(Light hearted and strongly character based roleplaying game running
in Edinburgh on Thursdays 8-11pm. Five female players and two male. Mail
Nicky for details)
More on the background of the characters can be found at
A Cthulu
Chapbook
There's also an on-line game of
De
Profundis based in modern day Edinburgh.
Character Profiles
Chapters 1 to 15
Chapters 16 to 29
Ch30 - Great Aunt Abigail, Ch31 - An
Encounter in the Railway Station Lavatories, and One More Murder,
Ch32 - An Auction in Vienna, Ch33 -
Investigations and Cream Cakes, Ch34 - The Case of
the Missing Valet, Ch35 - The graveyard, again...,
Ch36 - Of Matrimony and Other matters....,
Ch37 - A Trip to the Countryside, Ch
38 - A Secret Room and Concealed Sandwiches, Ch 39
- Guiseppe, Abigail and a tape measure..., Ch40 A
Pleasant Stroll by the Lake, Ch41 - Hari Makes an
Error of Judgement
Chapters 42 to 50
Chapters 51 to present
The Major's
formidable Aunt
Abigail (Formerly of the Raj. Kept house for her father after
her mother died when she was fifteen. Now lives in a big old house filled
with hunting trophies) learned that
Jasmine was in a
mental hospital and insisted on visiting her. She was relieved to discover
that Jasmine was genuinely insane rather than, for example, pregnant and a
disgrace to the family name, although she remained deeply suspicious of
Mr Wells-Coleman's
involvement in her great-niece's condition. She was concerned and somewhat
interested in Jasmine's description of the little snakey creatures who
caused her insanity.
She embarrassed the Major with tales of his grandfather's life in India
and intimidated Drusilla
considerably with her advice on running a household. Other observers were
stunned to see Drusilla looking intimidated, but luckily no sanity loss
was caused.
Mr Edmundson, a friend of Mr Wells-Coleman invited the group around to
dinner to inspect an Egyptian parchment which he had received in the post.
Dinner guests were Mr Wells-Coleman,
Sr Campilioni,
The Major, Miss Abigail Carson and
Millie, a young
American heiress whose acquaintance Mr Wells-Coleman was already
regretting after having accepted a lift to the party in her car.
After dinner the gentlemen went to examine the parchment in the smoking
room. Aunt Abigail decided that this was a bit dull so she summoned her
faithful Indian butler, Hari,
(An orphan adopted by Miss Carson at age 7 and totally devoted to her.
Also very, very British indeed.) and led him and Millie out on an
eavesdropping expedition to find out what they were saying.
Noone could understand the parchment at all and the Major suggested
asking one of Drusilla's university associates to examine it the following
day.
Tragically, Mr Edmundson was murdered in the night. Details of the case
were rather obscure until Hari went round to chat to the servants and
found out that there had been a disturbance in the small hours of the
morning, following which the remains of Mr Edmundson had been found
splattered over his room. The window had been broken by something large
apparently flying through it from outside.
The police were baffled.
Aunt Abigail claimed that things like that happened all the time in India,
especially round some of the less salubrious temples. Nonetheless, she
wanted to know what the Major intended to do about it.
Once the Major got over his astonishment he suggested investigating where
the parchment had come from. Everybody was much alarmed when it turned out
that Mr Edmundson had received the parchment from a journalist called Mr
Richardson in London, journalists being much less easy to deal with than
flying monsters with claws...
After some terrified avoidance of Mr Richardson, for fear of ending up on
the front page of the London papers, our heroines and heroes found out
that he had previously publicised the case of a doctor who had been
conducting unorthodox experiments on his patients and who had later been
struck off the medical register and imprisoned in a lunatic asylum. The
mad doctor had recently been released and a search of the files revealed
that the handwriting on the envelope in which the parchment had been sent
matched the handwriting on some of his peculiar prescriptions.
Aunt Abigail telephoned the police with the information and sent
telegrams to the doctors who had sat on the committee warning them to be
careful of any mail they might receive.
Stephen and
Drusilla started investigating in the library.
Two days later a police inspector was horribly murdered in the middle of
the night. The doctor who had received a suspicious parchment had handed
it over to the police.
Mr Richardson was very concerned that the newspaper owner, Lord Elwood,
might be next on the list of targets, so our heroines and heroes visited
him, stopping off on the way to see a Dr Lund who thought they were all
mad and attempted to psychoanalyse them.
Lord Elwood received a parchment and handed it over to the group for
further investigation. They formulated a theory that the monster attacked
whoever had touched the parchment last. At this point Aunt Abigail was the
last person to have touched it so the group set up watches in three
adjoining rooms, armed with various weaponry.
Millie, who was looking for a potential husband with a title, tried to
gatecrash Lord Elwood's house party, but largely without success.
On the second night, at around 1.30am, a huge winged serpent smashed
through the window and headed for Aunt Abigail. She emptied both barrels
of a shotgun into it and then ran away. Millie hid under her bed, Mr
Wells-Coleman was stunned into inaction, Giuseppe, Hari and the Major also
shot at the creature. After three failed attempts to grab Aunt Abigail and
after being hit by numerous shotgun blasts, the creature disappeared.
Lord Elwood and numerous servants arrived to find out what the noise was
all about, so the Major told him that an indistinct figure in black had
burst through the window and had jumped out through it again after being
shot. He claimed that poor light made giving an accurate description
impossible.
Millie discovered, while reading 'Who's Who' that Mr Wells-Coleman was in
fact The Honorable Mr Thomas Herbert Wells-Coleman and the Marquess of
Aylesbury who was set to inherit from his father not only a large estate
but also the title of Duke. She began to pay considerably more attention
to him.
Two nights later the daughter of a deceased member of the medical
committee was horribly murdered. The following morning Dr Lund urgently
requested the group's presence at his office - he was very alarmed, having
just received a parchment himself. Thomas persuaded the police to allow
them to take away the parchment for research purposes and heroically
picked up the object. Giuseppe's researches in the British Library
revealed an ancient parchment describing a series of spells involving
winged serpents which seemed to confirm everything that our heroines and
heroes had suspected.
Giuseppe broke into the mad doctor's deserted house and found an altar in
the basement, but it didn't look like it had been used recently. Millie
calmed her nerves with thoughts of Bruges lace for use on her wedding
dress.
On the night when Mr Wells-Coleman expected to be murdered, Aunt Abigail
sensibly suggested that everyone should take afternoon naps so as to be
alert and rested for the arrival of the monster. The gentlemen seemed to
prefer to calm their nerves with brandy. She also suggested finding less
expensive lodgings for the night since they would almost certainly have to
pay for repairs to them, but Mr Wells-Coleman decided that he'd rather die
in luxury.
Everyone sat up to await developments. Millie planned bridesmaid dresses
for her wedding and Aunt Abigail advised her to take an interest in stock
prices, since a titled family whose fortunes were on the way down would be
grateful for the arrival of a marriageable heiress such as herself to
restore their finances.
The monster burst through the hotel window in the small hours of the
morning and headed for Mr Wells-Coleman. Everybody shot at it, but it
succeeded in grabbing its victim. He fended it off with his sword cane and
then Hari managed to finish it off with a very well aimed blast from his
shotgun.
The monster vanished and the hotel manager appeared, demanding to know
what had happened to his property. Aunt Abigail asked him if he would be
so kind as to telephone the police and report an attempted murder, which
he did. Mr Wells-Coleman offered to pay for the damage to the hotel room.
The following day a mysterious anonymous note arrived, directing the
group to the Royal Stewart Hotel in Edinburgh.
Our heroines and heroes travelled home to Edinburgh and staked out the
Royal Stewart Hotel. Someone matching the description of the mad doctor
was seen in the company of a lower class person, presumed to be his
servant.
Great Aunt Abigail
paid a visit to the sanitorium to find out whether
Jasmine had any
interests in Mr
Wells-Coleman. Jasmine's cries of "Who is she? She can't have
him! He's mine!" persuaded her Great Aunt that it would be kinder to
discourage Millie's interest in the gentleman. Subsequently she told
Millie, in
confidence, that Mr Wells-Coleman had a "little problem", the
nature of which was too indelicate to discuss, but which would make him
much less of a good match than he appeared at first.
The servant left the hotel one afternoon carrying a briefcase. Mr
Wells-Coleman and Great-Aunt Abigail followed him onto a train to Glasgow
and managed to foil his various attempts to lose them. Millie, meanwhile,
drove to Glasgow, attempting, but not quite succeeding in outrunning the
train. Hari
returned to Miss Carson's residence to await telephone instructions. The
Major continued to watch the hotel from a nearby tea room.
Mr Wells-Coleman confronted the servant in the gentlemen's toilets at
Glasgow station and a fight ensued. The servant was knocked unconscious
and Mr Wells-Coleman took the briefcase, but forgot to search the
servant's pockets.
Millie arrived on the scene and gave Aunt Abigail a lift home. She would
have preferred to give Thomas a lift but neither he nor Aunt Abigail were
prepared to agree to the idea. Thomas got the train home.
He and the Major later staked out a restaurant in which the mad doctor
was dining and then bribed the servants at the Royal Stewart Hotel to get
a room opposite the doctor's.
They awoke to hear the sound of screams and succeeded in breaking down
the door too late to save the doctor from a flying serpent which ripped
him into small pieces.
It was suggested that the servant had failed to post the last of the mad
doctor's parchments and that this meant that the doctor himself had been
the last person to touch it, so he had been killed as a result. This meant
that hopefully nobody else would be getting killed, but somehow it wasn't
really as satisfactory as bringing the villain to justice in the normal
way.
Mr Wells-Coleman, Miss Abigail Carson, Hari the butler and
Sr Campiloni
travelled by rail to Vienna in Austria to attend an auction of occult
items.
Miss Carson wondered whether her expected grand-nephew (to be called
Henry after his great-grandfather, naturally) might appreciate one item, a
gold medallion with protective symbols on, but the bidding was at too high
a level for a lady in reduced circumstances.
The Major had
asked her to bid for a German sword, circa 1350 and a gold ring with a
motif of the Seal of Solomon on his behalf.
Mr Wells-Coleman bought an African fetish and a drum.
The auction was interrupted by the discovery that one of the auction
house staff had been horribly murdered in a back room by something with
teeth and claws.
Great-Aunt Abigail and Mr Wells-Coleman took advantage of the confusion
to investigate the scene of the crime. They noticed a sickly smell of
decay and a trail of blood leading to the dumb waiter.
Great-Aunt Abigail noticed that, as well as an item from the auction, a
brass head (possibly a Philosopher's Head), the large muscles of the
thighs and back were missing from the scattered body of the murder victim.
Mr Wells-Coleman was not delighted to be informed of these facts.
They suggested to the auction house owner that whoever had killed the
member of staff might still be in the vaults in the basement to which the
dumb waiter was connected. As it turned out there was a tunnel out of the
vault which had partially collapsed so the murderer had escaped and there
was no chance of following directly.
The police investigated the scene of the crime and took the names of
witnesses, then the auction continued. Mr Wells-Coleman and the Major
(bidding through Great-Aunt Abigail) acquired a few more items. Great-Aunt
Abigail noticed that two people at the auction looked distressed that the
brass head was not being offered for sale, while another, a German
gentleman with greasy dark skin and blonde hair was looking smug about it.
On their return to the hotel they found a telegram waiting with the news:
| Major and Mrs James Carson
of Merchiston, Edinburgh are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Rosemary Abigail Carson on 3rd March, 1923 at 12.10am |
Great-Aunt Abigail was philosophical about young Henry turning out to be
a girl after all, and, although she would obviously have preferred her
great-neice to be called Henrietta rather than Rosemary, she was
definitely much consoled to see that the name Abigail would continue in
the family line.
