26

Cathy parked the car half a mile down the road from the gates to the asylum. She and Carter walked on to the entrance in the deepening twilight, silent for the first time in their journey. She’d talked so much on the drive from London that her throat felt sore. Excited by his change in status, Carter had bombarded her with questions and between them they’d drawn up a list of rights to announce to the staff once they got home.

She was grateful for something to keep her mind busy. Now she was just walking along a road her thoughts were tugged back to Will. The steward reported that he and his men had reached the hotel but never left and he’d ended up carrying out a rather hasty clean-up by Charming the staff on duty to believe that the group had paid and left to avoid any difficult enquiries.

There was nothing she could do to help, as Nathaniel had so forcefully said, so she had to keep her mind on the things she could change. She looked at Carter, who looked back and smiled. “Are you ready for this?”

“Yes, your Grace. Are you?”

She grinned. “Hell, yes.”

They reached the gates and Carter had a quick look first. “We should walk along the boundary and approach across the grass over there, your Grace. It minimises the chance of us being seen before I cut the phone line.”

She nodded and followed him in, noticing the orchids growing at the boundary between the trees and the lawn. She wondered if they had something to do with the disorientation she’d experienced on her earlier visit. Not that it mattered now; they weren’t going to leave by the driveway.

Carter guided her along the best route, pointed out a place for her to hide whilst he cut the phone line, and then beckoned her over to the house. Lights were on inside, on both floors, and she saw the curtains being closed by the orderlies.

When they reached the front door and she held her finger above the bell, the doubts flooded in. Would the Patroons send people to stop what she was doing? Will would probably be furious when he got back… could she–

“Stop it,” she whispered to herself, to the frightened child inside her still fearful of getting a beating for putting a foot wrong in a dance lesson. “This is the right thing to do.”

She pressed the doorbell and listened to it clang inside. With one last glance at Carter, who seemed rather excited, she tried to prepare for what lay ahead.

 

Will let himself be pulled through into a room that smelt of freshly baked bread. As Margritte closed the Way behind them he noticed a painting over the fireplace with black silk draped over it, and the same drapes over the sprite lamps in the room, creating a dour atmosphere. There was fresh bread and butter, along with a glass of milk on a tray. His stomach rumbled.

“Please, sit,” Margritte said and busied herself with buttering some bread after handing him the glass of milk.

He drank it all without pausing for breath, the cold glass soothing his throbbing lip. He took the plate she offered him, and the handkerchief. When he ran it around his mouth it came away red. He noticed the time on a grandfather clock in the corner. “Is it really morning?”

“No, he was just trying to disorient you. You were in there for about four hours. I’m sorry they hurt you.” She went to the window, still sniffing. “Do you have any idea what that gargoyle was talking about?”

“No.”

“I’ll do everything I can to put this right, William. It got out of hand.”

He nodded. “I know. We both will.”

“We need to go to the Hebdomadal Council,” she said after a few moments. “They’ll be debating what to do next. We need to go there together and explain it’s all… resolved between us.” She turned to face him. “I am right in saying that, aren’t I?”

“Yes.” He stood, aching all over, his legs and arms trembling with fatigue and the residue of adrenalin that had rampaged through his body. “I forgive you, if you’ll forgive me. I did far, far worse, of course, but they were both acts of passion, and both have far-reaching consequences. I’ll make sure my family know my feelings on the matter.”

She nodded. “And Bartholomew’s reputation?”

“I will discuss the matter with my patron in person,” he said. “If a way can be found to tell the truth without damaging Lord Iris’ standing, then I’ll do so. I hope, in the meantime, the knowledge that those behind this foul business have been punished will give you some peace.”

Margritte’s eyes were still reddened and shining with tears. “It will,” she finally replied. “Are you able to walk? They’ll be meeting at the Sheldonian. It’s not far from here.”

“I thought that was a theatre.”

“It is, but it’s also one of the main university meeting venues.”

“And the city is run by a council?”

She pulled a shawl from a nearby chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Yes. It’s very different to Londinium. When all of this is over, I would be delighted to explain it to you.” She paused. “If I have the opportunity.”

He went to her side and offered his arm. “I’ll see to it that you do.”

