Chapter Eleven

 

Although I hated it, I had to work with Malachi Hunter. It seemed to be the wisest course of action for the moment. If there is a wasp in the room, I want to know where it is. In other words, working with him would be the best way of keeping an eye on him and avoid getting surprised by his sting. Malachi went in search of the body, and I searched for secret rooms and passageways.

As I walked towards the Silver Stick Stairs, I passed by the kitchen. There was laughter coming from a side room used by the servants when they were off duty. Through the doorway, I noticed several servants, some of whom I recognized. There was the elderly couple, Alyce and Henry. Myles Lewis and his daughters, Elspet and Janet, were there, too. And a few others I had not yet met were also on break in the room.

“Come in, sir, come in,” said Janet, smiling.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense,” said Elspet. “We’d love to chat with you for a while.” She looked at Janet and smiled.

“Elspet,” said Myles Lewis. “I’m sure His Majesty’s Witchfinder General has more important things to do than socialize with servants. It’s important work, rooting out witchcraft.”

“What did he say?” Henry asked his wife, Alyce.

“He asked the gentleman which draft he would like,” replied Alyce in a loud voice. She turned to me and said, “Nice cold draft of ale is what you’re after, is it? We have several fresh ones to choose from.”

“No, thank you.”

“No need to be embarrassed, my lord,” said Henry. “Why, I myself have been drinking heavily all morning.”

“You have?” asked Myles in a stern voice.

“Have what?”

“Been drinking ale all morning,” said Myles.

“What?”

“Drinking ale!”

“I’d love some,” said Henry.

“Never mind,” said Myles.

“What?” Henry asked in a loud voice.

Myles rolled his eyes. “I said, never mind!”

Henry shook his head. “Whisper and shout, whisper and shout, that’s all people do anymore. I’ve worked in this palace for nearly fifty years; I remember when I was young, people spoke up in clear voices.”

“Be that as it may,” said Myles in a loud firm voice. “I will remind you that no job is permanent. Please respect the head servant.”

“Oh, of course, of course,” said Alyce. “You certainly have our respect, sir. ‘Always respect your betters,’ that’s what I say.” Alyce curtsied to Myles.

“That’s better,” said Myles as he turned back towards me.

“Wretch,” said Alyce in what she seemed to think was a quiet voice.

Myles glanced at her, and she smiled innocently. It appeared as though he was going to address her malfeasance, but instead he just looked at me for sympathy and shook his head. I smiled at Myles.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said to me. “What can we do for you?”

“Nothing, thank you,” I said, and turned to leave. Then I realized something. If Alyce and Henry had worked in the palace for so many decades, they may know of any secret passages or rooms. I thought it best to ask them in private.

“May I please speak to Alyce and Henry for a moment?”

“Of course,” said Janet. “My sister and I have to get back to the bakery, anyway.”

“That’s right,” said Myles, clapping his hands. “Everyone, back to work.”

The servants filed out past me. Myles gave me a sympathetic glance as if to say, good luck with them.

When the room was clear, I moved closer to the elderly couple. I wanted to whisper, but I would have to speak louder than I thought prudent.

“Do you know where any secret passages are?” I asked, as loudly as I dared.

“What’s that?” asked Alyce, almost shouting.

“Secret passages,” I said a little louder. “Do you know where any are?”

“Secret sausages?” asked Alyce, puzzled. “We have plenty of sausages, but they aren’t much of a secret.”

“Not sausages,” I said, and then repeated in a loud voice, “Passages!”

“Whisper and shout, whisper and shout,” said Henry, shaking his head.

“No need to yell, my lord,” said Alyce. “Yes, sir, there are secret passages and rooms in this palace. But I wouldn’t go searching for them if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because, sir,” said Alyce. “They are guarded by ghosts and protected by witchcraft.”

“Nevertheless,” I said. “Please tell me where to find them.”

“All I can tell you is to begin your search by tapping on the walls in the rooms,” said Alyce. “When you hear a hollow sound, it means that there may be an entrance to a passageway.”

