by Mark Hayden
No one can compete with Raven, of course. She is just immense in every sense, and that carries its own burden. Raven has to live up to that effect every day. When she walks into a room, everyone looks at her, which is fine, but it’s what you do when you have their attention that matters.
Look at Chris Kelly, who is just as far off the ground. As soon as you’ve noticed him, he tries to deflect attention away from himself. Raven, I have not worked out yet.
Isolde is the thinnest of the Daughters. None of them are what most people would call overweight and most of them glow with health, but not Isolde. She looks like her mother needs to take her in hand and feed her up.
I have no idea whether her mother is still alive. She probably is, somewhere, in a little Cornish cottage, wondering what happened to her daughter. If her mother were a Mage, I’d know all about it, but these magick people have a habit of forgetting mundane parents and siblings. Saffron was right, I should give Lord Mowbray credit for having Cador at the heart of his empire.
‘How are the negotiations going?’ I said. ‘Do I need to practise using my magickal seal yet?’
Isolde squeezed her eyes closed like she was trying to squeeze away a headache. She blinked and tried to focus on me as if I was a real person and not a decorative ornament.
‘Would you like me to get you some tea?’ I asked. ‘It’s been a long day already and it’s only just after lunch. Longer for you than most, I think.’
‘That would be very kind. Thank you.’
I rang the kitchens and moved to a different chair so that I was a bit closer to her and my laptop wouldn’t be in the way. The servants must be on stand-by for refreshments because a young boy appeared with a tray before I’d finished asking a question about Isolde’s Goddess braid. Hers was tightly pulled in and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was making her headache worse.
I poured the tea and said, ‘Will they go back to the table after dinner if there’s been no progress?’
‘I doubt it,’ said Isolde. ‘Brook and Cador might burn the midnight oil on the legal language, but not the others.’
‘So it’s going well?’
She summoned a smile. ‘You’re persistent, aren’t you, Mina?’
‘Oh yes. Conrad calls me the little itch he has to scratch.’ He has never called me anything like that, believe me. I would hit him if he did.
She drank half a cup of tea and relaxed slightly. ‘Thank you. That’s good. Alys won’t have proper tea in the little sitting room. It’s herbal tea or that rocket fuel coffee. Raven’s on the coffee, so Cordy and I missed out.’
‘You call her Cordy and you still live? Rick told us to avoid it at all costs.’
‘I wish those two would grow up. She prefers Cordy but won’t let Rick use it, so he warns everyone off.’ She shrugged it off and finished her tea. I poured some more.
She stood up for a second to rearrange her robes and do something with that rope belt. When she re-tied the knot, the scar on my arm throbbed. She’d just used magick for some reason. I wonder why. When she sat down, she leaned back and relaxed a bit more. ‘Mowbray wouldn’t have suggested the conference if he wasn’t ready to concede the main point. When they started this morning, Cador tabled a simple statement: If the Daughters voted for Mowbray, he would commit to issuing a completely new gender-neutral Deed. According to Brook, Cador actually said, “You can be home for tea if you want.” If only.’
‘I take it your party wanted something else.’
‘Have you done any formal negotiating?’
I had a choice. I could talk about negotiating with the Inland Revenue, but I am well aware that other people’s opinions of accountants does not reflect the years of sacrifice we put in to achieve our skills. I studied as long as a doctor to qualify, but what credit do I get? If I was going to win Isolde over, I had to trade weaknesses.
‘I watched my lawyer negotiating with the CPS for a plea bargain. Does that count?’
‘You don’t mind talking about it?’
I don’t shrug much. I had no idea about that until Conrad pointed it out to me. Shrugging is one of his many little obsessions, like the weather forecast. He is a man and has time for such things, of course. Instead of shrugging, he says I nod or shake my head. I would say that instead of nodding, he shrugs. Having thought about it, I gave Isolde a shrug.
‘It’s part of who I am, Isolde. Have you met the Constable?’
‘No. She famously never leaves London.’