 

Cathy recognised the man who answered the door, but now she was dressed like a Duchess he didn’t realise they’d already met. He was one of the orderlies and a big man, but not as huge as Carter – a fact he seemed to evaluate after they both stared at each other for a few moments. Cathy could almost smell the testosterone.

“My name is Catherine Reticulata-Iris and I’m the Duchess of Londinium,” she said, channelling a memory of her mother at her most frightening. “I’m here to speak to the manager,”

It had the desired effect. “Come in,” the man said and, as he went to a room down the hallway, Cathy exchanged a grin with Carter.

Soon after, the manager darted out, a short man with a paunch and receding hairline. A napkin was still tucked into his collar. “Your Grace?” He hurried over, tugging the napkin free and dabbing at his mouth as he walked.

“I’m here to speak to all the residents and all of the staff, yourself included. Is there a place I could address everyone?”

“This is… most irregular… We’re serving dinner and–”

“Perfect. I assume everyone dines in the large hall at the end of the hallway?” He nodded, dumb with shock. “If you’d be so kind as to round everyone up? There’s a good fellow.”

Like her mother, like her father, like Dame bloody Iris, Cathy didn’t ask for what she wanted. Instead she stated what he needed to do as if he’d already agreed. He could obey, as the social cues dictated, or he could refuse and risk embarrassment and confrontation. She held her breath, watching to see which way he would go.

“I… I need to speak to my superior.”

“Is he here?”

“No, I need to make a phone call.”

“That would take far too long and be most inconvenient. You don’t need to phone someone to ask if one person can speak to the people here, surely? Certainly not the Duchess of Londinium.”

A muscle beneath his right eye twitched. She felt sorry for him. “This way,” he finally said after a glance at Carter’s arms.

“Keep an eye on him,” she whispered to Carter.

The manager had a brief hushed conversation with the orderly, who began to round up members of staff they came across on the way to the dining hall. Cathy’s heartbeat became more frantic with every step. What if they didn’t believe her? What if they laughed at her? What if her voice came out like air from a leaky balloon when she got up to speak?

But then she was in the dining hall, all of the residents assembled at long tables and the last members of staff being ushered in. She found a chair to stand on with a helping hand from Carter.

Cathy took a breath, trying to stop her knees from shaking as the assembled looked at her. There were about thirty staff and over a hundred residents and every single regarded her expectantly.

“Good evening,” she began.

“Speak up!” someone called from the back.

“My name is Catherine and I’m the Duchess of Londinium. I feel you should know that, because it might make you believe that I can actually do what I’m about to.” She glanced at Carter. He was busy watching the room, vigilant for foul play. “I know that many of you were put in this place against your will because you had an opinion that was dangerous to Society. I know that many of you have tried to leave and couldn’t, because of a Charm placed on the boundary.”

“I knew it!” a man cried out and was rapidly shushed by those around him.

“I also know that some of you are here because you need to live in Mundanus again. And I can understand that. But I don’t think you should be confined to one part of it, and I don’t think anyone has the right to keep anyone here who doesn’t want to be, regardless of why you ended up here in the first place.”

The room was silent, every face fixed intently upon her. The manager was drained of colour, nurses and orderlies gathered around him. Some looked terrified.

“And I say this to the staff too. There’s more to life than doing what they’ve told you to do. You should have choices and you should have rights as employees. The right to earn wages, to resign and do something totally different with your life if that’s what you want. I know how the Agency works now and it’s wrong to just let them use you like slaves.”

The staff looked at each other and then to the manager.

An elderly woman caught Cathy’s eye, smiling away like she was watching a fabulous play. “Go on,” the lady mouthed to her.

“I’m going to open a Way to my house in Londinium. Anyone who wishes to leave this place may come with me. I’ll give you somewhere to stay that’s safe from the Agency so you can decide what you want to do with your lives. If you don’t want to leave Mundanus, that’s fine – come with me and you can stay in the mundane wing of the house. I’ll help each and every one of you to find a way to be independent if that’s what you wish. No one has the right to keep you here. No one has the right to tell you how to live and no one has the right to control what you say or think. So I say… sod them! Let’s find our own way. Who’s coming with me?”

 

The streets of Oxenford were deserted, something Will found rather disconcerting. He was surrounded by the most beautiful architecture, reminding him of Aquae Sulis with its warm sand-coloured stone and neo-classical grandeur, but without people promenading and eager to be seen in their finery.

