As the afternoon wore on everyone sensed that the meeting was coming to an end. The Parson had entertained everyone with a description of their encounters with Ned Porter and the footpads and everyone had added details. But now the King and Sir Richard had started to talk about the growing crime rate in London and the conversation had taken a serious turn. Peter was standing to one side of the group and overheard something about Lord Luxon. He was about to ask Kate what had been said when, to his horror, he saw Queen Charlotte advancing towards him.
‘I understand that you have family in Germany, Master Schock,’ she said. ‘Wie ich mich danach sehne, nach Preussen zurückzukehren. Wo lebt denn Ihre Familie nun, Meister Schock? Wann kamen Sie erstmals nach England?’
Peter froze. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Queen Charlotte continued to look at him expectantly, a kindly smile on her face. There was only one thing for it. He was going to have to tell the truth.
‘I was lying when I said I had family in Germany, Your Highness.’
The Queen was taken aback.
‘But why would you lie about such a thing?’
The Queen pronounced her w’s like v’s in just the same way as Margrit and suddenly Peter remembered eating meatballs with Margrit and his father on his last evening at home … He pushed the thought away.
‘Because I didn’t think Mrs Byng would believe me if I told the truth.’
‘And what is the truth, Master Schock?’
‘We were chasing a dog when somehow we collided with an anti-gravity machine – please don’t ask what one of those is because I don’t know. Anyway, somehow it carried Kate and I back two and a half centuries to 1763. Then someone stole it … We belong in the twenty-first century and we can’t get back – although I should be grateful if you wouldn’t tell anybody …’
The Queen looked at him without replying and then started to laugh. She moved away, still laughing, and Peter heard her comment to her lady-in-waiting: ‘What an amusing child, Elizabeth. How I envy him the freedom to imagine his world.’
Everyone had started moving back to the house and Sir Richard and the Parson thanked their Majesties for their generosity. Peter noticed the Queen studying him closely. The party walked back through the drawing room where they took their leave of the King and Queen. At the last minute Queen Charlotte called Peter back and spoke to him quietly at the door.
‘I believe you were serious, were you not?’
‘I was, Your Highness,’ Peter replied.
‘In which case, Master Schock, you must call on me if there is anything I can do to aid you in your difficult situation. You may be assured of my discretion.’
‘You would help me?’ asked Peter.
‘With all my heart,’ replied Queen Charlotte. ‘I know what it is like to be far from home and unable to return.’
Sir Richard ordered the coachmen to pick them up in Pall Mall so that he could take his visitors on a tour of St James’s Park. Peter wanted to catch a moment alone with Kate so that he could tell her what Queen Charlotte had said but as Sidney was sticking to her like glue he walked on ahead with Jack. They walked across the sun-bleached long grass past deer and chestnut-coloured cows, along the canal where, according to Sir Richard, James I used to keep crocodiles, and then they continued on to Rosamund’s Pond. It was here that Jack saw his first pelican. He was spellbound by the bird and refused to be dragged away. Peter sat down in the grass and absent-mindedly watched the reflections on the water. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sidney bearing down on him, a thunderous look on his face. Peter quickly stood up, convinced that Sidney was going to hit him – which he did, or at any rate shoved him backwards so hard that he staggered half into the pond. The pelican took off in fright.
‘I am mortified beyond belief by what I have just learned! That a person of such beauty and quality is to be condemned to a union with a poor fish like you! It is nothing less than a tragedy …’
Sidney looked down his nose at Peter who stood half in and half out of Rosamund’s Pond.
‘What …?’ exclaimed Peter, too bemused to be angry.
‘You frightened it away!’ shouted Jack.
‘Kate is a lady. You, sir, are an ass,’ continued Sidney, ignoring his little brother. ‘I will do everything in my power to persuade her to turn her back on this ludicrous arrangement …’
With nostrils flaring and a final toss of his head, Sidney flounced off to walk alone. Peter decided he had better remove his foot from the water. Green weed clung to his white stocking and his beautiful buckled shoe was stuck in mud at the bottom of the pond. He bent over and pulled it out of the water with a squelch. When he stood up he saw Kate looking rather sheepish.