Back in Scotland poor
Drusilla had
not had an easy time with the birth and was ill for quite some time
afterwards. The Major fussed over his wife, insisting that she drank
plenty of stout to help her recover. He also enjoyed spending long periods
of time (up to fifteen minutes!) in the company of his daughter. Nanny
presented Rosemary to her proud parents in clean white lace dresses
several times a day and hastily removed her to the Nursery at the
slightest hint of leakage from either end.
Hari and Sr Campilioni had spent the evening of the auction drinking beer
and playing cards. They were delighted to hear of the safe delivery of
Little Miss Carson, but not so pleased to hear about the horrible murder.
The following day investigations began - slightly hampered by the fact
that noone spoke any German.. Mr Wells-Coleman selflessly volunteered to
track down the two young ladies who had attended the auction.
Great-Aunt Abigail initially suggested that she should investigate the
tearooms of all the good hotels in town and sampling pastries in the hopes
of tracking down the German chappie, but was persuaded that calling on the
other guests first might be a good idea.
Mr Wells-Coleman had a pleasent tea with
Miss Erika von
Sodenburgh, followed by a dinner with Lady Margaret at which both
parties were plying the other with alcohol and trying to obtain
information on the theft of the brass head. Her ladyship appeared to be
willing to contemplate becoming better acquainted with him later in the
evening, but sadly Mr Wells-Coleman had drunk rather too much to accept
her offer.
Great-Aunt Abigail meanwhile spent the day in the hotel lounge, fortified
by a continuous supply of coffee and cakes, telephoning all the hotels in
town in search of Herr Klaus Hunderprest. She was somewhat surprised at
the lack of availability of tea, and considered that coffee should only be
drunk in the mornings while hot chocolate (the other alternative drink on
offer) should only be drunk at night. Nevertheless as a widely-travelled
lady she was prepared to deal with this inconvenience and be gracious to
her hosts. It turned out that Herr Hunderprest was not staying at any
hotel in town. She then had a pleasant meeting with Erika and also M.
Michel de Boursevant. The French gentleman proved to be a Spiritualist who
thought that the brass head would help him to contact spirits of the dead.
Meanwhile Owen
Aidenbury (a journalist - Brenton MacAllister's successor as The
Scotsman's occult correspondent) was conducting some investigations of
his own. His assignment was to report on the auction and on who bought
which items. To this end he failed to bribe Hari to provide information.
Mr Wells-Coleman's valet,
Trevor, and Sr
Campilioni proved to be more ammenable to financial incentives.
The dramatic murder naturally provided the potential for a much better
story than the list of purchases, so Mr Aidenbury headed for the auction
house directly and managed to persuade the desk clerk to look the other
way while he examined a record of the names and addresses of those
attending the auction. Herr Hunderprest was the only person with a local
address so Mr Aidenbury headed for his flat, which turned out to be at the
back of a tenement block in a run-down area of the town.
The following day Mr Aidenbury, Great-Aunt Abigail, Sr Campilioni, Miss
von Sodenburgh and Hari went to investigate Herr Hunderprest's flat. They
found a skeletal finger wearing a diamond ring in a drawer in his bedroom,
and the stolen brass head as well as an interesting looking book in the
cellar. Unfortunately, while retrieving the head and the book, they were
attacked by dead-ish looking chappies with fangs and claws. Hari and Sr
Campilioni fought bravely while Great-Aunt Abigail retreated with as much
haste as possible and raided the kitchen in search of more weaponry for
them.
They returned the brass head to the auction house and told the police
where it had been found - only later realising that there were areas of
the cellar which they had not explored and which might contain further
unpleasant creatures to inconvenience the officers of the law. Great-Aunt
Abigail pointed out to the others that Continental policemen did carry
firearms even on routine investigations and expressed the hope that this
would be sufficient protection for them. She posted the book and the
finger to Mr St-Chapman with a covering letter advising him to pour
himself a whiskey before opening the package, and on no account to show it
to Drusilla in case it turned her milk sour. He was less than delighted to
receive the items, but bravely opened the package and started reading
anyway.
Our heroines and heroes noticed reports of grave-robbing in the local
papers and decided that these were probably linked to the case.
Mr Wells-Coleman continued his investigations with Lady Margaret while
the others took a picnic out, intending to stake out a local graveyard.
Unfortunately for them the police had had a similar idea and they were
arrested for the crimes of Being a Nuisance and Causing Unneccessary
Paperwork. The aristocratic Erika was very offended at lowly police
officers daring to interfere with her plans and expressed her annoyance to
them, as a result she spent the night in the cells. Owen was also kept in
the cells overnight on suspicion of being a journalist. The police,
however, accepted that Sr Campilioni was an honest citizen with a
perfectly good reason for carrying a weapon and allowed him and the others
to return to their hotels.
Mr Wells-Coleman discovered that Lady Margaret was very keen to acquire
the brass head, and that she would be very grateful if he would agree not
to bid against her.
When he returned to his hotel around breakfast time to discover that his
room had been broken into and his valet, Trevor, had been stolen. The
hotel management were very apologetic and provided an alternative valet,
but somehow the bathwater wasn't at quite the right temperature and the
new valet didn't know which were his favorite cufflinks.
The others arrived some time after breakfast and found a distressed Mr
Wells-Coleman holding an envelope and clearly at a loss as to what to do.
Hari saved the day by retrieving the envelope, opening it with a
paper-knife and presenting it to Mr Wells-Coleman on a silver platter,
thus allowing Mr Wells-Coleman to read it and find out that it was a
ransom note for Trevor. Herr Hunderprest wanted his book, finger and brass
head back.
Great Aunt Abigail sent a telegram to
Stephen, who had
the book photographed then sent
Alice Ann Mills (a
historian doing research in the university library with Stephen St-Chapman)
to take it and the finger to Vienna by train.
In the meantime our heroines and heroes narrowly failed to get lost in the
various tunnels dug by Herr Hunderprest and his smelly associates, while
failing to find either Trevor or any clues.
They met Alice at the station and then attended the re-auction of the
brass head. A mystery telephone bidder outbid Lady Margaret and she
appealed to Mr Wells-Coleman for extra funds. He made one further bid on
her behalf and then gave in as the mystery bidder raised the stakes again.
Lady Margaret left in a huff.
Mr Wells-Coleman looked very pale. The charitable assume that this was
because he didn't have the brass head to exchange for Trevor, and because
his relationship with Lady Margaret was in jeopardy, while the less
charitable suspect that perhaps the mystery bidder was a firm of
solicitors acting on his instructions and that the Duke wasn't going to be
too pleased when he found out how much money his son has spent on a
trivial item like the brass head.
Further instructions arrived from Trevor's kidnappers, instructing Mr
Wells-Coleman to bring the items to a different graveyard at 11pm. The
others took an afternoon stroll round the graveyard and figured out where
the smelly chappies were likely to emerge from. Owen and Erika climbed on
top of a crypt to hide while Hari hid Aunt Abigail in some bushes. Alice
also concealed herself in the graveyard. Sr Campilioni, meanwhile, was
acting as a bodyguard for Mr Wells-Coleman and the book and finger, and Mr
Wells-Coleman was wondering how to sneak away and collect the brass head
from the solicitors without anyone finding out that it was he who had
bought it.
Mr Wells-Coleman arrived at the graveyard gates at 11pm as agreed. Other
observers saw an ungainly figure in a long cloak and wide brimmed hat
emerge from the crypt. The figure passed a note to Mr Wells-Coleman and he
handed over the bag. After waiting five minutes for the return of Trevor
everyone agreed that they had been conned and the valet was now in extreme
mortal danger. Owen and Erika climbed down from the roof. Alice and Hari
managed to help Great Aunt Abigail to stand up (three hours sitting on the
damp ground not having been beneficial to her old joints). Hari and Miss
Carson took a cab to Herr Hunderprest's flat while the others headed for
the crypt. The others startled Herr Hunderprest, who fled down the
tunnels, so they gave chase. Mr Wells-Coleman, who was leading them, was
ambushed at a point where the tunnel widened out. He was knocked
unconscious but Sr Campilioni rescued him. They then noticed evidence that
a murder had recently taken place and were forced to assume it was
Trevor's.
On their return to the surface they were arrested. Great Aunt Abigail and
Hari were also arrested for breaking and entering the Hunderprest
residence, but luckily some good lawyers (paid for by Mr Wells-Coleman)
combined with the police's natural reluctance to have the ghouls discussed
in a Court of Law, led to them being released without charge.
Mr Wells-Coleman found Trevor's diary among his effects. Great Aunt
Abigail and Hari rushed to his aid with brandy and smelling salts when
they heard his cries of distress, but he burned the diary before they were
able to discover what there was in it's contents which had upset him. They
discerned the words "He scrubbed my back!" amongst the
distressed ramblings, but could not make sense of them. (Trevor had,
according to the diaries, enjoyed the company of young men on his days off
work, and Mr Wells-Coleman was not open minded on the subject, possibly
because his ill health meant that he had had a private tutor instead of a
British Public School education...)
Our heroes and heroines left Vienna and returned to Oxford for Trevor's
funeral service. While Mr Wells-Coleman was home for the funeral his
mother arranged a couple of introductions to suitable young ladies. It
emerged that Millie had paid a call on the family before his return home
and his mother was not entirely pleased to find out what sort of company
he had been keeping. Unkind people speculated that it could have been
worse - Jasmine might also have paid a call. Mr Wells-Coleman drank a
considerable quantity of brandy while discussing the subject of matrimony
with his family.
Mr Wells-Coleman then secretly arranged the sale of the brass head to
Lady Margaret, who was grateful to him once again. Some weeks later a
report appeared in the paper that she and her entire family along with a
couple of hundred unfortunate people living in the area had all been
killed by some rampaging beast. Mr Wells-Coleman drank more brandy to
steady his nerves, but did not confide his role in the incident to anyone.
Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Great Aunt Abigail was introduced to Miss
Rosemary Carson, who she thought was a perfectly splendid child. Abigail
also approved of Drusilla being given milk stout to help her recover her
strength after the ordeal of the birth.
from Sr Campilioni : This email is dedicated to the memory of
Trevor the Valet. Our condolences go out to his family and wide number of
friends from the Young Male Valets Association. We can only guess at the
current grief of Mr Wells-Coleman who can only be missing the close times
he had with Trevor. May he rest in peace.
from Alice : The death of Trevor was, indeed, tragic. I believe
the Young Male Valets Association have taken up a collection in his honor.
The fact that Mr. Wells-Coleman LOST SANITY after reading his diary is,
however, too funny for words. "Ah, yes, I saw ghouls with black
claws, and they swiped at me and nearly killed me; no, no, that's all in a
day's work. Poor Trevor. Alice suggested he might have left a diary; hmm,
let's go through his effects. A silver cigarette case inscribed 'for
services rendered'; wonder what that could be about. Why yes, here is a
diary. Let's just see what he-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
from Sr Campilioni : One must remember the grief suffered by these
young men, who have had a part of their lives ripped from their grasp.