“Is it always this quiet here?”

The clip of Margritte’s shoes echoed from the walls as they hurried down a narrow street, wide enough for only one carriage. “No.”

“Who sits on this council? Anyone who’ll be sympathetic?”

“To me or to you?”

“You,” he replied. She was the one at risk; she’d convinced the Sorcerer to take not only him but several other members of the Iris family into custody. He had no idea what the Council was like, nor the kind of justice they dispensed, but suspected she’d be exiled from the city at the very least.

“My son is the Vice-Chancellor,” she said.

“And the Chancellor, is he a reasonable man?”

She didn’t reply. The narrow lane opened out onto a wider street and she guided him to the right. His ankle was throbbing but he could limp along well enough. He wanted to go home and have a brandy and a meal and put it all behind him.

In moments a curved building came into view on the right, surrounded by a set of high railings punctuated by stone pillars. On top of each one was a carved bust but Will didn’t stop to examine them. He was too busy trying to think of a way to bring Margritte out of the situation unscathed. If they exiled her, he’d take her back to Londinium. He wondered whether anyone had noticed he and his men hadn’t returned. Unlikely, if it was only the evening. He looked at his ring finger and the dried blood. There were still splinters to be pulled out. He thought back to when he felt it hurt when Cathy was attacked. Was she aware something had happened to him? Was Lord Iris aware?

As they reached the doors they both heard someone shouting within.

“I demand to see the Chancellor!”

“My brother,” Will said. It was going to be more complicated than he hoped. Not only would they have to placate the ruling council of Oxenford, they’d have to talk Nathaniel down from a temper. “He sounds worse than he actually is,” he said to Margritte when he noticed how nervous she looked. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he sees reason. There’s no point making this into something worse than it needs to be. We can discuss compensation for the Irises who reside here. It can all be fixed.”

Dreadfully pale, Margritte pushed the door open and they walked in, unchallenged by any guards, which surprised Will. To get into the Londinium Court one would have to pass through several guarded points. Here, it felt like anyone could walk in off the street and straight into the presence of those in power.

They walked through one antechamber to the sound of Nathaniel demanding to be treated with respect and then Margritte opened doors onto a large D-shaped interior with seating running in a horseshoe shape around the room. There were two levels of gallery seats, marble pillars and a fresco on the ceiling with dramatic orange clouds.

At the far end of the room, a young man – who looked so like Bartholomew that Will’s breath caught in his throat – was sitting in a chair at the centre of a crescent of seated gentlemen nearing twenty in number. Nathaniel was shouting at him and he didn’t seem to be taking the pressure well. It looked like he was trying not to be sick.

The other men, all presumably members of the Council, were either locked in hushed discussions with each other or studiously avoiding Nathaniel’s glare. No one noticed they had entered.

“Oh, no.” Margritte clutched his arm. “The torches are out.”

He noticed two elaborate gilded stands, one on either side of her son’s chair. It looked like small baskets at the top could hold flames when lit. “Why does that matter?”

“It means the Chancellor is dead.”

But Will saw something that made him far more concerned: the sword hanging from Nathaniel’s waist belonged to the Patroon. Sir Iris himself must have given it to him, meaning that Nathaniel was there with his authority, and an implicit blessing to use it where he deemed fit. That the Patroon had given it to the best swordsman in Albion was a powerful statement.

“Let’s sort this mess out,” Margritte said and strode down the aisle to reach the Council. She walked ahead bravely as he struggled to think of a way through that would see her safe and his brother satisfied.

“Mr Reticulata-Iris, I am Margritte Semper-Augustus Tulipa and I beg your forgiveness for interrupting you. As you can see, your brother is here with me, and we are both ready to explain what happened today. Please don’t see it as a sign of disrespect that only the Vice-Chancellor is here. I assure you he is the highest ranking individual in Oxenford.”

Nathaniel didn’t turn straightaway, forcing her to address his back most rudely. He turned slowly as she spoke of the Vice-Chancellor, fixing her with such a hateful look that his face was monstrous.

“Perhaps William can–”

Nathaniel backhanded her with such force she was knocked onto the floor and for a few moments lay there without moving. Her son cried out but when Nathaniel turned and looked at him he sank back into his chair, cowed.

