Ball Side Thread: Midnight Meeting- Xmas 1677

[Charles Whitehurst]

The night had passed too quickly. There had been dancing, Fiona's proposition, Tamsin's dilemma, the rendezvous with Davina, that almost caused him to ignore the meeting with Susan Herbert; but, this ghostchasing had long been in the planning and Charles was curious to see if the two of them might rouse some spirit. If not, he would just hope to frighten Susan like he had done before.

 

He was at the meeting place, just inside the secret passage, lantern lit, awaiting her arrival. Charles could only hope that Susan was able to slip away. It was too cold and dank to tolerate being alone for long.

[Aria]

With so many activities going on in other parts of the palace, it was easy for Susan to slip away from the ballroom in the company of a few friends. They wanted to play the game in the Music Room, so Susan said she was headed to one of the other rooms and would rejoin them later. She was also pretending to be tipsy, so if anyone asked where she had been, she could say she had gotten lost and then decided to go back to her room. It seemed like a plausible excuse to her.

 

Nearing the place where they had agreed to meet, she looked around to make sure that nobody was watching her. When she was certain that the coast was clear, she opened the secret door and stepped inside. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the dimness of the single lantern, she resisted the compulsion to jump when she saw a figure silhouetted by the light. “Trying to scare me, Lord Langdon?” she asked with an impish grin. “If so, you 're going to have to try harder than that.”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Charles was becoming tired from the liquor and the exertions with the dancing and Davina. Yet, Susan's arrival roused him somewhat.

 

"I was thinking about wearing a white sheet but the lantern and sword would betray my disguise," he chuckled. "Let us move on the room so we have time enough before midnight to read the letters and see if the spirits are summoned." As before, he was happy to lead the way.

"I missed you on the dance floor earlier. Did you have a good time?" he asked as they walked deeper into the passages.

 

It took a while before he could locate the panel's trigger; but, finding it at last, he moved to open the door. It was a bit spooky being there on the witching hour of a new year with artifacts that had been important to the ghosts that might still haunt the passages of the palace.

[Aria]

Though she had been taught that young ladies did not roll their eyes, Susan could not help herself. It was most likely too dark for him to see anyway. “That's too stereotypical. I don't know why everyone thinks that ghosts look like sheets with eyes. If they exist … and I'm not saying that they do … they would probably look as they did when they were alive. I doubt they would even be transparent.

 

“And yes, we should go. I probably only have an hour or two before my friends start looking for me.” She followed him through the tunnels, trusting that he knew the way. The passageways all looked the same to her. “I was dancing most of the time, so I'm surprised you missed me. Did you enjoy yourself as well?” She shot him a teasing grin. “Did the ladies keep you busy?”

 

She had been hoping that he would send her a tricorn hat, which he had hinted at when they had met in the library, but maybe he had decided that giving her a gift wasn't a wise move. Or perhaps he would surprise her with one later, if he had not forgotten all about it. New Year's Day was when most people exchanged gifts. Tonight, though, she would have been able to explain it easily, claiming she had won it in a game.

 

The door in the wall creaked open and would close behind them if Charles didn't wedge something in it to keep it from shutting all the way. The skeleton was still sitting in the corner and the broken cupboard was just as they had left it earlier in the week. Susan shuddered as she glanced at the grinning skull. “Is it just me, or does he look happier than he did when we were here last?”

[Charles Whitehurst]

"Unless you have seen a ghost, how might you know what they look like?" Charles retorted to Susan's calm logic. "Hopefully we will see one tonight."

 

"How could I have a good time when I did not dance with you Susan?" he flattered as they walked to the hidden room. It was found at last and the door opened. "The other ladies mattered not."

 

She imagined that the skull was smiling, which caused him to smile as he placed broken furniture in the gap to keep the door open. "I think you might be right." The lantern was placed so that it might illuminate the room.

 

"I brought the dagger and the letters," the Earl revealed, as he pulled them forth to flash in the lantern light. "That should attract the interest of the spirits."

 

He then closed the distance with his companion and declared "but first, I think it is now midnight, so let me kiss you and wish you a happy new year." With that he leaned in to give her a pleasant kiss. It was not intended to be seductive, but festive instead.

[Aria]

“I've seen pictures in books and most artists seem to see them the same way … white, transparent, and floating in the air. I doubt they have ever seen a real one either. Because they're aren't any. she added to herself.

