Adventure 6 Summary
"If you do not surrender, I shall hit you with the chair, too!"

The Ball

The first guest's carriage has begun its approach to the house, but Lady Emily refuses to come out of her room. Marriage, she says, means that she will be bound to someone who does not love her, but only her dowry or worse. Lord Fenworth stands at her door, trying to persuade her to come out, when le Comte de Chareau insists that he try. He steps into her boudoir and convinces her to come out and to enjoy herself - he will be happy to dance with her!

When Fenworth arrives downstairs, he sees that Lady Russell (the local widow who has been angling for him for some time) has stationed herself by the door - a place where only Lady Fenworth, now dead these seven years, has the right to stand! - and begins to greet guests. Fenworth quite coolly orders to go sit down and enjoy herself -as a guest.

Chareau is surprised to see many of London's more fashionable society arriving at Hollingdale: Lord Fenworth moves in exalted social circles. As the dancing begins, Lady Maria causes a minor scandal by dancing with Mr. Morrison five times, until her father tells her to cease and desist. Morrison winks at Warrington when their eyes meet.

Though Miss Georgiana is distracted by both Lord Fenworth's fine wine and her new fiancé, Warrington, Fenworth and Chareau all notice as Madame du Motier, who is still in mourning, is approached by a gentleman in black. Whatever he says to her upsets her greatly, and she shakes her head angrily. He tries to get her to go with him, but she refuses: ultimately he puts his hand upon her arm and drags her from the ballroom!

They stop him outside in the garden - Madame du Motier flees as soon as his grasp on her is loosened. The man, Tom Sanders, declares that she is a whore of Babylon and wonders how Fenworth can stand to have such a woman living under the same roof as his daughters. Fenworth is appalled at the man's lack of manners; Chareau slaps him. Warrington orders the man to apologize, but he does not. Honor must be satisfied, and Chareau and Sanders are to meet at dawn with pistols, with Sanders' brother (the vicar) and Warrington serving as seconds. Fenworth orders Sanders from his house.

Chareau dances with Madame du Motier, who has several small bruises on her arm but keeps her chin high.

One of Fenworth's servants approaches the earl and says that there are three gentlemen and a lady waiting to speak with him in the foyer, and that they are not dressed for the ball. Fenworth immediately recognizes Charles DuBery, Miss Georgiana's brother, who introduces Mr. Stephen and Miss Eugenia Lewis, along with the Scotsman Mr. MacDonald.

Charles explains that the League has instructed him to bring the Lewis twins and Mr. MacDonald to Hollingdale for safety's sake: all three are being sought by French agents for their connection to a device which was invented by Mr. MacDonald some months ago, a device which would give whoever possessed it an unfair advantage in a war. Rooms are ordered for them all.

Though Mr. Lewis attempts to go to his room straightaway, Fenworth persuades him to attend the ball and dance with his daughters. Lady Caro is recruited and, though Mr. Lewis seems quite scared, he does fairly well at the dancing.

The remainder of the ball passes fairly uneventfully. A young lady corners Lord Rhys-Davies to discus archaeology with him - to those who notice, he appears terrified.

Fenworth notices that while three of his daughters are having a good time, one - Lady Anna - appears to be sitting out most dances. Warburton approaches Fenworth, his eyes frequently darting to Caro. Before Fenworth can hint that he go dance with Lady Anna, Warburton asks if he has yet had time to consider his proposal, that he be allowed to pay his addresses to Lady Caro. A touch brusque, Fenworth deflects him and sends him in the direction of Lady Anna.

Chareau dances with Lady Anna, and even Warburton does after a time. Warrington dances, but makes sure he does not dance with any one lady more than once, despite Caro's persistent attention. Lady Emily, by the end of the ball, appears to have had a grand time and dances several times with the young architect, Daniel Hamilton.

By three in the morning, the guests have, at last, departed Hollingdale or retired to their rooms, if they are staying overnight. Warrington teaches Chareau, who has never fired a pistol, how to shoot.

The Duel

At dawn the next morning, the combatants and their seconds (and a physician) arrive at the pre-appointed location (a field outside of the village). Warrington speaks with the vicar, inquiring if he has attempted to persuade his brother to give up this foolishness and to apologize to Madame du Motier for his comments. The vicar responds that he has tried, but that his brother has a mind of his own.

The men take their places and walk five paces in opposite directions, turn, aim, and two shots are fired. Sanders misses, but Chareau hits dead on! His opponent crumples, and honor has been satisfied. Chareau returns to Hollingdale in triumph, wondering why he had not learned how to fire a pistol years earlier, as it is so easy.

