“See anything you like?”
I blushed at my discovery, and then, emboldened, moved to stand behind him. I pressed my crotch to his backside and leaned in. He pushed his bottom back and my manhood responded as expected. I put my mouth to Sebastian’s ear and in a low intimate voice said,
“I see many things I like—“ Teasingly, I placed my finger on the map, “Here, for instance, my home at Bedford Place, I like it very much.”
I straightened and moved to the other side of the table. Sebastian was speechless at my flirtation and it gave me confidence that even an old fool like me could have such an effect on a man as brilliant as Cavell. I grinned at Sebastian and he wordlessly held my gaze as he smiled back. He reached for the magnifying glass and together we moved it to follow the streets from my home on Bedford Place to The Strand.
“Here!” I stabbed my finger on the map at the location of Adam Street. The street was close to Victoria Embankment and the River Thames with Waterloo Bridge to the left, and Charing Cross Bridge to the right. Ahead was The Strand, then the Covent Garden district. The area was vast.
“You said there was a tunnel—”
“Aye,”
“How long did you walk underground for?”
“I cannot say, my anxiety got the better of me and I was afraid for my life.” Our eyes met again and I ashamed by my weakness, I lowered my gaze. “You must think me an awful coward.”
“No, not at all. I have, on occasion, needed to avail of a London sewer to make an escape. It is not something I do lightly. Time passes peculiarly underground, the stench, the eerie sounds, the rats. I hate it, but needs must!”
I was silent for a moment and then said,
“I suppose, at a guess, I would suggest I was not underground for more than ten minutes and I believe we walked away from the river. It was somewhere off The Strand I am sure.”
Sebastian brightened. “That gives us something to work with. Ten minutes walk from Adam Street, let’s see…”
We were head-to-head over the map, both peering through the magnifier at the enlarged streets, alleys, parks, and buildings. I could smell the Bergamot pomade Sebastian had used in his hair; it was familiar and I liked it very much. Then I recalled it belonged to me and the jar sat in the cabinet in my private bathroom! I was rather outraged. The man seemed to believe he was entitled to use any of my possessions! Sebastian glanced up from the map and caught my eye, and in that flash of glittering hazel, my outrage melted away. In that particular moment of attraction, I would have given him the clothes from my back!
“The furthest location to the east is, at a guess Kings College, to the north you could reach Covent Garden, west we have… the Vaudeville and Tivoli, and the Society of the Arts.”
I stood erect with my hands on my hips and harrumphed. “There are too many possibilities.” This was like looking for the veritable needle in a haystack.
“Is there any pertinent detail about the venue you can recall? The décor? A sound? A smell?” Sebastian suggested.
I pulled a chair from the table and sat down heavily. I rested my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands then searched my memories.
“The décor… was commonplace and unpretentious. Herringbone floor, half-tiled walls I could have been in a school, or an office, or any municipal building for that matter.” I paused to rake through my thoughts again.
“There was a smell, yes… I remember it vividly reminded me of my school days!”
“What kind of smell? Cooking from the refectory? Chemicals from the Chemistry Laboratory? The latrines—“Sebastian suggested. We both laughed.
“Actually, it was sweaty socks and unwashed boys!” I could not repress the smile in my voice.
“Ah yes, I remember that smell too!” Sebastian snickered. He stared down at the map once more.
“The closest place of learning is Kings College, but I don’t recall the halls smelling of sweaty boys!”
“There was Latin… yes, an inscription above a doorway!” I said excitedly as the memory popped into my mind.
“If I recall correctly, the motto for Kings College is Sancte et Sapienter which means With Holiness and Wisdom. Was it that?”
“No, that wasn’t it! Argh…damnation! What was it?” I ran my fingers through my curls, and then pinched the bridge of my nose, deeply frustrated with myself. I should have paid more attention in Latin class after all! Then an image flashed into my mind. I stood up and announced,
“Mens sana in corpore sano”
“A healthy mind in a healthy body,” Sebastian said triumphantly. “And now I know exactly where this ritual took place.” Discomfiture settled in my stomach, for I had a feeling I knew what my companion was going to say before he said it.
Sebastian stabbed his index finger onto a place on the map. “Exeter Hall” he declared.
Exeter Hall
Sebastian and I took a growler just as we had done several nights before. So much had happened that I could not allow myself to think too deeply about the events—and my reaction to them. I was appalled to learn that I had probably consumed a blend of Methamphetamine and Absinthe. In a way, it was a relief to know that I was drugged and did not seriously want to end myself.
I glanced out of the window, my thoughts whirring like the mechanical workings of a pocket watch. We traveled down Shaftsbury Avenue again and in the day time the
