The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality (25 page)

"Tele-what? No, don't look at me like that. Those words from the future don't belong here, and that's why we have this game. Now roll it up."

"Ouch! You're too good at that."

"I remember you telling me that when you walked into the duke's hall, you felt like sticking your fingers in your ears, even though it was quiet. That's what it feels like in my body, like someone screaming with rage. I don't think we ought to be underestimating Hawke right now, or what he might be capable of."

When I told her about our plan to guard Albert, she began to shake so violently that we had to look for a place to sit down. "I'm okay," she said. "I'm actually very relieved. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank God you're here, Jack. Take care of the king. He needs you more than ever now."

That very day we began shadowing Albert. We picked Gordon and eight others and filled them in on the game, which was to stay in close proximity to Albert all the time. If possible, one or more of us would keep him company, and since Albert was a convivial and social person, that was often easy. If he seemed to need some space, we would drift a short distance and form a protective ring around him.

Gordon was very creative in thinking up ways for us to communicate with each other through the whistling of certain tunes, and knocking codes on wood and on steel, special laughs and coughs and key words that made up a message system which worked up close and also at a distance. We could tell each other where Albert was going or what he was doing or what we were planning to do. In a week's time we had a network that was working well, and we continued to polish it. We shadowed Albert's visitors, coming and going. We monitored his food from wherever it came from to wherever he ate it. When he retired to bed, we left him alone, but other than that we held him in a tight circle of surveillance.

"I'm very pleased," said Leo to me. "This is a fine, committed team. We have a good system and we know how to improvise too. Of course some of our tricks are not going to work at a noisy party, but I think we can handle any situation."

"Well, let's keep our fingers crossed; but I agree with you, Leo. I think we've got it pretty well whipped."

That week, people by the hundreds came from all over the valley to bring something for the coronation, or to help with the preparations. Émile and Hélène lived in the eye of the hurricane, supervising the cleaning and decorating of the castle and the preparation of a feast for thousands of people. The livestock pens were bursting and the pantry and the larder overflowed into the halls. "It's not so difficult if you have the help," said Hélène serenely, though she was directing traffic with both hands. "The same thing happens every Christmas and Easter."

Sometimes Jenna tried to pitch in, but she was nervous and so full of her feelings that she misdirected people and botched things up. Hélène was like a mother to her, treating her with patience and understanding even though she was mostly in the way. "I was the same way just before I got married," she told me.

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, coronation day dawned bright and clear. It seemed like a good sign, because the weather had been gusty and uncertain all week. Now the mid-morning sky was a brilliant blue, graced with a few fleecy clouds, and people were arriving in streams. They came by foot and in all manner of carts, merry and eager to enjoy the holiday.

How Albert's staff kept any order among so many guests was beyond me, but as Hélène said, they were used to it. The flowers all went to the special gallery that had been erected for the coronation ceremony. Foodstuff, depending on what it was, either was put aside for the banquet, or went right out on the tables for people to snack on. The carts were directed to the big meadow south of the castle as soon as they were unloaded.

I had seen bigger crowds in my time, but never one so merry and so talented at entertaining itself. Instruments appeared everywhere, all sorts of flutes and drums and homemade stringed instruments of all sizes and shapes, and everywhere were small circles of people who played and sang and danced. Amateur performers also gathered their crowds with juggling, acrobatics, and magic tricks. Barefoot children ran in and out of the crowds.

Albert, shining with his inner light and as full of joy as anyone there, went from one little group to the next, staying long enough to sing a little and dance a little, before moving on. Never losing his dignity or his humanity either, he touched everyone with his love, and blushed with all the love he received.

Dugdale and Charlsey arrived in an open coach with several servants in livery, followed by a wagonload of flowers and presents. Charlsey looked very pretty in what looked to be a new gown, and happier than I had ever seen her previously. At an event like this she would never have to stop twirling and talking, and she seemed ready to make the most of it. Dugdale, immaculately dressed and barbered, tagged along, happy as a hound to see his lady enjoying herself so much.