An interesting comment. I filed it away for later. ‘Hannah doesn’t hide the damage to her head, really. She could wear a proper wig if she wanted to, but she doesn’t. She wears a headscarf or that red monstrosity that scares me more than her magickal power does.’
‘Is it really that bad?’
‘Oh yes. Her wounds are there, but she doesn’t talk about them. It’s the same with me and prison. The only difference is that I had a choice about going into money-laundering. Not much of one, but it was a choice.’
She nodded, digesting what I’d said. ‘In that case, you’ll know that it’s how you play your hand that counts. I can tell you what Brook said, but I can’t tell you what was important to us.’
‘I know about bluffing and expectations. I play bridge, Isolde.’
‘Really? So does Hedda – the Eldest Daughter. You must tell her. Anyway, this is what happened. Cador’s proposal would have left everything in the Deed untouched, including the Restoration language. Brook said that it was an ideal opportunity to clear up some other areas. The distribution of votes, for example, and don’t ask me to explain why there are twenty-seven electors or who decides where they’re from, okay?’
‘That sounds complicated.’
‘It is. Perhaps too complicated for this conference. Brook also asked for an end to spousal titles.’
‘You’ve lost me.’
‘In the mundane nobility, the wife of a man with a title gets a spousal title – Duchess of Cambridge, for example. The next time Sir Mick Jagger gets married, his wife will be Lady Jagger. Doesn’t work for men, though. Sir Elton John’s husband doesn’t get one, nor did Prince Philip. When his wife became Queen, they had to pass an act of parliament to make him Prince Consort.’
‘I see. I can’t say I’ve given it much thought. When I was little, I always wanted to be a princess in my own right, not because I’d married a prince.’
‘Right.’ She looked a little alarmed at that. I smiled and said nothing. ‘Well, in the world of magick, there are no spousal titles.’ She gave me a very sad smile. ‘Even if I hadn’t divorced him, I wouldn’t be Lady Mowbray. There’s an anomaly, though. If Mowbray becomes staff king of Wessex and marries Kerenza, she will be the staff queen.’
‘You’re right, Isolde, that shouldn’t happen. It seems perfectly reasonable to me.’
‘It is perfectly reasonable. You know it, I know it, and so does Cador. Unfortunately he has his own perfectly reasonable suggestions, too.’
‘Aah. What are they?’
‘He wants the right to move the staff king’s place of power from Old Sarum.’
I am not a walking atlas, unlike some people. ‘Where is that?’
‘Near Salisbury, in Wiltshire. It’s where the election has to be held, if there is one. Mowbray has a place in Wiltshire called Ethandun and we think he’d like to move it there. He’s one of the few people in the world who could actually do that.’
‘I take it he needs to do more than call in the removal men and redecorate.’
She looked at me as if I were stupid, then she remembered I’m not a Mage. ‘The place of power – Locus Lucis if you prefer – is at the centre of a web of Ley lines. It’s like, I don’t know, moving Heathrow airport to Essex.’
‘I see. I think.’
Isolde wasn’t finished. ‘There were a few other things. Brook wants to limit the staff king’s power, for one. We all know that Mowbray won’t appoint the Duke of Albion as Regent, so that could cause real problems.’
‘I’m sure they have, but not to me. Or Conrad. They may have spoken to your bosses.’
‘The Sisters of the Eldest – that’s our council – are not our bosses. They are our elders.’
She’d just given me an easy catch. I grabbed it and said, ‘And you are a good Daughter.’
She looked away. ‘Unlike my actual daughter, you mean. I’m sorry you had to see that.’
‘How very English of you, Isolde. We can all see the hurt on your face, we can all feel your pain. It’s you that should be upset, but instead you apologise. Surely Eseld’s father doesn’t encourage her to behave like this or wear fancy dress outfits?’
‘To be fair, he doesn’t encourage her. He pushed Cador to keep in touch, but Eseld …’
‘Is that the only reason you came? To see her?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is there anything we can do to help? It’s not fair. It’s wrong, Isolde.’
