Chapter 12 — Who Owns What Lies in the Son’s House?
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~ 1 ~ Rhoda Knox’s efforts to track down the original First Histories—a document of crucial importance to the War Thing—had brought her to the Son’s House in the Persona of Miss Wilberforce. With her she had brought the recently-retrieved old document which had been long hidden by the Device of two Arms which was the two little wooden caskets inherited by Leo and Isabel. The document contained instructions for locating, within the Son’s House, an important document which might be the original First Histories.
The public hearing was about to begin, in which the Son’s House Foundation was expected to declare Aden Haldane the official “Son”, the inheritor of the Son’s house. Once Aden became owner of the Son’s House, the important document lying somewhere within it would be within the clutches of the Foe.
That it was truly Rhoda Knox behind the face of Miss Wilberforce was known only to one of the three board members. He was Mr. James Quinn, the senior member of the Son’s House Foundation’s board. Miss Wilberforce was his advisor, and her funds supported the Foundation. When James Quinn had been Abbot Quinn, he had been Marywood Abbey’s representative on the Foundation’s board, and it was in those days that Ottilie Krüger had fabricated the Miss Wilberforce Persona.
Now, Marywood’s representative on the board was its current Abbot, Fr. Clement Fisher, whose advisor was Fr. Sigurd. Before Fr. Fisher had become Abbot, he had accompanied War Queen Ottilie Krüger on her first Bush Hopper trip to England, along with Fr. Sigurd and Little Henry Okubo.
Marywood Abbey was too distant from it, for its monks to make daily use of the Son’s House chapel, but the charter of the Son’s House did give the Abbey the right to use the chapel on major religious feast days, provided that the Abbey maintain the chapel and split all donations with the Foundation. Abbot Fisher had declared more than once that Marywood Abbey’s only interest in the Son’s House was in maintaining this arrangement, but the Abbey had not relinquished their vote. This was not an issue currently, however, as all recent decisions of the board had been unanimous.
The third member of the board was Malcolm Featherstone, solicitor to the late Homer Haldane, representing the Haldane family’s interests. Contrary to Featherstone’s counsel, Aden Haldane had appointed Dr. Mortimer Kane to be Malcom Featherstone’s advisor.
A substitute for Dr. Kane was introduced at the beginning of the hearing: Esmeralda Montgomery was to advise Malcolm Featherstone here. Esmeralda’s identification as also Aden Haldane's fiancée caused an uproar among those who had seen her at the bed-and-breakfast a year earlier with Mortimer Kane, and who had seen her recently with Dr. Kerrigan. “Scandalous!" many of them exclaimed, while others said, "No, this is a younger woman,” greatly pleasing Esmeralda. Malcolm Featherstone grimaced. Het Kerrigan, as Esmeralda's advisor, scribbled in his notebook and took little notice.
Esmeralda was surprised to see Ricardo entering the room. Mr. Quinn greeted him and announced that he had, on Miss Wilberforce’s recommendation, obtained the services of Dr. Ricardo Chavez, a specialist in ancient languages. Several voices were heard quietly questioning the need for such a specialist.
Esmeralda whispered to Het, "Mort doesn't know about Dr. Chavez; otherwise he'd be here. Mort told me that because he was in touch with Fr. Sigurd regarding scholarly issues related to the Son's house, he knew there wasn’t any issue here requiring his presence.” Malcolm Featherstone overheard this.
Ricardo had expected Mortimer Kane to be there. He walked calmly over to Het and shook his hand, then introduced himself to Esmeralda, whom he recognized as a New City University staff member. ”Isn't it strange,” he said, “that our paths meet here? I had understood that Fr. Sigurd was expecting Dr. Kane himself, having sent a letter to Dr. Kane telling him about a new development which would be of considerable interest to him. It’s that recent development, I believe, which is the reason for which I’ve been invited here."
Malcolm Featherstone asked, "By 'recent development’, Dr. Chavez, do you mean that old English document purchased by Miss Wilberforce? I understand that it refers to an ancient manuscript called the First Histories.” Featherstone had assumed that Mortimer Kane’s not having come to the hearing in person meant that Kane considered this ‘development' to be an issue of no concern.
Het was paying attention now. "Ricardo, is Fr. Sigurd the one who translated the Old Goth Touchstone?"
