Page 7 of The Last Knight (The Cursed Kingdom #5)
Chapter Six
“ T hat is all I remember,” Aubrey repeated to Padriag who watched her with an intensity that made her squirm.
“Like I said, I didn’t feel threatened by him.
I agree, it could be a trick. Perhaps it is better if you or the other men summon him and speak to him.
He may reveal more of his true intentions. ”
“And he has not tried to contact you again?” Padriag asked, standing and pacing in front of the fireplace.
Two days prior, she’d spent the night at the castle, too exhausted to drive after sitting with everyone there and answering question after question. By the end of the evening her brain was muddled.
“Asking more questions is only making my memory worse,” Aubrey said. “If Gunther is after something that could bring him here, he won’t find it. I am not going to go into grandmama’s things and search for what I know is not there. Gunther is wasting his time, and you have nothing to worry about.”
Erin walked to the table where they sat and handed them each a glass of lemonade. “I can see both sides. It is worrisome that he comes here. But neither Aubrey nor I know anything. Not only that, we also don’t have the knowledge to practice magic. I say we leave it be for now.”
Seeing Padriag’s face soften at Erin’s arrival, Aubrey couldn’t help but smile. She met her cousin’s gaze. “Thank you for rescuing me from the inquisition.”
“I apologize,” Padriag began, but Aubrey interrupted him.
“No need. I totally understand. Gunther took Meliot’s place and Meliot entrapped you and the others. He is dangerous. If there’s anything I can do to help ensure he stays where he’s at, I will do it.”
Padriag’s grateful look made Aubrey’s chest tighten, what he and the other men had gone through was unimaginable.
She went to the study to gather the necessary information for another attempt to get through to the village council and hopefully get the permits for the new studio approved.
The last time she’d gone, the council had not been assembled.
She and several other disgruntled people had given up after waiting for over an hour.
These were certainly interesting times.
Without prompting, a picture of Gunther came to mind.
Aubrey closed her eyes and let out a breath.
Why her? Surely there was someone more adept at helping him, if indeed it was what he wanted.
Unfortunately, there could only be one explanation.
She had access to the others, the ones who’d escaped.
He sought to harm them, and she would do anything and everything in her power to stop him.
“Aubrey,” Erin stood in front of her. “You’re frowning with your eyes closed. What’s wrong?”
Not wishing to worry Erin, she tapped her finger on the paperwork. “I am going to meet with the village council tomorrow after my morning yoga class. Hopefully not another fruitless attempt. This is getting ridiculous.”
Erin shook her head. “They need to elect younger people. The current council is made up of wonderful but befuddled older people who are not vision-forward. They want to keep things as they’ve always been and refuse to see that progress is not only a good thing for Linlithgow, but also inevitable.”
“Maybe you should come and speak for me,” Aubrey said. “I have no idea how to present it. The last two times, it was obvious whatever I said was flying way over their heads.”
Erin laughed. “Let me hear your approach.” Once Aubrey recited her practiced presentation, her cousin smiled widely. “Concise, straightforward and to the point. You will do great.”
The morning yoga class was well attended, a perfect point to make in her presentation.
She asked everyone if they minded a picture.
No one protested. Then she asked a passerby to take several pictures with her phone as she posed in front of the class, sitting in a Zen position, cross-legged, feet over her thighs.
After stashing her mat in the car, she grabbed her canvas tote and headed to where the city council was to meet in less than an hour.
The city council met in the village’s community center, once a week. The group of five, all who seemed to be over sixty, were a force to be reckoned with. It seemed their response to anything brought before them by anyone younger than them was to deny the request, no matter what it was.
Steeling herself, Aubrey threw her shoulders back and strolled into the room that was marked by a hand-shaped sign with a finger pointing to the right with ‘Linlithgow City Council’ handwritten under it.
Chairs had been set up in rows for those wishing to witness or participate in the meeting.
Audrey took a seat on a chair at the end of a row, which would make it easier for her to get up and address the council.
In the front of the room, at a four-foot-long table, the council members were squeezed side-by-side. Pads of paper and a few folders scattered haphazardly on the table’s surface.
The meeting began with a woman standing and reading the last meeting’s minutes. Aubrey studied the council members’ faces, searching for a hint of what they were thinking. Each had almost identical perfect expressions of blankness.
Finally, the minutes were done with and a council member, called Harry, held a hand up to get everyone’s attention. “We will begin with past requests before hearing new ones.”
Just as Audrey started to stand, Harry continued. “Unless, of course there are issues that are pressing.”
A woman with a lopsided messy bun and bright red glasses perched on her nose jumped to her feet. Wearing a housedress that had to have been bought in the 1960s, the woman began speaking without waiting to be addressed.
“I believe the matter I come to speak about can only be described as pressing. It is an emergency.” She swept her hands dramatically as if conducting an orchestra.
“Someone is allowing their cats out at night. I could barely sleep through all the carousing sounds and then this morning I discovered two of my beautiful ceramic pots holding rare pink and purple geraniums on the ground, broken…shattered.”
A man of about ninety stood up and wagged a finger at the woman. “If you will, her issue is not pressing. I would say anyone who comes to report a crime of a serious nature takes precedence.”
Harry turned his attention to the older gentleman. “Do you have a serious crime to report Mr. Barthalomew?”
“Of course,” the old man snapped. “I have been waiting for this meeting to report a murder.”
Gasps erupted, and the old man lifted his chin as if proud to have something so urgent to report.
“Why didn’t you call the police?” The woman who’d complained about the cats snapped and glared at the old man. “This is not a matter for the city council.” She turned back to the front. “About the cats…”
Harry got to his feet and hurried to the older man. “Mr. Barthalomew, who was killed?”
The older man gave the cat woman a triumphant look. “Her if she doesn’t stop complaining about my cats.”
Laugher erupted, council members tried in vain to quiet the room and Aubrey lowered her head onto her hands. It would be a while before order was brought.
After the murder and cat commotion, a debate erupted about whether or not cats should or shouldn’t be allowed to roam at night.
In the end nothing was decided, except that Mr. Barthalomew was told not threaten his neighbors and keep his cats inside for the time being.
Then the city council decided to postpone any more discussions until the following week.
Aubrey stood and hurried to the front of the room.
Leaning on the table with both hands, she looked directly into each of the council persons’ eyes.
“This is my third attempt to speak to you without success. Please, I need to get my paperwork signed, otherwise, I cannot go forward with leasing the property.” Since the people stared at her blankly, she quickly added.
“I wish to open a yoga studio where the Darling Boutique was. I have over twenty people attending my classes in the city square. I will be providing at least four positions of employment, not counting those I hire to complete the work necessary to ensure the space is brought up to code. Additionally, Lady Whitmore has graciously agreed to report on the studio when she podcasts on the BBC channel.” She was breathless, but glad to have gotten most of her practiced speech done in record time.
The council members exchanged looks seeming more exhausted than a meeting, which lasted less than twenty minutes, called for. Finally, Harry reached for the folders, sliding one after the other aside until finding hers. “I’ll sign it, no need to prolong this matter.”
The woman next to Harry studied her for a moment. “I do enjoy listening to Mrs. Whitmore. Very well. Ensure it is up to code and do not paint anything outside in one of those garish colors, you young people seem to favor.”
Aubrey practically danced out of the room, excited about her next project. Setting up and decorating her own studio.
She’d have to call her father and ask that he contact family friend Lady Whitmore to ask for a favor since she’d made that part up.