[Introduction] A horrid turn of events

[regency_twihard]

The coach ride to Bath proves utterly imperilous, with no great calamity than a stop at an inn -- its taproom sadly lacking in sinisterly scarred ruffians or raddled wenches with sharp tongues, much less a kitchen with a fat, surly chef cuffing the kitchen boys. Once they resume their journey, they nearly turn back to the inn, when Mrs. Allen

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[in_summer_leaf]

If Miss Morland should happen to return to the out-of-doors to walk in the wasted garden near the pond, she will find Hisoka sitting on a bench, gazing up at the sky. He is back in his 1890s naval uniform today, partly because its coat is warm, and partly because he's feeling nostalgic. And if Catherine believes there should be a ghost on the grounds, Hisoka might conceivably fill the bill. (He is dead, after all.)

He has a wistful expression on his face, and he is singing softly, not knowing anyone can hear. It is a poem of Christina Rossetti's, entitled "Shall I Forget?" which he has set to music. He has a sweet voice, that boy with the striking green eyes. Surely he is some dead hero, returned from a grave in the deep ocean, to sing his true love this remembrance of happier days and of his deathless devotion!

Shall I forget on this side of the grave?
I promise nothing: you must wait and see,
Patient and brave.
(O my soul, watch with him, and he with me.)Shall I forget in peace of Paradise

[in_summer_leaf]

"I know of one, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn of others," replies Hisoka.

[regency_twihard]

"I suppose I should take care, then, not to let myself be lead astray by words that seem too pleasing from a man too pleasant to be true," she says, drawing a little closer to him, as if for protection.

[in_summer_leaf]

Hisoka smiles and lays his other hand upon hers, where her fingers rest lightly on his arm. "Miss Morland, I think that you would be difficult to snare in a net of words! You speak the language with a subtle, pragmatic grace, which I admire and believe must be the product of considerable intelligence."

[regency_twihard]

She blushes, dipping her head modestly. "My parents are ordinary people, but my father is quite intelligent, and my mother manages to keep a step or two ahead of my younger brothers and sisters. They might not be scholars in the strictest sense of the word, but they are smart in their own ways."

[in_summer_leaf]

"I believe you! Education was valued in my family, too. But I think you must have been as good a student as your parents were good teachers."

They have rounded the farthest corner of the house by now, and the high black branches of oak, walnut, and poplar trees lift high against the sky at the furthest extent of the grounds. Nearer to the Mansion, the snow-frosted fruit trees are visible beyond the frozen beds of what in late spring will be brightly-colored flowers and luxuriant shrubs. The geometry of the little orchard along with the beds, walks, trellises and arbors suggests grace and order with just a little wildness, so that the eye is delighted even in the vegetation's winter barrenness.

"And here we are! The gardens of Udolpho!" announces Hisoka.

[regency_twihard]

She gazes out over the frozen landscape in awe, then she chuckles, delighted. "Oh my, it's nearly how I imagined it would look, when Mrs. Radcliffe described it," she says. Then with a playful lilt, she adds, "I don't suppose that the house has any hidden passageways or secret rooms."

[in_summer_leaf]

"Oh, I'm sure it does!" exclaims Hisoka. "It must. People do say the Mansion has strange properties; for instance, new rooms seem to appear in response to the needs of the guests. Wouldn't you think a house like that would have hidden rooms and passageways?"

His eyes sparkle. "We must look for some. If not now, than sometime."

[regency_twihard]

"I would be shocked if it didn't have some hidden panel that opens onto some chamber of horrors watched over by some diabolical madman, but I think I would rather that it opened onto a treasure trove of long lost gems worth a king's ransom and a magic sword awaiting the right hand to wield it," she says, looking up at the house. "I would be delighted to seek it out, whatever it might be. If there was a dungeon, at least you would be there to protect me."

[in_summer_leaf]

"...I think I could do without the chamber of horrors, too," observes Hisoka.

"Oh, and I would protect you," he agrees, fervantly, "but I'd also hand you the magic sword! Maybe it would be your hand that is awaited."

[regency_twihard]

Fortunately he doesn't know about the hidden room in Muraki's lab in the basement, which would certainly qualify as a chamber of horrors.

She blushes. "I doubt that someone like me, a village parson's daughter would be the one chosen to wield a magic sword," she says. "But this place seems to be a place of wonders, so perhaps That too might be possible."

"Northanger Abbey and Magic Swords"? Is that the next follow-up to "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"?

[in_summer_leaf]

What an incorrigible and enterprising villain is Muraki!

Hisoka replies, "I believe that many things are possible. Besides, I'm only a shipwright's son, and I'd certainly grab a magical object if it presented itself." For once, he mixes up his two lives. The shipwright's son never got the chance to wield a magical object, in fact, never had any affinity for such things (although he was a merman by heritage, and surely that counts as somewhat magical!).

Definately "Northanger Abbey and Magic Swords"!

[regency_twihard]

"A shipwright's son? You must come from a good family, then. Did you live beside the sea before you came to this place?" she asks. She immediately envisions him walking the wharves with his sweetheart, and she can't help picturing herself as that sweetheart, leaning on his arm.

[in_summer_leaf]

Hisoka explains, "I lived in a world in which there was a Sea of Cloud, in which a single continent and many islands floated, but no one knew what was beneath those deep, swirling mists. Except, possibly, me, and the other crew of the Neriad 14" He pauses, seeming to fall briefly into a dream. Something sad flickers in his eyes.

Then he shakes his head and turns his face towards Catherine's, and continues. "Our naval vessels were ships much like the ships of your world, except that they sailed the skies instead of the ocean."

[regency_twihard]

She stares aghast at this description, and her jaw has likely dropped open in a very unladylike way. "How is that possible, that ships should fly like birds?" she asks. "Though they sound lovely, like some magical beings..."

[in_summer_leaf]

"I think the laws of science were different, there," muses Hisoka. "The ships were steam-powered, but the steam was not produced by heating water by means of coal or oil. A mineral called the mana crystal was mined, instead. Those crystals had the curious property of producing an immense amount of heat when an electrical current was passed through them. They were far more efficient than either of those older fuels. Needless to say, wars were fought over these mines."

But his eyes twinkle kindly at the expression on Catherine's face. "You're right, they were lovely. Especially from a distance, when those tall masts would stand up against the sky at sunrise or sunset, or when a ship would haul up the canvas for ceremonial purposes. They didn't really need the sails anymore, though."