The Alchemist's Key (19 page)

‘So, you like attacking young women who cannot defend themselves, do you?’ Andrew punched Frances so hard that he was sent reeling into the far wall, where he collapsed onto the floor. ‘Well, I enjoy beating up old, drunken perverts.’ He pulled the Baron to his feet and
headedbutted him square between the eyes. ‘So how do you like them apples?’ Andrew laid into Frances’ kidneys, before thumping him to the ground and kicking him a few times.

‘Andrew, stop, you’re going to kill him,’ Grace pleaded. She held no love for the aging gent, but she didn’t want him dead.

At the sight of his lover’s face, battered and bleeding, Andrew’s anger was fuelled anew. He lifted Frances up off the floor and the Baron began to beg for mercy.

‘Shut up you disgusting weasel, and listen,’ Andrew demanded, whereby he nodded. ‘If you ever, ever, so much as think about laying a hand on any female again, servant or otherwise, I will personally see you to your deathbed … do I make myself clear?’ He shook the trembling man to hasten his response.

‘Yes,’ the Lord replied, spitting blood as he did so.

‘And don’t think I won’t find out, or that your guards will protect you, because I am not of your world, Frances, and there is nowhere you can hide that I will not find you. My wrath is a promise that shall haunt you to your grave, of that you may be assured,’ Andrew told the Baron harshly as he let him drop to the floor.

‘Father?’

Andrew and Grace turned to see young Ernest standing in the doorway that led to the drawing room. When the child saw the state of his father he immediately ran to get help.

‘Quickly,’ Grace urged, ‘you must get out of here.’

‘We,’ Andrew corrected, grabbing hold of her hand.

‘But he is badly injured …’ Grace hesitated.

‘Grace.’ Andrew held her face to drill his words into her eyes. ‘You are badly injured. We have to find Arthur. I’m taking you back with me.’ Grace appeared to be torn between his words and staying in her own time, but there was no way Andrew was leaving without her. ‘We belong together. If you stay, I stay too.’

‘No,’ Grace uttered in horror. ‘You’ll hang for this.’

‘So will you,’ he pointed out. ‘Please, come with me.’

At the sound of hurried footsteps on the main staircase, Grace’s resolve was swift. She took hold of Andrew’s hand and fled with him to the tower.

Outside, Andrew looked left and right. Which way should they run? Then he sighted the Temple of Knowledge. ‘I know somewhere where they
won’t find us.’ He hurried Grace towards the circular dwelling.

Downstairs, they entered John Ashby’s private library. In between the two reading lounges, Andrew lifted the rug to find a trapdoor. ‘Just as the Baron said,’ he grinned. ‘Quickly.’ He urged Grace to descend, and climbing in himself, he pulled the rug back over the top of the hatch and lowered it.

The pair backed up, looking at the closed trapdoor overhead, as people were heard entering the library above.

‘Well, I am impressed.’

A voice came from behind. Both Andrew and Grace were stunned into an about-face.

‘Nobody has ever discovered this place,’ the regal old gentleman smiled. ‘Don’t worry, they won’t find you,’ he assured. ‘You’d think they would have worked it out by now, but my hideout continues to elude them.’

‘They must have headed out the other side of the temple,’ one of their pursuers was heard to say as the party who sought them left the library.

‘See,’ said the gent, ‘stupid.’

‘John Ashby?’ Andrew questioned Grace and the obliging character in front of them.

‘Indeed.’ He held out his hand to shake Andrew’s. ‘And who might you be, young sir?’

‘Andrew Jenkins,’ he introduced himself. ‘This is a great honour, as you could say I am a great admirer of your research.’

A frown beset the nobleman’s face. ‘Only a select few people know anything of my work, and I am sure you are not one of them.’

‘It is not that any of your associates have been indiscreet,’ Andrew assured Ashby, ‘but rather, this machine,’ he looked to it, to find it was only partially constructed, ‘has had a profound effect on the future, which is where I am from.’

The old gent was forced to laughter, until Grace added: ‘It is true, my Lord. I have been there. To the twentieth century, in fact, a most grand and amazing place.’

‘Is that so?’ John was still sceptical, although somewhat curious as well. ‘Then do sit down, both of you.’ John headed for a decanter of brandy to pour them all a drink. ‘Tell me of the future … and while you’re at it, you’d best explain why half my household is chasing you.’