 

“I won't hold my breath,” she replied when he said that he hoped to see a ghost. “If I do, I might become one myself.” Susan tried to keep an open mind, but she was too practical to believe in such fanciful notions. She supposed that some spirits could still be bound to the world if they had died violently and had not received justice. Perhaps that was the case with the Lion and she and Lord Langdon would be able to set his soul to rest.

 

How they would do that, she wasn't certain. Maybe telling his descendants … if he had any … what had happened to him would suffice. They could give them the letters, the dagger, and the ring, although Susan was quite fond of the ring and didn't really want to give it up. First, though, they must discover his name, which was one reason she was spending so much time in the library going through old records.

 

She held up her hand so that Charles could see the pearl gleam in the dim light of the lantern. “I'm wearing the Swan's ring. Maybe it will entice him too.”

 

If it was midnight, then maybe the reason they couldn't hear the clocks chiming was because they were so far underground. She could only take his word for it, and her heart skipped a beat as he leaned forward to kiss her. Without really thinking, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, not quite as fleetingly as he had kissed her.

[Charles Whitehurst]

"We shall put it to the test tonight," Charles replied. They had brought everything back to the room that was related to the Swan and the Lion. Now they would try their experiment.

 

Susan's kiss was more robust than his own. It was a surprise but not unwelcome. "Well then, a happy new year to you Susan," he chuckled. "Perhaps we need to get more experience kissing tonight as we read the love letters." He gave her a sly smile. He planned nothing more than kissing as Davina had drained him of vigor mere minutes before.

 

Placing the dagger near the lantern, Charles pulled out his hidden letters, handing Susan the ones written by the Swan. He had the letters written by the Lion.

 

"Spirits," he intoned, "we are here at the beginning of a new year to celebrate your love that has traversed through time itself. This beautiful and charming lady shall be a wondrous swan and I shall attempt to honor the memory of the Lion. If only we knew your true names," he beseeched.

 

"Now then, let me read the first love letter to my swan." With that, he tilted the aged letter towards the light of the lantern and began to read. It was a letter full of adoration and romantic love. It was all he could do to prevent himself blushing as he looked into Susan's eyes. The language was quite florid and not appropriate to say to an unmarried lady such as herself. Still, it seemed adventurous, so why not? Before long, it was Susan's turn.

[Aria]

Susan had no idea what had caused her to kiss him so enthusiastically. Could it be that the Swan had briefly possessed her? No, that was just ludicrous. Maybe her inhibitions had been lowered by all of the wine she had drunk after dancing. Come to think of it, she did feel just a slight bit tipsy.

 

Lord Langdon seemed pleased rather than shocked, and even suggested that they continue kissing as they read the love letters. She wasn't certain if that was wise, as she didn't want him to think her a tease and she had no intention of going any farther, for his sake as much as her own. Her brother would kill anyone who compromised her virtue, assuming he found out. He had gotten away with murder before.

 

And she knew the importance of remaining pure until her marriage. Charles wouldn't be the only one on the receiving end of Philip's wrath if he discovered that she was no longer a virgin. He loved her and doted on her, but she knew never to push him too far.

 

“Happy New Year to you too, Charles,” she said, thinking nothing of using his given name where no one but imaginary ghosts could hear. As for more kisses, she grinned. “We shall see how the spirits lead us.”

 

Susan slid the ring from her finger and placed it next to the dagger and took the yellowed stack of letters he handed her. She barely stifled a chuckle when he spoke to the ghosts and besought them for their names. He was really getting into the … spirit … of their little adventure.

 

And soon she was too as she listened to him read the first of the Lion's letters. She had forgotten how passionate and detailed they were and she hoped that the light was dim enough that he could not see the color that blossomed across her cheeks. She prided herself on the fact that she never blushed, but she couldn't help it this time. For a while, she kept her eyes lowered, fidgeting with the letters in her hands, but she felt his gaze upon her and looked up into his eyes. Even though he was only repeating what had been written more than a hundred years past, it sounded as if he meant what he said.

 

Then it was her turn, and she began, reading hesitantly at first. The Swan certainly had a lovely but sensuous way with words. Eventually, her voice strengthened and she tried to put herself in the writer's place, imagining what it would be like to be married to one man but to love another so much she was willing to risk everything to run away with him. She now spoke with feeling, beginning to really get into her role.

 

As she expressed the Swan's desire to be with the Lion forever, the hairs suddenly rose on the back of her neck. A chilly breeze wafted over her and then was gone. Charles would experience the gust of cold air as well. Susan paused and moved a step closer to him. “Did you feel something just now?” she asked, her voice soft and low.

