Seven Dreams (Ebook)

Few aristocrats across the Seven Realms could match the importance of The Extremely Honourable Lady Fenella Chartre. She was the highest of the high; she knew it, and everybody else knew it too. Few would dare to compete with her for the first place at table, at even the most prestigious of dinner parties. No one would attempt to precede her out of a room. She secured the attentions of the most prominent gentleman present at any event, and without even trying. Her importance gathered around her like a cloak; it was evident in her every movement and gesture, every stitch of clothing that she wore, and every coil of her smooth blonde hair.

Equal in consequence was her brother, The Remarkably Honourable Edlen, Lord Bastavere. Fortunately, his height was a perfect match to his consequence, and permitted him to look down his long nose at the lesser persons around him without much straining his lordship. They made a handsome pair, everybody agreed, and had been enjoying the very best of society for some years.

Today, they had ventured beyond the borders of Irbel and explored into Nimdre. Their extremely large, thoroughly imposing and almost impossibly shiny carriage was making its way, at approximately half past seven in the evening, along a quiet but reassuringly well-kept road in northern Nimdre. It was drawn, of course, by a team of four high-stepping, perfectly-matched nivvens, their pale grey scales gleaming in the dying light. The destination of the noble pair was the grand country home of Dame Halavere Morann, a lady of lesser importance (naturally) but sufficient consequence to attract the interest of their lady-and-lordships. Lady Fenella reclined at her ease, gazing idly out at the darkening countryside as she reflected with satisfaction upon the delights of prestige, importance and superiority which she would enjoy at the Dame’s autumn ball. Her brother wore the faintest hint of a scowl upon his noble features; he had, perhaps, been obliged to forego some more eligible plan in favour of this evening’s entertainment.

‘What a delight it shall be, I am sure!’ said Lady Fenella, in the peachiest of plummy accents.

‘A dead bore, I should think,’ muttered his lordship in reply.

‘Pish,’ said Lady Fenella. ‘You will be able to ignore at least half of the young ladies, and break the hearts of all the rest. You always enjoy that.’

Lord Bastavere ventured no response, and silence fell. Her ladyship resumed her lazy scrutiny of the countryside, and her dark eyes began to drift shut.

In the ordinary way of things, nobody would be so foolish nor so bold as to interfere with their lord-and-ladyship in any way whatsoever. Such a grand, large carriage may, in the course of ordinary logic, appear as a superb prize to adventurers, low-lifes and other such persons as that, but such had never been the experience of this noble pair. Their vehicles, their beasts, their garments and of course they themselves radiated such imperturbability, such an inflexible determination to carry all before them, that no one had dared cross them in the smallest respect.

Until today. Lady Fenella’s reverie was rudely interrupted by a sudden lurch of the carriage as it swerved to one side, two of its wheels leaving the road altogether. After that it came to an abrupt stop, and the sounds of some loud altercation split the evening air.

Lady Fenella thumped her hand upon the roof of the carriage and called, ‘Wendle! What has occurred?’

Receiving no response, and finding that the shouting continued unabated, her ladyship stuck her head out of the window of the carriage. She observed immediately that a desperate figure stood in the road not far away. The man was wearing the customary uniform of general depravity: dark colours, generally black, and a hooded cloak which admirably shrouded his features. His attire may, perhaps, be a little shabby, which suggested to her ladyship’s keen eye that he was not the most successful of footpads. This impression was borne out by the disreputable condition of the rapier he wielded, though she could not deny that he wielded it with apparent skill. Her poor coachman, Wendle, was held at bay by the vicious weavings of this weapon as its wielder whipped it about in a tolerably threatening manner. Her footman stood at a little distance, obviously preparing to rush the swordsman in an attempt to disarm him.

‘What is it?’ said Lord Bastavere in a bored tone.

‘Why, it is a hold-up!’ replied his sister in accents of pure delight. ‘A real one! Though I think it sadly disappointing. There is not even a pistol, only the shabbiest of rapiers.’ She opened the door as she spoke and jumped lightly down into the road, taking all due care to hold the hem of her cerulean silk skirt out of the mud. ‘Hallo!’ she called, with a cheery smile. ‘Goodness, I have never seen a real highwayman before! How very obliging of you to choose our carriage for your exciting adventure.’

The hood-shrouded head turned swiftly in her direction, and the highwayman’s movements faltered in an instant of confusion. ‘Stay back!’ he shouted hoarsely, and in heavily accented Nimdren. ‘I will kill your coachmen if anyone approaches me!’

‘Of course, of course,’ said Lady Fenella soothingly. ‘It is our valuables you want, I suppose? Shall you be absolutely obliged to take my gown? It is undoubtedly fine, and would fetch a great price I am sure, but I am so very fond of it.’ She stroked the beautiful silk as she spoke, heaved a long sigh and began to unlace the bodice.

This gambit confused her assailant very much, for he stammered one or two unintelligible things and blurted something wholly incomprehensible. This proved opportunity enough; Lord Bastavere, who had crept up upon the hapless highwayman unseen, grabbed him in a rough bearhug and shook him until he dropped his weapon. Wendle hastily retrieved it and took it well out of reach.

‘Thank you, my dear,’ said Lady Fenella, with the warmest of smiles for her brother. ‘I would have been very sorry to part with my gown, I admit. Though to save all of our lives, I would have done it!’ This last was added in laudably tragic tones, paired with a brave smile which quivered only the slightest bit.

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