‘What was that all about?’ he demanded.
‘I couldn’t think what else to do! Sidney’s been pestering me for days … I told him we’re engaged – that it was all arranged by our parents when we were babies.’
Peter looked up to heaven. ‘Great,’ he said. ‘I’ve just dug my way out of one hole with Queen Charlotte and now I’ve got some more play-acting to do …’ He suddenly looked a little more cheerful. ‘Mind you, I don’t mind being one up on Sidney. He really does have it coming to him. Come on, the future Mrs Schock, you had better take my arm.’
‘Steady on,’ said Kate, stepping to one side. ‘There’s no need to go that far.’
Parson Ledbury and Sir Richard were a long way ahead by this time. The Parson stopped to bellow at them all to hurry up if they wanted to see the Court of St James’s most recent resident, a diplomatic gift to the Queen, being taken for its afternoon walk. A baby elephant, perhaps eight feet high, presently came into view carrying its Indian keeper. It was escorted by two soldiers. Everyone save Sidney, who wished to know what the elephant ate before he went any nearer, walked up to the animal and soon found themselves the object of its soft and probing trunk. Not to be outdone by Peter, who was feeding it grass, Sidney planted himself stiffly in front of the elephant and braced himself as the animal gently explored the brass buttons on his jacket and his tightly curled hair. The barber’s generous use of powder irritated the delicate lining of the elephant’s trunk, causing it to have a sudden and violent sneezing attack. Sidney leaped behind a tree in fright and had to suffer the indignity of having the whole party, but especially Peter, laughing at him. Sir Richard tactfully suggested that they should bid farewell to the elephant and return home. However, as it was a hot day he should be pleased to buy everyone a drink first.
‘A can of milk, ladies! A can of red cow’s milk, sir!’
At the Whitehall end of the park, close to the ranks of sedan chair-men waiting for customers, a pretty girl stood selling fresh milk. Sir Richard bought them all a china mug of frothy milk, still warm from the cow. Peter had one sip and spat it out in disgust. Sir Richard noticed and seemed mildly offended.
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ explained Peter. ‘I normally only drink chilled milk.’
‘Chilled milk, Master Schock? I cannot understand you.’
Sir Richard motioned to Peter and Kate to approach him. He spoke quietly to them.
‘My sister’s good opinion of you both has led me to welcome you into my house and to present you to the King and Queen of England. I hope that you will feel able to honour my trust in you by explaining to me your disturbing appearance in Covent Garden. I should also be curious to learn the reason for the concern on the Queen’s face after she spoke to you, Master Schock. Pray meet me in my study at six o’ clock. I shall also ask Mr Seymour, if he is returned, and the good Parson to be present at our interview.’
Both children gulped and looked at each other.
‘Of course, Sir Richard,’ said Peter. ‘We will be there at six.’
‘Yes,’ said Kate. ‘Me too. Six o’clock.’
‘What did you tell Queen Charlotte?’ whispered Kate furiously in Peter’s ear as Sir Richard walked away.
When Dr Dyer came to visit Dr Pirretti in hospital that afternoo
n he was surprised to find Sergeant Chadwick sitting outside her room.
‘Surely a police guard is not necessary?’ he exclaimed. ‘Dr Pirretti is hardly a criminal!’
‘Detective Inspector Wheeler’s orders, sir,’ Sergeant Chadwick replied.
‘How is she?’
‘She seems as right as rain if you ask me. But they’re going to keep her in for observation overnight.’
Dr Dyer tapped softly on the door and walked in. Dr Pirretti lay flat on the bed, her head turned towards the window.
‘Andrew?’ she called out.
‘Yes,’ replied Dr Dyer, wondering how she knew it was him. She must have seen my reflection in the window, he thought.
