Oracles of Delphi Keep (32 page)

“I will be happy to accompany them,” Thatcher said. “It
would provide me with the chance to visit with the professor. Besides, there’s still the matter of ferreting out the truth of where the scroll and the box came from.” Carl glanced up, looking like he was about to let slip what they’d discovered that afternoon but Ian cleared his throat and gave Carl a warning look. Carl quickly focused back on the bread.

“Something wrong, Ian?” Madam asked, and Ian realized she was looking at him expectantly.

“Ma’am?” he asked.

“Your throat, is it bothering you?”

Ian felt himself blush. “Oh, no, ma’am. Just a bit cool today—and perhaps I’m not used to the weather yet.”

Madam’s eyes were suspicious again but she turned back to the sink and said, “It is unseasonably cold for September, isn’t it?”

“The newspaper said it’s even colder in London,” Thatcher added. “Did you hear there was a frost there yesterday morning?”

“Really?” Madam Dimbleby said. “How strange!”

“Exactly,” said Thatcher. “And some poor urchin girl apparently suffered for it.”

Ian looked up from cutting the bread. He noticed the hairs on his arms had stood up, and he got the sense that something very bad had happened. “What girl?” asked Madam Dimbleby.

“A young homeless girl was found in an alleyway, frozen solid, if you can believe it.”

“That’s terrible!” Madam exclaimed with a shudder that Ian felt as well.

“Yes, quite tragic. I know the earl would hate to read that.”

Madam tsked as she peeled the potatoes. “Poor lass,” she said, and the kitchen was quiet for several long moments.

Madam Dimbleby was the first to break the silence. “Well, then I suppose it’s fine if the boys want to earn a bit of extra money and help out the professor. It’s Theo’s request to visit with Lady Arbuthnot that I’m hesitant about.”

“I assure you,” said Thatcher, “the earl’s aunt is harmless. And she seemed quite authentic too.” Ian smiled as he worked. He was glad Thatcher was sticking up for the earl’s aunt, as he knew that Theo was excited to go back and talk with her again.

“Your brother doesn’t share your enthusiasm,” remarked Madam Dimbleby.

“He’s already talked to you about it, has he?”

“Yes. He stopped by early this morning before service. He knew you intended to talk to me about taking the boys to London, which he also approved of, but he wanted to caution me about sending Theo along to Lady Arbuthnot’s. He said she was full of parlor tricks and it didn’t bode well to have a young lady influenced by such things.”

“Madam Dimbleby,” said Thatcher, setting his teacup on the counter, “I must tell you that Perry is far more a man of science than he is a man of faith. I know that what happened at Lady Arbuthnot’s was certainly no parlor trick. But I can’t really explain why I believe that. I do consider Theo gifted in the same way as the earl’s aunt. And I believe that her gifts frighten her to the point of becoming ill. If the lady
can help her harness these gifts in such a way as not to cause the girl further upset, then I say it’s worth considering letting her attend these Saturday visits.”

Ian felt himself relax. He was starting to like his new schoolmaster very much and he exchanged a knowing look with Carl while the pair arranged the bread they’d sliced in the baskets for the table. Ian hoped Thatcher was right about Lady Arbuthnot’s ability to help calm Theo. She had to learn how to make sense of her abilities before anyone else wanted to send her off to the sanitarium.

Madam Dimbleby turned to the boys. “Ian,” she said, “what did you make of Lady Arbuthnot?”

“She seemed very nice,” Ian answered carefully. “She served us tea and biskies and didn’t mind if we had seconds.” The truth was he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the lady’s abilities. His interaction with her had been a bit unsettling with all that doom-and-gloom stuff. But he didn’t want to sway Madam Dimbleby with this, so he stuck to discussing the lady’s hospitality.

Madam Dimbleby smiled. She knew he was dodging the question. “Carl?” she asked. “How did you find the earl’s aunt?”

Carl’s mouth opened wide with excitement as he answered, “She was brilliant, ma’am! She told me about me mum and she even knew her by name! The lady also said that she knew I’d had a rough go of it before the earl found me and brought me here, and she expected things should be a bit easier for me from now on.”

“So you believe she has a gift?”

Carl nodded earnestly. “Oh, yes, ma’am,” he said. “I
really, really do.” Ian smiled at his friend, grateful that Carl could be such an enthusiastic voice.

And Carl’s positive endorsement seemed to decide it for Madam Dimbleby “All right, then,” she said to Thatcher. “I shall allow Theo to go to her lessons on Saturday with Lady Arbuthnot, but I should like to accompany her for the first few visits, to see for myself that she’s not being unduly influenced.”

