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A chance meeting

Started by DonaCatalina, May 12, 2008, 03:41:39 PM

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DonaCatalina

  When the boxes were all laid out single file, we opened each one in turn. Some contained nothing of value any longer, but several of the chests were filled with bits of silver things. Small silver candlesticks lay nestled against a silver pitcher. One box contained a score of smaller wooden boxes with intricate carving. Upon opening most of the contained the ancient remains of spices. I held up a box of cinnamon to Alexandra and told her "Once these imported spices were worth their weight in gold. These days my cook spills more than this on the kitchen floor." We continued opening boxes until Alexandra's gasp caught my attention. From one of the boxes she slowly pulled a necklace made of golden rosettes set onto links. Each one of theses rosettes was set with a red stone that winked in the candle light. Its length was just enough to fit around some slender lady's neck. Beneath the necklace rested a set of gold rings that were obviously meant for the same lady's fingers. Fingering the softly glowing gold I murmured "I have never heard anything like this described in old stories of the family." Then from the next box, Alexandra removed an object that made my vision blur and my knees go weak.
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What she held in her palm was an elaborate figure of a golden bird, no bigger than my signet ring. When she turned it up in her palm, its tiny eyes were glowing red in the candle light. Then I remembered that the bird I had seen before had emerald eyes, and I began breathing again. "This is exquisite" she commented before she returned it to its box. After my heart stopped racing I looked into the box from which we had been taking the small boxes. The bottom of the box was filled with two small leather sacks. Gingerly I pulled one out and opened it. It was filled with a mix of silver and gold coins. The silver coins were too tarnished to read easily, but the gold coins were obviously from the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The other leather bag contained a small handful of polished gems. There were stones of various hues, and one that was an exact mate to the blue stone that I had in my pocket. This one, I slipped out and reunited it with its brother. "I wish I knew the significance of all this" I said aloud. Then I picked up the box holding the golden bird and handed it back to Alexandra. "Keep this" I told her "Somehow I think you were meant to have it." "Oh I couldn't" she protested as I closed her fingers around it "Surely all this belongs to your nephew." "I insist" I told her again "He needs not know of its existence. I'll call it a finder's fee." I winked at her and she desisted from her protests. She slipped the small box into a pocket in her skirt.
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We spent some time moving the boxes out of the walkway before we resumed our exploration. I was glad that I had brought several candles because by now we had already burned through four of them. We walked a few moments towards what appeared to be a wall blocking our path. When we were closer, the candle lights revealed the truth. The corridor made a turn to the right and sloped downwards for a short distance.  Just beyond the bend we found two old swords hanging on the wall. Their brass hilts were suspended from spikes driven into the stone. A coating of wax and grease was smeared over the metal of the blades, but I could see spots of rust where this protective covering had failed. "I have seen swords like that on medieval suits of armor" Alexandra commented "It is difficult to imagine how long these have lain here forgotten." I resisted the urge to touch one of them as I answered "Possibly far longer than either of us realize". After a moment she followed me when I turned to continue.
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From this point on, the passageway was less finished. The mostly solid rock through which it tunneled showed the marks of tools. In spots the rock was less solid and here a few determined roots came through. I pointed out the differences to Alexandra and commented "I suspect that the nearer passage saw more frequent use as a place of emergency storage, until a long period of peace and safety negated the need for such places; as well as the need for this escape tunnel." She slowed to maneuver around some rubble on the floor as she asked "Do you think the other end is still open?" I looked around at the rough stones walls before I answered, "I hope so, but I doubt it. The exit may have been filled with rubble when some of the outer bastions were dismantled to provide material for other buildings." "That would be a pity" was her only reply.
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The darkness and lack of sound made it hard to judge how far we had come. It took most of my concentration to walk on the uneven floor in the uncertain light. That neither of us had fallen over the loose rock was surprising. As much to break the silence as anything, I told Alexandra "I have no way of knowing how far we have come. I brought some bread and a flask of wine in my satchel. Would you like to stop for a rest?" She sank down onto a stone ledge and sighed "That sounds lovely".
