on my part, a failing which I can only bear as a burden in silence. I can only beg your pardon for that which I lack.’ There was a malicious undertone to Mr Zarek’s feigned apology as if he well understood that he was describing Nicholas’s condition, not his own.
Nicholas turned away. ‘Does this party have any other sight to compare with the vision of loveliness which I have just seen?’
‘I find that the bottom of a recently emptied glass can be a vessel of visions, but whether lovely or not can never be foretold, even by the brewers of such concoctions as may only then have been imbibed.’
‘You think I should get drunk because I can never have Lady Isabel Grangeshield on my arm?’ Nicholas asked.
‘I cannot say for sure, but I suspect it might not be the first time that such a development has occurred in the grand metropolis of New Landern. The causes of drunkenness in New Landern may be varied in nature, but a sufficiently insightful contemplative gaze might well identify the unattainable loveliness of Lady Isabel Grangeshield as one cause among those many varied causes of the drunkenness which the citizens of New Landern indulged in daily. More I cannot say. Not even the citizens of New Landern know everything that goes on here.’
‘I prefer to face misfortune sober,’ Nicholas said in reply. He turned and walked away from Mr Zarek without another word, feeling only that he had to be in motion and that walking would do him good.
The emptiness in his stomach had changed to an ache of loss. What he did not have had been taken away from him and he could feel the weight of this loss in the pit of his stomach, but he walked away from the place of his defeat thinking only of how to try to keep his face looking normal, as if in that way he might preserve what he still possessed.
8:30 PM, Thursday 5 May 1544 A.F
Isabel was standing looking over at Uliana and Berg, wondering whether to go and join them. As she was standing there, Mary Philips came up to her and whispered into her ear, ‘Izzy, look! Look! Look over there.’
Isabel looked in the direction Mary had indicated and immediately saw what her attention was being drawn to — a shabbily dressed man standing by the side of the room. He was a young man, her own age or so, staring right at her. He wasn’t moving a muscle, and looked directly at her, obviously not giving a thought to the way he was behaving.
‘You have an admirer, Izzy!’ Mary whispered into her ear. ‘Handsome and rich!’
The girls giggled as one. This young man was not at all handsome; in fact, he was very ordinary looking. And judging from the state of his clothes, he had only come to this party as the poor relation of one of the guests. Mary was being very witty, Isabel thought.
The girls looked again at the stranger. He was still standing there, his gaze fixed on Isabel as if he was entirely unaware of anything else but Isabel.
‘Izzy, run for it!’ Mary cried out and the girls ran for it, laughing merrily as they fled. Isabel looked behind her as she ran and saw that the stranger was still watching her as she departed the scene, turning around to follow her with his eyes.
9:30 PM, Thursday 5 May 1544 A.F
Nicholas felt more than ever that he was in the party but not of it. A growing sense of loneliness spread through him. It was only a matter of time before he left, he decided. It had been interesting for a while to be at a party where he knew no-one to talk to but the interest had faded by now. He liked new experiences, and this had been a new experience, but he was done with it now and he did not care to repeat it. The party was as loud as ever; everyone except for Nicholas was having fun. He went into a room where some men were sitting around a table, looking the worst for wear. He spotted Tagalong amongst them and walked over, deciding to chat briefly before leaving. He stood by the table where Tagalong could see him. Tagalong’s companions were talking, naturally enough, of wandlore, from which Nicholas assumed (correctly) that they had finished talking about women.
‘This man Raspero,’ Tagalong said, pointing to Nicholas with a wavering hand, clearly the worse for drink, ‘is a damn good wandfighter. He took down six of Fitzroy’s men like that,’ Tagalong continued, clicking his fingers, ‘and he can do the Three.’
Everyone looked at Nicholas with interest.
Nicholas said nothing.
‘Is that true? Can you do the Three?’ someone asked.
‘Yes,’ Nicholas said as if confirming his name.
There was silence, and then someone said, ‘And would you care to substantiate such a claim by a demonstration?’
‘There’s a table right here in Regana Palace,’ someone else added.
‘I am not a performing circus animal,’ Nicholas declared. ‘No, I am not going to do the Three just to satisfy your curiosity.’
‘Well, of course we believe you,’ someone else said sarcastically. ‘All you have to do is make this claim and we know it’s true.’
Nicholas looked hard at him. ‘If any of you accuse me of lying, I will demand satisfaction.’
‘Back off, all of you!’ Tagalong ordered, waving his hands in the air. ‘He took down six of Jolly’s men like that!’ He clicked his fingers in the air again. Nicholas wondered who Jolly was, when earlier it had been Fitzroy.
‘Perhaps we should provide an inducement of some kind,’ someone suggested. ‘Naturally we cannot expect you to perform such a feat for nothing. What prize would you deserve to receive for such a demonstration?’
Nicholas already knew without needing to think what prize he sought. Matters which reach from one side of your life to the other do not require thought. ‘If there is one among you who is acquainted with Lady Isabel Grangeshield, I will do the Three in return for an introduction to Lady Isabel Grangeshield.’
‘I know Lady Grangeshield,’ someone else present said.
Nicholas looked at Tagalong. ‘Can you introduce me to this gentleman?’
Tagalong could not conceal his delight that he could, having just received his own introduction ten minutes earlier. ‘Mr Boylent, may I present Mr Nicholas Raspero. Mr Raspero, may I present Mr Timothy Boylent.’
‘Mr Boylent, do you agree to introduce me to Lady Isabel Grangeshield if I do the Three?’ Nicholas asked.
Timothy shrugged. ‘Yes,’ he said casually. ‘Not a problem.’
‘All right,’ Nicholas said. ‘Let’s go.’ He was glad now that he had drunk nothing since the afternoon. He would need a clear head for this. Luckily the loneliness he had experienced earlier seemed to have resulted in a complete restoration of his sobriety.
They all trooped off to the rear of the palace, where there was a large wood-panelled room, hung with paintings and decorative swords. The table stood in the place of honour in the centre. Other people standing about came along to watch the show. Mr Odell Ralston tapped his wand on the button and the table whirred into action. Rings began to rotate around each other.
Nicholas went to one end of the table, took out his wand, lifted a disc from the three stacked in a red velvet-lined hollow, and waited. Mr Ralston tapped his wand on the hourglass and sand began trickling through the funnel.
Nicholas
