The Pearl Of Great Price

Chapter 17: Discoveries

The first week in Wales proved to be a special time for Mary and Charles. For one thing, learning their way around their new manor house became a challenging task. But with one hundred twenty-two rooms, that is to be expected. One day the Grand Duke was trying to find the way to his downstairs study. Instead of turning left, he turned right. This made him end up on the far side of the house, in some kind of room that appeared to be an arboretum.

Tracing his steps back proved just as tricky. In fact, he got so lost that he went into a large room, let out a curse, and rested both his hands on a bookshelf. The minute he did, the shelf swung open. Ah-ho! He had found a secret passageway. Taking up the oil lamp from a small table in the room, Charles entered the hidden area.

Though the dark space is a tad frightening, alright, a lot frightening, he followed the path. It wound this way and that until it veered off to a fork in the way. After a moment of decision, His Highness stayed to the right, and it finally stopped at another door. Pushing on the door, his feet carried him into..."The library?" he wondered aloud.

Setting out a silver tray of tea and biscuits, Glyn remarked, "Oh, I see you've found one of the passageways. Good for you, My Lord."

Playing off the comment, as if he had meant to find it the whole time, Charles asked, "Right. Now you said one of the passageways. Are there additional ones?" He observed the hospitable butler arranging the items on the tray just so.

Then the man stopped, stood up, and answered the question. "Yes indeed, My Lord. There are at least five more that we know of. Follow me, and I shall show them to you if you have the time."

Charles does have time, and he followed along behind his butler. He took in the way they were going and committed it to memory, glancing at other rooms in the different hallways. The fun began in the large dining room.

Passageways lead from the dining room to a bright and airy sunroom, from a downstairs drawing room to a massive ballroom, from the kitchens to the dining room, from the upstairs master suite to a smallish study, and from an upstairs sitting room to a bedroom. But as the butler said, these are the ones they know about.

This made the Duke wonder if there were many others. In a large house like this one, there are bound to be a few mysteries waiting to be uncovered. A smirk grew upon Charles's unshaven face. He is going to be the one to unearth them. And now, whenever he enters a room, he pushes on the wall in different places.

Meanwhile, Mary learned all she could about the house and her grandmother, who owned it. Between her and her husband, one of them needs to know their way around the massive place. It took all day working with Lady Enid to learn how to maneuver about the house. From then on, she could freely get around the grand manor.

After that, she took the time to research anything in the library about her grandmother. This led her to her own enigma. At first, she thought it best to start with her grandmother Queen Elizabeth of York. Instead of looking for her, she went a different route entirely. Mary found a lot of details and facts on her great grandmother Lady Margaret Beaufort.

The woman, a determined master player of the court, worked hard to secure the throne for Mary's grandfather King Henry VII. She was also the one who was instrumental in the rise of the Tudor power and name. Grandmother Beaufort had political influence and personal autonomy, which was not common for women. Not only that, but she also helped to establish Cambridge College because she had a love of learning and a love of the arts.

As a woman, Margaret had a lot of power and influence on the court and her family. She even influenced the present king by helping him get established. It was then Mary decided she did not like her great-grandmother very much. Her Highness thought the lady disingenuous and opportunistic, two qualities she despises. It reminds her of the evil stepmonster her father married.