YMVA has always been reputed to a close knit society. Ah Poor
Wells-Coleman, perhaps a posthumous portrait of his dear lamented valet
will cheer him up and restore his lost memories of those bathing days with
Trevor.
from Jasmine : TREVOR'S DEAD?!?!?!?!? If during one of the lulls
in our adventuring Mr Campilioni has visited Jasmine and suggested the
portrait, she will already have posed for him. Also, while Thomas's
parents may be determined to find him a suitable wife, Jasmine is
currently equally determined to provide him with an unsuitable one.
from Great Aunt Abigail : Well, with the terrible shock of his
valet's death, and the even more terrible shock of whatever it was that he
found in Trevor's diary, Thomas is likely to be emotionally vulnerable at
the moment... Of course Jasmine may have to hurry - Millie is probably
also prepared to console him....
from Thomas : [on the subject of missing Trevor] Thankfully the
company of numerous attractive women (Millie in London and Jasmine in
Edinburgh among others!!!) is helping Mr Wells-Coleman overcome the
shocking death and consequences of Trevor's demise. The newly employed
valet has managed to show great resourcefulness in making arrangements for
Thomas to escape from his parental home to a party with Millie. Further
checks on the mans character and persuasions will be conducted as a matter
of great importance. [on losing sanity as a result of reading Trevor's
diary] I admit that ghouls are in their own little way, a particularly
frightening encounter. However, had the ghoul been bathing them and
dressing them in an unghoulish state earlier, the effects would be a
hundred fold. [on Mr Campilioni's offer of a portrait of Trevor]
I'm in a very fragile state Mr Campoloni, the possibility of seeing a
beautiful woman and spending the night with her would be a more practical
and enjoyable way of ensuring my hasty recovery. If the two ladies
mentioned would make their availability (in both senses) known to Mr
Wells-Coleman, he can arrange the necessary reservations at the top
restaurants and have the ladies collected by private car. I'm sure Trevor
will be missed. But Thomas is putting the matter from his mind and
concentrating on what he is good at!
from Sr Campilioni : Mr Campiloni is well versed in the nature of
private car driving if you require a driver on hand with some close
protection experience though part of my job description must include "The
employee will not be required to engage in any social, physical or martial
interaction with ghouls, Yellow kings, Sirens, Flying Snakes or Tentacled
beings"
Millie, though flattered by the dinner invitation and willing to
take it up at the next available opportunity, is rather bewildered by the
final statement. Why in the world would she ever want to be called for by
private car when she can drive her own dashing little two-seater? After
all, the threatened driving injunction was never even brought to court.
And of course the comment about 'spending the night' was clearly intended
for some other woman, and was only associated with Millie's name through
some egregious mistake. Surely a gentlemen would have no other reason for
proferring such an insult. Perhaps the new valet made this error as he has
not yet acquired the art of letter writing. It would be wise to add this
to the list of skills he will need to become a proper companion for the
Hon. T.H.W.-C.
from Great Aunt Abigail : Poor dear Millie. How dreadful for her
to have had to suffer this trauma of receiving such an improper proposal.
Great Aunt Abigail did try to warn her about the gentleman.... Best not to
mention the incident to Drusilla. She's still recovering from the birth
and she'd only worry unnecessarily about Jasmine.
from Millie : Now that Millie has gone through quite a lot of the
social season, her views on men have greatly altered. There are far too
few eldest sons of dukes running around unattached, after all, and Millie
may well have to be 'understanding' to a far greater degree than she had
previously suspected. As a forward-thinking American girl, though, she is
prepared to accept this great challenge. Moreover, she'd marry a dustman
before she let some lounge singer steal a duke's eldest son out from under
her nose. I mean, could you *imagine* Jasmine being led into dinner before
Millie?! On the other hand...if the Wells-Colemans senior are led to
believe that Thomas may be considering an attachment to such as Jasmine,
then Millie would seem *so* much more suitable....
from Great Aunt Abigail : Aunt Abigail hopes that Millie is
remembering to check the stocks and shares news regularly. Millie has, in
Aunt Abigail's opinion, no need to be bashful about employing her New
World advantages (ie money) in pursuit of Old World advantages (ie
titles). While not wishing to upset dear Millie, Aunt Abigail does find
the thought of Jasmine as a Duchess is rather amusing. (In fact she may
well choke on her whiskey and have to leave the room for a while until she
can recover her composure enough to continue a serious discussion with
Millie...) The court reports in the newspaper would be considerably more
interesting with Jasmine in them, for a start. Aunt Abigail didn't take to
the Mr Wells-Coleman's mother at all, and thinks that she would benefit
from having her absurb snobbery deflated somewhat... [on Millie
threatenning to tell the Duchess about Jasmine]Alas poor Thomas...
Although I expect that the Wells-Colemans would be more likely to regard
his involvement with Jasmine as the kind of fling a young man is entitled
to before he settles down and marries someone more suitable later on. She
is, in their view at least, not the kind of girl you marry.
Aunt Abigail may well have a quiet word with Jasmine, who she considers to
be a sensible enough girl once you get past all the hysteria about
snakeskin shoes and the tendency to spill her drinks if startled by sudden
noises. Her advice will be that Thomas doesn't seem the type to fall in
love and that a girl going into a relationship with him carrying any
soppy, romantic notions would be lucky not to end up with a badly broken
heart. On the other hand, unlike Auntie Dru, she has a pretty shrewd idea
that Jasmine's virtue is not an issue here and she can see that the young
man definitely has his charms, not to mention the budget for some really
good restaurants and first class theatre tickets. She doesn't think it
likely that Jasmine will end up as The Honourable Mrs Wells-Coleman, but
if Jasmine thinks she could have some fun while pursuing that goal then
her Great Aunt isn't going to try to stop her.
from Jasmine : And just WHY would Jasmine be considered
unsuitable? Naturally one wouldn't tell the Wells-Colemans' senior
necessarily about being a lounge singer, if Millie is intending to
measures may need to be taken of some sort, though Jasmine is not quite
sure what yet. Jasmine is after all a performer, and has managed to keep
Auntie Dru convinced that she is a virtuous, if somewhat impulsive and
hotheaded young girl. Jasmine may not be Thomas's social equal but she
does come from a respectable British family, and she is British born -
unlike Millie who is American through and through. Millie should realise
that if Thomas's parents get the wind up about Jasmine they are unlikely
to turn to Millie as a better alternative. They'll go for some horsefaced
British aristocratic heiress whose Daddy Thomas's father went to school
with or something similar. In the meantime of course Jasmine is in too
delicate a state to travel down to Thomas's home territory and attend the
memorial service, but she will send condolences and would be willing to
anything in her power to help her poor dear friend Thomas cope in the
aftermath of such a sad loss. He did promise to come up and visit her
quite some time ago now . . . [on the subject of Aunt Abigail's
advice]Dear Aunt Abigail - somehow even Jasmine can't bring herself to
call her Auntie - how NICE it is to finally encounter someone so
understanding. She may be right about Thomas, although he does seem to
have some fixation with 'marrying for the right reasons' although he
didn't make it clear exactly what those were in his mind. Nevertheless, he
is certainly the most marriageable man Jasmine has encountered so far, and
you never know if you don't try. As to his parents Jasmine will confide in
Aunt Abigail that she thinks its perfectly stupid that a grown-up
gentleman in the 1920s can't choose a wife on the basis of how enjoyable
she'd make his life because of stuck-up ideas and court traditions. If
Thomas goes and marries Millie, Jasmine will get very, very upset, and if
he marries some 'suitable' aristocratic bore she'd be even less happy. Why
the woman would probably drive him to an early grave even without a weak
chest. Aunt Abigail may infer from the manner in which this is said that
'very, very upset' is more likely to involve tantrums than classical
ladylike heart-broken weeping into her pillow. It's the sort of point
where, if this were her father, Aunt Abigail might have turned to Hari and
said 'Hide the Elephant gun' . . . . :-)
from Great Aunt Abigail : Hari, be so good as to ensure that the
gun cabinet is locked. And it might be best if things were arranged so
that Miss Hamilton-Smythe and Miss Waller-Bethel are not introduced.
Dear me, there hasn't been such an interesting situation since that young
lieutenant [note to American readers - Aunt Abigail pronounces this at "left-tenant"]
managed to acquire fiancées in both Bombay and Calcutta. I think
the General did a very kind deed when he sent the young man to deal with
that native uprising before the matter reached the newspapers. If the
Pathans hadn't slaughtered him he would have been snubbed at the
Gentleman's Club, which would have been much worse....
from Millie :Millie would be delighted to explain why Jasmine
would be an unsuitable wife, but she has a ball to attend tomorrow night
and it would take *much* longer than the intervening time to provide a
full, detailed, and proper explanation. Millie currently has no intention
of informing the senior Wells-Colemans about Jasmine's past. To be fair,
she has never actually met the young lady...er, woman in question. But she
has heard enough. Note that Millie has no particular grudge against
Jasmine, per se, but as remarked earlier, eligible men who have manageable
predilections* and who will someday become dukes are rather scarce these
days, and one does have to watch out for one's rivals.
[*NB Thomas' devastation at Trevor's death, coupled with Ninette's
surprise that Trevor never made a pass at her at the country house where
everyone spent the night, and of course bolstered by Great-Aunt Abigail's
ever-so-delicate hints at Thomas' unsuitability, does rather lead Millie
to certain conclusions. However, she is willing to be Most Understanding.]
In order to demonstrate that she will not stoop to underhand measures,
Millie would be happy to meet with Jasmine. For tea, perhaps, somewhere
genteel, with Aunt Drusilla and Great-Aunt Abigail attending as well. But
you must give Millie enough time to arrange her outfit for this tea. One
can't simply walk into a shop and order a snakeskin tea gown
off-the-rack..... >:)
from Great Aunt Abigail : That would be perfectly delightful,
Millie dear. I shall speak to Drusilla directly and see what can be
arranged.
[aside in Punjabi to Hari] I think we can rely on Carson-Memsahib being
ill for a little while longer, but when she starts feeling better it may
well be necessary to make sure that I have quite a lot of prior
appointments.
from Sr Campilioni : Excerpt from the small classified ads "Do
you have a problem?, do you need help?, Wayward husband, rival in love, We
can provide the solution" Call Edinburgh 4969 - Camplilioni Cleaning
Services... Where the dirt always goes under the carpet"
from Great Aunt Abigail : Oh dear. Aunt Abigail would like to
point out that if anything unfortunate should happen to either Millie or
Jasmine then she will have a pretty shrewd idea of where to start her
investigations. She would be obliged if Mr Campilioni would offer his
assistance in keeping the two young ladies safely apart until the present
misunderstanding has been resolved.
And if Mr Wells-Coleman would be so good as to pay a courtesy call on a
frail old lady at the earliest opportunity she would like a quiet word
with him too.
from Sr Campilioni : Don Campilioni would be more than happy to
oblige. Any chance to maintain social contact with Jasmine in her
vunerable state would only increase his fine standing in the male
community. His aversion to elephant guns is however a deterrent in being
more than a bodyguard to the fine 2 ladies.
from Mr Wells-Coleman : Thomas may be inclined to point this
advertisement out to his new Valet suggesting the number may be required
at some later date, maybe to eliminate some horse riding bore Mother
thinks is marrying me. My preference is of course to a woman who wants to
be with me, and the money and title is just something extra. The thought
of Millie and Jasmine meeting for tea brings to mindimages I'd rather not
share. I will of course do the gentlemanly thing and give them both my
time and as you would expect my attention. [on Aunt Abigail's request
that he visit her]How could Mr Wells-Coleman refuse? I will attend as
soon as my current appointments allow.
from Great Aunt Abigail :Just so long as it is soon. Aunt
Abigail will not be pleased if she suspects Mr Wells-Coleman of avoiding
her...
