CHAPTER TEN : RESEARCH AND REMEMBRANCE
The importance of the final year set in the week following mid term as they settled back in the routine of school. Their teachers had on hand information from various universities and individual counselling had started to help pupils decide their two schools of choice. Merlin's choice was Oxford but he was encouraged to have a second choice in case his marks were not sufficient. Gawaine wanted Oxford as well but he knew his chances were not as good as Merlin's so he had to seriously consider a second choice. He opted for Liverpool University as his father had graduated from there with a law degree before going on to the London School of Economics.
Many of their course work now involved projects. Gawaine and he had a project for Religious studies. An outline had to be submitted and once accepted, they had to work on it in their own time and submit it in March. They would be expected to keep their teacher advised of their progress and he would be there to help if they reached a dead end.
Merlin and he came up with many ideas from the birds atop the Liver Building and the LFC crest being representative of the Eagle of St. John to various Bishops and Cardinals in the history of their city. Gawaine thought that the eagle idea was great but the more he went on about it, Merlin realised that it would lean more toward the LFC than anything else so he vetoed it.
They had decided to be original to catch their professors' attention so they finally settled upon something which no one else would probably cover one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
As Merlin loved history, they had decided to work on the history of one Cuthbert Mayne from Devon (1554-1577) an English Catholic priest put to death under the reign of Elizabeth the First.
Because the two of them were so involved, they spoke incessantly about Cuthbert and both their families became involved in the research. Gawaine found out that once the English seminaries were closed, the seminarians were trained on the continent and one seminary used was in Bruges. He mentioned this to Laurence who in turn mentioned it to Arthur.
Arthur offered his home in London to Gawaine and Merlin if they wanted to one weekend visit the National Archives Museum, some of whose manuscripts were available for viewing by appointment. They would be bothering no one as his father would be away.
Merlin was excited to go to London again and also to see Arthur. He had heard nothing from him so he didn't know if Laurence had even forwarded the photo he'd sent him.
Hunith had listened to Arthur's invitation but it was worrying that although there was a housekeeper and her husband to look after the boys, Arthur did not plan to be there. Hunith and Grace decided that it was an opportunity not to be missed but felt they would need an adult with them They would first approach Laurence to keep an eye on them for the weekend and if he couldn't get away then Gaius offered to go with them. Laurence agreed to be there and spoke directly to Arthur.
"With the two of them unsupervised in London, who knows if there would even be a city the next time I come home," Arthur joked.
"Have faith, Arthur, how much trouble can two boys of that age get into?" He then started to laugh as he remembered spending a week in London as a nineteen year old when Arthur's father was away and how Pierce had had to get them, out of a rather sticky situation with a prostitute.
Merlin was a bit disappointed to learn that Arthur would not be in London. Needless to say the excursion was a great success for as well as spending the Friday at the museum, Arthur had managed to get them tickets at the Globe for The Tempest and had made reservations at the Himalayan Thunder so that Gawaine and Laurence could also see the restaurant where he had taken Hunith and Merlin during the late summer. He had made arrangements that the bill for dinner be put on his account.
Laurence had stayed many times at Mulberry Square but Gawaine and Merlin were both astounded at not only the house but the fact that there was a locked park in the middle of the square which was a private garden for the square residents, accessible only with a key. It was also novel being driven everywhere by a uniformed chauffeur.
Laurence made sure that the boys saw the historical plaque sunken in the road for the site of the Tyburn Tree near Speakers Corner at Marble Arch where many of the Forty Martyrs had been hanged before being cut down while still alive and then drawn and quartered which was the statuary penalty for high treason. Merlin made sure that he had photos of it.
Midmorning on Sunday, Laurence saw the boys off at Euston before he returned to Oxford.
The next time Arthur was in London, the housekeeper told him that his visitors had been perfect guests and she had enjoyed having them in the house. She had enquired about Arthur's weekend in Paris. He had looked at her blankly for a couple of seconds before confessing that he hadn't been out of the country but staying at the family home in Wales.
He hoped secretly that Merlin was a little disappointed that he hadn't been there; however he felt that it was better to stay out of the way. He smiled as he went to his desk, opened a drawer and took out a copy of the photo which Laurence had mailed him suggesting that he should not acknowledge receipt of it.
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Cuthbert Mayne had been a Catholic priest trained in France who had returned to England upon his ordination and was in hiding. Arrested in 1576, he was tried and found guilty of high treason. He was subsequently offered his life in return for renouncing his religion which he refused to do. He was hanged, drawn and quartered in Launceston, Cornwall. He was one of the group of Forty Martyrs canonised n 1970.
Hunith felt that the project was macabre but Gaius said that it was representative of the way the men and women of The Forty Martyrs, as well as many other Roman Catholics had been killed. Merlin and Gawaine's Cuthbert Mayne project would eventually be presented in school with the other projects and Gaius felt that it was a valid part of the boys' education.
Merlin was pushing Gawaine to continue with his work on the project as there was still much to do. They had all the information, now they just needed to pull it together to make it worthwhile not only for their teachers but also for the other students who would be studying it and comparing it to their own efforts. Hunith who was artistic agreed to help with the set up and proofed it until not even Gaius could find a mistake. The boys then breathed a sigh of relief.
The professors were impressed by the project as well as the research which had gone into it. Unbeknownst to Merlin and Gawaine, a letter had been received from an influential party making reference to antique books which held the accounts of the lives of the Forty Martyrs, which the gentleman wished to donate to the school library. St. Edward's College Committee gratefully accepted the kind offer.