"Yes, Het. Years ago I studied Old Goth under Fr. Sigurd. I understand that now he has an agreement with Dr. Kane to provide him with a translation of the missing First Histories, if and when that manuscript is found. The document purchased by Miss Wilberforce indicates that the ancient First Histories manuscript, or a similar one, may be found in the Son’s House. I’m here to verify its authenticity, if it is found.”
Mr. Quinn moved to Ricardo’s side while Malcolm Featherstone was asserting that, "Any manuscripts found in the Son’s House belong to my client, Mr. Aden Haldane. He will determine who, if anyone, should have access to such items."
Quinn said at once, "I understand, Malcolm, that the document purchased by Miss Wilberforce, which is written in an English dialect of Shakespeare’s day, suggests the possibility of the Son's House being owned by parties other than the Haldane family.”
“How can that old document suggest such a thing?” Featherstone feared an unexpected broadside.
"Miss Wilberforce’s lawyer has speculated that the Old Goth manuscript which we hope to find in the Son’s House might actually be the deed to the House. Therefore, as a precaution, Miss Wilberforce has conditionally purchased, from those whose possible claim is implied by the old document, all property rights to the Son’s House which may be implicit in this yet-to-be-discovered manuscript.”
Malcolm Featherstone’s feeling of relief was obvious.
Mr. Quinn continued, “Malcolm, Miss Wilberforce has promised additional remuneration to the claimants, if the document is a deed. She has asked that, before the vote on Aden’s claim is taken, we have the manuscript translated, so that any possible implication in it of Son’s House ownership may be weighed justly, in order to satisfy the claimants’ lawyer, who is present today.”
“I see,” murmured Featherstone. He looked at Aden Haldane, who shrugged his shoulders.
Mr. Quinn said, “I can tell all of you now that Miss Wilberforce is not here in this room with us this morning because she and Clarence, her lawyer, are waiting for us in the master bedroom of the Son’s House. The Foundation’s secretary, Miss Pettibone, is also with them. Early this morning, Miss Pettibone discovered the secret vault in which the Goth manuscript in question is supposed to have been secured since the days of Henry VIII. The location of the vault, and instructions for opening it, are part of the old English document which Miss Wilberforce has purchased. They plan to open the vault after we join them in the room."
“Who is this Miss Wilberforce?" Esmeralda winked at Het and coyly took Aden's arm. "Aden, you haven't told me all of your secrets!”
This false display of affection elicited murmurs of disapproval from among the hearing's audience. Aden stiffened, and Esmeralda dropped his arm, pleased with the success of her act.
Malcolm Featherstone answered Esmeralda's question: "Miss Wilberforce is a wealthy Englishwoman who has made the Son's House one of her major philanthropic causes." Esmeralda's earlier comment to Het about “Mort” had deepened Malcolm Featherstone’s suspicion that Kane and his people were attempting to use Aden for their own ends. Featherstone was more than happy, therefore, to hear that Miss Wilberforce had come to their rescue. He thought perhaps Dr. Mortimer Kane’s interest was limited to this ancient manuscript. He feared, however, that the manuscript might relate to the Aztec gold about which Aden had only recently informed him. Today was not the time to let that see the light of day.
Mr. Quinn turned to the restless audience in the room and raised his hands for attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, we must postpone the hearing to this afternoon. It has come to the Foundation's attention, through the good offices of Miss Wilberforce…” The mention of Miss Wilberforce’s name caused a general acclamation owing to her support for the Son's House, which was a boon to the tourist business that provided employment for local families. After pausing for this expression of goodwill, Mr. Quinn continued, "At some expense to herself, Miss Wilberforce has determined that a manuscript of some antiquity may exist within the Son's House. A wealthy American family has agreed to purchase this manuscript from the Foundation—if it proves to be genuine—for an amount sufficient for construction of the new community center building which the village council has been proposing for years." He was interrupted again by the hearing’s audience warmly expressing their approval. He continued, “The family have sent their expert, Dr. Chavez, to determine the ancient manuscript’s authenticity. Miss Pettibone has informed me this morning of a secret vault’s discovery, in the wall of the master bedroom, in which the manuscript is believed to lie. We will attempt to open it within the hour, so I hope to have good news for all of us this afternoon.”
The Foundation’s members gathered up their belongings, preparing to walk up to the Son's House.