I sat down across from her and handed her the linen with the loaf of bread. She broke this into four small pieces as I un-stoppered the wine. I looked up in chagrin and told her "I did not think about a cup or glass. We'll have to drink straight from the flask." She took the flask from me and replied "Needs must". She took a drink and burst out laughing. I cocked my head in puzzlement and asked "What was funny just then?" She caught her breath and replied "What popped into my head just then was a line of verse. 'A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou beside me'. Though I cannot remember the rest." I joined her merriment and chuckled at this as well.
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#20
Though this corridor was cool and dark, somehow it did not seem terribly gloomy. I would have expected the walking shadows beyond the feeble candle light to produce specters, of our imaginations or otherwise. There were no more treasures along our path, but we came to a place where the tunnel did a fairly steep drop. We scrambled down the incline, scattering the loose dirt under our feet. Here the tunnel ended up against a blank wall of finished stones. By holding the candle as high as possible I could see that the walls and ceiling were finished and buttressed with stone. Alexandra scuffed her feet along the floor at the base of the large center stone. "There's something sticking out from under here" she commented. I bent down to examine what she had found. "I looked back up at her and told her "There appears to be some iron runners under the stone that lead to the other side. Let's try pushing and see what happens". Alexandra carefully placed the candles where they would be safe. I pushed against the stone and it did not budge. I thought for a moment and then sat down with my back against the stone. Pushing with all my strength, I felt the stone start to shift. Alexandra bent over to add her effort to mine. The stone gave way suddenly and left us both sprawling on the ground. A blood curdling scream assaulted my ears.
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  My heart leapt into my throat as I reacted to the scream. I clambered through the opening left by the stone and stood up in a vault lit by several lamps. Alexandra pulled herself through the hole using my hand for leverage. The scrambling clatter of footsteps testified to the exit of the scream's source. "What was that?" Alexandra asked as she dusted herself off. I took in my surroundings and chuckled "I believe we may have just tested the faith of an altar boy." She gave me a confused look until I pointed to the crates marked 'Communion Wines' that were stacked against the wall. We started towards the door at the end of the vault when the Minister came running breathlessly through the door.
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  He stood there with his chest heaving, so I waited patiently for him to catch his breath. At last he gasped out "Young Jim came upstairs shouting that something was coming from the crypts. I did not think anyone had been buried under this end of the church, but something had obviously terrified him". I stepped closer before I replied "I apologize if I frightened the boy. But I had no clue as to where we were coming out." I turned to Alexandra and continued "The church foundations must have been built the same time as the outer wall of the old keep". The poor minister still looked puzzled so I explained "We stumbled upon a secret tunnel under the old house and followed it here." The puzzlement on his face had been replaced by amazement. "Imagine that" he blurted "Old tunnels under the manor house".
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  "I must admit it was a surprise to me also." I answered "And I could use your assistance, sir, to return this stone to its position." He gulped and nodded to me. The two of us managed to move the stone back into the opening. "I suppose this is something better left unspoken?" he asked tentatively. I chuckled and replied "Almost certainly, I'm sure you would prefer not to have adventurous small boys rooting around in your cellars." The minister waved to the altar boy who was peering around the edge of the doorframe "Jim, come here for a moment". He slipped into the room reluctantly and came to stand before the minister. "Jim" he began "We expect you to keep this secret within the church. It most certainly would not do for this to be bruited around the village. It would be detrimental to the church to have hordes of misguided treasure seekers continually poking around." He nodded and mumbled something that could have translated as a 'yes sir'. I thought about mentioning that the tunnels and exits were possibly unsafe, but the warning would seem hypocritical as I had just emerged from there. "Be about your duties Jim" the minister finished. The boy scampered off quickly.
He spoke to me again "I suppose you don't intend to return by the same route, so I will hitch up the buggy to take you back to the house". I acknowledged his offer "We would be eternally in your debt."

