The Alchemist's Key (21 page)

Grace looked up to the aging Baron, startled from her grief by his words. ‘My Lord wants my help?’

John tapped her head lightly. ‘I need your memory, your experience, your expertise!’ He assisted the maid to get to her feet. ‘So, how would you like to be my new assistant?’

Grace’s emotions soared from the pit of despair to great heights of elation. ‘Why,’ she gasped, overwhelmed by the suggestion, ‘that would be my great honour, my Lord.’

‘Very good.’ John braced her shoulders to assure her she was making a sound decision, then reached for a work-coat and gave it to the maid. ‘Let’s get to work then.’

Although Grace was a little stunned by his eagerness, she put on the coat as requested.

John looked back to his machine, struck with pride by what he would accomplish. ‘The future is ours, young Grace.’

Wade and company emerged from the dig site to see a couple of torches being shone around the front of the darkened house. Upon closer inspection they met with Tace Bonnell, who was accompanied by two policemen from the same station as Phil.

‘Where the hell did you disappear to?’ she questioned Rex.

Rex didn’t answer straightaway, as he wasn’t too sure how to respond.

‘So this is your missing cameraman?’ one of the policemen queried.

‘Yes,’ advised Tace. ‘Tell him, Rex. Tell him what happened.’

‘Miss Bonnell claims you mysteriously disappeared,’ the policeman stated, rather reserved in his judgment of the claim.

Rex shrugged. ‘I thought
you
got lost. One minute you were right behind us … the next you weren’t.’

‘What!’ Tace protested, surprised and outraged. ‘I know what I saw, and I demand to know where you’ve all been.’

‘I’ve been with Hugh Prescott and Lady Sinclair all evening,’ Rex sidestepped the question.

‘That’s absolutely right,’ Hugh confirmed, ‘he has.’

‘But they vanished too.’ Tace explained to the policeman in a desperate fashion. ‘Something strange went on here this evening, and I fully intend to find out what it was.’

‘Someone sabotaged my power supply.’ Wade offered some information.

‘Sabotaged
your
power supply! Is that what you call it?’ Tace commented, not liking being made to look the fool. ‘That machine of yours melted Rex’s camera!’

The policeman doing the questioning looked to Phil. ‘Are you aware of anything out of the ordinary taking place here this evening?’

‘Not at all,’ Phil lied. ‘I’m just here to investigate the downed power line. As the Baron has already said, somebody cut down one of his poles with a chainsaw.’

‘I see. Well, then,’ the policeman raised an eyebrow, ‘as everything seems in order —’

‘No!’ Tace protested. ‘They’re lying. Something shifty has gone down, and I can prove it. In there,’ she pointed to the dig site, ‘there’s a corpse. I saw it with my own two eyes this afternoon.’

‘A corpse?’ The policeman appeared doubtful, although he was obliged to check out her claim. ‘May we?’ He asked the Baron for permission to investigate.

‘Sure.’ Wade gave them leave. ‘But I’m afriad you’ll be wasting your time.’

‘Another lie,’ Tace insisted, as she led the policeman to where she believed the body to be.

‘How do you stand working with that woman?’ Wade questioned once she was out of earshot.

‘I’ve never seen her this miffed before,’ said Rex, ‘but I can guarantee that after this night, I’ll be out of a job.’

‘If I hadn’t lost my teaching position at the college, I’d hire you, Rex.’ Wade nudged the cameraman, grateful for his covering for them. ‘I could have used a man with your expertise.’

‘Why are you losing your position at Glenoak?’ Phil queried.

Wade gave the policeman a knowing look. ‘Why do you think?’

‘Oh,’ Phil emphasized, ‘the pot charge. Yes, well, it seems we made a frightful error there.’

‘What are you saying, Officer Stewart?’ Wade ventured half a smile.

‘Well, upon closer inspection of the goods, it would seem your chauffeur was wrongly charged, as the drugs in question turned out to be nothing but a bag of mixed herbs he’d been acquiring for your cook. And, ah, the name is Phil.’

Wade was stunned as he took hold of Phil’s
outstretched hand and shook it. ‘But what about my confession?’

‘That was just a man who mistakenly thought he was protecting a friend.’ Phil smiled. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time paperwork has got lost in the mess on my desk.’

‘I don’t want to get you in any trouble,’ Wade proffered.

Phil waved it off. ‘It wasn’t that great a quantity of dope anyway, and we did catch the dealer, so,’ he shrugged, ‘just don’t do it again.’

‘I’m not sure I can promise that.’ Wade pushed his luck, although he was being honest.

‘Wade!’ Hannah protested, but Phil motioned her to calm.

