Widow?’
She laughed. ‘I was going to say public. You had rather a reputation for secrecy in your love life. It was discussed in the lipstick lounge. Occasionally. When we’d read the latest Vogue and run out of things to talk about.’
I should point out that this last comment was delivered with a thick layer of irony. Female officers in Afghanistan didn’t have it easy.
‘Misdirection,’ I said. ‘A lot of the time, I was up to something illegal and having people think I was in a secret relationship was good cover. I will admit to the German liaison officer, though. That was all true.’
‘Hah! If I ever see Helen again, she owes me a tenner.’
It was time to change the subject. ‘What’s the story with the Mowbray siblings?’
‘Bear with me,’ she said. ‘Eseld, with two Es is the Cornish spelling of Isolde, as in Tristan and Isolde, right?’
‘If you say so.’
‘Their mother was Isolde. I-S-O-L-D-E. She still is their mother, of course, but she divorced Lord M when he was still plain Mr Mowbray. She took the kids with her to the Daughters in Glastonbury, for a bit.’
‘What happened? Did he sue for custody?’
‘Oh no. When Eseld developed magick, she cut off her Goddess braid and hitched a lift back to Pellacombe. She hates the Daughters. And when Cador turned out to have no more magick than I do, Isolde-with-an-I sent him packing. He got a first at Cambridge and became a barrister. He looks after the politics of Pellacombe.’
‘And Eseld?’
‘Powerful Mage. She’s her dad’s right hand.’
‘So which one is the heir?’
‘Neither. The son and heir is Kenver, from Lord Mowbray’s second marriage to Aisling. It’s very complicated.’
‘Is she still around?’
Leah looked away. ‘She died when I’d just joined up. Some sort of accident. They had a daughter who’d be in her twenties now. Morwenna. Hasn’t been seen since Aisling died. Lord M was devoted to Aisling. No one talks about it.’
We passed through the revolving doors of the Waldorf and headed to the Kernow room. ‘Remind me again what Kernow means. I know I’ve heard it before.’
‘It’s Cornish for Cornwall, if you see what I mean. You’ll hear it a lot at Pellacombe. They’ve leased this room for years as their London base.’
Lunch was excellent, as you’d expect when you get the individual attention of your own chef. Leah told me a lot more about the Mowbrays (I had to take notes), and we fixed a provisional date for my first lesson in the H155. I was very much looking forward to it.
6 — Lovers of Secrets and Secret Lovers
During the lunch, two texts arrived which sorted out my afternoon nicely. I gave Leah a hug and she headed for her room and a lie down. The nice doorman got me a taxi, and I headed for Hyde Park and an assignation.
The cabbie dropped me at one of the south side entrances, and I made my way to the Diana statue. That’s Diana the Huntress, and not to be confused with the Princess Diana memorial fountain further west. Cora Hardisty, Dean of the Invisible College, was waiting for me on a bench in the sun. Cora has a few things in common with Eseld Mowbray, starting with magick and being a woman, of course, and that leads straight to the most obvious: short hair. Cora wears hers in a feathered, shaped cut that wouldn’t look out of place on a mundane university vice-chancellor, but stands out in the world of magick. Her outfit of loose trousers and linen blouse looked as expensive as her haircut
When she heard me limping along, she stood up and we embraced. She took off her dark glasses and, judging from the bags under her eyes, she was as ready for a holiday as I am.
‘How’s the wound?’ I asked.
‘Internally, all organs are healed. The muscles will take a lot longer. You’re probably wondering why we’re meeting in a park like Cold War spies.’
‘Or secret lovers.’
She looked alarmed. Cora is happily married, as far as I’m aware. I tried to smile in a non-threatening way.
‘Quite, Conrad. I thought Mina would be with you.’
‘Shopping. We’re going on a cruise next week.’
‘Oh.’
She’d have sounded less surprised if I’d said we were going on a tour of French plague pits (there’s one in Rouen. Don’t ask how I know).
‘Hannah told you about Sofía, I presume.’ She nodded cautiously. ‘She’s keen to study at the Invisible College. I wouldn’t normally bother you, but…’
‘…But it’s not every day you acquire a sister. So she really is a Mage?’
‘Yes. Vicky and Saffron say she’d matriculate easily.’
She nodded again, more slowly. Vicky was once Cora’s pupil, and she trusts her judgement. ‘How is Victoria?’
‘Like you: getting there.’
‘I’m glad. There must be good reasons for Sofía to study here and not in Spain.’ She paused, giving me a chance to fill in the gap if I wished. The implication was that I had to say something. Cora will take Vicky’s word on trust, but not mine.
‘There are good reasons, and they have to do with her mother, not Sofía. Mercedes wants her daughter to study in the land of her fathers, and that’s that. My half-sister is just a normal, Spanish teenager as far as I can tell.’
Cora smiled. ‘She’d be the first Spanish Aspirant since the Peninsular War. I checked. Is there a rush?’
