Undermajordomo Minor

XII. LUCY, LIBERATED

It was a sunbright, late-spring morning, and before Lucy was a field of tall grasses, and in the centre of this, an apple tree. He walked towards it, collapsing at its base. The sun spilled through the branches, and the earth itself was warm; he allowed this warmth into his blood, then his bones, and there were apples on the ground all around him which he ate one after the other, and his life felt a fantasy of luxury. Soon, he slept; waking around noon-time, he returned to the mouth of the cavern and called to Mr Broom and Tomas, waiting there for an hour and more before walking away, to the east, in the direction of the castle. Possibly it would have been best to re-enter the cave and attempt to locate his friends, but this didn’t occur to Lucy until later, and then only dimly. He liked to think the men had been deposited unscathed back upon the sandy bank, and were chattering away yet in their voluble fashion, but in his deeper heart he knew they were corpses, now.

There was a peculiar foreignness to all the world around him which made Lucy feel wary. Some hours later the village came into view, and he thought of Klara, which summoned an anguish in him. Everything he had been through of late, what difference did it make? What was it for that he had survived, even? When he saw her shanty in the distance he knew he had to go there at once, and he located and hefted a heavy stone in his hand, this to nullify Adolphus’s skull. Lucy had no plan beyond this, but there was the sense in him that once this was accomplished, then other avenues and possibilities would present themselves.

Mewe was sitting out front of his shanty, staring at nothing, a drawn, hungry look on his face. When he saw Lucy, he startled and sat upright. “You’re not dead?” he said wonderingly.

“No, I’m not dead. Hello.”

“But where in the world have you been?”

“Away.”

“Where are your shoes?”

“I lost them.”

“Why is your suit in rags?”

“I have suffered through an era of unluckiness.”

“Yes, as have we,” Mewe said, leaning back. He pointed at the stool beside him and Lucy sat.

“Why do you have that stone in your hand?”

“I’m going to kill Adolphus with it.”

“That would be quite a trick.”

“You don’t believe I’ll do it?” asked Lucy.

“I don’t believe you will, no. Because Adolphus has already died.”

Lucy said, “What?”

“He’s died. They’ve exploded him.”

“Who has?”

“They have.”

“What does that mean, exploded him?”

“It means that he is no longer of a piece.”

“Where is he?”

“Here and there — that’s what I’m telling you.”

“Where is the main part of him, Mewe?”

Mewe pointed to Klara’s shanty. Lucy stood and entered. Adolphus lay on the table in the front room, naked to the waist, and his head was not on his shoulders. It had been taken off cleanly, to the base of the neck. There was a charring at the edges of the wound but his body was otherwise unmarked, and Lucy stood by, considering the incongruousness of this specimen: healthful yet headless. He had no feeling in him as he stared at the corpse, no relief, no sense of triumph. In a little while he laid the stone on the table where the head should have been. Mewe came into the shanty and stood next to Lucy. “It was a cannonball, do you know? A cannonball took his head off.”

“Oh,” said Lucy.

“They say his body stood awhile without the head, and that when it collapsed, it folded, as though he were lying down to go to sleep. After, they brought him back here, to Klara. Only she’d already gone.”

“Gone?” said Lucy.

“Yes, the Baroness has taken her away.”

Lucy shook his head. “What does that mean?”

“Klara went to the castle to see if there was any news of you. She and the Baroness met there and came to some agreement. Klara told me she would work for the Baroness as her lady-in-waiting. Anyway, they’ve left.”

“Where did they go?”

“West, is all Klara said. They took Rose with them too.”

“Where is Memel?” Lucy asked.

Mewe pointed to Memel’s door and Lucy entered to find Memel lying atop his mattress in suit and vest and boots, hair combed and parted, hands folded across his heart, and his flesh was grey, for he too was deceased. There were candles burning about the room, and long-stemmed flowers had been cast over his body and onto the ground around him. Lucy stood at the foot of the bed, breathing in the scent of the blossoms. Mewe was in the doorway, looking at his old friend with a mournful expression.

