“If so, the chap’s in hiding.I don’t believe there’s been a Lord Midlands in recent history.”
Scottie reached for another book.“Wouldn’t it be funny if Hamish Fickle were—”
“Not funny at all.”He glanced at her, smiling.“Can you see that little man with a title?”
“If you ask me, he already has one.Self-proclaimed.”She reached in her rucksack for her bottle of water and, backing away from the table, took a sip.
Michael had just perused another book of records and taxes when Scottie said, “I think I found something.It’s in Latin, but I see Wenthelen’s name.”
“Here, let me.”He came round the table, hovered over her shoulder, and began to read.“‘King Magnus the Third, ruler and sovereign of Lauchtenland, declares this day, Wednesday, the Second of October in the Year of Our Lord Fifteen hundred and Forty-Nine, at Hadsby Castle, Wenthelen Blue of Dalholm and The Haskells—’ Interesting, I’ve not heard of that styling either.‘—is legally wed to Mister Caspas Matthias Fickle.’It’s signed by the king and a bishop.I can’t make out his name.”Michael pointed to a crumbling wax seal.“It looks like the Seal of Hadsby.”
“Michael,” Scottie said.“You just read a historical document declaring the marriage of Wenthelen Blue to a Fickle.”She rubbed against the chill running down her arm.“We just stumbled upon the irony of all ironies.Oh my stars…”
“Hold on, hold on.”Michael drew a lamp a bit closer—but not too close—and read softly aloud, making sure his Latin understanding was not failing him.“‘Wenthelen Blue of Dalholm and The Haskells is legally wed to Mister Caspas Matthias Fickle.’We need to find the record of her dowry.”He turned the page with the tips of his fingers.“And here it is.”
“The irony continues.”Scottie leaned over his shoulder and into his heart.He did not resist.“This makes the Fickles related to the Blues.”
“Yes, nearly five hundred years ago but—”
“So what?Are you saying they’d have no claim now?”Scottie said.“If MP Fickle saw this, he’d go on every talk show, maybe even to the courts, making his case.”She turned to the bookshelves.“Do you think any of this is in the Hall of Records at Perrigwynn?Why would it be stored up here where no one goes except, well, Emmanuel and whoever supplies the bread and the wine?”
“Hold on, lass.Let me read for a moment.The dowry seems to be a declaration of a land gift and title.”Michael worked out some of the faded script and used his phone to understand the Latin he’d forgotten.“Here we go.‘King Magnus the Third, King of Lauchtenland and Protector Lord Perrigwynn by the Grace of God, do on this day, Wednesday, the Second of October, in the Year of Our Lord, Fifteen-hundred-and-Forty-Nine, recognise Wenthelen Blue as his legal daughter and do elevate her husband, Caspas Matthias Fickle, to Duke of Midlands.’”
“Then the journal I found might belong to Caspas,” Scottie whispered.“Lord Midlands.I can’t believe all this is here.No one has ever bothered to look?”
“Sometimes we just don’t want to know.Let’s see, farther on King Magnus declared, ‘We further grant the Duchy of the Midlands to Lord Midlands and to their heirs in perpetuity with all appurtenances, rights and privileges.’”Michael sat back with an exhale.“Scottie, the Midlands belongs to the Fickles, according to this.In perpetuity.That’s a binding legal term.”
“Still?Today?Then what?How was it taken away?”She motioned to the dowry page.“This seems to corroborate pieces of Hamish’s story.Oh my word, he’s going to flip when he finds this out.Michael, does he have a case?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know.The only way to break such a royal gift and grant given in perpetuity is for Lord Midlands to personally revoke the grant or—”
“Which they wouldn’t, if Hamish is an example of their family constitution.”
“—if there are no heirs, which we know is not the case, or for the House of Blue and or the government to revoke this charter.And by that, I mean the Crown and the Supreme Court legally proving they have a right to revoke the title and land.”
“Wouldn’t they’d need a reason?”
“Yes, with grounds and evidence.Like treason or heresy of some kind.It would take a lot to dethrone a duke and take his land.”
“We have to take this to Her Majesty, Michael.She has to know.”
“Grant you, that’s my first thought as well but…” Michael stood to pace.“Let me think.There’s a chance she already knows and there’s a valid reason for the land seizure in eighteen-whatever, as Hamish claimed.In the ensuing decades, laws have changed.”He pointed to the original document.“It may have been declared invalid by some means, though I don’t know what.”
“Because Wenthelen was illegitimate?”She didn’t say it, but he heard her whispering thought.“Like me.”
“No, lass, the same bishop on the wedding declaration is signed to the legal heir declaration.And there’s the Seal of Hadsby.”He pointed to the ancient document.“If they revoked this decree, then any decree from any monarch could be subjected to the same treatment.”
“Then it must be something political.What was happening in the early eighteen hundreds?”
“I’ll need to access the Cross records and Lauchtenland history for the finer details, but it was a season of political unrest over taxation.”
“Then let’s keep looking.See what we find.”Scottie started for another book then turned back.“Does this make me a traitor to my mother?To the House of Blue?”
“No, and what did Emmanuel tell you?”
“That what we are doing is good.”
“Then believe Him over your fears.”Michael said it with such confidence the words didn’t feel wholly his.“Scottie, about the other night, in the secret doorway and at the Belly of the Beast—”
