The Lunatic's Curse (24 page)

Rex, hearing the slightest suspicion in Tibor’s tone (how that voice got under his skin!) reassured him hastily. ‘I have.’ He glanced over at Hildred but she seemed unmoved by
Tibor’s nuances.

‘Then let us go.’

It was with delight and trepidation that Hildred followed Dr Velhildegildus and Rex through the secret entrance behind the bookcase into the long tunnel beneath the asylum. And when they emerged
into the blue light of the underground chamber she stood and stared in wonderment at the beautiful vista before her.

‘Rex,’ she breathed. ‘How could you keep this from me?’

Rex smiled apologetically. From the sidelines Dr Velhildegildus was watching the two of them intently. It seems the boy is telling the truth, he thought. He stroked his broad jaw with his
fingers, and his lips moved rapidly as he talked to himself. ‘There’s work to do,’ he said shortly. ‘
Mox nox in rem.
’

Rex groaned.

‘Soon the night, get to business,’ translated Hildred, with a knowing smile.

Rex spread the plan out on a large crate and the three of them pored over it.

‘Where do you suggest we start?’ asked Tibor, and both he and Hildred looked to Rex for guidance.

Rex’s heart swelled. He thought of his father. All those years he had spent at his side, listening, learning and, more importantly, actually creating. This was exactly what Ambrose had
prepared him for. It was in his blood. And it was for his father’s blood he was doing this now.

Rex took a deep breath and began.

‘Hildred, you start with this part. It’s small, but important, and needs to be put together accurately. Dr Velhildegildus, you can work with the panels. They can be assembled now,
and then fixed together later. I will begin work on the Re-breather.’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Hildred with a laugh and a mock salute, and even Tibor managed a smile.

For the next five days, and on into the nights, the unlikely trio – Rex, Dr Velhildegildus and Hildred – worked away in the underground chamber creating the vessel that for one of
them was ultimately a matter of greed; for another a labour of salvation and healing; and for the third of little consequence at all.

It was by no means an easy job and all of them found it exhausting, both mentally and physically, but particularly Rex. With every turn of the screw, every downswing of the hammer, every pounding
of the mallet, he felt as if his father was in the chamber with them, watching over his work, silently judging.

Tibor was the most keen, to the point of obsession, if not the most talented. He would have been perfectly content to put the whole machine together himself but, lacking the required practical
and mechanical knowledge, and limited by the time constraint he had placed upon the work, he allowed Rex to take charge. And the boy had proved from the outset that he was more than capable of
managing the task.

Dr Velhildegildus was a quick learner, and what he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm. He had no qualms about taking a greasy spanner to a nut or a dusty cloth to a piece of glass. Rex
had not thought a man of his social standing and reputation would have been so ready to get his hands dirty. It was a side to the doctor that he found surprising.

Tibor had brought down (well, more accurately, Rex and Hildred had carried) a large supply of food and drink to the chamber, but he himself seemed hardly to need sleep or nourishment. If it
wasn’t for Rex or Hildred stopping occasionally, Rex doubted Tibor would have taken any food at all. But Tibor’s energy, a sort of superhuman madness, was contagious and soon Rex and
Hildred too found themselves less and less inclined to halt. Instead they threw themselves into the project with the same obsessive compulsion as the doctor.

As for Hildred’s contribution, undoubtedly she had skills that were needed in his project. Mr Ephcott had impressed upon her the importance of logical and sequential thinking and she
proved well able to follow the plan without any help whatsoever (Tibor, whose mind seemed rather less organized, needed regular reassurance). Her nimble fingers were invaluable when it came to
tricky and awkward parts, and her ability to contort to any shape meant that she could reach into places that neither Rex nor Dr Velhildegildus could ever hope to access. But she became so deeply
absorbed in what she was doing that Rex lost count of the times he had had to repeat what he said to her.

Nut by nut, bolt by bolt, panel by panel, the Perambulating Submersible grew before their eyes. Rex knew that it was going to be a truly beautiful piece of machinery, unrivalled anywhere in the
country, perhaps even the world. How he wished his father could be there to see it. How he wished he could pilot it. How he wished that people would know the truth of its inception . . .

‘What are you going to call her?’ asked Hildred on the afternoon of the fifth day as they took a moment to stand back to examine their work. It was now so close to completion that it
did not take much imagination to see that the Perambulating Submersible was to be a spectacular vessel. ‘She must have a name.’

‘I am as yet unsure,’ said Dr Velhildegildus.

‘
Indagator Gurgitis
,’ said Rex without hesitation. He laughed when he saw the expressions on Hildred’s and Dr Velhildegildus’s faces. ‘It means
“Explorer of the Deep”.’

‘You told me you hated Latin,’ said Hildred with narrowed eyes.

Tibor stood up. ‘
Indagator Gurgitis
it is,’ he declared. ‘Now, seeing as we are so far ahead of schedule and that my vessel requires little more than a tweak here and a
tweak there, a good polish and the installation of the Re-breather . . . ’ Here he looked enquiringly at Rex.

‘It will be ready, Dr Velhildegildus,’ said Rex confidently. ‘I will fit it myself on the day of the full moon.’

‘Excellent,’ continued Dr Velhildegildus. ‘Then I propose that we return to the asylum for the rest of the day.’

Hildred was very pleased to hear this. Fascinating as she found the project, she was longing for fresh air. ‘And to get away from the constant clanging and pounding,’ she said.
‘Everything echoes dreadfully down here. It hurts my head.’

Rex was equally pleased. He felt he had reached a point of fatigue beyond which he thought it impossible to go.

