The Murders of Richard III - Elizabeth Peters [53]
Thomas followed him out into the corridor. The candles were burning low. He wondered what time it was. The party could go on till dawn if the participants held out.
Kent led him to the dining room and a row of decanters on the sideboard. He poured a stiff jolt of brandy and offered it to Thomas.
Thomas drank. There was a moment in which matters hung in the balance. Then the upheaval settled, and he sighed deeply.
“Thanks. I needed that.”
“Brandy will cure anything,” Kent said, following his own advice. “I don’t like doctors. Never need ’em.”
Thomas was inclined to agree. His head felt absolutely clear as they went back to the Hall; but for some odd reason the rest of the evening became kaleidoscopic. He would be conversing with someone in a coherent manner; then the room would spin around and he would be elsewhere, with other people. At the time this situation seemed perfectly normal.
During one of these episodes he found himself with O’Hagan, who was singing “The Maple Leaf Forever.” Thomas expressed mild surprise at the choice of song; O’Hagan explained that he was singing the Canadian anthem because he couldn’t manage the high notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Thomas found this logical, but was moved to demonstrate his own patriotism and tenor voice. He sang all three verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” O’Hagan continued to sing “The Maple Leaf Forever.” He only knew one verse, so he sang that one over and over, while he and Thomas nodded at one another in mutual approbation.
A shift in scene found Thomas discussing Buckingham’s rebellion with Philip and Kent. After enthusiastically supporting Richard’s takeover of the throne, Buckingham had retired to his castle in Wales, and then had returned at the head of a hostile army. Some Ricardians believed Buckingham was responsible for the death of the young princes, as the first step in his own climb to the throne.
Thomas doubted the theory and said so. Kent, who was playing Buckingham, took the criticism personally. He left, snorting with rage. Unperturbed, Thomas turned to Philip. “Man’s drunk,” he said seriously. “ ’Magine getting so excited about a rational dishcushion. You see my point, don’t you?”
“I’m sick of the whole business,” Philip said. His face was flushed.
Thomas peered at him.
“Ah,” he said. “Ah. Still nervous, my friend? Don’t be. Got it all figured out. See, Richard didn’t exactly murder Hastings, exactly. It was an exic—an extic—a legal killing. Treasons. Not like the l’il princes. Not that Richard killed the princes, mind you, but if somebody is picking on Richard’s victims, then the fellows who were sexecu—I mean, they had their head chopped off…those fellow don’t count. You see my point, don’t you? I mean…”
“For God’s sake,” said Philip, between his splendid white teeth, “I am getting so bloody sick and tired of all you bloody fools holding my hand. I am not nervous!”
The room turned upside down. Thomas next found himself dancing with Lady Isobel. This seemed such an unlikely activity for him to have chosen that he stumbled over the rushes, which had gotten trampled into heaps. Lady Isobel held him up with an unexpectedly strong arm, and giggled at him. She said something about butts of malmsey. Thomas glowered at her and then realized she was indicating the brimming bowl on the dining table.
“Oh, no,” said Thomas vigorously. “Not me. Not that stuff. Gotta keep a clear head. Not get drunk.”
The next scene was the dining room. Thomas put down an empty glass and wandered back to the Hall. The music was still going full blast, and Sir Richard was performing a country dance with Mrs. Ponsonby-Jones. The big woman was surprisingly light on her feet; her crimson skirts swirled as she moved. Sir Richard’s crown had slipped over one eye.
Thomas looked for a partner and found none. He felt like dancing, so he did—an energetic solo, with high jumps and vigorous arm gestures. He considered another trip to the dining room and decided against it. He was feeling splendid. Arms clasped behind him, he began to stroll around the room. The