Over the next few hours, Andrew and Grace entertained the Baron with the whole sordid story, including the temple fire, the Baron’s descendants, and the machine. They told him of all the strange time occurrences that had happened since the
thirteenth Baron had come to occupy the house, bringing with him all his electrical equipment.

‘So that’s how I make it work. Of course!’ John rose to gaze in wonder at his creation in progress. ‘What you have said makes so much sense; so many of my conundrums have been answered. Now I can proceed with my research … you have steered me in directions I would never have considered. My invention may not work in my lifetime, but in a few centuries … it will be possible!’

Andrew, however, could not share the Baron’s excitement. ‘But this machine is wreaking havoc with the future. I was hoping that this information might discourage you, not the other way around.’

‘But, my dear lad, don’t you see? If I was to stop now, then you would not be here. How could you be? And some good has come of this … I would never have found out about my son’s abuse of my female staff, which I assure you will come to an end this instant. I was wondering why that poor young maid hung herself some months back … well, now I know.’

Andrew was pleased about the latter matter. And, as he considered John’s statement about stopping his research, it made him realise that he would never have found Grace if it were not for the machine.

What Andrew needed was a way to get Grace and himself back to the future, and a means by which to destroy the machine once he got there. He thought back to what Rosia had said about there being portholes to other eras and dimensions all over the planet, where the veil between inner and outer time is very thin, and he wondered if John was aware of this.

‘Did you build your temple in this particular spot for any reason?’ Andrew phrased the question carefully.

John’s smiled broadened. ‘You know, don’t you, about the path of power.’

‘The path of power?’ Andrew quizzed innocently.

‘The paths of power that extend around the world and are marked by the great megalithic sites. The earth’s natural energies are very strong along these paths. I had hoped that it would increase my chances of making my creation work … which, of course, it must.’ He clapped his hands with new-found resolve.

‘But Ashby has never given host to any great megalithic marker.’ Well, it hadn’t as far as Andrew knew.

‘Ah, but it did,’ John enlightened him. ‘In the time of my great forefather, Gisborne, this spot was marked as sacred by a huge stone boulder.
When the manor was temporarily stolen from him by Cromwell’s injustice, the man who came to run Ashby removed the marker and built a damn church in its stead.’

Andrew recalled reading about this. ‘But upon Gisborne’s return he tore the church down, right?’

‘That he did. None of my forefather’s ever could stand organised religion.’ John screwed up his nose in disgust.

‘So, this path of power …’ Andrew questioned further. ‘In which direction does it extend?’

John advised that the path ran at an angle through the house.

‘Let me guess,’ ventured Andrew. ‘Downstairs it would run through the greenhouse, through part of the marble dining room and on through the kitchens. And upstairs it would run through the long gallery, the domed salon, the musician’s gallery and the music room.’

‘Very good.’ John gave him a round of applause. ‘How did you guess?’

‘That’s where strange time phenomenon occur.’ When Andrew considered the time period John Ashby was born into that lacked the advanced scientific tools of the twentieth century, he had to wonder at this man’s knowledge. ‘So how did you discover this path of power?’

‘By dowsing, of course.’

‘Dowsing?’ Andrew wasn’t sure he understood correctly. ‘But isn’t that how you find water?’

‘It has been used for that. But it also has many other applications. It’s a simple matter really … all one does is hold a bent metal or wooden rod in front of oneself, and when you are confronted by the path, the dowsing tool will flip up, repelled by the force.’

Andrew thought this a useful piece of information. ‘So, how far beyond Ashby does this path of power extend?’

‘Quite a way would be my guess,’ said John. ‘Through the township, then it would continue on through the madhouse and beyond.’

‘But beyond the township is Glenoak College.’ Andrew began to panic.

‘In your time, perhaps.’ John raised his brow. ‘But here, I can assure you, you’ll find the madhouse.’

‘Oh, dear God.’ Andrew jumped to his feet. ‘The others are in deep shit! We have to find the cat. He’ll show us the way back.’

‘But how?’ Grace reasoned. ‘With the whole house looking for us?’

‘Fear not,’ John assured the couple. ‘I shall take care of my staff and family. You two are free to
find your way back … to the future,’ he added with a smile, impressed with himself.

Out in front of the asylum, Rex and Phil assisted Wade in hijacking Madam’s coach. The ladies and investors were crammed into the carriage. Hugh took the reins and Wade rode up front with him, whilst Phil and Rex clung to the rear.