‘In that case,’ the policeman looked back to the Baron, ‘don’t get caught.’

‘I’ll be a lot more careful from now on,’ Wade assured him.

The Contessa was most pleased to inform Glenoak’s investors of the gross misunderstanding that she knew damn well was no misunderstanding at all. Still, Wade was a good person and would make a fine teacher. As long as his work didn’t suffer, what the young Baron did in private was of no concern to her.

The investors were pleased the young Baron had been cleared of the charges against him, especially after he had saved them from whatever it was they had experienced the night of the strange power surge. In the light of day the whole episode seemed like nothing more than a dream and although all knew the experience had been quite real, it was never spoken of again. Glenoak’s investors were people well regarded and highly placed in society, and they fully intended to stay that way. After all, who would believe such an account. Anyone brave enough to tell the tale would surely be committed for their trouble.

Needless to say, Tace Bonnell never got her story. The police found no trace of the alleged body in the dig site, and therefore were hard pressed to believe any of the tale the reporter was trying to spin them. Outraged by her embarrassing predicament, she fired Rex on the spot.

Rex was not overly concerned by this, however. He was tired of life as a member of the press and a teaching position with a good, steady pay cheque appealed to him a whole lot more.

I
t had taken John and Grace years to finish the time machine and discover the secret to creating the ‘Ghost’s Gold’ that would fuel the five super-conductive crystal keys. Still, this time around, the Baron created six keys.

The spare key was not completely sealed like the others. It was made airtight by a little rubber stopper at the end of a tube which interpenetrated the round crystal container holding the substance that might bring life everlasting. John Ashby was of a mind to ingest the contents of this sixth key.

Since her adventures in the future, Grace had found love in her rightful place in history and so had given up the opportunity to join the Baron on his eternal adventures. She had penned a note that John Ashby would deliver to Andrew,
if and when he found himself back in the twentieth century.

It was a warm summer night in 1779 that John Ashby chose to leave his birthright and title behind him.

He’d packed a few belongings in a bag, which Grace had brought to the temple and stored there some days ago in preparation for this night. In another bag that the aging Baron had had especially made, he placed the five crystal keys, his diary and a pistol. There was also a secret compartment in this bag that concealed enough cash and jewels to support John in style for quite some time to come.

So, at long last the moment of truth had arrived. John held the sixth key in his hand, his bags at the ready. ‘Now, one more time,’ he requested of Grace, who was squirming in her seat as she awaited the outcome of all their hard work. ‘What must you do if this fails?’

‘I must place the four outer keys in their compartments in the machine. Then I take the main key and your diary and hide them until all the commotion has died down, whereupon I pass on the key and diary to Ernest for him to conceal.’

‘And most important of all?’ John queried finally.

‘I shall see to it, my Lord.’ Grace needed to be released from this suspense. ‘We have been over this a million times.’

‘Alright then.’ John held up the key. ‘To Hugh, that clever young gent in the future. Please let him have been right about this.’ John raised the glass straw to his mouth and only once it was fully enclosed in his mouth did he remove the rubber stopper, which he did with his tongue. He then sucked with all his might, looking to Grace who nodded to confirm he’d consumed the contents of the key.

The Baron began to waver in his stance, and the empty crystal container crashed to the floor and shattered, startling Grace as it did so. ‘Is something amiss with you?’ she asked softly, although the man reacted as if she’d screamed the question.

All of John’s senses had heightened. His dim sight was suddenly focused and clear. His hearing was so acute that, even over Grace’s mumbled concerns, he could hear people talking in the house. John looked to Grace to find she was sitting silently. It was her mind he could hear inquiring after his well-being.

‘Oh my God!’ He began to laugh hysterically. His body felt amazing, liberated from every painful twinge. He began to dance.

‘My Lord, are you alright?’ Grace inquired of the usually reserved gentleman.

‘I have never felt better,’ he assured her.

And as John danced her round in circles Grace witnessed the years rush from his face. By the time they’d finished their romp, she was staring at a dashing young gent not much older than herself.

‘Now for my demise.’ John closed the bag containing his precious keys, and grabbed up his other belongings.

Grace hurried out of the temple to await the Baron. The house was in darkness as all were in their beds.

As John joined her on the lawn under the stars, the smell of smoke began to permeate from the dwelling they abandoned. ‘Well, Grace, this is it. Bless you for your help.’ He shook her hand, as this was how he would bid farewell to a respected colleague.

‘I shall miss you, Baron.’ Grace was flattered by his gesture. ‘Thank you for all this knowledge. Ashby shall not be the same without you, I fear.’