“Let me understand it,” Lucy said. “Memel has died, and Klara and Rose are gone, and the Baroness has also gone, and Adolphus has lost his head.”

“All true,” said Mewe.

“Will you explain to me just what happened while I was away, please?”

Mewe cleared his throat. He said, “Adolphus came here claiming you’d tried to kill him. We couldn’t picture it, but then you’d disappeared, and when Klara and I went up to the Very Large Hole to look for ourselves, we found your pipe there.” Mewe pulled the pipe from his pocket and tossed it to Lucy. Lucy caught it and held it in his palm.

“And so Klara thought I’d died,” he said.

“Yes, when we saw the pipe, we knew that you had, and were very sorry for it. Actually Klara was more than sorry for it. Adding to her upset was Memel’s decline; after he passed away, Adolphus was always hovering nearby. He got it into his mind that he and Klara should marry at once, and he wouldn’t let this alone, so that finally she had to explain it was impossible.”

“Impossible,” said Lucy.

“Yes.”

“And why was it?”

Mewe said, “But of course she didn’t love him in that way, Lucy. Not since she met you.”

Lucy watched Mewe carefully after he’d said this. He wanted so badly to believe that it was so.

“Adolphus took the rejection poorly,” Mewe continued, “so that when there came news of an attack against his troops up the mountain, he hurried off to do his part. The soldiers who brought his body down said he was fighting with something more than bravery. At last he simply ran towards their cannons, and that was the end of him.”

Lucy returned to the front room and stood again before what remained of Adolphus. Flies were socializing at the thickly clotted neckhole and he experienced an obscure pity for his antagonist. “I wonder what they were fighting about,” said Lucy.

“Some men just like to kill each other, I expect,” said Mewe. He had remained in Memel’s doorway, and was looking over his shoulder at Lucy. “And what now?” he asked. “Will you stay on at the castle, do you think?”

“I don’t think I will, no.”

“Will you return to your home?”

“No.”

“When will you leave?”

“Just now, I suppose.”

Mewe had turned away from Lucy; he was hiding his face, and Lucy asked,

“Are you all right?”

When Mewe looked back, Lucy saw that he was silently crying. “Everything is ending,” he said. He hurried out of the shanty and Lucy watched him leave, afterwards standing in the quiet, cool stillness. Thinking of the time he had passed in the space, there entered into his mind an accumulating hum, and now Lucy was struck with a bolt of the most splendid sadness. It overcame his spirit, his breath ran thin, and his legs went stringy from it.

Revisiting Memel’s room, he folded back the dead man’s lapel, tucking the pipe into his coat pocket. He had never enjoyed using the pipe, and it felt correct for Memel to have it in his permanent possession.

Lucy left the shanty and struck out for the castle.

All was quiet as Lucy climbed the stairs to his room. The state of his suit was past repair and so he shed this, putting on the clothes he’d arrived in. The trousers were blowsy at the knee, the stockings had gone thin, and the buttons on his coat were missing save for one. He pulled on his sheepskin cap and was, for better or worse, himself again. After packing his valise, he set out in search of the others, finding Agnes at the table in the servants’ quarters, a cup of tea in one hand, her chin rested in the other. Lucy greeted her and she swivelled to face him.

“I’m leaving the castle, ma’am,” he told her. “I thought you should know.”

“Leaving?” she said. “But I thought you’d left already.”

“I was gone, but I’ve returned.”

“Only to leave again?”

“That’s right.” Lucy sat opposite Agnes. “Where is everyone else?”

“The Baroness has run off once more, and so the Baron is hiding away in a sulk somewhere. I don’t know what’s the matter with Mr Olderglough, but he’s gone sulky also.” There was a stiffness to Agnes’s movements, as though she were in pain; when Lucy asked her if she was feeling all right, she said, “I don’t believe I am all right, Lucy, no.”

“And will you tell me what’s the matter?”

In a tone of confidentiality, she told him, “It would seem to me, boy, that we are all of us getting smaller, here.”

“Smaller, ma’am?”