‘Not really.’
She looked at the fountain and at a couple sitting opposite us. She pointed. ‘Those two are definitely married, and not to each other.’ I agreed, and she continued. ‘I can see her on Wednesday 2nd September. That’s a couple of weeks before term starts.’ She turned back to face me. ‘I like to start the academic year with a big barbecue on Bank Holiday Sunday. Would you and Mina like an invitation?’
No one says Would you like an invitation? to a party they’re throwing themselves. They say Would you like to come? The Dean was waving a red flag, and I had no idea what it meant. As I’ve said, she is the consummate politician, and far too devious for a simple man like me. I decided to shock her into the truth.
‘Why wouldn’t we, Dean? It’s not a Swingers party, is it?’
She shook her head, more in s
orrow than in anger I think. ‘You’d be nailing your colours to the mast. My mast. It’s a campaign barbecue this year: Vote Cora for Warden.’
‘Aah. I see.’
The Dean got her wound when the last Warden of Salomon’s House was blown up. She’s standing to replace him, not just as Master of the Invisible College but as the leading Mage in England.
I smiled. ‘We don’t have a vote, but you’d have mine if I did. Has anyone else declared their candidacy?’
‘Didn’t Saffron tell you? Heidi Marston has thrown her welding mask into the ring.’
‘Saffron joined the Watch to get away from her family. She only talks about them if I tie her to a chair and threaten her with violence.’
‘That sounds like Saffron. How’s she getting on?’
‘Good, so far. She’s not short of courage, that’s for certain.’
Cora checked her watch. ‘I really do have an appointment shortly, Conrad.’
I weighed it up. ‘Would you be offended if I said that we’d love an invitation, but that I’d have to check with the Boss first?’
‘Not at all. I’d expect nothing less from Hannah’s … most high profile officer.’ Whatever it was she was going to say, she’d changed her mind. ‘Thank you, Conrad.’
I stood up. ‘It’s good timing, actually. We’re already booked in for dinner at Chris Kelly’s the night before.’
‘Dinner? At his house?’
‘Where else?’
‘Oh. Right.’ She desperately wanted to add something to that response and couldn’t find a polite way of putting it. ‘Enjoy the cruise, Conrad, and love to Mina and Victoria. We’re off to Florida, would you believe. Kids, eh?’
After we’d kissed again, I lit a cigarette and watched her walk away. I toyed with the idea of following her, just to see if she were heading for a romantic assignation. There was definitely a touch of guilt going on during our conversation, and regret, too, but for what? The reason I didn’t follow her is that she’s a powerful Sorcerer. If she used her Sight, she’d spot me easily. I finished my fag and headed for Knightsbridge, very much not my usual stomping ground.
There is a group of people, mostly mundane, who have helped me out in the past and whom I call the Merlyn’s Tower Irregulars. One of the founder members is Alain Dupont, a young Frenchman on a postgrad business course. Alain has done all sorts for me, and part of his payment was my getting him an interview with Rachael at the wealth management company where she is something of a superstar. He got the job, and when I messaged him from the church, he suggested meeting at the Café du Bordeaux, adding If you’re paying. If not, then Starbucks.
Alain was hovering near an empty outside table, but hadn’t sat down. When we did, and when I looked at the wine list, I discovered why: a bottle of Bordeaux from his home region cost £80. I ordered two. ‘Mina is meeting us here.’
‘At last! I get to meet ’er. Salut, Conrad.’
‘Salut. How’s life with my sister, Alain? Has she driven you mad yet?’
‘She is abroad, so I ’aven’t seen much of ’er I was going to thank you for this job, Conrad, but I am not so sure now.’
He looked genuinely troubled. ‘What’s up?’
‘It is a great opportunity, mon ami, don’t get me wrong. But … I am out of my depth. Financially. They pay the London living wage to interns yet they expect you to buy a round of drinks in places like this. The other guy, ’e ’as a title and a ’ouse in Belgravia. Already, I get looks.’ He gestured at the café. ‘That is why we meet ’ere. Already five people see me, which is five more than I can afford on my own.’
‘Can you keep it up?’
He gave me a shrug that would score 9.9 in the body language olympics. ‘Who can say? Sorry, Conrad, but you got me this job, and I don’t want to lie to you.’
‘You got this job yourself, Alain. Rachael does me no favours.’
‘Perhaps. What did you want?’
‘Do you remember I asked you to locate a guy called Milton in Cornwall?’
‘I do. I could find no one.’
That was a while ago. One of the reasons I value Alain’s help is that he is not in the world of magick, and has only his own interests to protect.
‘I got the name wrong. It’s actually Mowbray, and …’
Alain spat out his wine and coughed. ‘Non, non, non. No. Absolutely not.’
‘Eh?’
He looked at me. ‘Seriously?’
‘What?’
‘You are not lying. You do not know?’
‘No I bloody don’t. Get on with it, man.’
