The “design” was a drawing of a Viking longboat, made of wood, long—of course, with an enormous dragon’s head at the helm, arched tail at the rear, a mast with a sail, and oars. The dimensions were written just below the drawing. It was to be over thirty feet long.
It was quite impressive.
“Going somewhere, are we?” I commented.
“I do believe one must be prepared,” she replied. “Now, I need to decide where I will have it launched when the time comes, and the sail must have the design of my ancestor’s banner,” she added.
That, of course, was William of Normandy, William the Conqueror, the first king of England and a direct ancestor.
Our family had been in England for several generations, yet at the time I learned of it I admittedly thought her stories about that particular ancestor were an exaggeration.
That is, until I was older and discovered the “family” archive in the library which clearly proved that she was in fact a descendant of that somewhat notorious king who had arrived from France in 1066 to pillage the island.
“I do believe that we have a banner around here somewhere,” she explained to the boatwright, who managed to maintain a serious demeanor as I was certain he didn’t usually receive a commission for a Viking longboat.
“It may perhaps be in the old part of the house,” she added. “I will see that you have it for the sailmaker.”
“Of course, madame.”
“One must always be prepared,” she explained after he left. “Agnes Moorpark dropped dead without leaving any instructions, and her three sons squabbled for weeks.
“There she was, laid out in a casket after the usual mourning period, turning a definite shade of green, as they were not in agreement if she should be embalmed. It was very near another month before a decision was made, and there she was moldering in their front parlor. I will not be moldering in the front parlor,” she added emphatically, then smiled.
“How are you this morning, dear?” She looked past both of us. “Brodie is not with you?”
“He’s at Marlborough House to question the staff about that young man’s murder,” Lily shared.
“Such an unfortunate situation,” Aunt Antonia commiserated. “I understand that the Queen is most upset over the matter and called in Sir Avery.”
I was not surprised that my aunt already had the latest inside word regarding goings-on at Buckingham Palace. She did have her circle of friends from among several well-placed families, which also included one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting.
“I am surprised that you did not accompany Brodie.” She motioned for one of the servants who had brought a serving tray with coffee and scones to put the tray on the table near the hearth.
After the servant had departed, I reminded her that she had mentioned the Prince of Wales’s earlier exploits with his circle of friends from their university days. She poured coffee.
“The gossip was most entertaining,” she said as she sat and gathered her satin robe around her.
“There was the tale about the alligator one of the young men managed to bring to university. It was a small one, yet it apparently created quite a bit of excitement when it wasdiscovered in the headmaster’s office. It reminds me of your friend, Templeton, and her lizard.”
Said lizard was in fact a four-foot-long iguana Templeton had named Ziggy, a gift from an admirer after one of her tours.
Ziggy now resided at the London Zoo after he was accused of absconding with the pet of an acquaintance, even though he had a preference for roses and other plants over small dogs.
“I suppose the gossip was more the usual sort of things young men do at university,” she continued. “There was the usual episode of sneaking off into the city and indulging in gambling, women, and other escapades.
“Then there was the rumor of the young woman who was found in one of the young men’s off-campus accommodations, a tavern that several had taken over in some celebration or other.
“As I remember it, one of the young men was very near turned out from the university over the incident. Come to think of it, that was very near same time that His Highness’s father, Prince Albert, traveled there quite abruptly and his son departed shortly after for service with the military.
“After that particular episode I don’t recall that the Four Horsemen were mentioned again.”
Most interesting. And now over thirty years later, two young men who were sons of two members of that somewhat notorious “brotherhood,” were dead.
“You will be continuing with this new inquiry?” Aunt Antonia added.
“His Highness has requested it,” I replied.
“Do be careful, dear. You and Mr. Brodie, of course. Pursuing something of this nature can reveal things that certain people might not want known.”