Griswold rode in about the same time, all by himself. He looked a little uncomfortable, as though it was hard for him to keep up his ironic front in the face of such universal gaiety. He rode slowly, glancing around like a new arrival, as though he was wondering what all those people could possibly be doing. When he saw me, he walked his horse over to where I was standing and dismounted, giving me his usual smirk for a greeting.

"Hello, Darcey. See any girls you like?" It was typical for him to talk as though everyone's instincts were always base. Griswold was very pure in his philosophy; he believed humans had begun wearing clothes by accident, and that civilization had always been more than we could handle.

"Give me a chance, Harvey. I'm just getting my feet on the ground around here."

"Sure you are." It was also typical for him to behave as if everything anyone said was a cover-up. "How about walking me over to the stables?"

"Sure," I said, signaling to Leo that I was going off with Griswold. Leo returned a slight nod: he would take over. Griswold surprised me by reading our silent communication like a book.

"Are you guys tightening up the security around the king?"

I nodded, seeing no reason to lie about it.

"Did Albert tell you to do that?"

"No, this is our own idea, and you need to keep it to yourself."

"Don't worry," he shrugged, as though it was a pointless thing to say to him. "That Albert! He's such a baby! Going around pretending he knows everybody's name. Actually, it's a good thing you came along when you did, Darcey. Hawke had Albert outmaneuvered every which way, and Albert just wasn't about to stand up to him."

"I thought he did a pretty good job of it the other day."

"Yes, but he had to, don't you see? You set him up for it, and there was nothing else he could do."

"We won't argue about it," I said, feeling annoyed with him. "I know you have your own way of looking at things, Harvey, but I see one hell of a good king in Albert."

He gave me an appraising look. "You sound very loyal."

"I am. To begin with this kingdom is his dream-child, and I like it here better than anywhere I've ever lived in my life."

"Okay, I don't blame you for liking it here. And I think Albert is doing a pretty good half-assed job of being a king."

"Oh? And what kind of a job are you doing as an earl?"

"Who cares about being an earl? I'm interested in coitus. Look, Darcey, I like it here too, just the way it is. And as a matter of fact, I was going to suggest that we keep a closer eye on Albert, but I see you guys are way ahead of me. By the way, what do you think of this castle?"

"What do I think of the castle?"

"Do you like it? Do you think it's beautiful?"

"Yes, I do." Why was he smiling at me that way?

"Have you ever thought to yourself how nice it would be if it was
your
castle, instead of Albert's?"

A lump came up in my throat and I didn't want to swallow, because that seemed like a dead giveaway to certain feelings I was hiding even from myself. But it was such a troublesome lump, I had no choice but to swallow it, and Griswold pointed his finger at me and laughed.

"You can't hide anything from me, Darcey. Old Harvey, the Earl of Quim, knows all and sees all. And do you want to know how I know?"

"How do you know?"

"Because everybody feels the same way. Because Albert got down on his hands and knees and begged Joel Mason to design him the most seductive and alluring little castle there ever was. Can you guess why?"

". . . Because of Jenna."

"Of course. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about Albert. She had other lives to lead, other prospects. She was having trouble making up her mind."

Something on my face must have tickled him, for he pointed at me again and laughed. "Isn't it a stitch? If we had a little less castle, we might have a lot less trouble. You and I can look at that lovely pile of stones, float a little daydream by, and then go about our business. But when our friend Guy Hawke looks at it, it's a whole different story!"

I tended to take anything Harvey told me with a grain of salt, but it all seemed pretty close to the mark. I myself was all tangled up with irresistible Jenna, in a situation that could only end in a lot of trouble. And Albert wasn't the first person to try to buy someone's love. Little mistakes in the beginning; big mistakes in the end.

