Equinox

Chapter 17

Oxford: the evening of 11 August 1690

It was six o'clock as the coach descended Headington Hill a mile beyond the city walls, and the weather was still unbearably hot. At the Bear Inn, a manservant carried Newton's case up the winding staircase and asked if he wanted a meal brought to his room. After he left, Newton could rest, enjoy the isolation and reflect on the past twenty-four hours.

He had ridden wildly out of Cambridge, thrashing his poor horse. But after changing mounts twice, first at Standon Puckeridge and again at Great Hadham, he had completed the journey in little over four hours, reaching the capital not long after midnight. As usual, he had travelled using the name Mr William Petty, and as such he had spent the next few hours at the Swan Tavern in Gray's Inn Lane in the City of London.

All through the journey and in the quiet hours in

London Newton had contemplated the task ahead of him, and had recalled time and again the horror that he had left behind in Cambridge. He still could not fully understand what had possessed Wickins. Maybe, he speculated, it was some power within the sphere that had this effect on some people. One thing he knew for certain was that the strange incident in his laboratory had exaggerated his already highly tuned sense of danger. Enemies could be waiting for him at every turn, he realised. He could trust no one. So, to help confuse any potential rival, any others who thought that they could steal the priceless orb, he determined to do everything he could to throw them off his scent. Having first ridden to the capital, he had decided that from there he would take the coach so that he would arrive in Oxford in the same fashion as most other travellers. The scratch on his face caused by Wickins still stung but there was little he could do to hide the welts. By wearing a subtle disguise, he would do all he could to keep himself to himself. Roused from a restless doze by a servant at 4 a.m., he had resumed his onward journey to Oxford, arriving in the city some thirteen hours later.

Now, here at the Bear Inn, Newton suddenly felt exhausted and needed to sleep, but excitement kept him awake and active. He swallowed some broth and read by the evening light, watching dispassionately as a rat scurried across the wooden floor. As arranged, at ten o'clock sharp he heard his friend approach along the corridor outside and tap quietly on the bedroom door. Walking to the door and opening it, he saw Nicolas Fatio du Duillier. With his black cascading curls du Duillier looked younger and more handsome than he had been in Newton's memory; and they had only been apart for three weeks. Newton beckoned him to enter and the younger man stepped forward, with a broad smile. The two embraced.

'Your face,' Fatio said, full of concern.

"Tis nothing,' Newton replied impatiently and turned away.

'You look distressed, my friend. Something has happened?'

'Some minor incident in Cambridge. Nothing with which to concern yourself, my good Fatio. Now, have you made ready?'

T have done my best, sir. It is not an easy thing you ask. The standard works bear little fruit, but I believe I have done as much as any man could. Landsdown and I have been here two weeks now, and we have harvested all that is required. I check the caskets daily and, although we cannot waste a second, I have faith that all will be well.'

Newton studied du Duillier's pretty young face. 'That is good news.'

'The treasure is safe?'

'Of course it is. Now, let us go through the procedure once more.'

Thirty minutes later they left the inn together.

It was a short walk to the college and they completed the journey in silence. There they were met by a third man whom they always referred to as Mr Landsdown. He was even taller than Fatio du Duillier, but muscular rather than slight. His hair was greying at the temples. They each gave a slight bow. 'It is good to see you,' said Landsdown. 'You have everything?'

Newton tapped his overshirt just below his left shoulder. 'All is well.'

'Then we should proceed. Follow me.'

Landsdown led them across the quad and through a doorway that took them to a long narrow passageway with many doors to left and right. At the fourth door on the left the three men stopped. Landsdown removed a key from his breeches and turned it in the lock. Taking hold of the door handle, he eased it round and pushed gently.

Directly ahead of them stood another door. This was open and through it they could see a steep, narrow stone staircase leading down into darkness. At the top of the stairs a torch was positioned in a wall bracket. Landsdown lifted it and stepped forward into the opening.

They went down a short flight of steps and found themselves in a room filled with racks and shelves containing many hundreds of bottles of wine, port and brandy: the college wine cellar. Landsdown took them to the far end of the vault and stopped at the wall. It was cold and wet to the touch. Landsdown ran his palm slowly across the wall. He held the torch close to the stone but seemed to be guided more by touch than by sight. After a moment his hand stopped moving and his finger looped around a small dark metal ring, its circumference no greater than that of a guinea coin. He pulled it firmly and they all heard a sound like a heavy weight falling. Very slowly, a panel opened in the wall to reveal an opening no broader than a man's shoulders.

Landsdown turned to his companions. 'Well, gentlemen, our evening's work is about to begin. Are you ready to proceed?'