‘You don’t know what happened.’
‘It was fifteen years ago! She needs to move on for her own sake. I should know.’
Isolde shook her head. It could have meant a number of things. She might have been about to ask me about my mother or she might not. She decided to drop another hint instead.
‘As for the outfits she wears, it started when she met Raven and …’ She heard a noise and turned round. Someone was coming downstairs – Cordelia.
Cordy came over and said, ‘Do you want to take a rest, Isolde?’
‘I think I will,’ said Isolde, standing up. I did the same. ‘Mina, will you do me a favour?’
‘Of course.’
‘Ask Lena not to put me near my daughter at dinner tonight.’ She looked at the staircase and then the door. ‘I won’t rest, I’ll go for a walk. The pre-conference letter said that we were free to wander anywhere on the grounds.’
She left through the main doors and Cordelia took her place. ‘Is that tea fresh?’
‘I’ll get some more.’
The tea arrived with Saffron, and we sat down. I’m afraid that the conversation moved on to men at that point, specifically Rick and his shortcomings as a husband. You don’t need to know about those.
It went very quiet when Conrad emerged from his slumber, and I left him to it. It had been a long day for me, too.
I was coming out of the bathroom when Saffron appeared. ‘Are you going to sleep?’ she asked.
‘No. Just a lie-down and a break from being on duty. I may give Vicky a call.’
‘Good idea.’ She hesitated with her hand on the bathroom door. ‘Did you learn anything? I know you haven’t had a chance to tell Conrad yet…’
‘We are a team, Saffron, and I won’t tell him anything until you’re there, too. That’s simply because I don’t want to repeat myself.’
She smiled and opened the bathroom door. I did ring Vicky, but only after I’d spoken to Myvvy about the Bollywood party. I don’t want Saffron to think that I’m completely shallow.
17 — Eavesdropping
Mina whispered that she’d tell me later about her encounter with Isolde, then she wandered upstairs. Saffron followed me outside and stood away from the smoking shelter.
‘I’ve updated the Boss,’ she said.
‘Thanks. Did she have anything to say?’
She frowned. ‘Not really. It was almost as if she already knew what was happening.’
‘Don’t look at me, Saff. I haven’t spoken to her since the last conference call, and you were in on that. If she’s got a spy in camp, it’s not me, or Mina.’
‘Right. I’ll see you later.’
That was interesting. I mulled it over and went back to keep watch. Scout had been asleep with me upstairs and nipped out for a leak. I found him making friends with Cordelia and Lena.
‘You take him for a walk,’ said Cordelia. ‘I’ll mind the shop.’
‘I’m tempted. I could do with a stretch myself, but something would happen the minute I got to the dock.’
‘Can I take him?’
‘Be my guest. Scout? Be nice to Cordelia, okay?’
He barked and bounced up and down, backing towards the doors until Cordelia followed him and they left.
Lena switched to German and asked me how I was.
‘All good. Is Ethan learning your language?’
‘He’s trying. He was doing really well until his father got sick at the end. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he keeps up.’
‘So there is someone at Pellacombe who speaks German.’
She shook her head. ‘No. Ethan is not of Pellacombe. He is Kellysporth. It matters. He may be here now, and he may be wearing the blue, but he is Ethan Mowbray of Kellysporth.’
‘Why did you take the Steward’s job, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘I made him let me. They desperately needed someone they could trust after the last one retired. He said it was beneath me. You know he is a big Mage, yes? Much bigger than me.’
‘So I hear. I can’t tell.’
She nodded. ‘I grew up in a …’
‘Sorry, I don’t understand.’
‘Nunnery orphanage,’ she said in English, before switching back to German. ‘My parents gave me up when I was little. They didn’t know for certain that I’d be a Mage, but they knew there was a good chance.’
‘Were you still in the convent when…?’
