Page 21 of The Trials of Alaric
“Meet me in the breakfast room,” Bea said. “You need to eat to regain your full strength. You are still healing. Then we shall walk.”
His smile was warm. “In the breakfast room, then.”
Chapter Nine
When Alaric enteredthe earl’s study, the man was, as his daughter had suggested, already at work behind his desk, a steaming cup of coffee at his elbow.
“You asked to see me, Redhaven,” the earl acknowledged.
“Yes, my lord. I believe I have solved the first clue in the treasure hunt.”
The earl’s eyebrows twitched upwards in an expression of surprise. “Indeed? You are the first, then. One moment, young man.”
He opened a drawer and pulled out a folded piece of card, from which he extracted a sheet of paper. “Ah yes. ‘Watch time crawl by with leaden feet.’ Very well, Redhaven. What have you discovered?”
“Two panels in the music room, sir, with the wordsTempus fugitandTempus serpitin a frieze above them. I believe the first shows the reign of the son of night, who is the god of sleep in Greek and Roman mythology. The second shows Persephone as the goddess of Spring, so I suppose that the answer to the clue is either Persephone or Spring.”
“Hmm,” said the earl, which was not helpful. “You will, I hope, work out the significance of that panel, or those panels, as you solve further clues. However, you have identified the panels, and that is enough to win you the next little rhyme. Let me see…”He dug around in the folder for a minute, and then brought out another sheet of paper, very similar to the first.
“This one, I think, is for you.”
Alaric accepted it, glanced at it, folded it again, and put it into his pocket to think about later. Another piece of verse.
“Thank you, sir. I won’t take up more of your time.”
“I will, however, command a few moments more of yours,” the earl replied. “Did my daughter give you the answer?”
“No, my lord,” Alaric answered, pleased he could say so. However, in all honesty, he had to add, “I think she would have done so, though, if I had not thought of it. She came down to the music room this morning to check what she thought she saw last night and found me already doing the same thing.”
That seemed to amuse the earl. “Ah. So that was the way of it? You have consulted her, then?”
“I have, my lord. I initially thought of timepieces like clocks and sundials, and I asked her where to find them, then showed her my clue. We plan to meet later so I can show her this one. Is that against the rules? If so, I apologize.”
The earl waved off his apology. “Not at all. I find it interesting, but it is not forbidden, and I am not offended.” He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of his chin as he fixed Alaric with a stern look that somehow reminded Alaric of Lady Beatrice’s expression when she was puzzling out the frieze. “Mr. Redhaven, will you tell me the full story of why you were asked to leave Brazil?”
Alaric thought about that. “Perhaps, sir. If I am successful in the trials and you and Lady Beatrice are amenable to my suit, then you will have a right to know. At the moment, though, it does not feel right.”
Lord Claddach nodded. “I accept that. Well done on the clue, young man. I wish you well with the second. Good day to you.”
That was a dismissal, if ever Alaric had heard one. He left the earl’s office and went into breakfast.
*
Mr. Redhaven arrivedin the breakfast room looking pleased. His interview with Papa must have been successful, then. Bea itched to hear what had happened but was not going to ask in front of the servants and the other guests. Only Lord Lucas and Lady Eleanor were up, and when she and Mr. Redhaven spoke about their planned walk, they announced their intention of coming along.
“If you do not mind, Bea,” Ellie said. The young ladies had all moved to first-name terms during their travels yesterday.
“It solves the problem of a chaperone,” Bea pointed out. “The older ladies are all still asleep, and I don’t wish to wait.” And she did not wish one of the older ladies hanging on every word that she and Mr. Redhaven exchanged. Whereas, unless she missed her guess, Lord Lucas and Ellie would be absorbed in one another, giving her and her escort all the privacy one could decently require.
It turned out just as she expected. They took the path down to the beach again, and the other couple lingered behind, clearly seeking their own privacy. “You seem to be none the worse for yesterday’s exertions,” Bea commented to Mr. Redhaven, as they scrambled down the steeper sections of the path. In truth, he was still being careful with some movements, but he no longer looked as if he was bruised in every bone and about to pass out.
“Colyn’s uncle has a liniment that is good for muscle strain,” he replied. “I can now swear by it, having put it on before I went to sleep yesterday. I might have applied more this morning, but it is rather pungent, and I would not wish to offend the company.”
She managed a shallow curtsey on the awkward terrain. “The company thanks you, Mr. Redhaven.”
“Could you be persuaded to call me Alaric?” he asked. “Just when we are alone. We are becoming friends, are we not?”
Friends, and perhaps something more. The trials—and the choice at the end of them—loomed large in her mind. Perhaps a great deal more. “Very well, Alaric. And I am Bea.”