‘I am not leaving Ashby, Grace. I am merely going away for awhile.’ John began to back away from the manor of his birth. ‘You know what to do.’

Graced nodded to confirm that she did and once John was well out of sight, she began to scream. ‘Help! Fire! The Baron is trapped! Somebody, please help!’

John stood at a distance watching his beautiful temple of knowledge burn to the ground. He felt no remorse, as it was a dwelling, nothing more, and it had served out its usefulness in this age. One day, however, in the late twentieth century, the secret his temple concealed would resurrect itself. ‘My home shall always be here.’

Wade was pleased to have his teaching position and his manor back. He arranged to have the whole house and Glenoak College rewired in the wake of the damage caused to the electrical circuitry on both properties.

It was sheer luxury to be able to use his equipment without fear of ending up in another time zone or being invaded by the dead.

Wade was up late working on his multi-media game, ‘Ghost’s Gold’, because Baron Foxworth had run a few segments of Wade’s program past his executives. They’d been so impressed with the concept that they’d made the young Baron an offer for the worldwide distribution rights. The money meant little to Wade. It was the
outlet for his product that he was so excited about.

Thus, in stoned delirium he worked away on his computer, quite unaware that he had an unexpected visitor until the door to the music room was heard to creak.

‘Please, let that be a draft’, Wade mumbled, before turning to find Arthur seated by the door. ‘Oh no,’ he whined, ‘what are you doing here, puss? I thought we’d solved this problem.’

At that moment Arthur began to change. The feline grew as he mutated into a human form — a form that Wade well recognised.

‘Father?’ he uttered, aghast.

The ghostly figure nodded in accord. ‘It is I,’ he said.

‘All this while, it has been you leading us?’ When his father nodded once again, Wade was even more taken aback and was not too sure how he felt about the deception. ‘But why the disguise? Why didn’t you make yourself known sooner?’

‘Because I wanted you to draw your own conclusions, son, and you did just fine.’

‘Well and good,’ Wade stood, suddenly enraged, ‘but you could have warned me about this Baron business, and what I’d be up against when I took on this manor.’

‘Calm down, Wade,’ his father insisted. ‘I fully intended to tell you about your birthright, but in all honesty you discovered far more about the history of this manor than I ever dared to. I honestly had no idea what caused all the weird anomalies here, and only in passing did I find the courage to return here to help you solve the mystery.’

‘Oh.’ Wade was again seated, finding his situation altogether too strange. ‘I’ve spent the last two years missing you and mum, and now that you’re here, I yell at you. I’m sorry, Dad, it’s just such a shock, you showing up like this.’

‘I was procrastinating over whether or not to make an appearance before moving on,’ his father sympathised with his predicament, ‘but I wanted to let you know how proud I am that you’ve succeeded where so many of your forefathers, including myself, failed.’

‘Hold on.’ Wade was back on his feet again. ‘You’re leaving now?’

‘Well, my work here is done,’ he explained. ‘By ridding this house of that infernal machine, you have freed all your forefathers from its hold and torment, and we can move on.’

‘Move on. Move on to where?’

‘Ah,’ his father smiled, ‘the answer to that question will be answered when it is your time to
go. But let me assure you that you have much living to do before then. And when your living is done, dying is not that unpleasant either.’

Wade’s eyes filled with tears at the idea of never seeing his father again. Now that he thought about it, his parents’ funeral was the last time he remembered crying.

‘Fear not, Wade, we will meet again. When your time on this earth is at an end, I shall be waiting for you.’

‘Thanks for all your help.’ Wade held back his emotions. ‘You pulled me out of some really tight jams.’

‘You’re welcome.’ He smiled broadly at his son’s knowledge. ‘And we, your forefathers, thank you.’

With that, Peter Ashby left the room and vanished before Wade could make it to the doorway.

‘Alone at last,’ he uttered, none too pleased by the prospect.

You will not be the last Baron Ashby.
His father’s voice resounded in his mind.
A family of your own is already under way.

‘Hannah?’ Wade figured, a smile of disbelief crossing his face. ‘
No
! Surely not.’

When no reply was forthcoming, Wade stood in the doorway wearing a ridiculous smirk on his
face for God knows how long. It was only a knock on the front door that snapped him out of his daze.

‘Who could be calling at this hour?’ Talbot muttered, pulling on his dressing gown as he wandered through the Great Hall.

‘I’ll get it, Talbot.’ Wade raced down the staircase, having a fair idea who it was.

Talbot relinquished the chore gladly, heading back to the servants’ quarters without protest.

When Wade opened the door he found Hannah in tears.