~ 2 ~ Clarence was standing unsteadily on the bed, in his stocking feet, his hands grasping the heavy frame of the painting high above his head at the head of the bed. He was moving it about according to instructions from Miss Pettibone, who was standing beside the bed holding the document which Miss Wilberforce had purchased from the claimants to ownership of the Son’s House—Leo Roberson and Isabel Tavares. Miss Pettibone was translating the Middle English dialect of the document into instructions to move the painting up, down, and diagonally. The painting allowed Clarence to move it only about a half inch in any of these directions on the wall’s surface, before re-centering itself with a click. The portrait in the frame was said to be of the original Lord and Lady Haldane. In fact, as Rhoda had told Lily Su and Ricardo, it portrayed the Sheldrakes, whom the Haldanes had slain, taking the property for themselves, in the time of Henry VIII.
Mr. Quinn had invited village dignitaries and the local news reporter/photographer to witness for Marysville the opening of the vault. These joined the Foundation members and their associates in crowding around the bed. Other local residents were crowding each other to peer in through the bedroom’s large doorway, where,—two decades earlier—Mr. Quinn had kept guard while Ottilie Krüger, as Miss Wilberforce, was discovering the existence of the vault and the identity of the couple in the portrait.
Marysville’s mayor remarked, ”So, that’s why the Charter strictly forbids changing anything in this room except for the bedding and the mattress.” All of the others, except for Het and Esmeralda, had already guessed that to be the case.
"Hold it right there, Clarence, if you can," said the photographer. "Mr. Haldane, can you stand between Miss Wilberforce and Miss Pettibone? Look up expectantly. One, two, three!" The camera’s bulb flashed, and the stocking-clad lawyer resumed the series of movements dictated by the voice of Miss Pettibone.
“Now, push in, Clarence.”
"In?"
“Yes: In.”
Het had counted seventeen clicks. Their sound suggested that Clarence was working a large combination lock. Now that Het knew about Makers, he guessed that this combination lock—if that’s what it was—was Makers’ work. Was anyone, he wondered, even making clocks, in the time of this place’s construction? He glanced at Ricardo, who—unlike anyone else near Het—appeared to feel certain that the vault would open. Had Knox beat Arch to this secret?
Clarance pushed, and the framed portrait receded into the wall. The crowd gasped as one, and the camera flashed. Then they saw the portrait slowly extend itself four inches out from the wall.
"Grasp the right side of the picture frame and pull!" commanded Miss Pettibone triumphantly. Clarence pulled, and the framed portrait swung to face the wall on the left. Within the open vault was a leather satchel of the kind carried by post riders in earlier times.
Fr. Sigurd was reminded then that, at Marywood Abbey, the post was collected only once a week. He had been visiting there before the hearing, and he had simply dropped his letter to Dr. Kane into the Abbey post. Oh, dear! It will be days before Mortimer gets my letter!
~ 3 ~ Clarence carefully lifted the ancient satchel from the vault and into the hands of Fr. Sigurd, who was tall and conveniently near. Sigurd presented the satchel to Miss Wilberforce, who said jovially, “Well, Lads and Lassies, let us go into the study and see what God hath wrought and my money hath bought.”
In the study, Miss Pettibone, as the Foundation's secretary, began to remove the post items carefully, one-by-one, from the satchel. She examined each one with care and wrote down in a notebook the name and address, the size as measured by an ivory ruler, and a general description. On the large central table of the study she laid out in a long line the many envelopes of thick, twine-tied, aged and brittle paper which bore wax seals in a variety of designs.
While most of the others were watching Miss Pettibone diligently carrying out that task, Miss Wilberforce spoke confidentially to Mr. Featherstone: “I must tell you, Malcolm, that I have made a certain offer to the two claimants to ownership of the property. My offer is a response to Clarence’s speculation which he has communicated to those American claimants—Mr. Leo Roberson and Miss Isabel Tavares—and their lawyer, Elise Handke. Elise is the woman whom you can see standing next to Clarence. I was present when Clarence spoke to them of his speculation that the Goth manuscript which may be in that ancient satchel, is the the deed to the Son’s House, and that the deed gives ownership to the claimants. We have added a clause to the agreement by which I've purchased from them their old document—the one from which Miss Pettibone has read instructions. The added clause states that if the ancient manuscript is a deed assigning ownership of the Son’s House to the two claimants, then I will exchange for the Son’s House my much more valuable property in Switzerland” Miss Wilberforce winked. “Of course, if it is truly an ancient deed, it probably claims for them all of the British Isles.”