So good of you to call on me, Mr Wells-Coleman. Do have some tea. I trust
that you enjoyed your party at Millie's London residence? And you also
enjoyed your dinner date with Jasmine? And your recent meeting with Lady
Margaret as well? I do seem to recall that there was a young lady your
mother had invited to stay with the family on the weekend of poor Trevor's
funeral too. You have been keeping busy lately, haven't you? I believe
that my great-niece is very fond of you, isn't she? And Miss Waller-Bethel
is also very fond of you? I believe she called on your mother? [Hari, a
brandy for Mr Wells-Coleman, please, he appears to be choking on his
tea...] I do understand, Mr Wells-Coleman, that young gentlemen expect to
enjoy their freedom before they settle down and marry. And in fact, when I
was in India I recall there were instances where young gentlemen continued
to enjoy their freedom even after they had settled down and married, but
that is rather a different matter.... Plainly you are a young man who is
popular with many young women, and I see nothing wrong with your enjoying
their company. Or indeed with them enjoying your company. Young ladies
might expect to enjoy their freedom, after all, just as young gentlemen
do... All I wish to say is that I am fond of both Jasmine and Millie and I
wouldn't like to think that you would intend to mislead either of them.
They are both young ladies of good families, and... [Hari, Mr
Wells-Coleman appears to have spilled his drink again. Be so kind as to
offer him a refill...]. Anyway, I'm quite sure that your own conscience
will guide you in these matters, and that you will do your best to avoid
any possibility of scandal... It would not be gentlemanly to damage the
young ladies' reputations, after all. [Aunt Abigail then changes the
subject and reminisces about tiger hunts in India for a while...]
from Millie : Mr. Wells-Coleman *did* accompany me to a truly
smashing party, and he certainly seemed to enjoy himself! My car has the
odor of a champagne cork, and he dropped his nice white scarf and
accidentally trod on it, when I dropped him off. That *was* what you
meant, I trust?
from Great Aunt Abigail :Of course, Millie, dear. Delighted to
hear that you had such a lovely time.
Jasmine is certainly expecting to be called upon to comfort Thomas
to the fullest extent of her abilities (as many times as he wants to take
her out for the evening or whatever), and will encourage things to move in
this direction, so the only factor in question in Jasmine's quarter is
Thomas's willingness.
from Sr Campilioni :Delivered to Mr Thomas Wells-Coleman on the
sad event of the death of his close valet, Trevor A plain packaged 5' wall
portrait unsigned by the artist described in the following journal: "I
was honoured to be allowed to paint a portrait of a well remembered man
who's many friends commissioned this lasting memorial to Trevor. The
picture is a large scene set in a classic Roman bathhouse of the later
Republican style. Pictured in the forefront of the art is the tall, well
muscled form of Trevor, his gleaming oiled body hinting at the strength
and stamina of his young fit form. A small but tight toga reveals the
outlines of his less visible regions. In the light streaming from a large
window is the shadowy form of the bathing pool in which awaits the master
of the house, ready to receive the attentions of his valet"
from Sr Campilioni :In a quiet sun drenched Italian orchard artist
and model gather for a portrait of innocence and untouched virtue. Jasmine
Hamilton-Smythe - the model a modicum of the young 20's lifestyle Signor
Giuseppe Campilioni - the artist- a troubled soul his mind scarred by the
sights he has seen - finds solace in his painting which have become ever
darker (unfortunately we will not be seeing true pictures of these)
Portrait 1 - of which Jasmine is aware Entitled "Beauty in a Foreign
Land" To be presented at a special dinner party to Mr and Mrs James
Carson as a gift for their continuing friendship to a poor "foreigner"
stuck in foreign lands. " This scene shows Jasmine in a conservative
summer dress wearing a wide brimmed beige hat with a number of seasonal
flowers decorating the brim. She sits in the sunlight of a bright summers
afternoon on an Italian island. Her legs crossed and her chin resting on
an raised hand almost in the pose of the Thinker. Her hair is highlighted
by the bright light but her facial expression of one deep thought. A
troubled shade is cast across her face by a shadow that should not be
there. A slight smile passes her lips beckoning the thought that she knows
something the painter does not. In tribute to the continuing friendship of
the Carson's and Jasmine a shotgun lies against a distant tree"
Portrait 2 - of which Jasmine is aware and is presented with by Signor C
at an intimate(?) dinner Entitled "Echoes of Summers Passion" "In
the same orchard as the first picture Jasmine is pictured lying languidly
on a picnic blanket in the shade of an apple tree in the quiet of a
summers afternoon. The hand of an unspecified gentlemen friend rests on
her shoulder thought only his hand can be seen. She is dressed in a light
cotton summer dress which is provocatively unbuttoned to reveal shades of
flesh never seen by most men. Her face beckons the delights of a thousand
nights of pleasure as she smiles softly enjoying the soft caress of her
companion. Her hair is tousled and unkempt giving an air of seduction to
the picture. Bottles of wine and champagne litter the picnic blanket
perhaps hinting at the happy mood the subject is in. A single red rose
sits in her left hand though she seems not to be aware that a drop of
blood from her hand trickles down her soft skin. Perhaps the thorn beckons
to the illicit passion that she hides under her innocent form"
Portrait 3 - of which Jasmine is not aware and would be quite upset if she
did In a small rented studio in the Canongate lies Guiseppes private
collection, a host of dark and ironic pieces which have helped him heal
from his recent traumas. never to be revealed , many are plays on the
intertwining relationships of his close friends. Entitled "Circle of
Friends" " In the darkness of a room bedecked in the boudoir
style of a French mistress rests Jasmine draped naked on a bed revealed to
the world....Surrounding the bed area host of young men all undressed and
in a state of readiness. The faces of the men seem familiar to the
artist...Wells Coleman, Trevor (who gaze seems to be on Wells Coleman, or
perhaps not), Campiloini, The Count, Owen, Brenton, The Major, Father
Ashton, The Yellow King and others. Jasmine's hand seems to beckon in an
open fashion unsure of which pleasure to partake of. In the windows from
which the only light cascades one can see the winding and convoluted
streets of Carcosa" Portrait 4 - of which Jasmine is not aware and if
she ever does Signor C is elephant gun fodder A horrific piece detailing
the dark side of Campilioni's mind warped by his recent Mythos
experiences. Only these pictures are drawn in his darkest hour when he
wakes up from nightmares he cannot comprehend. His slow slide to insanity
begins here and if it continues even his normal work will take on this
shade. He has however found a small but lucrative market among the upper
class and private collector who seem to revel in the darkness of his
pieces. perhaps fulfilling their own fantasies that they will never
experience. Auctioned for sale in a private gentlemen's club on George
Street for selected clients only. Campilioni does not attend these but
employs a unscrupulous agent (Raymond Barton-Wakefield) for sales.
Entitled "The Hoar and the Snake" " The picture is a sea of
black with a single column of mystical light cascading to a central scene.
Atop an altar lies Jasmine legs apart and again revealed to the world.
Spanning from the centre of her legs is a long snakelike creature which
warps its way around her body and who's head is impaled on the groin of a
young man who's face is revealed but is a parody of the Yellow King though
the eyes show a feeling of distinct pleasure from the scene. His face does
however bear a scar in similar vein to Campilioni(!). Jasmine's face is in
a transfix of fear and pleasure as her worst nightmare crawls over her
body. Above the altar stands a huge figures with tentacled head and from
which snakes crawl into the darkness. The picture is in oil and in a
similar fashion to Vallejo"
from Millie : With a determination matched only by the way in
which she informed Mr. Wells- Coleman, after driving him home from a party
they attended together, that no, he could NOT touch her there, Millie
crosses Signor Campiloni's name off her list of possible
portrait-painters. (She has been noting possibilities on the dust-jacket
of Who's Who 1923.)
Alice observes, in a dark tone, that perhaps it is better for Millie to
understand the truth about men sooner rather than later. (She also has an
idea or two about Mr. Wells-Coleman's 'friendship' with Jasmine, which she
decides not to share with Millie at this time.) Millie responds that the
truth about men is far less important than good history and breeding, but
that allowing them to become too familiar will only damage one's chances
on the marriage market. As is rather too obvious from the second of Signor
Campiloni's portraits, in which he optimistically comments that Jasmine's
dress "is provocatively unbuttoned to reveal shades of flesh never
seen by most men" (Millie is too much a lady to wonder how many men
*have* seen those shades of flesh), men have little respect for women who
are excessively sociable, and rarely if ever marry them.
from Mr Wells-Coleman :[about the character
pictures]On an artistic note, great pictures (NO not yours
Campiloni!). I have to say Alice looks damn fine!
[about his social life] Hmmmmm The events and issues relating to
Mr Wells-Colemans time with Millie, Jasmine and any other young ladies is
not open for discussion. It would be improper to relate such tales!
[from the Carson family, on the subject of Sr Campilioni's
portraits...] Deary, deary me.... Drusilla would be even more
disturbed than Jasmine, and Aunt Abigail would definitely get the elephant
gun out if she suspected anything.... It appears that some gentlemen would
benefit from spending more time engaged in healthy pursuits such as sport
and cold showers instead of dwelling on the less savory aspects of life in
such lurid detail.
from Jasmine : A truly impressive feat on Sr Campilioni's part -
he has managed to turn out 2 portraits that would actually shock and
disgust even Jasmine . . . Pray she never finds out. Oh, by the way, was
picture number 2 to be presented to Jasmine? Or was Campilioni keeping it?
from Sr Campilioni :Ah What lies in the mind of the insane
(character that is!!) Nope not unless she walks into the private
collection of the few twisted gentlemen who have purchased the final
picture. The 1st was presented to Major and Mrs Carson The 2nd to Jasmine
as a present The 3rd remains in Sr C private nightmare collection in a
dark cupboard at his studio in the Canongate. The 4th bought by some
unknown wealthy person. (The pictures may shock but we are playing COC)
Millie and Mr Wells-Coleman attended some parties together in London
after his return from Austria in the Spring. Millie resolutely refused to
understand some of the suggestions the gentleman made to her at the end of
the evening, although she was prepared to grant his request for a portrait
to be painted of her. She was not entirely happy with his recommendation
of Sr Campilioni as the artist, however.
Back in Scotland, Jasmine, who had left the residential home for the rich
but bewildered, comforted Mr Wells-Coleman and did her best to help him
recover from the tragic loss of Trevor.
Jasmine and Sr Campilioni then took a holiday on Fantari Island as guests
of the Count.
Jasmine was delighted to find that Great-Aunt Abigail was so sympathetic
to the idea of young people being allowed to enjoy themselves without
chaperones, and even more delighted when she agreed to back up Jasmine's
story that she was in fact on holiday in the Isle of Wight with her
flatmate Hilda for a fortnight, instead of being in Italy in the company
of what could only be described as a man.
Sr Campilioni painted a series of portraits of Jasmine, one of which was
suitable to be presented to Drusilla and the Major, the others of which
were auctioned secretly to less conventional collectors. It was hoped that
Drusilla was sufficiently unfamiliar with Sr Campilioni's general artistic
style that her suspicions would not be aroused by the existence of the
official portrait.
The Count very much enjoyed Jasmine's company. As a result Sr Campilioni
may have been somewhat disappointed to find that Miss Hamilton-Smythe was
not free to socialise with him in the evenings.
Some time later Jasmine realised that she was pregnant, but had no idea
whether the father was Thomas or the Count. She confided in her Great
Aunt, who advised against an abortion on the grounds that it was extremely
dangerous. She suggested either an innocent trip abroad for a few months,
or a wedding, as an alternative.
