at the opposite end of the room.
‘What is all the fuss about, Talbot?’ Wade queried, as the butler backed away in fear. ‘You told me that Arthur had only recently disappeared?’
‘I lied, my Lord. I didn’t want to alarm you.’
‘See.’ Andy stood up. ‘I told you I was telling the truth.’
‘So that’s Arthur, hey?’ Hugh rose also, still not convinced that the cat’s appearance gave the rest of their tale any credence.
‘It sure is.’ Louisa watched the feline’s movements from behind Hugh.
Hannah didn’t know what to make of everybody’s reaction. The cat may have been large, but it was one of the cutest she’d ever seen.
‘Why, he’s lovely,’ Hannah commented, moving to comfort the animal in the wake of the maid’s hysterical reaction.
‘Hannah!’ Wade was not quick enough to stop her getting too near, and Arthur exited out the door.
‘It’s scared, poor thing.’ Hannah sped up a little to avoid Wade’s grasp, and slipped out the door after it.
‘Hannah, wait.’ Wade exited in her wake.
‘Quick …’ Andy advised the others to follow, and all three of them ran for the door.
‘No son, don’t,’ cried Talbot. ‘It’s not natural!’
By the time the old butler hobbled to the doorway, there was no trace of the young folk. He called and called for them, but no response was forthcoming.
The Great Hall was overflowing with people, dressed in the grand, evening attire of the mid-to late-seventeenth century.
‘Dear God,’ uttered Hugh, as he came to a stopbehind Wade and Hannah, who were also staring in awe at the scene.
‘Is it a surprise party?’ Hannah queried, admiring all the beautiful gowns the ladies wore, and the music that filtered down from the orchestra on the floor above.
‘You could say that,’ Wade ventured, as Andy came forward to have a quiet whisper in his ear.
‘Perhaps we should back out of here, discreetly,’ Andy motioned to their attire, ‘before the women get arrested.’
The strange thing was that the colourful characters around them acknowledged their party with smiles and nods, not seeming in any way curious or affected by their presence.
‘Nobody seems too bothered.’ Wade spied Arthur halfway up the staircase, and he took hold of Hannah’s hand to make after the cat.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, delighted and bemused all at once. Wade did not reply.
Andy was quick to join the pursuit, and although the lad was admired by several ladies on his way up the staircase he managed not to be swayed from his course.
‘My Lady,’ Hugh held out his hand to Louisa, who placed her hand on top of his.
‘Charmed,’ she played along, as they followed the rest of the party up the stairs.
Arthur entered Hugh’s drawing room, which was more sparsely occupied than the grand domed saloon, or the Great Hall. As Wade and Hannah kept pace with the animal, a small boy came charging out of the long gallery to collide with them.
‘Steady on there, mate,’ Wade made sure the lad was stable in the wake of the crash.
‘Let me go’ The boy tried to wriggle free of Wade’s grasp.
‘Ernest!’ An elderly man entered the drawing room in pursuit of the boy. ‘Hold him,’ he requested of Wade, and approached quickly to apprehend the cause of the dismay. ‘Thank you kindly.’ The old man took the five year old by the arm and headed back into the long gallery with the lad squirming in protest.
‘That’s not fair, Grandfather,’ said Ernest. ‘You said I could keep it.’
‘After I die, and not before,’ the old man clarified. ‘Now give me the dodecahedron,’ he ordered, disappearing around the corner with the child.
‘What is wrong?’ Hannah asked, seeing Wade’s perplexed expression.
‘Who was Ernest, again?’ he inquired of Andrew as he caught up with them.
‘The loon,’ Andrew replied, refreshing Wade’s memory.
‘Then his grandfather was John Ashby, the one who built the temple … and if he is still alive
‘What is all the fuss about, Talbot?’ Wade queried, as the butler backed away in fear. ‘You told me that Arthur had only recently disappeared?’
‘I lied, my Lord. I didn’t want to alarm you.’
‘See.’ Andy stood up. ‘I told you I was telling the truth.’
‘So that’s Arthur, hey?’ Hugh rose also, still not convinced that the cat’s appearance gave the rest of their tale any credence.
‘It sure is.’ Louisa watched the feline’s movements from behind Hugh.
Hannah didn’t know what to make of everybody’s reaction. The cat may have been large, but it was one of the cutest she’d ever seen.
‘Why, he’s lovely,’ Hannah commented, moving to comfort the animal in the wake of the maid’s hysterical reaction.
‘Hannah!’ Wade was not quick enough to stop her getting too near, and Arthur exited out the door.
‘It’s scared, poor thing.’ Hannah sped up a little to avoid Wade’s grasp, and slipped out the door after it.
‘Hannah, wait.’ Wade exited in her wake.
‘Quick …’ Andy advised the others to follow, and all three of them ran for the door.
‘No son, don’t,’ cried Talbot. ‘It’s not natural!’
By the time the old butler hobbled to the doorway, there was no trace of the young folk. He called and called for them, but no response was forthcoming.
The Great Hall was overflowing with people, dressed in the grand, evening attire of the mid-to late-seventeenth century.
‘Dear God,’ uttered Hugh, as he came to a stopbehind Wade and Hannah, who were also staring in awe at the scene.
‘Is it a surprise party?’ Hannah queried, admiring all the beautiful gowns the ladies wore, and the music that filtered down from the orchestra on the floor above.
‘You could say that,’ Wade ventured, as Andy came forward to have a quiet whisper in his ear.
‘Perhaps we should back out of here, discreetly,’ Andy motioned to their attire, ‘before the women get arrested.’
The strange thing was that the colourful characters around them acknowledged their party with smiles and nods, not seeming in any way curious or affected by their presence.
‘Nobody seems too bothered.’ Wade spied Arthur halfway up the staircase, and he took hold of Hannah’s hand to make after the cat.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, delighted and bemused all at once. Wade did not reply.
Andy was quick to join the pursuit, and although the lad was admired by several ladies on his way up the staircase he managed not to be swayed from his course.
‘My Lady,’ Hugh held out his hand to Louisa, who placed her hand on top of his.
‘Charmed,’ she played along, as they followed the rest of the party up the stairs.
Arthur entered Hugh’s drawing room, which was more sparsely occupied than the grand domed saloon, or the Great Hall. As Wade and Hannah kept pace with the animal, a small boy came charging out of the long gallery to collide with them.
‘Steady on there, mate,’ Wade made sure the lad was stable in the wake of the crash.
‘Let me go’ The boy tried to wriggle free of Wade’s grasp.
‘Ernest!’ An elderly man entered the drawing room in pursuit of the boy. ‘Hold him,’ he requested of Wade, and approached quickly to apprehend the cause of the dismay. ‘Thank you kindly.’ The old man took the five year old by the arm and headed back into the long gallery with the lad squirming in protest.
‘That’s not fair, Grandfather,’ said Ernest. ‘You said I could keep it.’
‘After I die, and not before,’ the old man clarified. ‘Now give me the dodecahedron,’ he ordered, disappearing around the corner with the child.
‘What is wrong?’ Hannah asked, seeing Wade’s perplexed expression.
‘Who was Ernest, again?’ he inquired of Andrew as he caught up with them.
‘The loon,’ Andrew replied, refreshing Wade’s memory.
‘Then his grandfather was John Ashby, the one who built the temple … and if he is still alive
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