“Less full, yes.”

“I’m not sure quite what you mean, ma’am.”

“We are — emptying. Becoming empty.” Brightening, she said, “We are draining. That’s it. We are all draining away, and soon we will be gone.” She took a sip of her tea, then studied her cup with a look of mistrust. “Cold.”

“Would you like me to boil you more water, ma’am?”

“Why bother? Indeed, it will only grow cold again.” She began muttering to herself, and now Lucy noticed the state of the larder: stacks of unwashed crockery teetered here and there; the table linen was blotched with stains; trampled ash decorated the floor.

“Well, ma’am,” he said, “I just wanted to say thank you for all your help.”

“Did I help you, though?” she asked absently.

“You did.”

“And how did I?”

“You were generous with me, and so I felt less alone here.”

She looked at him as though she thought he were being foxy. “Do you still have the coin I gave you?”

Lucy patted his pocket. “It is here, ma’am.”

“And now, will you use it?”

“I will.”

“Well, that’s something, isn’t it?” She took another sip of the tea, and scowled.

“Goodbye, ma’am,” he said.

Lucy left the servants’ quarters; Agnes resumed her muttering.

Mr Olderglough sat before his vanity in his rumpled sleeping attire, his cap askew, his face unshaven. He was speaking to Peter through the bars of the bird’s cage, this resting upon his lap. When Lucy greeted him he peered up in the vanity mirror. “Oh, hello, boy,” he said. “Where have you been keeping yourself?”

“Hello, sir. I apologize for my disappearance, but I fell down the Very Large Hole, and was forced to fight tooth and nail to reclaim my freedom.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You fell all that way but lived to tell the tale?”

“I have lived, sir.”

“And you stand before me now as one who has cheated death?”

“I suppose so, sir.”

“One who has rerouted the fates?”

“Perhaps, sir.”

“And was this a very difficult exercise for you?”

“It was, sir, yes.”

“Was it tedious?”

“I don’t know if I would use the word tedious specifically, sir.”

“Well, it certainly sounds tedious. But, what do I know, eh? With my head full of stuffing? Happy to have you back, at any rate.”

“Thank you, sir. But I’ve not come back.”

“Haven’t you?”

“No, sir. In point of fact I’m here to tell you I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” Mr Olderglough said, as if the very thought were an eccentric notion.

“Leaving sir, yes, and just now.”

“But why would you do that?”

Lucy said, “It seems to me there is no longer any reason for us to stay, sir.”

“Oh, but that’s not true at all, boy.”

“Is it not correct that the Baroness has left again?”

“It is correct.”

“Then is it not likely the Baron will once again devolve, as before?”

“It is more than likely. But I don’t see what that has to do with the abandonment of my position, and so no, I shan’t so much as entertain the thought.” Mr Olderglough shivered and sniffed, and he returned his attentions to Peter who had, Lucy noticed, gone quiet once more.

“Has he misplaced his tune again, sir?”

“Hmm,” Mr Olderglough replied. He shivered and sniffed a second time, and in looking at him, Lucy could see that all sense had left the man. He was making a kissing noise at Peter now; and as if speaking to the bird, he said, “I will perform my functions. I will do right by my master.”

“But if your master cannot do right by you, sir?” said Lucy.

“That is none of my affair.”

“It is every bit of it yours.”

Mr Olderglough shook his head and lapsed into silence. Lucy could think of nothing more to say, for there was nothing more, after all, and he was turning to go when Mr Olderglough called after him, and in a tender tone of voice, “Do you know, Lucy, I’ve come to think of you as the son I never quite knew.” Now he set the birdcage onto the vanity, and folded his hands on his lap. Looking out at the village, and the green-forested hills running away and to the horizon, he said, “I believe I could spend the rest of my days simply peering out a window, boy.”

“Any window, sir?”

“Any one, yes. This one, for example.”

Mr Olderglough stared. Lucy left the room.