Negotiations with the Count, through his lawyers, failed to secure an
offer of matrimony, but did result in a modest financial offer in exchange
for lack of scandal.
Aunt Abigail also had her suspicions concerning Sr Campilioni, but since
he was neither rich nor suitable husband material, she chose not to
acquaint him with Jasmine's circumstances.
Late in May 1923, probably quite early in the morning, around ten o'clock
or thereabouts Great Aunt Abigail paid a call on Mr Wells-Coleman. If he'd
been up late the night before he might have been a little the worse for
wear, but hopefully was capable of receiving visitors.
from Mr Wells-Coleman :I'm afraid Mr Wells-Coleman will be
leaving for Oxford this afternoon due to a death in the family. He is a
little distraught and seems to be far from his usual self! Good Morning
Miss Carson. What brings you here so early?
from Great Aunt Abigail : Aunt Abigail will offer her condolences
and enquire who has died. [She'll also be checking on Sr Campilioni when
she gets home...] As to what brings her here so early - "A delicate
matter, Mr Wells-Coleman. Also a matter which needs urgent consideration."
[after tea or some other suitable hospitality has been offered Aunt
Abigail will cut short her preliminary remarks about tiger hunting and get
straight to the point] "You recall our earlier discussion concerning
your friendship with my great-niece Mr Wells-Coleman? We agreed that the
welfare and reputation of the young lady would not be damaged, did we not?
So glad you agree. Anyway, it appears that there is need of action. I'm
sure neither your family nor ours wishes for a scandal. Jasmine is
expecting a baby. I'm sure a gentleman such as yourself can be relied upon
to do the proper thing under the circumstances."
from neither Millie nor Alice : As I said earlier: Mr.
Wells-Coleman should offer his heartiest congratulations to the father of
the child. Perhaps take him out for a celebratory pint. (NB this is a
player comment and should not be attributed to any character I play;
Millie would never be so snarky [in public] and after all has a wedding to
plan, and Alice really couldn't care less, although it does support an
opinion she has about upper-class men but which she is not willing to
share at this time)
Great Aunt Abigail will put on a very fearsome expression at
whoever said That! (Years of practice on The General, who was never at his
best over breakfast had given her a stare which had been credited with
causing at least one man-eating-tiger to change his dinner plans in a
hurry...)
A wedding! Congratulations, Millie dear. Who is the lucky young man? Will
the announcement be in The Times or in The Scotsman? Have you definitely
decided on the Bruges lace for the gown?
from Millie :No, no, the engagement is being kept under tight
wraps. Millie wishes to finish her Season. The announcement will therefore
not be made until mid-August. At that time, however, all of the right
papers will be notified and invitations issued. At present, the only
people who are aware of the engagement are the happy couple themselves,
Millie's parents, Millie's French maid, and a family lawyer. The gentleman
in question has not yet steeled himself to inform his own parents.
(However, his claim that this is an 'unofficial' engagement is of course
incorrect. The engagement is *quite* official, according to Daddy's
lawyer. It is simply unpublicised.)
Great Aunt Abigail will be pleased to see that Millie has learned
a lot about dealing with Society in the short time she has been here.
Obviously her precautions with the lawyer will be quite unnecessary, since
a gentleman would never go back on his word, but they are only sensible
under the circumstances. Gentlemen can be forgetful, after all...
from Millie :After Thomas returned from Vienna, he held the
memorial service for Trevor, began going to parties with Millie in London,
put the moves on her in the car after a particularly rambunctious party,
was rebuffed, and accepted this as a gentleman. But then Millie had a Very
Serious Think about Thomas, and decided that yes, she did want to marry
him. Being an American woman, she also decided that she could hardly sit
around waiting for him to get around to asking her, so she proposed. She
was sitting on the sofa, with tears in her eyes, clutching his hand....
The proposal AND engagement took place at the same time, in person,
towards the end of April. Let's say April 24. Millie had driven up to
Edinburgh to propose. She then returned to London within a day, to
continue the Season and to discuss the matter with her parents (and their
lawyer...). And who ever said that he *wanted* to escape from Millie? He
would have proposed, he says. At some point. It's just that she, being
American, wasn't going to sit around waiting. Do you have any IDEA how
long it takes to plan a wedding????
Great Aunt Abigail reckons she can have all the necessary
arrangments made in ten days, but in an emergency 24 hours will do.
from Millie : Dear heavens, I mean a PROPER wedding! It takes
simply AGES!
Mr Wells-Coleman will enquire who the father is as he would like
to congratulate them. He will then become very serious and suggest some
monotary compensation would be in order. Thomas will visit Millie while in
Oxford. He will have spoken to his Father (not his mother) about the
engagement. Thomas' dear Grandmother has passed away. Thomas is very
distraut as he and his gran were extremely close.
Great Aunt Abigail will profess some disappointment at his failure
to offer to marry Jasmine. (Actually she wasn't really expecting that he
would, given the difference in social status, but it's a good opening
position for negotiations...). She will then reassure Mr Wells-Coleman
that a sufficient financial settlement will ensure that dear Jasmine does
not announce publicly that he is the father. She'll suggest a lump sum of
£600 (enough to buy a modest house) and support of £150 a year
until the child is 21 years old. Or a lump sum of £3000 and no child
support. Would that be acceptable to the gentleman? Offer sincere
condolences about Thomas's grandmother.
Millie will be very relieved at this visit from Thomas, although
of course she will be dreadfully sorry for her betrothed's bereavement.
She will of course have noticed the death notice in the paper. (Even if
this is Thomas' grandmother on his mother's side, rather than the dowager
duchess, she will still be of noble enough birth to have warranted a
mention--though if Thomas' mother were not entirely blue-blooded it would
explain why she's such a freaking snob about Thomas marrying a Yank. :])
from Great Aunt Abigail: Jasmine dear, I'm afraid that Mr
Wells-Coleman, like the Count, will only be offering money. But don't
worry dear, the Duchess is a perfectly dreadful snob and you are a lot
better off without her for a mother-in-law. She would have done her best
to make you miserable. And high society can be so stuffy, you would have
got bored so quickly there. Now, we must be practical. If you would like
to have the child adopted then we need to arrange a little trip to Europe
for a few months. If you would like to keep it then the sooner we find a
suitable husband for you the better. Either than nice police inspector or
possibly Charlie Hunter the trumpeter might be persuaded, don't you think?
You have a nice little dowry now, as well as your own considerable charms.
It seems to me that that would be more than adequate compensation for a
young man willing to turn a blind eye to certain details...
Jasmine thinks that the police inspector might be rather stuffy
and boring in the long term, but Charlie is much more interesting.
Great Aunt Abigail suggests dealing with the easy bits of the job
first: get the groom organised and book the church. Then we have to do the
scary part - breaking the news to Drusilla...
from JasmineYeeep! All current pique about Thomas's failure to
fall at her feet, and considerations about who to choose in his place,
recede as Jasmine focusses on this aspect of events. Aunt Abigail, you
couldn't ask Hari to bring me a whisky could you? And what do you think of
the idea of my eloping and telling Auntie Dru afterwards?
from Great Aunt Abigail: Whiskey for Miss Hamilton-Smythe, Hari.
[about eloping] Nonsense dear. You are the
great-great-niece-by-marriage of General Henry Augustus Carson, and he
never retreated from anything. The Minister is ready to post the banns at
St Mary's just as soon as we can give him a name for the groom. Now you
just go and tell the lucky young man he's expected for tea at Uncle
James's on Thursday. I shall come along too and be sure that everything
goes smoothly. It's been days since I've seen little Rosemary, after all.
[in Punjabi - Hari, telephone my nephew and tell him that he's expecting
us for tea on Thursday.]
Great Aunt Abigail's visit to Mr Wells-Coleman is actually taking
place in late May, not in late April as previously stated. This means that
Thomas and Millie have been secretly engaged for about a month and that
news of Lady Margaret's death has already appeared in all the papers.
Abigail doesn't know about the engagement, but the mysterious death of one
of Thomas's known lady friends in what can only be described as
suspiciously occult circumstances will have attracted her attention. In
view of the fact that Aunt Abigail knows of Lady Margaret's dramatic and
gory death before her interview with Mr Wells-Coleman she will almost
certainly have considered the possibility that Mr Wells-Coleman had
something to do with it. After all, there are a limited number of people
who know anything about the occult, and the coincidence of Mr
Wells-Coleman making Lady M's acquaintance, the brass head being acquired
anonymously and her subsequent demise - just as Mr Wells-Coleman began to
spend more time with Millie - has to be investigated. Aunt Abigail will
advise Jasmine to be out of town before she herself pays a visit to Mr
Wells-Coleman. She'll also have asked Owen and Stephen for help in finding
out whether anything resembling a brass head was found in the home of the
late Lady Margaret. And maybe that nice Mr Richardson might be able to
help too, if his discretion can be relied upon. We did save his employer's
life, after all, so he might still be grateful to us. Aunt Abigail also
wants to know who Mr Wells-Coleman has been seen with at parties and at
dinner in the last few months. Aunt Abigail will also appeal to the Major
for assistance in investigating Lady Margaret's death, and Drusilla will
almost certainly be aware of this, although Aunt Abigail won't be
mentioning Jasmine's delicate condition to anyone. Abigail is looking for
help in finding press cuttings and other relevant information on the death
of Lady Margaret and loads of innocent bystanders. Her family background
might well help too. Background on that rather unsavoury Crowley chap that
Lady Margaret was interested in would also be useful. And also, anything
relating to any items bought at the recent auction in Vienna, including
the brass head which was stolen, then returned, then purchased by a
mystery bidder.
Stephen takes notes and promises to start right away on searching
for information about the death of Lady Margaret. He also promises to see
what he can find out about the brass head and the other items sold at the
Vienna auction. As for Crowley he is not sure, but will see what he can
turn up, birth records and such like background information at least he
hopes.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Could Mr Aidenbury and Mr St-Chapman
please look into the late Trevor's life, friendships and hobbies? She'll
inform the Major of the existence of this new line of enquiry. Aunt
Abigail has formulated the vaguely plausible hypothesis that Mr
Wells-Coleman was extremely upset by something he found in Trevor's diary.
She also thinks that Mr Wells-Coleman may have suspected that there was
something in Trevor's diary - otherwise why would a gentleman have looked
at it in the first place? The shock of whatever the revelation was could
have sent Mr Wells-Coleman over the edge sanity-wise and then, shortly
afterwards, there was news that one of his four known lady friends had
died in suspiciously occult circumstances. The "one of his four known
lady friends" part will be edited to "a lady with whom we know
his acquaintance had been very intimate in Vienna" when speaking to
anyone other than Hari on the subject. Basically she thinks he's gone nuts
and has started murdering his girlfriends. She is desperately hoping to be
proved wrong on this one as he is someone she's known for a long time and
she is actually quite fond of him in a way, quite apart from the fact that
if she's right both Millie and Jasmine are in deadly peril.
Mr. St-Chapman will take notes and add this enquiry his present
list and get back to you
from Great Aunt Abigail: [at an artist's studio somewhere in
Edinburgh]Mr Campilioni, how nice to see you. Is that your latest
masterpiece? Don't gibber, Man! Do you think I've never seen temple
sculptures before? The whole of India is covered with them for heaven's
sake! Interesting artistic style. Possibly not one which your main clients
would find to their taste, although I believe there are alternative sale
rooms somewhere around the place. Now then, it would save us both a lot of
time if you would just tell me what you've been doing for Mr Wells-Coleman
lately. [Aunt Abigail takes out a hip flask of whiskey and offers some to
Mr Campilioni, then sits back to listen to his story...]
from Sr Campilioni: Well its like this you see Abigail There is
really nothing I can say at the moment. Mr Wells Coleman is a fine
upstanding gentlemen and whatever you may think he has never approached me
about any work so far. You see the thing about us Italians is we have a
reputation and and people take us the wrong way. Nice whisky though. I was
saddened to here of the recent deaths but life can be so cruel.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Psychology roll for Aunt Abigail, please
GM. Does she believe Mr Campilioni? What does Mr Campilioni know of the
recent deaths? Whose deaths is he talking about?