“Miss Wilberforce, I do hope that there is no such reference as that, to ownership of this property.”
“So do I, Malcolm. However, the Son’s House is dear to England, whereas my property in Switzerland is not. …Ah! The manuscript!”
Miss Pettibone had removed from the satchel the very last item of its contents. Silence fell. Every observer leaned eagerly toward the unusual wrought metal framework and the manuscript rolled up within it. The metal did not so much contain the manuscript as coil around it—like a very thin snake.
Miss Pettibone broke the silence as she offered the item to Dr. Chavez. “The part of the script which I can see is certainly not English, Dr. Chavez. Is it Old Goth?”
“It is, Miss Pettibone.” After briefly examining the item in his hands, Ricardo returned it to her. “Please remove the manuscript and spread it out on the table, Miss Pettibone.”
Miss Wilberforce peered through her granny glasses and the newsman’s camera flashed, as Miss Pettibone pulled gently on the manuscript—without result. She pulled a little harder, and soon found that it was impossible to remove the manuscript without risking damage to it. Frustrated, she looked up at Ricardo.
“Tilt it, and gently loosen the spiral, like this,” he suggested, his hands moving in imitation of grasping the scroll and then rotating his left hand away from himself. Using that technique, Miss Pettibone easily slid the manuscript from its protective cage. Slowly and carefully she spread out the single sheet of thick, parchment-like paper, which then lay perfectly flat. Fr. Sigurd stepped over to Miss Pettibone’s side and eagerly bent over the strange document, which showed no sign of age; it appeared to have been written yesterday.
Waiting for the older man to read the manuscript’s Old Goth, Dr. Chavez picked up the parchment’s odd metal sleeve. He remarked to the newsman, “Old Goth documents always look newly made, no matter how old they really are.”
After examining the manuscript’s sleeve, he passed it to Miss Wilberforce. “This is a genuine Goth Device, Miss Wilberforce, made specifically to contain this one manuscript.”
“Well, Dr. Chavez, if the manuscript proves to be genuine, I will see to it that the sleeve is sent, along with the manuscript, to the wealthy American family who have offered to purchase it.”
Mr. Featherstone’s immediate feeling was that the scroll was a fake. He watched Miss Wilberforce examine the snake-like sleeve, which she then passed to him.
“Malcolm, this is a curious bit of workmanship. It does appear to be ancient, do you not agree?” Softly, she added, “I believe that Mr. Quinn and the mayor will get the community center for which they are hoping, and ultimately I will recover from Dr. Chavez’s family the amount which I have paid to the claimants for their old document. We, the Foundation,” she said, conspiratorially glancing into his face, “have an agreement to sell the ancient manuscript to the Chavez family, if it is not a deed to the Son’s House.”
“Miss Wilberforce, you must have some knowledge of that Old Goth manuscript’s contents.”
“I confess that I have, thanks to Fr. Sigurd. Thus, I was willing to offer my property to persuade the claimants to sign our agreement.”
“I admire your sagacity, Miss Wilberforce.”
She smiled. “Malcolm, I urge you, when you and Elizabeth next vacation, to accept my offer of the use of Kirchemund. It is very lovely and spacious; I’m sure that Elizabeth will find it charming. Early in the war, it was used by resistance movements opposed to those dreadful Nazis. I know that you will be interested in the old radio room which is maintained for its historic value. Merely have Miss Pettibone inform my people whenever you wish to vacation there.”
Miss Wilberforce looked around the room then, nodding to this person and that in beneficent recognition. She accompanied with a warm smile, her nod to Het, who was completely unaware of having briefly made eye contact with Rhoda Knox.