‘Andrew. Tim’s machine … the time differential. It’s directly proportional to the quantity of anti-gravity generated.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘The time differential produced is directly proportional to the quantity of anti-gravity generated.’
‘You mean you think we could control how far backwards in time the anti-gravity machine could travel? Well, it’s a nice idea … But I thought you were supposed to be resting. How are you feeling now?’
He walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at her. She seemed to be fast asleep and breathing deeply.
‘Anita?’ he said softly. ‘Anita?’
She did not reply and after looking at her peaceful face for a couple of minutes Dr Dyer tiptoed out.
‘She’s asleep,’ he said to Sergeant Chadwick as he made his way to the lift.
My Lord Luxon bade me enter with all the warmth and solicitude of a long-lost friend. We sat in his library, amidst his beloved books, whose company I knew he would rather seek than that of most of his acquaintance, did they but know it. A shaft of sunlight penetrated the darkened room so that he sat in a golden circle, resplendent in blue silk, his stance and expression belying everything I knew him, in my heart of hearts, now to be. Yet face to face with him who had saved my life and given me food, shelter, a position in society, and more – his trust – I felt my resolve to be shaken. Who was I to stand in judgement on him? I felt my tongue tied and longed to escape my seat and stride about the room to ease my agitation.
‘How I have missed your prudish, disapproving stare,’ he said to me at last, smiling indulgently at my awkwardness.
‘I can see that you are angry, Gideon,’ he continued, ‘and I do not blame you given the manner of your arrival yesterday. I am happy indeed that you are returned today of your own free will – although I cannot deny that I am puzzled as to your motives.’
His easy charm disarmed me – as it often did – and I drove my nails into the palm of my hand as I screwed up my courage to tell him that I had turned my back on my old life for ever and would not for the world be sucked back into it.
‘My Lord, I have come here to beg you to be merciful as I know you can be – not towards myself but to my half-brother, Joshua, and to two young friends who are a long way from home . . .’
‘Merciful? Am I then some black-hearted tyrant bent on cruelty? What have I done to you that you speak of me in this way? Where is the evil in offering your stepbrother a position in this house? And was it I who took the magic box from the children? Surely I am not so wicked as you would portray me, my friend.’
Whether the pain on his face was real or contrived, I felt myself at that moment to be the most ungrateful wretch that ever breathed.
The Life and Times of Gideon Seymour,
Cutpurse and Gentleman, 1792
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Into the Net
In which the children answer some difficult questions
and Gideon walks into Lord Luxon’s net
When Peter and Kate had finished speaking there was an awful silence. Sir Richard’s study was small and stuffy and the resounding tick-tock of his brass carriage clock seemed to reverberate around the room until it pulsed like a heartbeat.
Suddenly Sir Richard leaned forward, his fine-featured face strained and concerned. He exclaimed gravely: ‘Can you swear that what the children have told us is true, Mr Seymour?’
Peter and Kate stared at the carpet, subdued and ashamed that they had concealed the truth from those who had shown them such kindness.
‘I can swear to it,’ said Gideon. ‘I witnessed their arrival. I saw the machine appear out of thin air on the slopes of a valley not five leagues from Baslow Hall. The children were attached to the device by I know not what force. After some little time had elapsed the nature of this force was suddenly altered. Attraction was replaced by repulsion and the machine appeared to hurl Master Peter and Mistress Kate high into the air and onto the hard ground. At first I feared that they were dead. I can also swear that they do not understand how this astonishing journey has come to pass. All they ask is that they may return home to their waiting families.’
‘So you have no recollection of your passage through time?’ asked Sir Richard.
Peter and Kate shook their heads.
‘And this capacity you have discovered for … blurring, as you call it – does it happen spontaneously, of its own accord, or can you control it?’
‘Both,’ replied Kate.
‘Although it’s been a few days since either of us blurred without intending to,’ said Peter, ‘as if we’re … I don’t know what the word is … stabilising, settling into 1763. But we’ve been finding it easier to blur when we want to – Kate especially …’
‘The only trouble,’ Kate interrupted, ‘is that once we’ve blurred back to our time we can only stay a few minutes. We get pulled back to your time. It actually hurts to resist …’
‘Would you say that it is the machine that is pulling you back?’ asked Sir Richard.