And so it was with great relief on all sides that the three returned to the study. Tibor sat down gratefully by the fire.

‘There’s a letter here for you,’ said Hildred. She picked it up from the desk and handed it over, but not before Rex had seen the seal –
the unmistakable blue seal of
Grammaticus
. His heart skipped a beat. How he hated to think of Acantha in his father’s study using his letterhead and his seal. But, more worrying, why was she writing to Tibor?

Tibor broke the seal, unfolded the single page and glanced quickly at the contents, his lips moving all the time as he read it. He refolded it and put it in his pocket.

‘Off you go, then,’ he said, gesturing to them to leave. ‘I’m sure Mrs Runcible has an excellent lunch for you. I need to go to Opum Oppidulum this afternoon, to, er . .
. attend to a few urgent matters. And I have visitors this evening so I suggest you both keep out of the way.’

‘Do you still intend to reopen the asylum, Dr Velhildegildus?’ asked Hildred at the door.

Tibor looked a little surprised at the question, but he considered it before replying. ‘My dear friends,’ he said solemnly. ‘What do you think a madman is?’

Rex could only stare at the corner of the letter in Tibor’s pocket while Hildred considered the question.

‘I have heard it said that it is someone who repeats the same action every day but always thinks there will be a different outcome,’ she said.

Tibor steepled his fingers and smiled, causing his face to widen even more. ‘If that is the case, we are all touched by madness, are we not?’

‘Then should we all be locked up?’ asked Hildred.

Tibor laughed. ‘There are plenty of lunatics under lock and key who would be perfectly at ease in the real world,’ he said. ‘And there are plenty of madmen who are free who
should not be. But who is the judge? People fear what they do not know, what they do not understand, and they want to hide those things away. Some things are best left like that. Hidden. The real
lunacy would be to continue to enquire into what doesn’t concern you.’

The hint was hardly subtle, and Rex and Hildred left the study. As soon as they were out of earshot Rex grabbed Hildred by the arm. ‘I have to see that letter,’ he said.
‘It’s from Acantha.’

‘I know,’ said Hildred.

‘You know?’ Rex was aghast. ‘How?’

She hesitated. ‘I was close enough to see the writing through the paper.’

Rex took her hesitation as embarrassment that she had read private correspondence. ‘So, what did it say?’

‘Well, if I recall correctly,’ said Hildred, ‘Acantha wrote, “My dearest Tibor, Urgent news. I suspect a certain person is a little too close for comfort. I have suggested
that he and I come to the asylum for a meal. I shall bring provisions and we can resolve this matter for once and for all. I do believe a resolution needs to be found now if we are to continue.
With fondest wishes, Acantha”.’

Rex looked at Hildred in astonishment. ‘You read all that through the paper? Is there no end to your talents?’

‘Apparently not,’ replied Hildred with a chuckle.

Rex was not so light-hearted. ‘This cannot be good,’ he said. ‘It sounds like some sort of secret message. Who is the “certain person” and what is this matter they
need to resolve?’

‘I agree that it is a little mysterious,’ said Hildred. ‘But don’t you think we should concentrate on your father’s secrets now that we have a little time in
hand?’

Rex knew Hildred was right, but he was worried. Acantha and Tibor seemed a little too friendly for his liking.

36

In the kitchen Mrs Runcible was as cheerful as ever, cooking fish again, and Gerulphus was reading the
Hebdomadal
.

‘Early today,’ she said as burnt fish spattered all around her. ‘And I thought Dr Velhildegildus to be a hard taskmaster!’

‘He says he has things to do.’ Gerulphus spoke from behind the paper. ‘Freakley is taking him to town this afternoon.’

‘And he has company tonight, but my services are not required,’ said Mrs Runcible dolefully. ‘Dr Velhildegildus doesn’t wish me to cook for his friends.’

Gerulphus shook out the
Hebdomadal
noisily. ‘Cecil Notwithstanding is still writing about those “missing” beggars,’ he said as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘I
can hardly imagine why. Good riddance, I say. That committee should be commended for doing such a fine job.’ He dropped the paper on the table as he left the kitchen and Hildred picked it
up.

‘Rex, come and see me when you’re finished,’ said Hildred pointedly, as she too left. ‘I’ve got something to show you’'

Mrs Runcible smiled after her. ‘Lovely girl, that Hildred,’ she said. ‘But I can’t make head nor tail of her leaves!’

Intrigued by Hildred’s cryptic message, Rex rushed the remainder of his food. Burping gently as he crossed the entrance hall, he caught sight of Tibor out of the window. He was with Walter
Freakley. He watched through the dusty glass until he saw the boat heading out into the misty lake and then hurried on to join Hildred in her room. She was waiting impatiently at the door for him.
As soon as he came in she locked it and turned her face to Rex in that way peculiar to her.

‘Look,’ she said, holding up the
Hebdomadal.
‘I saw it when Gerulphus turned the page’'

Rex could see some sort of promotional panel, a few lines of dark print within a black ink drawing of a serpent. Slowly he read the text aloud:

‘Commodifications and compunctions?’ said Rex. ‘Now where have I heard that before?’ He recalled the weatherworn sign over Mr Sarpalius’s shop and
the missing letters. ‘
Body commodifications
,’ he repeated excitedly.

‘Your Mr Sarpalius is a tattoo artist,’ said Hildred triumphantly. ‘Do you have a tattoo?’

‘No,’ said Rex. ‘Of course not.’

‘Then your father must have one,’ she said with indisputable logic. ‘I think it’s time we paid Mr Sarpalius a visit.’