Aunt Abigail will tell him (briefly) about the Indian tradition of eunuchs
and the little minature sickles used, before returning to the subject in
hand. It is impossible to tell whether this is just random eccentricity,
or a train of thought she has reached after seeing his paintings, or a
deliberate attempt to unsettle and distress her listener so as to
encourage him to drink more whiskey and therefore talk more freely than he
might otherwise be prepared to.
Note that Aunt Abigail is absolutely not going to mention that her visit
has anything at all to do with Jasmine or Millie. If she strongly believes
Mr Campilioni about not working for Thomas she may mention that she thinks
Lady Margaret's death should be investigated, but that very much depends
on her psychology roll. She finds the sketches of Millie and wants to know
who commissioned the portrait
from Sr Campilioni :Ah Abigail. This fine minature portrait is for
Millie herself. She commisoned it from me after she saw the single
portrait I did of dear Jasmine while we were in the (cough) Isle of Wight.
Perhaps you yourself would like one painted while you visit, perhaps an
Indian background added in. My fees are very reasonable.
Great Aunt Abigail reminds Mr Campilioni that Jasmine was with
Hilda on the Isle of Wight and that he himself was actually elsewhere at
the time. Mention that my dear neice, Drusilla, is much recovered
following the ordeal of giving birth and will be capable of getting out
and about very soon. Remain very suspicious, on the grounds that
a) Millie was not impressed by the Campilioni artistic style in general
b) Millie was very unlikely to have wanted to be painted by someone who
had previously painted Jasmine.
c) Millie is in London.
But do not tell Mr Campilioni any of this.
Aunt Abigail thanks Mr Campilioni for his offer of a portrait and enquires
politely as to the prices. She says she is very much interested in Mr
Campilioni's painting style and is curious to know who else might have
commissioned portraits recently. Search the studio (quite openly) for
portraits of Trevor, Mr Wells-Coleman,Jasmine and indeed anyone else she
recognises. Comment on pictures as she is looking at them "Ah yes,
Lady X, a fine woman", "Daffodils, Mr Campilioni? How charming."
"Interesting use of light and reflection there, but is what they are
doing physically possible?" etc, etc. Hopefully Mr Campilioni will be
so thunderstruck by a mad old lady running amok in his workshop and
treating it like an art gallery that he won't try and stop her for a while
at least. Of course if she finds sketches of Trevor her worst fears will
be confirmed...
On a Thursday in June at teatime Great Aunt Abigail, Jasmine and Charlie
Hunter (a trumpeter) arrived at Major and Mrs Carson's. Aunt
Abigail greeted her beloved nephew with the words "Now James, I hope
you won't make any difficulties." The Carsons found Charlie to be a
charming young man, but were rather concerned at his obvious lack of
finances. Jasmine's announcement that they were engaged caused some polite
consternation. Aunt Abigail's supplementary announcement that the church
was book for a week on Saturday caused uproar. Abigail assured the Carsons
that the young couple had sufficient money to start a life together quite
comfortably, but did not reveal it's source.
Drusilla took her neice of for a quiet word and established the reason
that Jasmine was in a hurry to get married was the forthcoming expansion
of her waistline.
The Major slightly rearranged Abigail's plans by suggesting the Jasmine
and Charlie should perhaps elope romantically and marry in Paris so as to
avoid a local scandal. A compromise involving a Church blessing following
their return to Edinburgh was agreed. The Major agreed to meet expenses
for the trip and for a couple of suitable dresses for Jasmine.
from Drusilla - speaking after the elopement : Aunt Abigail,
it is clear to me that the young man is not well off. You assured us that
money would not be a problem. I am a little concerned as to how this is
the case?
from Great Aunt Abigail: Nothing to worry about dear, and probably
nothing you need discuss with James since he might feel the need to
challenge the gentleman to a duel or something equally melodramatic and
unneccessary. A wealthy gentleman has made a generous offer and Jasmine
need not worry about money as a result.
from Drusilla : I see. [pause for consideration of the situation]
And is Mr Hunter aware of the situation? Some things are going to become
very obvious before very long.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Jasmine has not mentioned any names to
him, but he is, I believe, familiar with the general circumstances and has
no major objections. Jasmine is, after all, a young lady of considerable
charm, and quite a catch for him. He is prepared to turn a blind eye.
from Drusilla : Very well, I shall send my brother a telegram
informing him of his daughter's romantic elopement. I don't think the
other matter is a proper subject for discussion as yet.
Drusilla then pauses to consider the list of wealthy men who Jasmine is
acquainted with. The list consists of the rather odious Edward
Chitterling-Bream, who she knows Jasmine actively avoids, and the rather
charming Thomas Wells-Coleman, who she knows Jasmine was rather interested
in. She will probably ask the Major if he happens to know what Mr
Wells-Coleman has been doing since his return from Vienna. What are the
chances of the Major informing Drusilla about Abigail's ongoing
investigation?
Aunt Abigail will have insisted on a photo of the happy couple
being taken at the church doors after the Blessing, and she will have a
print in a frame somewhere about her house. Jasmine no doubt looked
radiant and lovely. She'll presumably have a similar one of Drusilla and
the Major, and, knowing her level of tact, probably one of the Major and
his first wife as well... Aunt Abigail likes Charlie a lot and will be
delighted to have the happy couple call on her whenever they like.
from Jasmine : They may actually do this, Jasmine is quite fond of
Aunt Abigail, and certainly grateful to her, and she doesn't object too
strongly to tiger-hunting stories - at least there aren't the awkward gaps
that happen on the rare occasions when she has tea or dinner with Auntie
Dru.
Auntie Dru has revised her opinion of Charlie, since finding out
from Abigail that he's not actually the cause of Jasmine's pregnancy, but
instead the knight in shining armour who rescued her from disgrace, so
she's making an effort to be nice as well. Respectable dinner parties with
people who might be useful to Charlie's career are on hold until after
Jasmine has her waistline back, but Drusilla will definitely be thinking
along the lines of being pleasant and helpful.
from Sr Campilioni : The torment, the pain, the anguish , the loss
of one's true love is hard to bear. Within the pit of his now half mad
mind Guiseppe had construed that Jasmine was the center of his being and
that she could heal him of his woes. Ever since Guiseppe stared into the
face of the Yellow King in the haunts of Carcosa his slippage in madness
was tempered by his paintings and works. Becoming forever darker, though
Guiseppe saw them as pictures of beauty. His image of Jasmine was of the
Dark Mother Healer thinking she could bring back from the nightmares he
suffers when he is asleep. Alas no more, no more.... This last act may
finish him completely as he trys hold his inner self together the violence
and rage which is already starting to bubble.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Did Jasmine know Giuseppe was in love
with her? Great Aunt Abigail had assumed he was just lusting... Oh well,
assuming she figures out that he's upset (psychology roll at the Church
Blessing ceremony probably) she'll do her best to cheer him up, although
it's fair to say that her efforts will turn out to be something of a
toned-down version of Archchancellor Ridcully's efforts to stop the Bursar
at the Unseen University from being such a nervous wreck... She'll
probably start by inviting him round to look at her hunting trophies one
evening, feeding him whiskey, and telling him that it's best not to take
these things to heart so much.
from Sr Campilioni : NO one knew this fact, it all started when he
mentioned he thought she was very sociable but the presence of Dru and the
Major was off putting.
[player comment] As, no doubt, was the fact that she was draping
herself over Thomas shortly after that... Although wasn't that in the
Dreamlands and none of the men actually remember what happened there?
from Great Aunt Abigail: Poor Mr C. Aunt Abigail will try her best
to be nice to him. Possibly her pep-talks about the value of stoicism are
not what he needs just now, but she does mean well...
from Sr Campilioni : [about the Dreamlands]some residual dreams
were retained nothing other than - "Jasmine is single and I want her"
sort of dreams.
Abigail to Guiseppe reminds him of his old Grandma back on Sciliy
unfortunately as he is now mentally unstable (or thats I the way I am
playing him) then he may resent being talked like a child.
from Great Aunt Abigail: I don't think Abigail is talking to
Guiseppe as if he's a child. She talks to the Major that way, but that's
different since he's her nephew. Her general attitude to young people and
their love affairs is one of nostalgia. It's no longer an issue for her,
but she has fond memories of the old days in India. And she's probably
just about enough of a wicked old lady to still regard handsome young men
of her acquaintance as Eye-Candy, not children. On the whole she'll be
talking to Guiseppe as a sympathetic friend, trying to remind him that
these things seem dreadful at the time, but one does get over them. What
she won't be doing so well at is the inherent assumption that Guiseppe
will have the British Imperial approach to emotional trauma, which is
basically to bottle it all up and not "let people down" by
showing weakness. She understands that there is pain behind the facade.
What she doesn't understand is that there is a possibility of the facade
crumbling away completely.
Aunt Abigail is afraid that Guiseppe may still be slightly upset in spite
of her lectures on the value of stoicism (she has a very British gift for
understatement), so she calls on the newly-wed Mrs Hunter one afternoon
and warns her to treat Guiseppe delicately for a while until he's got over
the worst of the disappointment.
Jasmine will be rather taken aback by Aunt Abigail's warnings. Of
course she'd flirted a little with Giuseppe, and she's not the type to be
innocently astonished and perturbed by hearing that another conquest has
fallen at her feet. But Giuseppe had so very definitely kept his hands off
that she'd really rather come to think of him as a kind of neuter male
acquaintance, she will of course express sympathy to Aunt Abigail for poor
Mr Campilioni and promise to be sensitive. (Another nice little ego boost,
and what with the DIVINE Parisienne elopement Jasmine is really feeling
rather contented, and very disposed to be magnaminous, besides she does
have the sense, or even the sensitivity that given the circumstances of
their marriage, Charlies ego will need some careful grooming too and she
is actually making an effort to be good about other men. It hasn't got too
difficult yet of course, Charlie being the darling gorgeous creature he is
and the marriage barely out of the honeymoon stage.) Incidentally has Aunt
Abigail heard anything more with regard to her suspicions that Mr
Wells-Coleman is a mass-murdering psycopath?
from Great Aunt Abigail: The investigators are out looking still,
[waiting for GM feedback]. Abigail will probably have let Drusilla find
out about the investigation since she's recovered from childbirth now.
Drusilla is alarmed at the possibility that Thomas has gone insane
and become a danger.
Jasmine's parents reacted quite well to the news of her marriage and
presented her with a quantity of jewellery as a wedding gift, as well as
two open tickets for a return trip on a transatlantic liner so that they
could meet their new son-in-law, although Daddy did then cut off Jasmine's
allowance on the grounds that a married woman should be supported by her
husband, not her father.
By July Thomas and Millie's courtship is not proceeding as smoothly as it
might. Millie's doting father made a few enquiries into Thomas's
background and expressed his concerns to some friends in the Italian
American community. These friends then dispatched their local
representative, one Guiseppe Campilioni, to speak to the prospective groom
and remind him of the importance of good conduct in his relationship with
his fiancee.