[Charles Whitehurst]

The love letters were certainly both florid and uncomfortably intimate. Susan seemed to lose her hesitancy for becoming an actress and he began to imagine that she was speaking to him. Was it not flattering when someone professed their love so unsparingly?

 

Charles felt a breeze too, though perhaps it was his imagination. "They are here," he whispered. Whether it was true or not did not matter. If there were no ghosts, he hoped to scare her. If there were ghosts there, it seemed polite to recognize them. The Earl reached out to take one of Susan's hands in his own.

 

"Reveal yourself to us," Langdon commanded the spirit or spirits. "We are reaching across the veil to communicate with you."

[Aria]

“Are you sure?” Susan whispered back. “It's colder in the passageways than it is in here. A gust of air could have blown through the door.” She wasn't sure that she believed her own pragmatic explanation, and her eyes darted over to the skeleton in the corner, half-expecting it to get up and start dancing around them. Oh, don't be daft! she chided herself. It was just a breeze.

 

She jumped slightly as she felt Charles' hand close over hers. His nearness and the warmth of his hand was comforting and she moved even closer to him while he spoke to the spirits again. The small chamber was so quiet that all Susan could hear was one person breathing. Only one? It was then that she realized she was holding her breath, and she let it out slowly, forcing herself to breathe normally.

 

If the spirit of either the Lion or the Swan was with them, what would it do next?

 

One minute stretched into two and then into three.

 

Apparently, it wasn't going to do anything.

 

“Maybe we scared it away.” Even though she was whispering, her voice seemed to bounce off the walls in the silence of the room. “Just imagine … us frightening a ghost!” Susan raised the stack of letters in her free hand. “Shall I continue and try to lure it back to us?”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Though he knew ghosts were likely hard to locate, Charles was disappointed that they recived no sign from the other side. Though it would have surely startled him, he had hoped some voice would reveal the names of the two protagonists in the drama they had stumbled upon.

 

"We are a fearsome pair, so perhaps we scared them away," he chuckled. "Do you remember the names of the lords and Queen's ladies you found in the books? Maybe you mention the names aloud that you recall and see if there is some sound to help us determine which names is correct." Perhaps ghosts could do little more than make a noise and they might signal with their true names when heard.

[Aria]

Susan sighed. “I can't remember. There were so many of them. I suppose I should have brought the list I made with me. But it's too late now.” She still held tightly to his hand. “Maybe the letters were what drew the ghost to us. If we continue reading, it might return.”

 

She was fairly certain now that what they had felt was just a cold breeze from the corridor. “Shall we give it a try?”

 

Before she finished speaking, the lantern flickered out for a fraction of a second and then the flame seemed to revive itself. The air was perfectly still. “Do you think it's back?” she whispered, wondering if she had been too hasty in formulating a rational explanation. What if there really was a shade in the room with them?

[Charles Whitehurst]

In Charles' mind, there had been four purposes of this adventure. First, he wanted to scare Susan. It had been his goal for some time now. Second, he needed to learn whether the ghosts might be real. Third, if so, they could save the couple time in trying to identify the lovers. Fourth, he supposed it a fine opportunity to gain some kisses from Susan and make her feel awkward. The boyish prankster in him was hard to repress when he was with a lady he liked. The first and last had been accomplished. The second purpose was still in doubt and, without Susan recalling names of likely suspects, it was probable that the third purpose would fail.

 

The flicker of the flame caused renewed concern. He sought the remnants of other candles to light to help them from being plunged into darkness. He paused to recall the path they had taken if forced to retrace it blind.

 

"It might be," Charles replied, waving his hand around the lantern to see if he could feel a gust of air to explain the flicker. "Unless there is another secret door in here, there should be no cross breeze in here." He gripped Susan's hand tighter, as a show of mock concern. It was just an excuse to do so. "Speak to us spirits," he cajoled. "We are here to listen." He was not sure that ghosts had voices or not, but popular legend said they did.

[Aria]

There were no candle stubs in the room. The only way to produce another light would be to burn the letters or the remnants of the skeleton's clothes. The lantern gleamed brightly again and no breeze wafted around it.

 

“I don't think there's another door. We explored the room quite thoroughly when we cleaned it up. Our brooms would have swept over anything that could have opened it.” Susan wasn't sure if she wanted to find another room. It might have another skeleton in it. Or something worse.

 

By the way he squeezed her hand, Charles was as tense as she was. She held her breath when he asked the spirits to speak once more. The lantern dimmed again and then flared back to life. Could it be that ghosts were real? Or was it just a strange coincidence that the lantern flickered at that exact moment? “Maybe it's trying to communicate with us through the lantern,” she suggested.