“Thank you,” I said, disappointed. There must be nearly a thousand rooms in the palace. I felt as though I had wasted my valuable time.

“Our pleasure,” said Alyce, curtsying. “We have great respect for our betters, don’t we Henry?”

“That’s nice,” said Henry.

As I was leaving the room, I heard Alyce say under her breath, “Wretch.”

I glanced back; Alyce was smiling at me innocently.

 

***

 

While continuing on my way towards the Silver Stick Stairs, I noticed Thomas and Robert Winter sitting at a small table and talking quietly with each other. As I walked towards them, they stopped speaking and seemed to wait until I passed. Then they resumed their whispers. I remembered what Edward Wilkinson, the retired sheriff, told me about looking everywhere for clues and evidence. And so, I stopped and went back to talk with them.

“Pardon me,” I said. “May I speak with you a moment?”

Both men looked at me with stern expressions, but didn’t say a word. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, I forced myself to speak again, this time in a commanding tone.

“What business brings you to the palace?”

“Isn’t supporting our new king reason enough?” asked Robert.

“You are loyal subjects?”

“Yes,” said Thomas. He glanced at his brother.

“And you are here for the conference?”

“In a sense,” said Robert.

“Which side do you support, Puritan or Anglican?”

The two brothers looked at each other, and then Thomas said, “I’m afraid we don’t fit neatly into either category.”

I wasn’t sure why the brothers were being so cryptic, but I had no real reason to suspect them either. Time was of the essence, so I bid them farewell and continued on my way.

One of the many oddities of Hampton Court Palace is how it can seem so crowded and opulent one moment, and so quiet and gloomy the next. As I turned to go down a side hallway, the noise behind me faded. For the next few moments, the only sound was my footsteps. When I stopped to look at a painting, however, I heard footsteps behind me. I glanced back, but there was no one else in the hall. After continuing on my walk for a few more steps, I stopped again and listened. Sure enough, it sounded as if someone took another step. I felt the familiar clench of my stomach and fear rising from the core of my being. Something ancient and primal awoke within me—a fear that had kept my ancestors alive for centuries.

“It’s nothing,” I whispered.

My heart beat faster, and my breathing became quick.

“It’s just my imagination.”

I strained to listen over my pounding heart. After waiting several moments and hearing nothing, my breathing returned to normal.

“This is ridiculous,” I mumbled.

When I walked on, a board creaked behind me. Freezing to the spot again, I listened.

Thump.

My heart was beating so loud it made it difficult to concentrate.

Thump.

It was coming from inside the wall to my right. I knocked once on the wall and listened. There was only silence. After several moments, I walked on. But after a few steps, I heard it again.

Thump.

There was a door on the right a few feet forward, very near where the sound was coming from. I reached into my boot and took out a small knife, inserted it into the lock, and jiggled it. The lock clicked and then opened. What I saw inside chilled me to my bones.

There was a ring of lit candles on the floor. The candles framed a large chalk circle, nine feet in diameter. Spreading from the center of the circle to the outer ring was a five-pointed star, and at the tip of each point of the star was a candle. I didn’t know what it was, but it filled me with dread. I also noticed a familiar odor, the same smell from the physician’s office and the haunted hallway. I looked around the room, which was bare except for a lectern standing at the head of the star. It had an open book on it. I read these words in the flickering candlelight:

 

Words of power, words of might,

Brightest day and darkest night,

In the circle and the ring,

Curse the crown and kill the king.

 

I closed the book and looked at the ancient leather cover. On it were the words, A Book of Shadows.

I picked it up for evidence. Then I realized something: the candles were lit, but no one else was in the small room. I had been in the hallway and didn’t see anyone leave through the only door. I put the book back. On a hunch, I walked around the room knocking on the walls, listening as I knocked. Tap, tap, tap. I knocked high and low on the walls. Tap, tap, tap. I was almost ready to give up, but then I knocked at just the right spot.

Thump.