Lastly, there was the Baron. Lucy found him in the ballroom, standing before one of the portraits of his forebears, hands cinched at his back, rocking to and fro, and humming to himself. He was barefoot, and when he turned to face Lucy it was evident the madness had once more taken root in him. He wasn’t possessed by it yet, but was existing in some middle plane, straddling either reality. Lucy wondered just what had occurred over the preceding days; for it was as if some ill-wishing cloud had passed through the valley and rendered everyone simple.

A crooked smile hung on the Baron’s face, and at the start he couldn’t quite place the person who stood before him. “Lucy!” he said finally. “And how are you, boy? Someone told me you’d vanished into thin air.”

“Hello, sir. Yes, no, I’ve not vanished. How are you?”

The Baron nodded gladly, then resumed his portrait-gazing. Lucy took up a spot beside him and the Baron explained, “This is my great-great-grandfather, Victor Von Aux. He was responsible for the construction of the castle. What do you know of him, may I ask?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“You’ve heard no stories?”

“No, sir.”

“That he was a hot-air balloonist who dabbled in the black arts?”

“I didn’t know that, sir.”

“That he was an expert marksman with a penchant for opium?”

“No.”

“That he bred Arabian horses? That he was known to entertain his guests with executions?”

“No, sir.”

“Well. I’m surprised you haven’t heard any of this.”

“Yes, and so am I,” said Lucy. “He was a complicated man, by the sound of it.”

“A demon,” said the Baron flatly. He sidestepped, and was now standing before the portrait of the Baroness. He said, “She’s gone away again, boy.”

“Yes, sir, and I’m sorry to hear it.” Lucy also sidestepped. “Do you know where she’s gone to?”

“To the ocean, she says. She tells me she won’t be coming back this time.”

“Who can say, sir.”

“She can, and did. I’m inclined to take her at her word.” He looked at Lucy. “She claims to have no affection for me any longer. What do you think about that?”

“I don’t know, sir. Just that it seemed to me she did.”

The Baron nodded. “Yes, and to me also, boy. Well, possibly she did once. But apparently this has passed.” He swallowed, and cleared his throat. “Love leaves us like luck leaves us,” he said, and he turned and walked clear of the ballroom. Lucy stood by, looking up at the Baroness and considering these words. He took up his valise and left the Castle Von Aux forever.

The conductor enquired after Lucy’s destination and Lucy asked if his coin would take him to the ocean. “It will, just,” the man replied, and Lucy settled into an empty compartment. An hour passed, and it grew darker. The strain of his recent adventures had worn him down; he felt so weak, and that he might sleep for days. He gave in to fatigue, his dreams little more than static black curtains and certain colder temperatures. Sleeping through the night, he awoke to a surprising fact, which was that his old friend Father Raymond was sitting across from him, an eager look on his face. The moment Lucy opened his eyes, then did the priest rejoice, reaching over and clasping Lucy’s hands in his own. “I didn’t want to disturb your slumber, boy,” he said, “but it was sheer torture not to, I can assure you.”

“Hello, Father. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve just come from Listen. I’ve a sister there, perhaps I’ve mentioned it before.”

“You never have, no. Was it a pleasant visit?”

“It was not. In truth I couldn’t get away from her fast enough. What was I thinking in travelling all that way to see the likes of her? She of the dying dogs and loamy aromas?”

“I don’t know what.”

“She doesn’t cook, boy — she scalds.”

“I’m sorry to hear it.”

“At any rate, I’m heading back to Bury, now, and that suits me well enough. But what of you, I wonder? Will you tell me your news? How are things at the castle? You must be living very fine these days, I would think.”

“No, I’m not. Actually, I’ve just come away from there.”

“Come away? Not permanently, I hope?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And why is that?”

“Any number of reasons.”

“Possibly you’ll tell me one of the reasons, or two?”

Lucy didn’t know where to begin. He said, “I found it to be an unhealthy environment.”

“Unhealthy?”

“Unhealthy and somewhat dangerous, yes.”

Father Raymond shook his head. “That’ll never do, boy,” he said. “But don’t you worry, we’ll get you some other, better position back home.”