As the night was dark, the gatehouse guard opened the front gates at the coach’s approach. The carriage whizzed past him and down the road. Thus the guard was none the wiser about the occupants or the theft.

‘Hugh, we’re clear. I think you can slow down now,’ Wade advised, as they approached the town.

‘Whoa,’ Hugh encouraged the horses to a calmer pace, and looking ahead, the buildings of the township suddenly lit up.

‘I believe we just got lucky.’ Wade slapped his hands together, well pleased to note the cars parked under the streetlights down both sides of the road.

Hugh pulled the carriage to a stop, and both he and Wade climbed off to free their cramped passengers.

‘Thank Christ!’ commented Phil as he jumped off the back, and headed towards his police car.

‘Hey, Constable.’ Wade followed him. ‘You wouldn’t happen to have a map of the area lying about?’

‘Sure would.’ He opened the car door to root around for it.

‘Is it over?’ the Contessa asked Hugh as she climbed out into the familiar surroundings.

‘For you, yes,’ he assured her, then looked to Louisa. ‘Make sure everyone is alright, will you? I’m going to see what Wade is up to.’

Louisa nodded, then grabbed Hugh’s arm. ‘Don’t do anything without me, will you?’

‘Anything?’ he teased with a smile. Despite her grin Louisa hesitated to comment, thus, Hugh headed off across the road.

As Louisa wasn’t too sure if his response meant yes or no, she kept a watchful eye on the Baron’s movements as she carried out Hugh’s bidding.

Phil shone the torch over the map that Wade had laid out on the bonnet of the car.

‘Got a pen, anyone?’ Wade requested as Hugh and Rex joined them.

‘I do.’ Hugh passed it over, curious as to what Wade was doing.

‘Okay.’ Wade looked back to the map. ‘Here’s Ashby.’ He marked the manor with an X. ‘The
town of Ashbury and Glenoak.’ He marked them also. ‘Now, where is this old farmer Brackstone place that you were telling me about earlier?’

‘Here.’ Phil pointed, and Wade marked it, ahead of drawing a straight line through all four locations.

‘There seems to be a pattern emerging, wouldn’t you say?’

‘So, what are you getting at, exactly?’ Rex inquired, completely engrossed in following the mystery of what had taken place this day. And not for the sake of a story either. It was now more just to satisfy his own curiosity and bewilderment.

‘What I’m saying is, the time phenomenon seems to be concentrated in the areas along this line.’

‘So?’ said Phil.

‘So,’ Wade emphasized, ‘if I need to get back to Ashby, without becoming misplaced in time, chances are that if I go around this area, I should be safe.’

‘That goes along with what you were suggesting earlier, about the time holes being channelled by something.’ Rex looked at Hugh in awe, as if he considered the scholar to be some sort of genius.

‘Yes, but by what?’ Hugh pondered, looking back to Wade. ‘And what’s all this
I
business,’
Hugh corrected. ‘If you’re heading back to Ashby, I’m coming with you.’

‘Me too,’ added Rex.

‘Me three,’ said Phil.

The three men looked at the policeman, not too sure if they wanted him along or not.

‘Hell,’ Phil shrugged. ‘I haven’t seen this much action in my whole career. And if what you have told me is true, and this whole situation isn’t really your fault, then it’s not like I’m going to charge you or anything.’

‘Alright then.’ Wade settled it. ‘We’ll head around the back of the town, and cut across country.’

The other three men all nodded in agreement.

When Louisa spied the map being folded and the policeman approaching to have a quiet word with the Contessa, she tried to off-load her responsibility onto Hannah. ‘Could you keep an eye on everyone?’

‘Hold on,’ Hannah protested, knowing Louisa was off after the boys. ‘Why should you get to go?’

‘You’ve already got your man,’ Louisa reasoned. ‘I should be so lucky.’

Hannah cracked half a smile at this. ‘Are you saying —’

‘I don’t know what I’m saying,’ Louisa cut in. ‘I just know I don’t want to lose track of Hugh, before I have a chance to figure out exactly how I do feel about him.’ But inside, Louisa knew what the truth was, well enough.

‘But what if Wade gets lost?’ Hannah panicked.

Louisa calmed Hannah with a shake of her head and a gentle smile. ‘If there’s one thing I do know about our Baron, it’s that he is never lost … unlike the rest of us,’ she added, somewhat remorseful about the fact.