  After we had clambered into the buggy I asked Alexandra "Where are you living now?" She paused before she replied "I live with my mother in London. I have a little money put back from Roger's Army pay. It's not much, but our expenses are few." I looked away from here before I spoke again "If you find my suggestion presumptuous, I beg that you not be offended, but I would like you and your mother come live with me at Hammerlin Hall." Her gaze burned the side of my face before she stated "It's a generous offer, but I must ask why." This time I managed to look at her and answered "In just the short time that I have known you, I have realized several things about myself. I have been living alone in self-pity for far too long. I may not be able to regain the life I had, but that doesn't mean I can't have a life worth living." My eyes dropped from hers and I continued "If you are comfortable with the idea, we can go on as if you were the daughter-in-law that I should have had."
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Her hand touched mine and I felt the heat even through our gloves. "Is that truly the path you feel we should take?" she asked in an almost whisper. Not quite sure how to proceed at this point, I replied "Perhaps that is a question we can leave open until after we have explored the cellars. A few gruesome discoveries might cause you to change your mind about association with my family". Her laughter was warm and genuine as she reacted to my clumsy attempt at humor. She came back with "Let us hope that your nephew allows us the freedom to explore the cellars." I closed my hand over her slender fingers and held them until our journey ended.

  Rupert was in a foul humor when Alexandra and I stepped down from the buggy. Since he clearly didn't wish to speak in front of her, I bid farewell to Alexandra and turned my attention to my nephew. "The baron was here for our luncheon today." He began very tersely "He was sorely disappointed that you could not attend. I made excuses for your absence by saying you were a little fatigued, even though you were nowhere to be found." I smiled half-heartedly at his irritation. I had grown accustomed to ignoring the demands of Society over the past year. "I apologize for your inconvenience, Rupert. I went for a long walk and lost track of the time. I dropped in on the Vicar and Mistress Rawlings was there. He was good enough to lend us his buggy so we returned together." That I had left a great detail out was another matter. By my lights, I did not yet owe Rupert a more complete explanation. After a short pause to gauge his reaction, I continued "I find that I am not yet energetic enough for the amount of activity that you have planned. I wonder if you would be so good as to limit your expectations to dinnertime." His conflicting desires ran across his face in a fascinating parade. Poor Rupert was torn between a desire to show me off to his circle of friends and political acquaintances while trying to impress me and avoid irritating me all at the same time. His shoulders sagged to signal his decision. I almost didn't need to hear his reply, "Very well Uncle. Of course I must honor your wishes. I only felt that being active and with company was in your best interest." I put my hand on his shoulder and told him "Of course you did my dear boy. Now if you will excuse me I must have some time to dress for dinner." He nodded and I walked away.
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That evening's dinner was one I found more interesting than most I had attended in the past year. Whether by Rupert's design or by accident, Alexandra was seated almost as far away from me as it was possible to be. The ladies on either side of me were a study in contrasts. On my left was an elderly matriarch who did her best to impress upon me the qualities possessed by her grandchildren. On my right was a lovely slip of a girl who seemed to be terrified of uttering a word outside the presence of her husband. I did manage to gleam that he was a first time member of Parliament from a rural district. What is surprising is that I took a genuine interest in drawing these ladies into conversation. Once we had embarked upon the relatively safe topic of children, the two ladies enjoyed an animated conversation. When necessary, I related an amusing anecdote to maintain the flow of conversation. Thus the long dinner passed. Afterwards, I declined to join the other gentlemen for brandy and retired for the night.

  With the reluctant assistance of my valet, the cook had been bribed to prepare a hamper of food and supplies. If she was puzzled as to why I would need candles for an afternoon picnic, this was not relayed to me. Alexandra had once again come down to breakfast earlier than I had. But instead of sitting with her, I dropped a note next to her plate. In the note I explained that I would like for her to meet me in the garden. I finished eating quickly and gathered my supplies. To avoid attracting attention to my destination, I went out through the front of the house. A roundabout walk took me to the furthest gate near which I had originally met Alexandra. A quick trip through that end of the garden brought me to the spot where she was waiting now. She was seated on the stone bench in a pose which caused my heart to tighten in my chest. A lock of her brown hair had escaped from its knot and hung down over her face. The tiny golden bird with ruby eyes gleamed in her fingers as she examined it. She looked up as the sound of my footsteps reached her. The smile which broke over her face took my breath away.
