The Might of Evil Dreams (A Novel of the Elemental Chronicles)

Three - Seeking Shelter

^^Above: English actor Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy vibes, anyone??) as (Lord) Charles Ashbury.^^

Thomas

A month went by before I was completely satisfied with my statement for the investors. I had never met any of them, nor did I know who Ray would decide to bring in. People were reluctant to put their money in anything at the moment. The war had certainly changed many people's ideas about it.

Emmeline's condition, meanwhile, improved in fits and starts. One day, she would be able to keep a light meal down; the next, she would be vomiting it back up. A few nights, we were woken by her terrified screaming, and would only sleep again if I stayed next to her. And she could still never be left by herself. I found myself wondering if her captor had left her alone for long periods of time, simply for the agony of thinking she might go mad.

We were having breakfast together when the letter from London came. The envelope bore a wax seal that I had never seen before, and was addressed with a neatly flowing hand to Cpt. Earl Dorchester Thomas Haywood, Esquire.

I unfolded it and flattened it out. Dear Sir, it read. We trust this letter finds you well. It has been brought to our attention that there is an important matter that needs to be discussed regarding the Elementals. Therefore we request your presence at Westminster, London, on the fifteenth. There we will make a final decision as investors in the venture. We look forward to meeting you, and to our partnership. Sincerely Right Hon. Charles Ashbury, on Behalf of the Organisation for Elemental Advancement.

I sat back and thought about it for a moment. The fifteenth was four days from now. It took two days to reach London from here, which meant I only had two days to prepare the house. Not only that, but I only had one good suit of clothes. A country squire such as myself did not often have to be well-dressed except for social events. Or go to Westminster, for that matter.

||

The two days passed quickly. I put Lucian in charge of the tenants, and Mrs Shute and Peggy shared duties regarding Emmeline. I packed a bag, and then re-packed it. It was moments like these that I thought of my family, and how I had lost them in the space of less than two years. The man I saw in the mirror in the mornings was no longer one I recognised. He had been clean, well-groomed, with an air of reckless gallantry and a head full of dreams of glory. Now he had hollow cheeks, an unshaven jaw, dark hair grown wild, and jaded eyes. Not to mention the scar, running parallel to the left brow.

The morning of my departure, I rose early to shave and dress. If I was going to be presenting myself to the gentlemen of Westminster, I had to look the part. Father had always told us that a gentleman prided himself on the way he behaved in front of his fellow men.

"I can't say I've ever been to London myself, milord," said Lucian when I met him in the entrance hall with my packed bag. "Not since I was a child, at least."

"I will say it is quite a bustling city." I'd gone to school near London, and the constant rush and noise proved to be quite draining. "A sensory overstimulation."

"We'll wish you luck, milord," said Mrs Shute as she joined us, with Emmeline trailing behind. She was still very waif-like in appearance, and rather diminished in my brother's clothes. I would have to start thinking of a visit to the tailor in town to fit her for better ones. "And the maid wanted to see you off."

"But of course." I approached Emmeline, catching her thin shoulders and holding her gaze steadily. "Emmeline, I have to leave for a few days. There is business I must attend to."

"Where?" she asked. She was much more confident when she spoke now, but still had not progressed beyond one-syllable sentences.

"London. Which means we will not see each other for some time. Can you manage?"