followed by a swagger of capes and ruffles as the king’s male friends and companions made their entry.
Finally the king himself arrived. Charles II was taller than anyone else in the room. He was a handsome man with bright, merry eyes and a rather prominent nose.
Charles strode across the hall and slapped the duke on the back.
“So this fine lady will be my dancing partner tonight? What a generous gesture, George!”
The king beamed at the preening beauty standing at Bellingdon’s side. His voice was deep and low, but every word carried to the upper balcony.
Jem glanced over at his mother. She too was straining to get a better view and he noticed with surprise that she was clinging to the rail so tightly that her knuckles showed white through the skin. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she was uncomfortable with heights too, but his thoughts were interrupted by an elaborate trumpet fanfare.
He looked down again and watched as the king, Bellingdon and a small party of favoured courtiers moved off into the banquet chamber. The crowd of guests below immediately ebbed and swayed to follow them like the frothy wake of a boat.
The duchess remained in the hall but Jem could see she was not alone. As a man in a dark cloak shot with iridescence like the wing case of an insect leaned in to whisper in her ear, she bowed her head and laughed coquettishly behind her fan. The man was wearing such an extravagant wig thatit was impossible to see his face.
The duchess nodded and the man raised his head slowly and began to scan the upper balconies. He was obviously searching for someone.
Eventually he looked up to the level where Jem and Sarah stood.
The duchess’s companion was Count Cazalon.
The count’s black eyes locked on Jem’s and the man performed an elaborate bow, twirling his gloved hand in a theatrical display of politeness. Jem had the disturbing feeling that all along Cazalon had known he was there, watching.
Cazalon said something else to the duchess and she looked up too. Catching sight of Jem and Sarah, she nodded again enthusiastically, patting Cazalon’s arm with her fan before pointing it in Jem’s direction.
The man bowed deeply to her and then turned his attention back to Jem, staring intently at the boy, but looking amused.
Suddenly Jem felt dizzy. He lost his grip on the rail and slumped forward. He wanted to be sick and felt the cold prickle of sweat beading his forehead. The world began to spin and whirl around him and a series of peculiar images rushed through his mind – the sun raced across a blood-red sky, stars wheeledaround the heavens, the moon crashed into the sea, a great pointed building rose from nothing on a desert plain and a huge stone woman with the body of a lion turned slowly and terribly to stare at him with eyes that burned like coals.
Jem was distantly aware of a roaring sound in his head and the tiled floor below seemed to roll like waves on the ocean before it rose up to meet him.
As he fainted, he heard Ann’s words ringing in his mind.
“You are right to fear Cazalon. He is a monster.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The duke’s great banquet was the talk of London. Everyone who mattered agreed that it had been the most magnificent event the city had seen since the coronation itself. Meanwhile, the duke’s servants, who did not matter, privately agreed that the feast had caused an enormous amount of extra work. They grumbled for days as everything was cleared away and order regained.
Sarah had clucked and fussed about winter fever as she guided Jem back to his bed after he fainted on the balcony, but by mid-morning next day he had recovered enough to feel hungry.
She tried to smuggle some cheese and meat up to the attic, but when Wormald caught her in the corridor carrying the small covered tray, he demanded that the boy be set back to work immediately. Sarah was furious, but had no choice other than to allow it.
Within an hour Jem was hard at work on a series of
Finally the king himself arrived. Charles II was taller than anyone else in the room. He was a handsome man with bright, merry eyes and a rather prominent nose.
Charles strode across the hall and slapped the duke on the back.
“So this fine lady will be my dancing partner tonight? What a generous gesture, George!”
The king beamed at the preening beauty standing at Bellingdon’s side. His voice was deep and low, but every word carried to the upper balcony.
Jem glanced over at his mother. She too was straining to get a better view and he noticed with surprise that she was clinging to the rail so tightly that her knuckles showed white through the skin. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she was uncomfortable with heights too, but his thoughts were interrupted by an elaborate trumpet fanfare.
He looked down again and watched as the king, Bellingdon and a small party of favoured courtiers moved off into the banquet chamber. The crowd of guests below immediately ebbed and swayed to follow them like the frothy wake of a boat.
The duchess remained in the hall but Jem could see she was not alone. As a man in a dark cloak shot with iridescence like the wing case of an insect leaned in to whisper in her ear, she bowed her head and laughed coquettishly behind her fan. The man was wearing such an extravagant wig thatit was impossible to see his face.
The duchess nodded and the man raised his head slowly and began to scan the upper balconies. He was obviously searching for someone.
Eventually he looked up to the level where Jem and Sarah stood.
The duchess’s companion was Count Cazalon.
The count’s black eyes locked on Jem’s and the man performed an elaborate bow, twirling his gloved hand in a theatrical display of politeness. Jem had the disturbing feeling that all along Cazalon had known he was there, watching.
Cazalon said something else to the duchess and she looked up too. Catching sight of Jem and Sarah, she nodded again enthusiastically, patting Cazalon’s arm with her fan before pointing it in Jem’s direction.
The man bowed deeply to her and then turned his attention back to Jem, staring intently at the boy, but looking amused.
Suddenly Jem felt dizzy. He lost his grip on the rail and slumped forward. He wanted to be sick and felt the cold prickle of sweat beading his forehead. The world began to spin and whirl around him and a series of peculiar images rushed through his mind – the sun raced across a blood-red sky, stars wheeledaround the heavens, the moon crashed into the sea, a great pointed building rose from nothing on a desert plain and a huge stone woman with the body of a lion turned slowly and terribly to stare at him with eyes that burned like coals.
Jem was distantly aware of a roaring sound in his head and the tiled floor below seemed to roll like waves on the ocean before it rose up to meet him.
As he fainted, he heard Ann’s words ringing in his mind.
“You are right to fear Cazalon. He is a monster.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The duke’s great banquet was the talk of London. Everyone who mattered agreed that it had been the most magnificent event the city had seen since the coronation itself. Meanwhile, the duke’s servants, who did not matter, privately agreed that the feast had caused an enormous amount of extra work. They grumbled for days as everything was cleared away and order regained.
Sarah had clucked and fussed about winter fever as she guided Jem back to his bed after he fainted on the balcony, but by mid-morning next day he had recovered enough to feel hungry.
She tried to smuggle some cheese and meat up to the attic, but when Wormald caught her in the corridor carrying the small covered tray, he demanded that the boy be set back to work immediately. Sarah was furious, but had no choice other than to allow it.
Within an hour Jem was hard at work on a series of
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