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  "Are you ready for the cellars?" she asked as she stood up. "Very much so" I replied "Will you be missed?" She wound her arm through mine and answered "I think your dear nephew has almost forgotten my presence in the midst of this august company. There is no one else here to miss me." The secret door next to the fireplace still stood ajar, so it was likely no one besides the two of us had been in this portion of the house since yesterday. I knew that the cellars used for storage had their access off the old kitchen area. An old wine cellar had once been part of that area. It was probably empty as the wines would have been moved to a cellar with better access to the current Butler's Pantry.  Since this was accessed by a secret stairway, I suspected that this was something more than simple storage.
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We crept down the narrow stone steps with the feeble light from our candles preceding us. The stone flagged floor finally came into view. The air here was musty and dry. I turned to the left at the base of the stairs and Alexandra turned to the right. We seemed to be in a very small empty room. I could hear the exasperation in her voice when Alexandra said "I can't believe that stairway was built just for this tiny room". I ran my hands over the two walls that were wood. "I am fairly certain that there is more here than meets the eye" I replied "Wooden walls were not the usual construction in cellars. Brick or stone would have been more likely." Wary of getting a splinter, we were both very careful in our examination of the walls. An exclamation from Alexandra brought me quickly to her side. She ran a finger down the edge of one board and explained "There are small hinges along the side of this board. But I can't seem to pull it open. I held my candle up close and said "It looks like they're pretty rusty. Maybe if we both pull on it, we will get it top open." Several minutes, some judicious application of red wine and some very sore fingers later, we managed to move the board on its hinges. The shallow recess behind the board concealed a latch. I moved this one with less effort. Once the latch was released we were able to push a small section of the wall inwards accompanied by the groans of protesting metal.
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  The smell of rotten leather rolled over us as the hidden door opened. A crusty iron candelabrum just inside the door still held four candles. I lit these for more light and noticed a small stack of candles next to it on top of an old wooden crate. The ancient wicks sputtered and smoked, but in the better light I could see oddly shaped bundles and crates stacked against the wall. The closest leather clad bundle turned out to be surprising heavy. Underneath the rotten leather was a layer of oily wool. The cords binding this parted easily enough to reveal its contents. To my surprise, the wool had been protecting several halberd points. "Some of those still look almost new" Alexandra commented. The oil in the wool had impeded the progress of rust on the weapons, but had not entirely stopped it. I carefully lifted one of the lethal items from its woolly bed. Even though the edge was sharp, the workmanship looked crude and hurried. This bundle and the next one held a dozen points.
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#29
I turned to the crate on which these bundles had rested. This contained several steel helmets, nestled in straw. Time had been far less kind to the helmets. I continued to explore. Other bundles held more weapons and armor pieces. A few barrels of gunpowder stood among them. By the time I uncovered the small cannon, I realized that we had uncovered a trove that a museum curator would die for. "I'm not positive" I began "but I believe some of these pieces date from earlier than Cromwell." I sat down on a wooden crate and looked around at our discovery. "Was this meant for some rebellion?" Alexandra asked in a hushed voice "Or was someone smuggling weapons?" I shrugged and answered as truthfully as I could "With my family history, it could have been any number of things. More than a few of my ancestors were said to be adventurous sorts." She sat down beside me and replied "Is that a polite was of saying outlaw?" I laughed out loud then "Very possibly, my dear, very possibly." Alexandra let out a heavy sigh and looked around the room "I can't imagine anyone just leaving all this down here and forgetting it." As I replaced a lid on a crate I answered her "Depending on the circumstances under which this was accumulated, the person responsible may have been killed before he could pass on any information." She started to help me put things back as best we could. Then she looked towards the door and said "I suppose we should close all this back up." I nodded in agreement "And lock everything back up too. I'll have to tell all, or at least most of this to Rupert eventually."
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