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Arthur's time in Bruxelles was over and he had yet to speak to his father about his so called gap year. He had made a final decision that he would return to Oxford and continue his studies in economics. Deep down, he would like to get a doctorate before taking a place in his father's business. He'd half-heartedly joked with Laurence over Christmas that he would like to be known as Dr. Arthur Pendragon.
Laurence agreed feeling that it had a nice ring to it and pleased that Arthur might be returning to Oxford as he could suggest that they share accommodation. "How did your Old Man take it?"
"Haven't told him yet as I want to get accepted before letting him know. Regardless, I intend to pursue my education and if he threatens to cut me off, I'll remind him that I have money from my mother's estate and I am certainly independent financially if nothing else."
Laurence knew that Uther would never cut Arthur out of his will as he was dependant on his continuing the family business. He laughed and added, "Let me know how things go and once you find out if you are accepted I'll start looking for a flat for us."
"I'd prefer a house or maybe a castle," Arthur added with a laugh. A little thought was floating in his mind that maybe it wouldn't only be Laurence who might be sharing his place.
However, first he has a few other things on his plate.
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Laurence on his next free weekend met up with Arthur in London.
Arthur was looking forward to spending more time in the U.K. He was still working at securing a place at Oxford for the autumn term or earlier if possible. "I expect to hear back soon, I've had my first interview and they already have on file the records of my first year so it is now all up to them. There was some interest in my results from Bruxelles, but who knows. I'll let you know when I hear from them and we can seriously discuss housing for next year."
Laurence thought that the idea of having Arthur back in Oxford would be wonderful. He could imagine the fun they'd get up to. They wouldn't be in the same lectures but if Arthur was willing to work really hard and seriously apply himself to his studies they might graduate within a year of each other. Their plan had always been to set up together in London.
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In the meantime, Merlin and Gawaine were getting ready for their Christmas break. The school had a concert with Gawaine playing in one of the groups. He was a passable drummer and with his hair pulled forward so it hid his eyes, he was the hit of the evening. His father was unable to attend but his mother sat with Hunith and Gaius and they all insisted that they had enjoyed themselves. The evening finished with a carol presentation by the school's Cathedral Choristers, during which the audience of staff, students and Sixth Form parents were invited to join in certain selections.
The following day, Gawaine's group was one of those chosen to perform for the younger classes. Kieran and Garth were thrilled to be able to lay claim to their brother, whom they considered to be the star of the whole show.
A Mass at the Cathedral for students staff and family members finished the term after which the students were dismissed to return after the New Year. It was a sobering thought for the Upper Sixes that they only had two terms before leaving school.
The Knells were going to their country place for Christmas. Merlin's family were planning to stay home but then Hunith and he were invited to spend a few days with Gawaine's family after Christmas. Grace said that she would appreciate some female company when surrounded by so many males. Hunith agreed and off they went to Hexforth.
Laurence was expected to join them for a few days over Christmas itself after which he was going skiing in Switzerland with Arthur and his father who, not surprisingly had a chalet near Zermatt.
Merlin had hoped that Arthur might have visited the Knells over the holidays. He hadn't seen Arthur in the flesh since he had entertained him and his mum in London at the end of the summer. He'd stayed at his place in London while he was on the Continent. He had never heard anything about the photo so he supposed that Laurence had decided against forwarding it. He was a little disappointed as Arthur might have liked it.
He had been so busy at school that he hadn't had time to spend hours daydreaming about him but when he woke in the morning and knew that in his dreams Arthur had been present, it gave him hope.
He really wanted to see him again. He would like to spend hours with just the two of them talking and he then realized that if it ever became a possibility, he hoped that Arthur would not mention anything to Laurence who although he was a nice chap seemed to put a damper on anything to do with Arthur and himself.
In his mind, he already had a list which he would run through, of topics that he might like to discuss with him but there was one which he never actually verbalized and that was whether Arthur found him attractive enough to consider going out with. He sighed, 'Why is growing up so hard?' True, things came to him easily and he did well in his studies, he had a happy home life and he was healthy but there was something just outside the perimeters of his present life that was calling to him.
Then he would sigh and say to himself, 'You don't even know him! Maybe, he's a not really nice at all and the meeting in Scarborough and London had just been a way for him to amuse himself by teasing you.' But then he'd have flashbacks of the visits and decide that if Laurence had taken the trouble to speak to him, that he too must have been conscious of the attraction.
Merlin made his way with Gawaine down to breakfast, he was always surprised when the staff at Hexforth used Gawaine's parents actual titles, referring to them as Her Ladyship or His Lordship. The villagers addressed them as the Sir Michael and Lady Grace.
When they were alone, he'd asked Gawaine if Laurence as the eldest son would one day be known as Sir Laurence. Gawaine had explained that his father's title was for his lifetime and non-hereditary. "Therefore if Laurence wants a title he'll have to achieve it on his own merit. Anyway, my father really only uses his title in business."
They'd amused themselves by giving people they knew titles. Finally deciding that Kieran, Lord Knells sounded quite nice as did Hunith, Lady Emrys even Gawaine, Lord Knells was acceptable however, Merlin Lord Emrys sounded sissy. "But I would have liked to be called His Lordship," Merlin had insisted.
Another possibility was Sir Arthur, Lord Mulberry. Both boys had laughed and decided that Arthur suited a more important name and settled on King Arthur Pendragon.
For the longest time, whenever Merlin dreamed of Arthur it was in his capacity as a royal. He was cast as his faithful companion and advisor, often with more emphasis on companion than advisor.