 

For the third time, the lantern blinked off and on.

 

Susan's heart pounded frantically. “Speak to it again,” she whispered.

[Charles Whitehurst]

"There is no other explanation for a cross breeze then," Charles observed. quietly. He was yet to be convinced that there was a spirit present, but he certainly wanted Susan to be scared.

 

"If you are the Lion's spirit, make the lantern blink once. If the swan, then twice. If both of you are here, then blink it three times," Charles called out. "Can you speak? Or write your name in the dust?" he asked hopefully.

[Aria]

The lantern blinked once.

 

“It's the Lion,” she breathed, yet in the next instant, her pragmatism returned. “Or maybe there's just something wrong with the lantern.”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, a rattling of bones could be heard from the corner where the skeleton sat. With a little cry, Susan pitched forward right into Charles' arms and buried her head against his chest. “It is him,” she whispered in a shaking voice. "I think he's angry at me for doubting him."

[Charles Whitehurst]

It could have been coincidence, but it seemed that they were in the presence of the Lion. It was the bone rattling that caused Susan's hard pragmatic defense to melt in an instance. Despite concern about confronting a ghost, he could not help but smile to himself as Susan's morale broke and she clung to him like a frightened child. It was moments like these that made Charles Whitehurst relish being alive.

 

"It makes sense that the Lion is here. This is where he died and we have brought back his dagger and love letters. to help rouse him," Charles explained patiently as he hugged the blond to his chest. "Do not fear. He is a friendly spirit," he assured her quietly.

 

"Lion," Charles called out. "We are here to help you. We would give your skull and bones a proper burial. If we knew where the Swan's tomb was, we could seek to add your bones to hers so that you can rest side by side throughout eternity; but, we do not know who you are or who the Swan was. It is why we are here at midnight of a new year. If you can find a way to tell us what to do to help you reunite with the Swan, we will endeavor to do so." He paused to see if the spirit might manifest itself.

 

"We know she must have been one of the Queen's ladies, just like Susan here. You might have been a man close to the Queen, such as myself. I am going to go down the list of titles. Flicker the candle when we reveal the title you held." He was feeling clever at the moment.

 

"Were you a duke? Flicker once if true." He would then go to earl, viscount and baron in hopes of getting the flicker. "I will then go down the names of specific titles and ask you to flicker when I name the right one."

[Aria]

The rattling ceased as soon as Susan admitted that they might really be communicating with the Lion. Was this spirit friendly? The young blonde was not sure and she continued to cling to Charles. She felt safe in his arms. He wouldn't let the ghost harm her, although how he could stop it, she didn't know.

 

As he spoke to it, she lifted her head and turned it in the direction of the lantern, curious as to whether it would flicker again. She certainly hoped it didn't rattle its bones anymore. The thought of the skeleton dancing in its corner made her shudder.

 

Nothing happened until Charles started listing noble ranks. It winked once when he got to baron. “So he wasn't an Earl like we thought,” Susan commented, her voice a bit steadier now. Before he could start listing titles, the candle went completely out, leaving them both in inky blackness. Susan's arms tightened around Charles, her shivering body pressed close against his.

 

A moment later, two pairs of footsteps could be faintly heard outside in the corridor. The wall was thick, but Charles and Susan were able to able to catch a few words through the gap in the door: 'somewhere,' 'searching,' 'hundred' and 'somebody.' Both voices sounded male. The footsteps began to recede before they reached the secret room, as if they had turned a corner before they got there.

 

When they could be heard no more, the lantern lit itself, the candle flickering merrily. “He was protecting us,” Susan whispered. “He knew that there was someone else down here and extinguished the light so that they wouldn't see it shining through the doorway. I wonder who they are and why they're down here? Do many people know of these passageways?”

 

She glanced toward the door. “Maybe we should shut the door completely in case they return and come our way?”

[Charles Whitehurst]

"A Baron." That was a surprise. He was about to ask what Baron names she had encountered when the light went out. Silently cursing, Charles patted his pocked for a match. It was then that he heard the voices approaching. Could it be a couple of his men? If the spirit was trying to warn them, then unlikely; but, who could mean him harm? The Baron had been murdered centuries before. Unless these are ghosts too.

 

"No, move to the side and I will jump them if they attempt to enter," he whispered. He felt about for the Lion's dagger. It might be a more useful weapon at close range. All the while he listened for the voices that were approaching, his plan to lay a trap. Surely they would not be expecting an attack. If it was his own men, he would have a good laugh and send them on thier way.