"Anyway, what I'm getting at," Griswold went on, "is that what happened the other day over at Hawke Manor was a big setback in the duke's campaign to trade places with Albert that has been going on for years. And I can tell you with complete certainty that the duke is not the least bit mellow about it. So it's well worth thinking about what he's going to do next."

At that moment a family of five rode in on horseback: a man, a woman, and three young men, one of whom had been involved in the incident with the girl in the woods. This would have to be the marquess, Terry Bennett, and his family. He was the only nobleman I hadn't yet met.

Bennett rode like a horseman, but there was a slackness about the man inside the holiday clothes, and his face was fiery from alcohol poisoning. His eyes were glazed and fearful, like many drunks I had met who live in perpetual fear of themselves.

The woman was clearly the leader of the group. I could see right away that it was her pride and her discipline that held them together. The eldest boy, the one who had been with Albert's son, tried to show himself off by side-stepping his horse, a dangerous trick in that crowd; but she spoke sharply to him, and he obeyed her without hesitation. She was a strong and quite a beautiful woman with dark hair and a full mouth, a serious face, and clear intelligent eyes.

Her eyes fell on me as the group rode by, and they lingered just long enough to make an identification. "Oh, yes," she seemed to be saying to herself, "that must be Darcey, the new one, the fencing master." If she had any notions about me, good or bad, they didn't show.

The oldest boy had a wild look, as though he sought to take after his father. But like his mother, he turned away once he'd picked me out of the crowd and kept his thoughts to himself. The second son seemed complacent, relaxed, and a little aloof, as if life to him was an enjoyable game. The youngest rode closest to his mother, and was still looking around at everything as though life was new and fresh.

"Handsome woman," I said to Griswold.

"Marsha Bennett. She's the only one who can tell her husband that he's had enough."

"What about Bennett? Is he any danger to Albert?"

"No, he loves drinking and sport. He can't see straight enough to be a danger to anybody except himself and his horse."

"What's his relationship with Hawke? I hear they went to college together."

"He looks up to the duke, and the duke likes being looked up to, so he tolerates Bennett and strings him along."

"Why does he look up to the duke?"

"Because the duke is a real man, and Bennett is a sick juicehead."

"Is that all there is between them?"

"As far as I can see."

Not far behind the Bennett family came Lord Hawke with twenty of his men, a grim-looking bunch who were dressed in leather and carried staffs and daggers, just as Albert had insisted. I thought it was aggressive of the duke to come riding in with so many men; but everyone in the valley was invited to the coronation and they had every right to be there. As soon as they entered the great courtyard, his men dismounted and hitched up to the long rail, stacked their staffs in bunches near the gate, and dispersed into the crowd in twos and threes, heading toward the tables where the food and the ale were. They seemed benign enough. We were already keeping a close watch on the situation, and that was all we could do.

Hawke peered around until he spied Albert, and rode carefully through the crowd to where the king was standing. Dismounting, he gave his reins to the stable boy who came running up. Then he surprised everyone who was near enough to see it by going down on one knee in front of Albert and saluting with his fist against his chest. It brought a startled gasp from the crowd; and then everyone who had seen it happen had to tell everyone who hadn't.

"My dear duke, pray do not kneel," said Albert.

The duke rose, bowed to Albert, and said, "Your majesty, please accept my best wishes and the allegiance of my house on this momentous day."

"I am truly touched," said Albert, "and I accept with all my heart."

Albert seemed willing to believe him, and as I looked about, there were many people in the crowd as touched as Albert, and as willing to believe that some kindly Providence had shown the duke the error of his arrogant ways; that now he was trying to reform himself, trying to change.

I was chilled. That Hawke was willing to make a gesture so false and out of character as kneeling and bowing to Albert, made me realize how imminent the danger was. No ring of protection could be too secure, no precautions too strict, for what now seemed surely to be coming. How it was coming or from where, under what guise or pretense, there was no telling. But clearly we hadn't begun to get ready a moment too soon.