Aria Posted June 5 Author Share Posted June 5 The two women thanked Charles for paying their fee. Inside the tent, Madame Soraya laughed. “I believe my method is more accurate, but you can decide for yourself.” She shuffled her cards, pulled several from the deck, and studied them. “Your ambition will lead to both danger and opportunity. You will find …” She paused and blinked a couple of times. “You will find a purpose that you don’t know you are searching for.” The fortune teller shook her head as if to clear it. Her hands began to shake. “A charitable act will lead to …” Soraya blinked again and then sat up straighter. Her eyes unfocused and her voice was completely unemotional. “I see a man of god, glowing. He seems to be the pope! No, not the Pope. He's a Bishop, or Archbishop, and he is standing on top of a domed Cathedral, like the one in London. Oh, he's in London. It's the Bishop of London. And... he places a holy kiss on a blonde woman's head. The woman seems to be turning to look at you, my lord. Could it be your sister, perhaps? Or, your mother? Or, no, something else ... a lover? Oh dear, behind the Bishop, there is a dark figure. The devil, perhaps? I can't see his face.” She began to shiver violently. “Oh, but I feel deathly cold, and my arms, my wrists, my legs, it hurts!” A few heartbeats later, Madame Soraya snapped out of the trance, looking a bit confused. She rubbed her arms absently. “A vision,” she breathed. “Those are very rare for me, though some in my profession experience them frequently. Don’t tell me what I said. It is better that I do not know.” She lifted one hand to her head. “I’m getting a headache, which usually accompanies a vision.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Audley Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 "Oh, I never had the opportunity to read the entrails in any case. Langdon claimed the corpse, and it would have been churlish to argue, under the circumstances," Charles said lightly, seating himself opposite Madame Soraya. "Yours is the only method by which I shall gain a glimpse of my fortune today." And, watching her read the cards, it seemed that both method and glimpse were like to prove disappointing. He was something of a sceptic, of course, and had fully expected the 'prediction' to be vague and evasive. This talk of ambition, danger, opportunity, and purpose was not just vague and evasive, though, it was... banal. He had expected some theatre, some drama, and this had none. And then Soraya's whole manner changed. Charles leaned forward, interested now. This was much better, far more in line with his expectations... then he listened to what she was saying, and everything warm and human left his face, vanishing without a trace like mist under a summer sun. There was no way for a gypsy fortune teller in an itinerant carnival to know even that much about that matter, and the odds of it being simple coincidence that her theatrics would so closely allude to the thing were surely astronomical. Charles was a sceptic, yes, but rationality was not a religion, and it was certainly not blind denial of what was in front of one. It could not be a coincidence, and she could not have learned of it by earthly means, which meant that the possibility that it was a genuine vision had to be considered. Which would mean that Northampton killed Mary. Northampton, whose brother is Bishop of London, and who was closely involved with her. Northampton, who has been so evasive. Northampton, who tried to set me on the trail of some actor. Northampton, who is an earl, and a privy councillor, and Constable of the Tower, and so could easily have intimidated the maidservant to silence. He considered the notion. It all fit. Mary, angry and upset, flees to Northampton, and then, inadvertently or otherwise, reveals something of what had passed between herself and Charles. Northampton, incensed, flies into a jealous rage and sets upon her. Perhaps he had not meant to hurt her so badly, but that counted for little. In any case, seeing what he has done, he frightens the maid so she will not speak and throws them out. It felt plausible, and it explained the earl's behaviour since. Charles did not growl, or curse, or flex his sword hand, or even smile his killing smile. He had gone beyond such mortal frailties. But in his mind, the gears clicked and whirred as the machinery for the death of James Compton set into inexorable motion. Soraya came out of her trance, and Charles came back to himself, humanity returning to his features. He could be patient, in such a cause at least. He leaned forward solicitously. "Do you wish me to fetch someone?" he asked. "I have laudanum I can leave for you too, if you think the headache likely to be severe, though I would advise you to dilute it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aria Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 “Thank you for your concern, my lord” Madame Soraya told Charles. She could not tell by his expression what he thought of her vision, but she knew from experience that most of them were negative rather than positive. “I will be fine. I just need a short break. Please tell my assistant that I would like to speak with her.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Audley Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 Charles nodded, and carefully counted out twenty shillings, which he placed on the table. "For the... stress, shall we say?" he said with a small grin. He inclined his head again, turned to go, and hesitated. "I may call on you again," he said quietly, and stepped out of the tent, giving the fortune teller's assistant another precisely calibrated smooth smile. "Your presence is requested within," he told her, and took his leave, politely acknowledging the queuing crowd. This vision bore thinking about, in particular to work out if there was any way those details that leant it veracity could have been fabricated, but in his bones and in his soul he knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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