Guiseppe, unhinged by the trauma of Jasmine's marriage, delivered a
rather more forceful message than was originally intended.
Thomas complained to Millie, who complained to her father, who totally
truthfully denied all knowledge of any plot to threaten Thomas. Thomas
then reconsidered the whole prospect of matrimony.
from Guiseppe : Rumours are also abound that the Wedding is
off but until the Marquis of Aylesbury officially announces anything we
must wait.
from Millie : It's still possible that there won't *be* an
engagement party (Millie might have to make a SAN role just at the
*thought* of such a possibility!).
If the wedding of Thomas and Millie does not happen, very bad things
could result. A Summon Cthulhu spell would wreak *much* less havoc than a
woman who's lost her chance to marry a Duke's eldest son....
Abigail, if she ever finds out about Thomas and Millie's
engagement, will probably be torn between
a) being delighted at the thought of the Duchesses reaction
b) worrying about Jasmine, although of course now that Thomas has paid up
and Jasmine is happily married this is less of a problem...
c) worrying about whether Thomas will be a good, or even adequate, husband
for Millie. Admittedly Millie mostly wanted a Title, but does the poor
dear girl know that her intended appears to not only promiscuous but
bisexual....? She'd not only have to be careful to avoid employing pretty
parlourmaids, but also to avoid employing pretty footmen....
from Thomas : Get my lawyers!
Millie strongly suspects that Abigail has pretty much figured it
out, given Millie's concern over Thomas during the early parts of the
Campilioni adventure. Alice obviously knows, because of her connection
with Millie's family. I doubt that the main Carson clan know, given that
they aren't well-acquainted with Millie, unless Abigail has mentioned
anything to them, which I can't imagine she would (given the
Jasmine/Thomas situation). I expect Hari too has put two and two together,
with or without Abigail's help. But I could be wrong on all counts....
Abigail certainly realises that Millie has intentions towards
Thomas. She is probably uncertain as to Thomas's intentions towards
Millie, although, given Millie's strong desire to marry into the British
aristocracy, Abigail suspects that she will have had enough sense to have
involved the family lawyers in any courtship and that therefore Thomas
will have been more careful with Millie than he was with Jasmine.
The summer of 1923 proved to be very hot and dry. Great-Aunt Abigail
was pleased to see that the climate was finally acting like it should and
that the Dry Season had finally arrived. She expressed the hope that it
would be followed by a proper Monsoon Season instead of the usual
half-hearted drizzle and fogs.
In August, while Sr Campilioni was in London arranging for a very
discrete sale of one of his portraits of Jasmine, the Major was summonded
to visit an old school friend, Harry Forby, who had been taken ill with
brain-fever in Middlesex. Great-Aunt Abigail expressed the opinion that
she should accompany him, since she had some experience of nursing
brain-fever cases. She asked Hari to pack some carbolic soap, as one never
knows what facilities will be available in the villages.
They arrived by train, having failed to notify the Forbys of their
expected time of arrival, and had to send a boy from the village to fetch
the carriage for them.
Resident in the house were Mr Forby, Mrs Gertrude Forby, their son George
(aged 12) and Mrs Forby's brother, the young and handsome John Meddler.
Hari dined with the servants and heard the young maid's rather sensational
stories of a green furry ghost which plagued the family and which had
apparently killed Mr Forby's grandfather.
The Major and Aunt Abigail were told of a treasure hidden in the house or
grounds by the grandfather. Mr Forby wanted it found and was in some
distress at the thought that a mysterious prowler who had been seen
outside the house might find the treasure first. His doctor had suggested
that finding the treasure might help to cure the brain-fever. Mr Forby's
father had apparently also died during a hot, dry summer, when Mr Forby
himself was only 13. The whole household was obliged to share Mr Forby's
invalid diet, so dinner was not impressive.
A telegram was sent summoning Alice and Sr Campilioni to help in the
treasure hunt.
During the night Hari and Aunt Abigail both heard a prowler. Hari woke the
butler and together they found a smear on one of the window frames which
looked like grass, mud and moss. The prowler disappeared in the direction
of the mausoleum.
In the morning Hari went into town in search of food supplies, Great-Aunt
Abigail looked in the library and found the grandfather's journal, which
had several pages missing, and the Major went for a walk in the grounds to
look at the mausoleum. A portrait of Nicholas holding a large green gem,
painted by his great friend, Christopher, a minor artist, was also to be
found in the library.
In the afternoon Alice arrived and assisted Aunt Abigail in the Library.
The Major retired to the pub, where he was later found by Sr Campilioni in
a state of some inebriation, having been buying drinks for locals who were
prepared to tell him ghost stories.
The Major and Sr Campilioni wended their way home in a somewhat
inebriated state. Sr Campilioni seranaded the already drought-stricken
landscape with Italian operatic classics. Mr Meddlar overtook them on the
road and Sr Campilioni greeted him Italian style with kisses on both
cheeks. Once he had got over his surprise Mr Meddlar seemed very
interested in what they had discovered that afternoon.
Alice was appalled by the lack of organisation in the Library but
nonetheless set to work and found many more clues.
Aunt Abigail and Hari took a stroll in the grounds in the early evening.
They lost the trail of the green monster as it appeared to be heading
South towards the village, and also inspected the statues which were
surrounded by rose bushes, preventing close examination or the reading of
inscriptions.
Aunt Abigail visited both Sr Campilioni and the Major before dinner,
bringing an old Indian cure for drunkenness consisting of raw egg,
Worcestershire sauce and chilli. Sr Campilioni greeted her with kisses and
then drank the cure. Hari, being familiar with the routine from years of
dealing with Aunt Abigail's father, The General, in similar circumstances,
managed to position a bowl perfectly and avoid any mess or unpleasantness
on either the carpet or Aunt Abigail. The Major, having experienced the
cure before, thanked his aunt politely, took the drink and then closed the
door on her. He is suspected to have emptied it into the water-closet.
Dinner was bland as usual.
Mrs Forby seemed to be smiling at Sr Campilioni.
After dinner the group moved to the Library with some ham and piccalilli
sandwiches which they discretely hid from their host. Alice decoded the
inscription around the portrait of Nicholas Forby as meaning that there
was something to be found by moving the firedog in the fireplace under the
portrait. Hari moved the firedog and revealed a secret room just big
enough to contain a chair and a manuscript, which turned out to be the
missing pages of the journal. It appeared that Nicholas Forby had spied on
the household using a secret passage and had discovered that his wife was
having an affair with Christopher the artist. He believed that Alister
Forby (Harry's father) was not his son, and on closer examination of the
portrait collection the group concluded that he was probably correct in
this assumption. Some notes written in the margin indicated that Alister
Forby had found the pages and was distraught by the discovery.
Nicholas Forby had left a cryptic note saying that he was going to prevent
Alister inheriting the gem. References to Perseus, Apollo and Prometheus
led the group to hypothesise that a reflection of the fire through the
window into the bay laurel trees, from the desk at which Nicholas Forby
was portrayed in the portrait would reveal where the gem was hidden. It
appeared that this pointed at the statue of Icarus after he drowned,
Nicholas Forby's last sculpture, which was at the centre of the rose
garden.
It was by now late at night, so they planned to discuss an excavation of
the rose garden with the family over breakfast.
Nicholas also appeared to have cursed Alister to have an unfaithful wife
and to die as he had done, although specific details were difficult to
determine.
Watches were set in the Major's room on the first floor of the building.
Alice's watch was incident free, apart from a large amount of difficulty
in waking Guiseppe at the start of his watch.
Some time later Guiseppe sneaked into Aunt Abigail's room and woke her up
with the news that the monster had been sighted but both Hari and the
Major were proving difficult to rouse. Aunt Abigail rose to the challenge
and applied a cold, wet flannel to the Major. She was rather kinder to
Alice and Hari.
Meanwhile Guiseppe reported that the monster was moving around the outside
of the house.
The group rushed to the sitting room where a hideous green creature with
teeth and claws, vaguely resembling a bipedal tiger, was looking in at the
patio doors. It shook it's paw at them angrily and then ran off. Alice and
Abigail set off in hot pursuit, closely followed by Hari and the Major.
Guiseppe heroically stayed behind to make sure that no more monsters
sneaked in through the open patio doors in their absence. The creature
outran even Abigail and disappeared into the woods beyond the mausoleum.
On their return to the house Hari woke the butler and advised him that
there was more evidence of supernatural prowlers to be concealed from the
master of the house before morning.
Our heroines and heroes discussed a few of their various findings with
the family at breakfast and obtained permission to investigate the statue
of Icarus in the rose garden, the mausoleum and the house in search of
green gems.
It was noticed that Guiseppe was given more butter on his toast than the
other diners. Mrs Forby continued to smile at him.
The group started at the mausoleum and examined the sarcophagus belonging
to Nicholas Forby, as well as Alister's coffin. The carvings in the
mausoleum were disturbing.
Dry weather made the monster's trail difficult to follow and they lost
track of it beyond the woods.
Investigations in the rose garden revealed that the statue's pedestal was
apparently solid stone, although the statue itself was hollow. It was
decided that hacking off one of its feet to search inside was probably in
rather poor taste.
No green gems were found.
Lunch was bland.
After lunch Hari went shopping for more provisions in the village. The
Major accompanied him and got lunch at the pub.
Meanwhile Alice returned to the library.
Aunt Abigail acquired a tape measure before leading Mr Campilioni
upstairs... She found what she was looking for in the Master Bedroom.
A few minutes later Alice was severely alarmed by a creaking noise in the
far corner of the library, followed by a hidden door opening and Aunt
Abigail saying cheerfully "Sorry dear, I didn't mean to startle you.
We seem to have found the secret passage."
The passage led along behind the family bedrooms and the library, then
decended to cellar level and popped up again in the stables, where the
dogs objected to Mr Campilioni's sudden appearance. Footprints in the dust
indicated that the passage had previously been used by young Master George
Forby.
In spite of her shock at the sudden appearance of Aunt Abigail, Alice had
had a very successful afternoon in the library. She had found not only
Alister's diary, but also his wife's. His wife mentioned her affection for
the young village doctor. This appeared to be the same doctor who was
currently treating both Harry and Guy for their various ailments.
from Sr Campilioni : the master bedroom.... huh!!!!!!
Great Aunt Abigail was very pleased with the outcome of her
afternoon with Sr Campilioni. He appears to be a man of many talents.
from Sr Campilioni :Guiseppe will attempt to maintain a social
atmosphere at all times and avoid Abigails tape measure.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Giuseppe only got slightly mauled by
guard dogs as a result of Abigail and the tape measure, so he really
shouldn't complain.
from Sr Campilioni : G getting mauled by dogs would have probably
have kept Abigail satisfied if she was truly aware of all G paintings.
from Great Aunt Abigail: Our esteemed GM ruled that Guiseppe kept
all the really bad ones under lock and key, so Abigail will only have seen
whatever he was working on at the time when she gate-crashed his studio,
plus the mildly disturbing stuff which is still more-or-less fit for
public consumption. Abigail is probably greatly relieved at not seeing the
true depths of Mr Campilioni's depravity, since her claim to have seen it
all before in Indian temples was somewhat exaggerated and it would have
been a Sanity Roll once the adreniline wore off. She's managed to reach
the age of 67 with the impression that sex is basically nice, and
something people do for fun, if not for love. She really wouldn't want her
illusions shattered at her time of life.
from Sr Campilioni :Actually G is a bit fond of the old dear and
really does not want anything to happen to her and would put himself in
harms way to protect her if need be.. G life recently has been devoid of
all family connections.
from Great Aunt Abigail: How sweet of Sr Campilioni.