‘Ooh. I’d not thought of that …’ replied Kate. ‘I wish my dad were here to ask. I don’t know. Maybe …’
‘Do you consider that you have need of the machine in order to return to the twenty-first century permanently?’
‘We don’t know that either – but I think it’s our best bet if we can’t blur home.’
Sir Richard leaned back in his chair and smoothed the hair back from his temples.
‘Astonishing …’ he said. ‘Quite astonishing. How infinitely mysterious life is … Well, my dear Parson, what do you make of all this?’
‘Sir, my mind struggles to make any sense whatsoever of all that I have heard. On first meeting Master Schock and Miss Dyer I fancied I detected a certain … foreignness … about their attire and manner of speech but, upon my word, I have never heard a more astounding thing in my life! However, I pride myself on being a good judge of character and I am of the opinion that these children do not intend to mislead us. Else we are all demented and are merely deluding ourselves that we are in good Sir Richard’s study talking about journeys through time …’
‘If you like,’ offered Kate, ‘we – or I – could try to blur now.’
She looked at Peter who shook his head.
‘I’m not sure that I could right now …’
Kate stood up with a swish of her blue silk dress. She closed her eyes and held herself very still. Peter was suddenly aware how used he already was to the idea of blurring. Seeing the look on his host’s face he was reminded just how weird it must seem. He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and observed the reactions of Sir Richard and the Parson. Peter knew without even needing to look at Kate that she was beginning to blur. He was becoming attuned enough to the process to sense the ripples in time caused by Kate’s passage from one century to another. He reached out his hand towards her and instinctively he knew that, just like in Covent Garden, Kate could have pulled him back with her, it would almost have been like hitching a lift. He drew back his hand. Now when he looked across at her she was already becoming fuzzy around the edges. Soon she was transparent, like an image printed on gauze, and soon after that she was gone. The Parson crossed himself while beads of sweat stood out on Sir Richard’s forehead – he looked t
ruly terrified.
‘What devilry is this?’ breathed Sir Richard.
‘It is not devilry!’ burst out Peter. ‘It’s not some kind of black magic, if that’s what you’re thinking. Kate is not a witch! It’s Science! It’s Physics! It’s something to do with gravity or dark matter, or both. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it evil. Does it?’
Gideon put his hand on Peter’s shoulder.
‘Calm yourself, Master Peter. It would be surprising, indeed, if the sight of Mistress Kate blurring did not strike terror into a man’s soul when they saw it for the first time. Why, even you …’
‘I’m sorry, Sir Richard,’ said Peter. ‘I didn’t mean to be rude … But now that we’ve told you the truth we don’t want to be burnt as witches or be forced to answer lots of questions about the future. After all, we could tell you about inventions which will change everything, how wars are going to be fought, which country will become the most powerful on earth … I don’t know how time works but I’m pretty sure that we didn’t ought to talk about what will happen in the future. Well, as little as possible, anyway …’
Sir Richard was, in fact, too shaken to take in the enormity of what Peter was saying to him. He just stared blankly at the space where Kate had been a moment ago. The Parson, however, was paying more attention.
‘Which country will become the most powerful on earth?’ he asked.
‘You wouldn’t believe me, Parson Ledbury. Anyway, I don’t think I should tell you in case it makes you do something that changes the future.’
‘I undertake, on my honour,’ replied the Parson, ‘not to believe a word of what you tell me. I shall tell no one nor shall I act on anything I hear within these four walls. Will that do, Master Schock? Please, I should like to know before I wake from this dream.’
‘Oh, all right, then,’ said Peter, who could not resist seeing the look on the Parson’s face. ‘England will soon lose control of America and it will become the richest and most powerful country on earth. By our time America is the world’s only superpower.’
Gideon the Cutpurse Page 25