Fr. Sigurd was taking some time over the manuscript, reading it slowly and intently. Small knots of people formed, talking quietly among themselves while awaiting a pronouncement on the manuscript’s contents. Het, standing with Esmeralda on the periphery of the group in the study, said to her, “That’s Miss Wilberforce who nodded to me. I guess she remembers me from my visit to her villa in Switzerland.” Het had been unable to get a close look at the manuscript, yet he said rather loudly, “It looks phony to me.” Esmeralda simply shrugged her shoulders. She was busy studying interactions within the groups of people, taking pleasure in her sense of social undercurrents. Observing a group consisting of Mr. Quinn, Aden Haldane, Miss Wilberforce’s lawyer, Clarence, and the claimants’ lawyer, Elise Handke, Esmeralda found it odd that Elise Handke and Mr. Quinn were chatting together like old acquaintances. Aden, feeling Esmeralda's gaze on him, turned away from her and began speaking with Clarence.
Esmeralda had watched Fr. Sigurd hurrying over to look at the manuscript, and she saw the genuine enthusiasm in which his eyes were moving methodically over it. Finding no undercurrent in his reading, she turned to look at Miss Pettibone, who was conscientiously checking the list in her notebook against the articles of mail on the table. There was no undercurrent there, either. Then she watched the close interaction between Miss Wilberforce and Mr. Featherstone, seeing that they were conspiring. Among these older people, Featherstone is the best-looking; his appeal is something like Mort’s.
Looking again at Fr. Sigurd, who was still reading intently, she noticed something odd. It's the movement of his eyes: He’s reading it from top to bottom!
“What sharp eyes you have, dearie,” said her inner voice.
Then she saw Fr. Sigurd’s eyes shift. He’s reading the manuscript diagonally!
“It is interesting, dearie,” said her voice. “I know now what it is that he is reading.”
Ignoring the voice within her, Esmeralda said, “Het, that manuscript may be a phony antique, but I’ll bet you it’s a real something.”
Het moved closer to her and patted her behind. The mayor, who had been watching them, was led by this outrageous behavior to begin spreading among the villagers the word that he was certain of Miss Montgomery’s unsuitability as a bride for Aden Haldane.
At last Fr. Sigurd looked up. To Dr. Chavez he said, “Ricardo, this manuscript is the original Preamble to the First Histories. The First Histories, however, are not here. Like the extant copies of the Preamble, the original here is a Pact between Thiuderieks and a person called the Friend. Perhaps this Thiuderieks is the one whom Makers claim as their founder. The Friend is identified as a god.
Hearing “Friend”, Het and Esmeralda shared between them a startled and dismayed look. Esmeralda shuddered. My voice! Is it you? Are you the Friend? Her voice did not answer. She knew that it had gone from her.
Fr. Sigurd said, “Ricardo, we have here the original Pact. Perhaps other Pact manuscripts can be dated by their degree of divergence in form from the original here. In it, there is only one short section, embedded within the diagonal script track, which I have not read before in any known copies. Please read my rough translation of it.”
Fr. Sigurd handed to Ricardo a sheet of paper on which he had written: “A Soma (carriage?) of four, drawn (propelled) by (animal or humans?) to traverse beneath the Haunts of Plant and Animal Kind to distill the nectar of Earth’s Province. This, I, Thiuderieks, will fabricate for you, my godly one, Friend, and I will leave such (my fabrication?) at your (turning City?) Gate in order that you may come equipped (vested?) to mine (my City Gate?). There, from my conception (command?) to your conception (deed?) of Doing, may its ownership be confirmed (sealed?) in Meaning.”
Fr. Sigurd said, “Ricardo, there are many obscure terms and inflections in the section. Perhaps you can do better, after some study. Well, any concern that this manuscript pertains to some claim on the Son’s House may be put to rest.”
Fr. Sigurd watched Ricardo quickly read the original passage and the translation, and then nod. He said, "Dr. Chavez, I shall inform Mr. Quinn at once of your agreement that there is no need to be concerned about other claimants to the property."
Turning away toward Mr. Quinn, Fr. Sigurd found his way blocked by the local newspaper reporter, who had been standing at his elbow for some time. The newsman asked, “Does this mean, Fr. Sigurd, that the Old Goth manuscript recounts a myth involving men making a chariot for a friendly god?”
Having a dread of reporters, Fr. Sigurd only half-heard the question, nodding quickly and avoiding the reporter's next question by turning his attention at once to Miss Pettibone, who was nearer to him than Mr. Quinn. He asked her some questions about the other items in the satchel, and she told him that, in her opinion, all of those items were normal post for the time. Then, at last, Fr. Sigurd was able to bypass the reporter and inform Mr. Quinn that Aden Haldane’s inheritance of the Son's House was no longer contested.
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