‘I’m sorry it’s so late, but I had to see you,’ she mumbled, wiping her face with an already soggy tissue.

‘There’s no need to apologise.’ Wade embraced her in the hope of easing her crying. ‘You’re my girl. My door is open to you any time, day or night.’

‘You might change your mind about that when I tell you what I must.’ She pulled away from him to enter the house.

‘I very much doubt that.’ Wade closed the door, repressing his urge to smile.

No sooner had he turned to face her, than Hannah blurted out her news. ‘I’m pregnant.’ Her
weeping started up again with renewed enthusiasm. ‘I know it looks like I’m just after your fortune, but it was an accident, I swear!’

‘Hannah, that’s wonderful!’ Wade picked her up and twirled her around. He was thankful now for the warning as it allowed him to deal with the news tactfully, instead of being shocked by it.

‘It … it is?’ Hannah melted into a smile.

‘Hell, yes,’ Wade assured her wholeheartedly.

‘But I thought you’d be angry.’

‘Angry, why? Do you know how long I have been without a family? And now we’re to have a family of our own. If, of course, that’s what you want.’

‘I … I think so.’ Hannah hadn’t really had the chance to think about it, she’d been too preoccupied with how she was going to break the news to Wade.

‘Look, I know I am not your idea of the perfect husband cum father, but I’d like to try — if you’ll have me?’

Hannah was so touched by his sudden proposal that she could barely speak. ‘Yes,’ she said finally. ‘I could not wish for a more wonderful husband, or a more loving father for this child.’

Wade kissed Hannah ahead of wiping the tears from her cheeks. ‘Well then, Baroness-to-be, let’s
celebrate!’ He took Hannah under his arm to walk with her. ‘I seem to recall a few bottles of vintage champagne in my grandfather’s cellar, and I feel sure he was saving them for an occasion such as this.’

When Hugh dropped by for a visit the next day, Wade didn’t mention his father’s appearance. Hugh was in no state to listen anyway, as that very afternoon he was off to finally meet Louisa’s parents.

Their romance had been blooming ever since the night of the power surge, one month past. This was, of course, a great relief to Wade, as he didn’t have to listen to them argue anymore. Now he had to put up with their constant smooching instead. The couple couldn’t seem to keep their hands off one another.

‘I don’t know about this suit … perhaps I should change,’ Hugh decided after viewing himself in the mirror in Wade’s drawing room.

‘Hugh, I’ve told you five times already, you look fine.’

‘Coming from you, you think that means something? Your idea of well dressed is jeans that don’t have a million holes in them.’ Hugh looked back to the mirror to peruse his image once more. ‘Maybe I should shave?’

Wade nearly choked at this suggestion. ‘Hugh, you haven’t been clean shaven for six years! Will you just relax. You’ll do just fine.’ Hugh was obviously still not sure on that count. ‘I have some news that will take your mind off this afternoon’s proceedings.’ Wade decided to shock his friend out of his panic. ‘I’m getting married …’

Hugh’s jaw nearly hit the ground but before he could comment, Wade added, ‘and I’m going to be a father.’

‘Jesus!’ Hugh burst into a huge smile. ‘Congratulations!’ He approached and shook Wade’s hand. ‘The lady in question is Hannah, I presume?’

‘You presume correctly,’ Wade grinned. ‘So I’ll be needing a best man and a godfather.’

‘You got it.’ Hugh was more than happy to accept.

‘I’ll consider it a done deal then.’ The Baron waited for Hugh to give the nod, before looking to the living room doors in response to a knock.

Talbot entered. ‘There’s a gentleman at the door to see you, my Lord. He wouldn’t give his name, but he claims to be a distant relative of yours.’

Wade and Hugh looked at each other. This was most curious.

‘Should I show him in, Sir?’

‘No, Talbot, that’s alright. We’ll come down. After you …’ Wade invited Hugh to lead the way.

The gentleman in question had his back to them as they descended the staircase; he was admiring the painted ceiling in the Great Hall.

Talbot adjourned to the servants’ quarters, and Wade and Hugh approached the visitor.

‘Can I help you?’ the Baron enquired, his interest made plain in his tone of voice.

‘Ah, young Wade.’ A thirty-year-old John Ashby turned to address him. ‘We meet again.’

Initially, Wade was taken aback, as this was the man who had greeted him that morning in the foyer of his solicitor’s building, the same man he had spotted at the races. But upon closer observation, he recognised old John Ashby in the young man before him. ‘John Ashby. What the …? How did …?’ Wade stumbled over the million questions that suddenly sprang to mind. ‘You’ve just been hanging around waiting for this whole situation to unfold haven’t you.’