‘The Mowbray Estate is our biggest client, your sister’s biggest client. If she keeps them for another year, she will get a partnership. Please do not tell me you are investigating them. Please.’
I held up my hands, then gave him a cigarette to calm him down. ‘Don’t worry. My department is doing a job for him, to help him, actually, and I’m on the security detail. That’s all.’
‘Mon Dieu. You worry me.’ He looked around. ‘I cannot tell you anything, Conrad. Please do not ask me.’
‘I only have two questions, Alain.’
‘Go on.’
‘In broad terms, just how big is the estate?’
He nodded thoughtfully and picked up his phone. A few clicks later, he showed me the screen. ‘This is public knowledge. It is forty times too small. At least.’
It was the Wessex rich list, which valued the estate (under its mundane name of Truro-Fal) at thirty-seven million pounds. Wow. That made Mowbray a mundane billionaire. No wonder they had a suite at the Waldorf and their own personal helicopter.
‘And your second question?’
‘Has Rachael slept with Cador Mowbray?’
He laughed. ‘You are more like your sister than you know, mon ami. You ’ave your values and you stick to them, and so does she. You know ’ow she came to this job two years ago, no?’
‘I don’t. I was in Afghanistan at the time, and we weren’t speaking.’
‘She ’ad the Mowbray account at the other place. Cador tried it on with ’er. She complained to ’er boss, and ’e told ’er to take one for the team.’
It was my turn to choke on my wine. ‘You what?’
‘Oui.’
‘Why did she tell you and not me? Or our parents?’
‘Your mother knows. Rachael told me the day I started, in this bar, over several bottles of wine. She wanted me to understand.’
‘What did she do?’
‘She walked out and came to the new firm. One month later, the Mowbray account followed ’er. She told me this because she ’as never and will never sleep with a client.’
‘She was clipping your wings.’
He closed one eye. ‘She said exactly the same thing. I ’ad to look it up.’ His shoulders slumped in a sort of anti-shrug. ‘I ’ave been on only two dates since I started this job. It is not good.’ He looked over my shoulder and his face changed. ‘I think you should talk to your sister about becoming our client.’
‘What?’
He pointed. ‘Look at those bags. You must ’ave a lot of money.’
Mina barely paused to kiss me before dumping a rainbow collection of designer shopping bags on the ground and downing half a glass of wine.
‘Salut,’ said Alain.
‘Salut,’ said Mina. She tilted her head to look at me. ‘I have had a telephone call from your sister. She and Carole are going to be in the Inkwell tomorrow evening. You are to report for interrogation at 18:30. Alone.’
‘I shall pray for you,’ said Alain.
‘Budge up,’ said Myfanwy. ‘There’s room for three on this roller.’ Ben and I moved apart and she squeezed between us. ‘What’s that mad dog doing now?’
Scout was running round the cricket pitch, a huge distance for such a small dog. ‘I have no idea. Perhaps he’s casting a spell.’
Ben is very, very new to the world of magick, and like my mother, he tries to ignore it. Living with Myfanw
y makes that a difficult task. ‘Really?’ he said. ‘I thought that wasn’t allowed.’
‘He’s winding you up,’ said Myfanwy. ‘Familiar Spirits can’t make Charms – that’s casting spells – and if Scout could do anything, he’d make a Charm that made everyone forget about tea so that he could eat all the sandwiches. He’s mostly dog and only partly a Spirit.’
‘Still bonkers, though.’
‘He is that. Anyway, Conrad, how did it go last night? Carole didn’t call or text or nothing. I bet Ben hasn’t even asked you, and she’s his sister.’
‘I had more important things to think about,’ said Ben, aggrieved. ‘Like who to choose as our fourth bowler.’
She shook her head in sadness. ‘Men. Come on, Conrad, tell all.’
‘That’s because Ben’s sister, unlike mine, is a good person. Carole accepted my story about Isaac/Ivan and is ready to move on with her life. Once I told her that Isaac’s wife had claimed the body for burial, it finally seemed to sink in that he had never been hers. She cheered up a bit when I told her that Isaac had paid for the wedding in full, in advance, in joint names.’
‘That’s a bit horrible,’ said Myfanwy. ‘I didn’t think Carole was that mercenary.’
‘She’s not,’ said Ben. ‘It means that Irina couldn’t reclaim any of the money. It means that Isaac cared enough about her not to leave her with any debts.’
‘He didn’t plan to die,’ I added. ‘Whether or not he planned to go ahead with a bigamous wedding, he wanted Carole not to suffer financially.’
Myfanwy was having none of it. ‘Only a man would say that. He was married! He was stringing her along. No amount of money can make up for that.’
‘That’s what Rachael said, pretty much. Carole just shook her head and finished her drink. She only stopped half an hour then went home to her parents.’
‘Leaving you with Rachael.’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you want to talk about it? Was it bad?’
I grinned. ‘Not after I went to the gents.’
‘No! Don’t tell me you did a runner,’ said Myfanwy.