Horrified, Will started to walk towards Nathaniel, hoping Margritte would stay still and let him talk his brother down. “See, I am here, Nathaniel,” he said as lightly as he could. “I know passions are high, but surely we do not need to strike a woman to express ourselves?”

Nathaniel’s eyes widened at the sight of him and Will remembered the bruising on his face. “My brother,” he said, stepping over Margritte. “I’m so glad to see you.” In seconds he had strode over to Will and planted a hand on his chest. “Lord Iris intends that I take this city,” he whispered. “Back me up.” He turned around and went back to the Council as Margritte was struggling onto her hands and knees, clearly badly shaken. Nathaniel’s signet ring that marked him as their father’s heir had cut her cheek and Will felt himself spiralling into despairing panic. It was going to happen again; Iris was going to use them to take another city and destroy more lives.

Nathaniel put his hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her back to the floor. “Stay down, whore. You kidnap my brother, have him beaten and you expect me to listen to the lies that fall from your mouth? I know what you’re capable of. Your husband tried to have my sister-in-law murdered. You haven’t learned the lesson my brother taught your family, it seems.”

“Your brother has been returned to you.” Margritte’s son finally found his voice. “I ask that you leave and we will deal with this matter ourselves.”

“What’s your name?”

“Alexander.”

“I hardly think the son of the perpetrator will dispense any justice I find satisfactory, Alexander. Where is this Chancellor of yours?”

Alexander glanced at the others in the council and a few nodded to him. “My mother spoke the truth,” he replied. “Oxenford is without a Chancellor. I–”

“Then whom do I duel to take the city?”

The men who’d remained silent burst into cries of indignation. “This is Oxenford, sir!” one of them shouted. “We are a civilised city – the paragon of enlightenment and learning. We do not duel for power like barbarians!”

Nathaniel stared at him. “Then how do you go about finding a new Chancellor? Don’t tell me that lily over there will inherit the title?”

“The Chancellor is voted in by the Congregation of Oxenford. It will take several days to organise.”

“You can’t vote a new one in?”

“We are the Hebdomadal Council, sir,” another man said in a tremulous voice. “It is not our place to do so.”

“But…” one of them said, drawing Nathaniel’s attention with the tone of his voice. “There is a statute dictating that, should an emergency arise, the Hebdomadal Council does have the right to elect a Chancellor.” Ignoring the furious glares of his fellows, the man cleared his throat. “I do consider this an emergency.”

Will was convinced the man was a Wisteria. There was something about his hairline that gave it away, and the way he was willing to ingratiate himself with whoever was on the rise. He could hardly feel superior to him though, standing there, doing nothing as Nathaniel loomed over Margritte and glared at her son. But to stand against him would be the highest treason; Nathaniel acted with the authority of his patron and Will had no power in the city to fall back on. He was stripped of Charms, had no sword and no desire to incur his patron’s wrath. If he fell from grace, Cathy and Sophia would be put at risk and he had to protect them.

Nathaniel drew his sword and pointed it at Alexander. “Do I have your vote, sir?”

The poor man looked at his mother, who was curling into a ball, shaking as her world fell apart. The tip of the Patroon’s sword pressed into his waistcoat and Will looked away, as disgusted with his brother as he was with himself. He listened to each member of the Council giving their vote under duress until Alexander said, “The Council recognises Nathaniel Reticulata-Iris as the Chancellor of Oxenford.”

Will watched Nathaniel pull Alexander from the chair, shove him aside and sit in it himself. “You are no longer the Vice-Chancellor.” He pointed his sword at the Wisteria. “You are.” Looking back at Alexander, he said, “You’ll go and free the Irises from wherever you’ve imprisoned them and you’ll bring them here. If any of them have even a scratch upon them, I’ll inflict twice the injury upon you.”

Alexander took a step towards his mother, reaching down to help her up but Nathaniel batted him away with the flat of the blade. “She stays there until I have somewhere to put her. Go.”

Will stepped aside to let Alexander pass. Nathaniel smiled at him. “Well, that’s all been seen to. Let’s get you home, shall we?”

“Margritte is a resident of Londinium,” Will said. “I’ll take her with me.”

Nathaniel shook his head. “The crime was committed here, dear brother.” His smile was cruel and it sickened Will. “I will dispense justice in the way I see fit.”