She shook her head violently. Her jaw flexed and her braid flew around. ‘It was not like Sound of Music. I was not a nun. I refused to take the vows. I was working as a nurse in their infirmary. Paid. Professional. Mowbray and Ethan came to the valley to do work on the Ley lines and that’s how we met. They were there for two weeks. When Ethan asked me to visit him, I came here on my own.’
I got the message. She didn’t need rescuing. She wasn’t the magickal equivalent of a Thai bride.
She breathed out and smiled. ‘Kellysporth is not as big as Pellacombe, but it is still big. The estate is larger, even. I took this job to learn about what I need to do. Thank you for listening, and listening in German.’
That smile. It would brighten up a whole valley. The room was a lot dimmer when she headed off to the kitchens, and nothing of any significance happened between then and 18:30 when we all gathered for the Opening of the Doors (which was a bit of a non-event).
The last to arrive were Lena and Mina. They’d clearly been talking about something, and I found out what when we adjourned to the King’s Watch suite. Mina said that she’d been asking Lena about the seating arrangements, and then she went on to tell us about her chat with Isolde. Saff and I looked at each other.
‘There’s definitely a spy in the camp,’ I said.
‘And my money is on Síona,’ said Saffron.
‘Why?’ said Mina.
‘She lives within walking distance of the Boss, that’s why.’
‘And she has to think about the whole country, not just the South West,’ I added. ‘Interesting. Does that make a difference?’
‘To history, yes,’ said Mina. ‘To us, probably not. Hedda, the Eldest Daughter, will have to agree, and we have no idea what her agenda might be.’
‘Good. What did Lena say when you asked her to keep Isolde and Eseld apart?’ I asked Mina.
‘She’d already had the same request from Eseld. Except Eseld expressed it via text and as an order. Did you get anything out of Lena?’
‘Not really. I scraped away a layer or two, but that’s all. Her loyalty is definitely to Ethan rather than Lord Mowbray, though. I think we guessed that already. I wonder what Eseld will wear for dinner tonight?’
‘We’ll find out in half an hour. Do you need a shower, Saffron?’
‘If you don’t mind. I’m getting used to combat uniform, but it’s still a sweat box.’
It was a beautiful evening and we were shown to the best place to enjoy it: the main terrace outside
the ballroom / dining room, next to the gardens and with the best views of the river. The Mowbrays (except Eseld) were there first, and when Lena detached herself from Ethan to talk to Mina, I dived in for my first conversation with the enigmatic lord of Kellysporth.
‘How did it go this afternoon?’
Lena had carefully listed tonight’s meal as an informal dinner, so Ethan was wearing a shirt and chinos. Unlike last night, he’d made the effort to sport some Mowbray blue in a silk handkerchief sticking out of the shirt pocket.
‘Not bad. Have you heard about the queen issue?’
‘It was mentioned.’
He grunted. ‘They see it as part of gender neutrality. We don’t. It’s a good job that Hannah Rothman is quite young. If it was any other Constable, there might be some issues about who’s responsible for criminal justice. I think they’ll have a huge row about it tonight. Hopefully they’ll be willing to negotiate tomorrow.’
Lena brought me a glass of sparkling wine from the Mowbray vineyard in Dorset. ‘It’s getting better,’ she said. ‘In a few years it might be worth taking to market. Right now, we keep it in the family.’
I took my glass and soaked up the view. On a night like this, any wine would taste good. I turned round when Scout barked at the new arrivals. Eseld appeared from one direction as the Daughters came from another, and Eseld headed straight for me. That way, she wouldn’t have to greet her guests.
I think someone had read the riot act to her about the dress code. Tonight’s outfit was a simple blood-red blouse and black jeans. The Daughters were all in their robes.
‘By the gods, I wish I was out riding,’ she said. ‘Are you as bored as I am?’
‘I’m used to it. I’d rather be bored here than bored in Camp Bastion.’
‘Eh?’
‘Afghanistan. Have you forgotten about it already?’
‘How can I forget something I never knew. Were you there a lot?’
‘Years. I survived, give or take the odd rebuilt leg. Thanks for the ride this morning. It set me up nicely.’