Temporal Exploring 101 - Branch Cut

V.9 Last dance

The Firth and the Belling families arrived on Friday late in the afternoon, one day earlier than most the other guests that had been invited to the ball scheduled for Saturday night.

I was looking forward to that event almost as much as Mallory. Given that ballroom dancing was no longer en vogue in the 23rd century, this would almost certainly be my last opportunity to engage in that particular activity. Also, it might be my last opportunity to dance with Mallory Carmichael.

On Friday evening, Natty, Nancy, Mallory and I sat with Ian Firth, his sister Francine and with Tom and Ken Belling on the terrace outside the east wing. Lizzie was visiting a friend overnight but would be back the next day in time for the great event.

Like Nancy, Natty and me, Ian, Tom and Ken were now in the Lower Sixth at their respective schools, whereas Francine was already in her final year at her school.

"It's a pity that we can't go swimming in the lake anymore that late in the year," Ian observed.

He looked wistful. I knew he had enjoyed our customary skinny dipping a lot. To be completely honest, so had I.

Swimming naked, and sitting around a campfire afterwards, had been more than a bit exciting, and once I had overcome my initial shyness, the presence of the three boys had even added some extra spice to it.

Nancy laughed. "No, it is way too cold for that now."

"We would freeze our asses off," Natty elaborated.

"Everything considered, that would be too bad, wouldn't it?" Ian commented, with a pointed look at me.

"Yes, we can't allow that to happen, can we?" Mallory agreed, with a grin.

My cheeks grew warm.

That inexplicable, obsessive fascination with my rear was probably the only thing that Mallory and Ian had in common.

To my relief, it was Ian himself who changed the subject, from my butt to a more interesting topic.

"So, is there any exciting new mystery that you guys are trying to solve?" he wanted to know. "Like, maybe another signet ring I could try to identify for you?"

"Actually, there is something odd that we have been looking into," Nancy replied. "It concerns one of our teachers."

She went on to tell Francine and the three boys about Ms Delmond's strange behavior.

"It so happens that she is my sister's biology teacher," Nancy continued. "Liz has told us that Ms Delmond sometimes wears a necklet with an odd-looking pendant, something like a bird of prey holding a dagger or a sword in its claws. It's too bad Lizzie is not here now, otherwise she could make a sketch of it for you. Anyway, it is not among the fifty or so most important standard coats of arms of the British nobility that our parents made my sister and me memorize."

Ian shook his head. "No, the description you gave does not ring a bell for me." He turned towards his sister. "How about you, Fran?"

Francine frowned. "No, it is definitely not among the top fifty. But it reminds me of something else. One of my classmates, Vivien, likes to doodle in her notebook whenever she gets bored during lessons. I am sitting next to her, so I get to see most of her little drawings, and I think one of those sketches that she draws over and over again agrees fairly well with your description, Nancy."

"That's very interesting," Nancy declared. "Who is she? Is her family part of the nobility, by any chance?"

"Her father is a Viscount, Lord Heatherston. Do you think your teacher might be related to them?"