“No, I’ll not be returning to Bury.”

“What? And why not?”

“As it happens, I’m chasing after a girl, Father. For it has come to pass that I’ve fallen in love.”

Father Raymond leaned in. “In love, you say?”

“Just so.”

“And what is that like? I’ve often wondered about it.”

Lucy said, “It is a glory and a torment.”

“Really? Would you not recommend it, then?”

“I would recommend it highly. Just to say it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Father Raymond thought awhile. A troubled look came over him and Lucy asked if something was the matter. Said the priest, “Not to besmear your quest, boy, but I find myself curious as to why you’re forced to chase after the lass. That is, why is she not stationary? In other words: does this young lady not love you also?”

“Oh, yes, she does. She’s only run off because she believes me dead.”

“Dead!” said Father Raymond, and he slapped his knee. “That’s a good one.”

“Yes.”

“I suppose it is you’ll show her otherwise, eh?”

“I hope to, Father. If I can locate her, that is.”

“Surely you will.”

They spoke through the morning, and both were happy to be reunited. Father Raymond deduced Lucy was penniless and so slipped him some coins, that he might not go hungry. When the train pulled into the station at Bury, Lucy looked out at the town. All was as it had been, but he was not comforted by the familiar sights, and there was no part of him that wished to detrain.

He noticed a beggar kneeling on the platform. The man’s head was bowed, his hands held out before him. A body passed and dropped a coin into the man’s palms; when he peered up to judge the coin’s value, Lucy saw that this person was the man in burlap, a realization which prompted him to gasp.

“What is it?” asked Father Raymond, working to free his satchel from the overhead.

“The beggar on the platform. He’s the same man who came to me when I was so ill. Do you recall it?”

“What, the marauder you told me about?” Father Raymond studied the beggar, then shook his head. “You’re mistaken, boy. That’s only Frederick.”

“You know him?”

“So much as one can know a simpleton. Frederick sweeps out the refectory once in a while for a scrap of bread or sip of wine. He was knocked on his head when he was a child, they say, and he’s been that way ever since. You may take my word for it, he possesses no powers, supernatural or otherwise.”

Lucy stared. “I’m certain it’s the same man,” he said.

“More than likely you half-noticed him about before you took ill, then simply imagined his visit. You were delirious from fever, after all. I saw it myself, remember.”

The conductor was calling for all Bury passengers to disembark. Father Raymond told Lucy, “I do wish you’d stay awhile. You’re certain I can’t persuade you?”

“I’m sorry, Father, but no.”

“Love is so urgent as all that, eh?”

“It is.”

“Perhaps I’m better off without it, then. I never did like to rush. Well, I’m pleased to have seen you, Lucy. Take care of yourself, won’t you?”

“I’ll do that,” Lucy said.

Father Raymond left, and Lucy resumed his study of the man in burlap, who now was sitting back, stacking and counting all that he’d gathered. This was the person indirectly responsible for Lucy’s departure from Bury, and all that had happened to him since. When a string of drool slipped from the man’s lip, he hurriedly sucked it back up into his mouth, as though it were precious to him, and he didn’t dare lose it. The train lurched, and eased free of the station, and Lucy was again in motion.

He had never been west of Bury, and he watched the flatland scenery unfold with an active interest. Here there were no trees, no mountains, only pastures of level green, and it was so very quiet and peaceful for Lucy in the padded, red-velvet compartment. He imagined how it would be when he located Klara, and composed scenarios of surprising her on the seashore, and now in the lobby of a grand coastal hotel. These exercises pleased and excited him profoundly, but in time he grew tired and set them aside. He closed his window shade and sat awhile in the partial darkness. The conductor passed in the corridor and Lucy called after him, asking to borrow paper and pencil. Using his valise as a drafting board, then, he drew an upside-down “U” shape. Under the dome of this line he wrote some words for the future, the faraway future he hoped. But whether they were needed sooner or later, he knew it was good to get them down:

LUCIEN MINOR

His heart was a church of his own choosing,

and the lights came through

the colourful windows.