“Very good, Madam,” said Thatcher happily. “That sounds like the perfect solution.”

T
he next Saturday, Madam Dimbleby, Thatcher, Ian, Carl, and Theo all stepped from the train, which deposited them again at Victoria Station in central London. Just like before, the streets were bustling with energy. Ian thought there were even more people about than on their last visit.

Thatcher attempted to hail a hackney cab but there were none available. Finally, Madam Dimbleby said, “Come, Master Goodwyn, the walk shall do us some good and warm our bones in this chilly weather.”

The group kept a brisk pace as they marched through London’s busy streets, and Ian decided that he preferred taking in the city as a pedestrian, because the ride in the motorcar had gone by too fast.

Theo trotted alongside Madam Dimbleby, who was just behind Thatcher, and Ian and Carl brought up the rear. When they could finally speak without being overheard, Carl leaned over to Ian and asked quietly, “Are you going to tell Schoolmaster Goodwyn about the helmet today?”

Ian flinched. He knew that he should have told the
schoolmaster earlier in the week, but there always seemed to be someone about, and he felt certain that revealing that he and Carl had been in another tunnel would not go over well with either of his headmistresses. “If I can get him alone,” he said.

“We can tell him after we drop off Theo and Madam Dimbleby,” said Carl reasonably. “Speaking of which, I hope we get a chance to see the lady. I’d like to ask her something.”

Ian didn’t ask his friend what he wanted of the earl’s aunt, because his head was suddenly filled with troubled thoughts. He needed a reason to convince his schoolmaster not to tell the headmistresses of his most recent exploration. He knew that the earl was likely to hear of it at some point, but he was convinced that if Madam Scargill found out, she would insist on a severe punishment for him that was likely to include lost meals, a turn at the switch, and a restriction in his room for several weeks. He wondered if the earl might also be disappointed to learn that Ian was back to his old tricks again.

Ian walked along with these turbulent ideas and searched his mind for a plausible reason to offer his school-master when suddenly he heard Theo exclaim, “Look! Up there! See who it is?” Ian’s head snapped up and he realized with surprise that Professor Nutley was walking directly toward them.

“Professor!” said Thatcher, shortening the distance between them to greet his old friend. “We were just coming to see you.”

Ian noticed that the professor looked a bit taken aback at
first but seemed to recover himself as Madam Dimbleby was introduced and the boys gave their hellos.

“I’m afraid I thought you were coming later in the morning,” the professor explained. “I’m on an errand to Blythe House,” he said. “It’s part of the Victoria and Albert Museum. I’ve got some archival records there that I’ll need for our discussion later on.” Ian and Carl exchanged a look and shrugged. Neither boy knew what the professor was talking about.

“Ah,” said Thatcher, and Ian could tell he didn’t know how to respond. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the schoolmaster said, “We were just on our way to drop off Madam Dimbleby and Miss Fields at Lady Arbuthnot’s flat only a block away. Would you like for us to join you at the museum afterward?”

But before the professor had a chance to reply, Madam Dimbleby said, “Oh, my, Master Goodwyn, Theo and I can certainly make our way to Lady Arbuthnot’s on our own. Why don’t you and the boys run along with Professor Nutley and assist him in retrieving his records?”

The professor looked uncomfortable as he eyed Ian and Carl. “Thatcher, my good man, I really could use your assistance, but the archival records room is off-limits to children. Might the boys accompany you, Madam, and we can retrieve them on our way back?”

Ian’s shoulders sagged. He’d been quite excited by the prospect of going to the museum.

“Of course, of course,” answered Madam Dimbleby. “Ian, Carl,” she said over her shoulder, “come along with us to Lady Arbuthnot’s and your schoolmaster will fetch you after his errand.”

“All right,” groused Ian, and Theo gave him a sympathetic smile. She knew he’d prefer a museum over the lady’s parlor. But Carl seemed very excited and he bounced along.

They gave their quick farewells to Thatcher and the professor and continued on to the earl’s aunt’s. Ian hoped she wouldn’t be offended that Madam Dimbleby had insisted on attending Theo’s lessons. As they climbed the stairs to her distinct blue door, he reasoned that if Lady Arbuthnot took issue with Madam Dimbleby’s presence, she could always take it up with her nephew.