The Major tried to talk to young George Forby, but didn't get much
relevant information out of him. They had a very pleasant chat about
artillery, though.
Hari consulted with the servants on various subjects.
In the late afternoon Mrs Forby invited our heroines and heroes to join
her and Mr Meddlar in a picnic on the lawn. Mr Forby was asleep and so the
food was rather more inspiring that it had been previously.
Guiseppe said he would take a stroll around the lake. Mrs Forby said she
would join him, and Aunt Abigail said that in that case so would everyone
else.
Mr Forby awoke from his nap and came out to see his wife strolling
arm-in-arm with Mr Campilioni. He was not pleased. Luckily Hari had
cleared the tea things up, so he wasn't further upset by the sight of
fancy cakes and sandwiches with flavour in.
Alice punched Guiseppe in the back. He almost lost his temper completely,
and stormed off.
A family row ensued. Mrs Forby ran out of the house and was comforted by
Abigail. Alice tried to communicate with Mr Forby. Mr Meddlar left the
house in a hurry and headed to the woods.
George took some of the game pie from the secret passage. Abigail went to
visit him and established that his use of the secret passage was in order
to take books from the library without his parents' knowledge. She also
talked to him about his ambitions to be a doctor and about her experience
of nursing in a cholera hospital.
Aunt Abigail, with her usual level of tact, dragged Guiseppe into the
secret passage behind the library and told him not to commit adultery with
Mrs Forby, on the grounds that this might activate the horrible curse on
the family...
Guiseppe was not convinced. He met Mrs Forby later and arranged an
assignation.
One of the maids was missing. After dinner Hari and Bates found her
unconscious near the woods. She was revived and claimed to have seen a
green monster at the edge of the woods. Mr Meddlar had seen nothing.
Most of the evening was spent in chaperoning Mrs Forby and Guiseppe.
Abigail felt rather guilty since Mr Forby was clearly not very kind to his
wife, and Guiseppe hadn't been lucky in love so far. The Major thought
Guiseppe was simply being a cad, and Alice had her generally low opinion
of men confirmed by his conduct.
Abigail tried to get Mrs Forby to examine the diaries in an attempt to put
her off committing adultery, but Mrs Forby refused to listen.
Guiseppe spent the first watch of the night failing to elude the rest of
the party's attempts to chaperone him. Eventually he locked himself in the
bedroom and sulked.
The sound of dogs howling alerted the party to trouble outside the house.
The dogs were in considerable distress and led our heroes and heroines to
the woods where the body of Old Fred was found covered in claw marks. The
following morning was spent talking to the police about the death of Fred.
In the afternoon Alice and Abigail went to call on the local doctor and
managed to persuade him to hand over some papers that Harry's mother had
left in his possession in which Aleister Forby claimed that he and his
father had been murdered.
The Major headed in to town, convinced that getting a kitten to keep Mrs
Forby company would help her to overcome her lust for Italians. Others
wondered how a man whose closest relatives were Abigail, Drusilla and
Jasmine had managed to develop such a sweet and idealised view of women.
Hari was left alone to chaperone Guiseppe, and sadly, managed to lose him
in the secret tunnel. Knocking on Mrs Forby's locked door achieved no
useful results, and Hari failed to persuade young George Forby to disturb
his mother in the middle of her nap.
Later that afternoon Hari invited Guiseppe for a walk and attempted to
engage in some traditional British fisticuffs to express his disapproval
at Sr Campilioni's attempts to bring horrible curses down on the family by
committing adultery. Guiseppe, however pulled a switchblade out of his
hat. After some grappling Hari was stabbed twice and then threatenned with
a gun. Guiseppe headed back to Edinburgh in a hurry while Hari limped back
to the house where Abigail and Alice bandaged him up in secret.
The Major, meanwhile, having been informed that Guiseppe had something of
an obsession with Jasmine, leapt onto the next train to Edinburgh and
rushed to defend his family there.
Mrs Forby was very disappointed to hear at dinner that The Major and
Guiseppe had been called back to Edinburgh on urgent business.
An unsuccessful evening of investigating the chimney and the painting
followed.
That night Alice and Hari kept watch in the library. Hari heard a noise
in the corridor and rushed to investigate. He saw the Green Man sneaking
towards the Master Bedroom and raised the alarm, then rugby tackled the
creature. In the course of a struggle he was knocked unconscious.
Meanwhile Harry had woken up, then fainted, Gertrude had arrived and
started screaming and George had arrived and was trying to follow Aunt
Abigail's instruction to get his mother out of the room. Abigail
eventually shot the monster and Bates discovered that it was, in fact, Mr
Meddlar in disguise. Hari was revived, but remained very weak.
Alice, meanwhile, had spotted the statue of Icarus moving off it's
pedestal and walking towards the house and was very alarmed.
The sound of heavy footsteps climbing the stairs caused much panic and
consternation. Abigail shot the statue four times at point blank range and
failed to do more than chip it, so she started yelling instructions to
Bates to carry Mr Forby out of the house. Alice hit the statue with a
poker and was knocked unconscious by its fists. Abigail had to assist
Bates with Mr Forby, and at the foot of the stairs they met Mrs Bates and
Connie, who were also drafted in to the carrying team.
Hari, meanwhile, realised that Nicholas Forby's statues were vulnerable
to the cold and suggested that they trap the statue in the ice house.
Using the unconscious Harry Forby as a lure they managed to trap it there.
Bates, Mrs Bates and Connie then barracaded the door and eventually the
statue stopped moving.
When it was smashed up with axes it was found to contain the bones of a
person, presumed to be Christopher Lehmann, who had been murdered by
Nicholas Forby as well as a green metal egg containing valuable secret
casting techniques and a confession to murder from Nicholas. Abigail hid
the confession and gave the rest of the papers and the egg to the Forbys.
In the long term they were reasonably valuable.
After hiding the bones from inside the statue and explaining to the
police how Mr Meddlar had been killed in self-defence after attacking Mr
Forby our heroes and heroines returned to Edinburgh where they failed to
find any trace of Mr Campilioni. Great Aunt Abigail asked his landlady to
let her know when he reappeared.
Hari blames himself for not issuing a proper challenge to a
fight before hitting Mr Campilioni. He feels that this may have
contributed to Mr Campilioni's disproportionate response.
Great Aunt Abigail assures Hari that she has confidence that he
acted as his conscience dictated and should not reproach himself. Mr
Campilioni's response can be partially blamed on his being foreign, after
all.
from Jasmine : Almost immediately upon his return to Edinburgh, Sr
Campilioni paid Jasmine a visit. Assuming this means that the whole party
has returned Jasmine will phone Aunt Abigail, getting no reply she will
then phone James & Drusilla's home. She will ask for Uncle James
primarily, but if he has not reached home yet, she will speak to Drusilla
- being slightly less concerned than James & Abigail about the
possibility of turning the milk sour.
"Mr Campilioni just called in and didn't seem at all well, he was
acting all jumpy & scared and rushed as if there was someone after him
and they were catching up. He was going on like crazy about my marriage
how I had to save him, and I said from what or who, and he said from
himself. He told me to divorce Charlie - just straight out, like that -
and I said he must be out of his mind, and then thought that might seem a
little harsh, so I said that there were lots of other nice girls out there
for him. But he kept saying that only I could save him and that if I
didn't divorce Charlie he'd kill himself - which scared me a bit and I
said I thought he better see a doctor, but he didn't seem to hear me - and
then he suddenly got up and said something very odd, cos I don't see what
it had to do with anything, but he just got up and said 'Damn Hari' and
walked out, just like that. And I didn't know what to do so I thought I
better call you - well I thought I better call Aunt Abigail, because of
Hari, you know, but she wasn't in and so I thought I better call you too,
well I was going to call you any way - cos I'm really not sure what to do.
I mean should we call the police? Or a doctor? Or somebody, I mean, I
don't know . . ."
All this should be assumed to be said at at least 1.5 times the normal
speed.
from Drusilla : Has Mr Campilioni left now, dear? Oh, thank
goodness. I just had a telephone call from Uncle James, and I was about to
call you myself. Where is Charlie at the moment? Is he out working? Now
dear, I don't want you to panic, but I'm afraid that Mr Campilioni is not
himself at the moment. He stabbed your Great-Aunt Abigail's butler at Mr
and Mrs Forby's house and then ran away. Uncle James is on his way home
just now to protect us. Uncle James said that Hari was going to be all
right, but apparently Mr Campilioni keeps a switchblade in his hat, so we
must all be very careful. Especially you and Charlie, as it appears that
Mr Campilioni is in love with you, and in his present mental state he
might do something terrible and reckless. Perhaps you and Charlie would
like to come and stay here for a few days until we sort out the problem?
This house is rather more defensible than yours if Mr Campilioni should
become violent again. Does Charlie know how to use a shotgun, by any
chance?
Hari was not knocked unconcious in the tussle with the green man,
he was trying to knock the thing unconcious by punching it in the head,
the thing however was using its claws and gashed Hari badly enough to
render him unconcious.
When the party heard the statue of Icarus coming up the stairs,
Abigail, Alice and Bates rushed out into the passage to confront it. Hari
was left in the master bedroom with an unconcious Harry Forby, an
unconcious Mrs Forby (she had fainted when the dead green monster was
discovered to be her brother, Mr Meddler) and young Master George. Hari
instructed George to lock both the door to the passage and the connecting
door to his mother's room, and then to try to drag his father out through
the secret passage. George however, while happy to lock the doors, was not
strong enough to move his father unaided. Meanwhile out in the corridor
Alice hit the statue with a poker and was knocked unconcious by its fists
and Abigail shot the statue four times at point blank range and failed to
do more than chip it.
The statue, who's main aim seemed to be to get to Harry Forby moved on
down the corridor and started to beat a hole in the locked door to the
master bedroom. Hari started trying to think feverishly as to how to stop
the thing. Abigail, with great presence of mind, took Bates into the the
Master Bedroom through the secret passage and between them they managed to
carry Mr Forby's inert form out of the room and downstairs. Hari remained
propped up against the bed with young George and his still unconcious
mother. It did not take long for the statue to break through the door.
George understandably panicked and bolted. The bronze monster fortunately
seemed fairly uninterested in the defenceless occupants who remained in
the room and pursued Mr Forby down the secret passage. Hari struggled to
his feet and followed it as best he could, despite its obviously huge
strength, it did not move particularly fast.
Abigail and Bates came out of the secret passage and down the stairs to
the hallway where they met Mrs Bates and Connie, who were also drafted in
to the carrying team. Meanwhile, Hari, who was still going over all the
information of the last few days to try and find a way of stopping the
statue suddenly realised that all of Nicholas Forby's other statues had
cracked in the cold over the years. He called down the stairs to the
carrying team that they should lure the statue into the ice house. This
was duly done by carrying the mercifully still unconcious Harry Forby into
the ice house, waiting for the statue to come in, and then running out
with him again quickly and barricading the heavy door. The statue began to
try to beat its way out but the door proved sturdier than that of the
master bedroom and the statue succumbed to the cold and stopped moving
before it could do any damage.
After waiting cautiously for ten minutes or so after the beating on the
door had slowed and stopped, the party risked opening the door and found
the statue immobile. It was knocked over and smashed up with axes.
Links :
Character Profiles
A Cthulu
Chapbook
Tales of
Plush Cthulhu
Cthulhu Versus the
Dread Smiley Face
De
Profundis - Edinburgh