Page 42 of Dark Tidings on the Thames
“And so I will, you may be sure of it. But I should have done something like this.” Gyda’s grip on her arm tightened. “Kara, I want you to make me a promise, right here and now. When I die, I want you to throw a party. To hell with black mourning and quiet grief. I want you to throw a crush of a party with glorious food and endless drink. Let everyone get drunk as lords and tell their most outrageous stories about me. Scream it to the heavens, so everyone knows I lived, and lived well.” She paused, her eyes wide. “Then put me in a boat, set itablaze, and shove it out into the river, like a Viking warrior of old. Promise me!”
“I’ll promise, if you vow to do the same for me—except for the boat,” Kara said with a laugh. “We’ll have to tell Niall about it, of course. He has the fortitude to go against societal expectations in such a matter.”
“We need to tellHaroldabout it,” Gyda corrected her. “I don’t expect any one of us to pass on to our glory until we are of a ridiculously advanced age. We’ll have to rely on him to see it through.”
“I have no doubts on the matter of Harold’s fortitude.”
“Nor I. Still, heismale. I think we will have to remind him regularly.”
Kara thought about it. “I think we must document all of our wishes, so there is no question.”
“It sounds dark, doesn’t it, when you think of writing it all out?” asked Gyda. She grinned. “But it also sounds bizarrely fun. We can make outrageous requests. I’ll want fire breathers and a demonstration of swordplay by Viking shield-maidens.”
“I’ll ask for the party to be decorated with hundreds of bluebells,” Kara said decisively.
“What if they are out of season?”
“Then someone with a greenhouse had better be planning ahead.”
Gyda bit back a laugh, but she gave Kara’s arm a last squeeze before letting her go. She seemed to be in an easier frame of mind, and was everything gracious as Beth brought over a few of the volunteers to make their acquaintance. Some of them were eager to discuss the upcoming memorial and the chance to present their organization to the women of money and influence who might be persuaded to aid their cause.
Kara and Gyda were listening to a couple of eager young women hoping to recruit some of the families who had been helped by the charity. “I think it will be moving to hear them share what our workhas meant to them,” one of the ladies was saying, when Beth sidled over and touched Kara’s arm.
“Would you mind coming over to be introduced to Mr. Royston’s secretary?” she asked quietly.
“Of course not.” Kara looked about.
“He asked if he could speak with you in the garden.” Beth hesitated. “Would you mind if I don’t accompany you? I haven’t been out there since…” Her words trailed away and her lip quivered.
“Don’t worry a bit,” Kara assured her. “I shall introduce myself. What is the secretary’s name?”
“It’s Mr. Chambers. He’s a very nice young man. I’m just not ready to step out there.”
“Nor should you, then. If Gyda asks, be sure to tell her where I’ve gone, would you?” With a last pat of the girl’s hand, Kara ventured outside. She couldn’t say she blamed Beth. The image of Glynn Foulger spread out across the grass rose in her mind’s eye, even as she turned away from the spot.
A young man had been sitting on a bench near the Wardrobe’s building. Dressed as relentlessly unobtrusive as any clerk in London, he stood as Kara stepped outside.
“Mr. Chambers?”
“Yes. Thank you for meeting me. I thought it wise to speak to you here, as most everyone has been avoiding the garden.” He indicated that she should take the bench, then perched at the other end.
Kara paused. “You don’t wish to be seen speaking with me?”
The young man hesitated. “It’s just that, with my position here, I try to remain… impartial.”
Kara considered that.
“There are a lot of different sorts of people working with us,” Mr. Chambers explained. “Though we all work toward a common goal, there are inevitable conflicts. It’s best if I maintain a neutral stance.”
“I imagine that was difficult, in the conflict between Miss Foulger and Mr. Yardley.”
The young man sighed. “It was, indeed. Glynn was adamant in her wish to protect the women and children who work with us, as well as those who benefit from our work. I found her feelings laudable, of course. But Mr. Yardley was equally convincing about his changed ways.”
“Miss Foulger did not find him convincing in the least, from all I have heard,” Kara said, watching for his reaction.
He gave her a pained look. “That’s true enough, but I suspect Glynn’s inflexibility was due to her own experiences.”
“I’ve heard a bit about some of the things that happened to her. It’s understandable.”