Ian arrived at the top of the stairs first and waited until Madam Dimbleby was beside him before he reached up to use the large brass knocker. Before he could even touch it, however, the door was pulled open by Lady Arbuthnot’s maid, Bessie. “Hello, Ian, Carl, and of course, Theo,” she said happily as she peered out at them. “Lady Arbuthnot’s very excited about your visit today, young lady.” She focused next on the headmistress. “And you must be Madam Dimbleby!”

“Er …,” said Madam Dimbleby, thrown by Bessie’s warm greeting.

Bessie nodded as if Madam had formerly introduced herself. “Lady Arbuthnot’s very happy you’ve decided to assist with the lessons,” she said.

Ian covered his mouth to hide a giggle as he watched Madam Dimbleby’s face register surprise. Finally, she asked, “How did she … I mean to say, when did the lady receive word of my interest in attending?”

Bessie laughed and winked at Madam Dimbleby. “The lady is good at knowing things before they happen, ma’am. Won’t you please come in?”

The headmistress nodded mutely and stepped across the threshold with Theo at her side and Carl and Ian on their heels. Bessie showed them all into the parlor, where Lady Arbuthnot sat in a beautiful light peach dress with a diamond tiara on her head. “Good morning!” she said brightly as they entered.

“Hello, my lady,” said Madam Dimbleby with a small curtsy. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Madam Dimbleby,” said the earl’s aunt warmly. “At last we make our acquaintance. So nice of you to accompany Theo here. I’m sure she’ll be glad of your support.”

Madam Dimbleby blushed deeply. “Thank you, my lady,” she said.

Lady Arbuthnot next focused on the boys. “And Ian and Carl, good morning to you. Lovely of you to return, if only for a short visit this time? I expect you’ll have a moment for some tea and a few tarts before you’ll have to leave again.”

Ian’s mouth fell open. The lady’s ability to know things was uncanny! “Yes, my lady,” said Ian with a small bow.

“Me lady?” Carl asked, and Ian noticed that his cheeks had turned a bit pink.

“Yes, Carl?”

“If … I may ask you something?” he said shyly.

“Of course, child. What is it?”

Carl shuffled his feet nervously, hesitating before he said, “Could you please tell me mum … happy birthday from me?”

There was a collective gasp in the room. Madam Dimbleby immediately put her arm around Carl and squeezed
him tightly. Theo was also moved and reached out and grasped Carl’s hand, and Lady Arbuthnot’s face held such a look of compassion that Ian found it difficult to swallow.

“Carl, my dear boy,” the lady said to him with a shake of her head and a small chuckle. “You don’t need me to be your interpreter. The dead can hear us loud and clear. It is the living who struggle to listen to those who have gone on. Your mummy knows whenever you’re thinking of her, so I am quite positive that she is aware that today, she is in your thoughts and prayers and that you are wishing her a happy birthday.”

Carl’s pink cheeks turned a blaze of red and he lowered his eyes and shuffled his feet again. “Thank you, my lady,” he said hoarsely.

“Now, come, sit down and take some tea,” Lady Arbuthnot continued. “We’ve got a place for each of you, and Bessie has just returned from the market with some fresh tarts for our lessons.”

Ian held a chair out for his headmistress under the approving eye of Lady Arbuthnot, and Carl seemed to realize that a certain politeness was required, so he hurried to pull Theo’s chair out for her. Theo smiled shyly at him as she sat down, and then Ian and Carl took their seats.

Lady Arbuthnot looked at each of them warmly and began pouring them tea after motioning to the plate of delicious-looking tarts in the center of the table.

When everyone had been served, the lady began. “This lesson will be primarily for Theo, but you are all welcome to listen quietly, as I believe that even those without Theo’s talent can benefit from the knowledge.” This delighted Ian,
because he was very curious about this fortune-telling business and how it all worked.

“Theo, dear,” she said, turning her full attention to the girl. “We talked last week about some of the visions you’ve been experiencing and the terrible fright they’d given you. Have you had any such reoccurrences?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Theo said. “I had a strange vision just last Sunday, but I don’t know what to make of it.”

“And what was this vision?” asked Lady Arbuthnot.

“Well,” Theo said, frowning, “it was just after Ian and Carl ran off to the bakery for some bread. I had this very clear vision of the wall of a tunnel with a skeleton sticking straight out of it. I saw Carl in the vision, and somehow I knew he was with Ian, and both of them were terribly frightened, but I don’t know why other than for the skeleton.” Looking at Ian and Carl, she added, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know what to make of it and I didn’t want to upset either of you.”