[Aria]

A quiet sigh floated through the room when Charles spoke of attacking the intruders if they found the secret room. To Susan's ears, it sounded a bit frustrated. Was the Lion thinking what she was thinking? Men will be men. Perhaps he had once been the same way, ready to take action without knowing exactly what he was up against. Had that tendency contributed to his unfortunate demise? She still believed that they should shut the door all the way.

 

No longer afraid of the spirit since it had saved them from discovery, she obediently stepped away from Charles. He would have no problem finding the dagger and picking it up, but it would feel a bit cold to the touch, even though it had been sitting beside the burning lantern.

 

“Are you sure that's wise?” Susan asked. “Shouldn't we keep this room a secret between the two of us?”

 

The candle flickered slightly. “I mean the three of us.”

[Charles Whitehurst]

Charles Whitehurst was not one to hide or cower. He was a man of action. On more than one occasion he had thrown his body at a bandit or assassin in an attempt to pummel them into submission. It was only the flicker of light and the cold dagger that gave the young earl pause.

 

At first he wondered if they might be his own men. If so, he would hide the room from view, rather than need to explain himself. If they were just courtiers on a holiday lark, he supposed the same strategy was prudent. If they were villains, he would wonder how they had gained access to the passages. They might present a risk to the King. It was his job to keep the passageways safe. As if to give voice to his concerns, he mentioned softly "if they are assassins looking for the King, I need to capture them." Surely the Lion would understand his duty.

 

"Very well, I will shut the door." He moved to remove the skull that kept it open, remembering where the inner release was. "We shall listen to their words to assess their intentions. If they are villains, I shall need to slay them." It seemed straight-forward enough. He would let them go by and then sneak out and come upon them from behind.

 

It was then that the question came to him. Speaking to the spirit he asked "flicker once if these men mean ill to us or the King."

[Aria]

Susan's eyes widened. She had not considered that the intruders might attempt to kill the King. “Do any of these passages lead to the Banquetting Hall?” she asked Charles. “Or to His Majesty's apartments?” She understood now why he wanted to ambush them. It was his duty as a Life Guard to keep the King safe.

 

Charles did shut the door, though. His revised plan sounded more sensible. Find out their intentions and then decide what to do. She didn't think that he would really kill them. That course of action seemed a bit extreme … unless they stated clearly that they meant harm to the King. For some reason, Susan breathed a bit easier now that they were completely concealed.

 

There was no change in the lantern's light when Charles asked him about the men's motives. “Either they're harmless or the answer is not so simple.” She was beginning to think of the spirit as 'he' now instead of 'it.' “I have an idea.”

 

She looked over a the lantern. “Can you flicker once for 'yes,' twice for 'no,' and three times for 'I don't know?'

 

The lantern blinked once. “Ask your question again, Charles,” she whispered.

[Charles Whitehurst]

He was not sure if the spirit could project its senses beyond the room or not. Perhaps it was just a couple of his troopers.

 

"Do you know the nature of the men coming?" he asked. "Are they soldiers?" Perhaps the Lion did not know. "Do they mean us harm?"

 

He was inclined to just let them pass and listen for their words.

 

"Your title ... it was Baron of something," he whispered. "If we knew the first letter, it might help us a great deal." With that, he was prepared to go through each letter of the alphabet until the light flickered. Perhaps they could spell it out. When the noises grew closer, he would go quiet and listen.

[Aria]

The spirit no longer scared Susan, but the men they had heard in the corridor did. It was unlikely that the Lion could harm them, and if that had been his intention and it was possible, he would have already done it. The intruders could kill them and leave them here to rot like someone had done long ago to the lion. Would their spirits haunt the room as well? She was certainly not ready to find out. Her life was just beginning and there were so many things she wished to do before she died.

 

The lantern blinked three times to Charles' first question, two to his second, and three to his third. So they weren't soldiers. How had they found the passageways then? Susan had been under the impression that only the Life Guards were aware of their existence.

 

She wished she had brought paper and a quill with her to write down whatever information the Lion gave them, but she should be able to remember a couple of names. Perhaps she could run to the library before returning to the ball and record them then and keep the paper in her petticoat pocket.

 

As soon as Charles recited the first letter of the alphabet, the dagger shot upwards on the table, standing on its hilt with the blade pointing toward the ceiling. “What is that supposed to mean?” Susan asked, stepping toward it and studying it curiously.