Madame du Motier has heard of Chareau's gallantry and is waiting for him at Hollingdale, pacing in the foyer. When he arrives, she embraces him and thanks him profusely, saying she was sure that he was going to have been killed. (And isn't it Fenworth who remarks that he had concerns of his own?)

Warburton rushes to Fenworth's side with some distressing news: the under-gardeners who had been guarding the area of lavender plants were attacked late last night! They say their assailants were five burly men who were led by a tall gentleman. They dug up all of the lavender plants and stole the money which had been concealed underneath.

A woman screams upstairs, and Lady Anna comes tearing down the stairs to her father with dreadful news: Liam is missing! There is a note in his place, signed "Jackman," which states that unless Fenworth personally delivers both MacDonald and the plans for his design to the mill at three in the afternoon, Jackman will kill Liam. Fenworth comforts his daughters, who are distraught at the loss of their brother (and fearful that their father will be killed).

The Bow Street Runner sent for yesterday arrives, followed quickly by Frederick Morrison, whom Fenworth instructed to appear Friday to discuss marriage with Lady Maria. Distracted by the current events, Fenworth gives Morrison his quick assent: he may marry Lady Maria.

Though Fenworth, Warrington and the Comte attempt to get the intelligence from Mr. MacDonald, as to his secret invention is, how large it is ("Is it larger than a bread box?" asks Chareau) and what application it has, MacDonald does not tell them, despite some powerful persuasion attempts. It is better, he says, that they do not know: his invention is terrible and will change the face of war forever. He wishes that he had never thought of it, or at least had never designed it. Only Charles stands by the scientist's decision not to tell them.

The group plans their approach to the mill. Charles and Warrington will sneak up ahead of time, and Fenworth and the Count - who is to be disguised as MacDonald - will ride up at the proper time. Warburton is sent to fetch the cavalry regiment quartered nearby; they will wait in readiness.

The Mill

Charles and Warrington sneak up to the mill via the creek, careful to keep their guns and powder dry. They determine that there are four men in the mill, and Jackman, another brute and Liam are in the small nearby house. Near to three, however, they move into readiness inside the mill, all except for the brute, who remains in the house.

As Fenworth and Chareau ride up, Warrington sneaks up through the trap door, but is heard by one of the men standing beside the window, who turns to him with his musket ready. Warrington points his pistol at Jackman and says, "Unless you drop your weapon, I'll blow your brains out all over the wall." Jackman says, "Never!" and turns to shoot Warrington. He misses, Warrington shoots, but misses.

Charles climbs up through the trapdoor and moves to Liam's side - the boy is terrified and shaking. One of the men stationed by the window fires his musket at Charles and hits, a fortunately mild blow to his torso. Chareau, still quite full of his early-morning victory, leaps through the window, towards the man who had noticed Warrington - but fails, getting stuck halfway in and halfway out of the window.

Fenworth engages the two men by the door, while Chareau grabs a sturdy English-made chair and begins beating the man who first noticed Warrington.

Jackman and Warrington fence with one another; Charles recovers from the shock of his wound, draws his knife and also engages Jackman. Chareau continues to pound his opponent over the head with his chair, until finally he collapses.

Warrington orders Jackman to surrender again, but Jackman again refuses, calling Warrington an "American dog" and unworthy. Chareau brandishes his chair at Jackman.

At this point, the man inside the house, who had been running to assist his comrades in combat, begins to flee. One of Jackman's men moves to his boss and pleads with him to flee while they still can. Jackman refuses. The man who shot Charles goes to assist him, even smacking Jackman with the butt of his musket to render him unconscious, so they might drag him away. Jackman runs him through with his rapier; he collapses. The first man decides to leave his boss where he stands and flees.

Chareau manages to connect with Jackman and the chair crashes down upon him. To everyone's surprise, Jackman collapses to the ground, dead!

One of the fleeing men is quickly apprehended, the other is not - he fled by way of the creek. The regiment continues to search for him.

Later interrogation of the survivors shows that the money found among the lavender plants was smuggled in from France via Holland to pay France's spy network in England. The dead garden designer, Sir Henry Kern, was a part of this scheme. When Jackman arrived early and Kern did not have the money ready - he denied even having it -- he was killed.

EPs: 2, plus .5 additionally for Chareau, who challenged a man to a duel without possessing much by way of combat skills - and triumphed!