[Charles Whitehurst]

It seemed as though the Lion did not know much about the men that were venturing in the hallways. Perhaps the spirit was trapped in the room and could not travel far from it to investigate visitors.

 

Charles paused to listen for the men's approach, wanting to be quiet when they were close. When the dagger pointed upward, the natural reaction for Charles was to look upwards at the ceiling. "Are you trying to point to something?" he whispered, "or is this acknowledgement that your title began with A, or ... perhaps the other end of the alphabet?" He had paused at each interval to afford the Lion the opportunity to flicker an answer. The Earl could not help but feel that they would learn important information before leaving this room for the night. Unlike Susan, he felt no fear for his life. He was cocky enough to think he could handle two men.

[Aria]

Each of Charles' questions provoked two blinks. “So he's not pointing at anything and his name doesn't began with either the first or last letter of the alphabet.” A thoughtful expression crossed Susan's pretty face. “There were differences in the alphabet and in the way words were spelled over a century ago. Some of the records I've been combing through are difficult to read. Maybe his version of the alphabet is different from ours.”

 

She continued to study the knife. “Why did he position it like that? It's almost as if there's something on it that he wants us to find.”

 

One blink.

 

All was quiet out in the corridor.

[Charles Whitehurst]

There was no noise in the hall. Charles remained quiet for a time to see if the intruders might be outside listening. Once satisfied, he went to study the dagger more.

 

"How could he have a different alphabet?" he mumbled, "unless he was a foreigner." Perhaps there would be a blink.

 

"Is there an insciption you want me to find? I note the Tudor rose." That had been something to differentiate it. "You were not a member of the Tudor family were you?" He continued to scrutinize the dagger. "You could make cold the portion that you wish to have me examine further. We just need your real name so that we can find the Swan and her remains. Once we know your name we will be able to guess the Swan's name, I think, Would there be written accounts that would link the two of you together?"

[Aria]

“Not an entirely dissimilar alphabet. Some of the letters were written oddly, and they may have been pronounced differently.” Susan shrugged. “I'm not a historian. I just thought maybe that might have been why he didn't answer.”

 

The lantern's light remained steady when Charles asked if he was a foreigner. Susan wondered if the Lion was offended at his question and that was why he didn't answer. If so, at least he had not extinguished the flame and left them in the dark out of spite.

 

The lantern flickered once to Charles' first question and twice to his second. “So I was right,” Susan whispered. The Lion wanted them to find some kind of inscription on the dagger. She thought the Earl's suggestion was quite clever, but would the spirit be able to make one part of the dagger cold?

 

The flame winked three times when he asked if there were any written records linking the Lion and the Swan. She could understand why he didn't know, since it had been at least a hundred years since his death. How could he tell what had been written after his demise?

 

Susan jumped back and grabbed Charles' hand as ice suddenly formed on one of the rounded guards that had been etched with a Tudor rose. A cold mist swirled around it. The rest of the dagger looked normal. "He doesn't fool around, does he?" she asked.

 

The flame danced merrily back and forth. To Susan, it seemed as if the spirit was laughing.

[Charles Whitehurst]

Letters written oddly? Charles had not encountered much in the way of variation in English letters. He supposed he should not pursue Susan's suggestion further.

 

His hand was burning, not with fire, but cold. He had to let go of the dagger for a moment. "I knew the Tudor Rose was important. Few other daggers bore it," the earl uttered aloud.

 

"Are ... were you a member of the Tudor family?" The question was an obvious one, though there were few Tudors, though Henry VII had many offspring and there might have been some distant cousins. "It is clear you served the Tudors, at a minimum. Did you have a major office?"

[Aria]

Maybe the handwriting of some of the people who had contributed to the records Susan had studied had been difficult to read, and the letters had looked strange to her. The lighting in the archives had also been rather dim, and could have added to her belief the English alphabet was not exactly the same as it was at the present time. Charles said nothing more about it, and she wished she had not mentioned it at all.

 

When he let go of the dagger, it stood on its hilt again. The lantern flickered twice to each of Charles' questions. So he had not been a member of the Tudor family and he had not held a major office.

 

Susan once more peered at the knife. “Both of the round parts have the roses and he only made one of them cold. Maybe the inscription he wants us to find is on that one.” The lantern blinked once and the ice melted from the spherical guard. Something on the bottom of it began to glow. If Charles were to examine it closely, he would find two small letters crudely engraved upon it. The first one looked like a 'T' and the other resembled an 'H.'