CHAPTER 3 : A WELCOME DREAMS ARE MADE OF
His father had not been impressed to learn that he had been robbed. He had wanted to know, "Why didn't you have the housekeeper make Ferguson and you supper? I pay her enough to keep the house and if necessary cook for my guests."
"She did during the week but Fergus had wanted to take me out for supper on Thursday. It wasn't my idea to become the victim of a robbery. Anyway, I was lucky that I had left my air tickets in my suitcase."
"Well, now that's you're back, stay away from cabs!" His father had stood up and left the room saying over his shoulder, "See you tomorrow!"
"Or not…" Arthur had said to himself considering the seventy miles drive to Oxford.
At the last moment he made up his mind, there was nothing keeping him in London and he had to drive there tomorrow anyway. He had his temporary driving license and an older bankcard which he had kept as a backup. His bags had been more or less packed before he went to Edinburgh and if he had forgotten something he could always buy it or do without. He left a note on the hall table for his father who probably expected to see him at breakfast on Sunday.
-0-0-
Arthur pulled into the condo before eleven on Saturday evening, as there had been less traffic than he expected. It had already gone ten before he'd left and he'd decided against phoning Merlin, this way, he'd be able to surprise him. He felt upbeat about the prospect of seeing Merlin the following day.
He could tell by the sound of the TV that Laurence was there. He called, "It's me! I decided to drive tonight instead of tomorrow, a good decision as the traffic was lighter."
"Have you had anything to eat?" Laurence asked, "There's some Chinese food in the fridge as I had a takeaway. I only arrived this morning."
"I stopped and picked up two orders of fried chicken at the Welcome Break, there's plenty if you want some."
"It smells so good, maybe I'll take a leg and some chips."
"So, how are you…over her yet?"
Laurence shook his head, "It was such a bitchy way to let me know."
"Well, look on the bright side, you can apply yourself without distraction to your graduate studies this term and then come the summer you'll be ready to find someone else."
"Easier said that done…" Laurence replied. They sat in friendly silence watching the news until all the chicken and most of the chips had been eaten.
-0-0-
Merlin went to early Mass with Tina and then went off shopping. He was hungry as he'd skipped breakfast so he dropped by Costa's and treated himself to a toasted egg and cheese muffin. He needed to buy some food if he was going to prepare supper for Arthur and possibly Laurence. He bought potatoes, tinned salmon and what he needed to make nachos. He got on the bus and made his way to Arthur's.
Arthur had figured that Merlin wouldn't be there much earlier than two so he lay in bed thinking, letting his mind wander wherever it wanted. Not surprisingly it wandered to Merlin and then to the troubles in the residence.
-0-0-
He was in the shower allowing the water to pelt down on his shoulders marvelling at how wonderful it was in a condo where you never ran out of hot water no matter how long you showered, when he heard the glass door open and a voice say, "Like some company?"
He smiled deciding this was the kind of welcome that dreams were made of.
Later as they lay in bed, Merlin said, "You promised to phone before you left London, when did you arrive?"
"Last night!"
Merlin sat upright, "You mean to say that I was left all by myself in the residence when I could have been here with you?"
Pulling him back down beside him, Arthur said, "It was very late. I didn't leave until after ten and I didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep besides I was tired and felt that a proper night's sleep might be beneficial especially as I knew how demanding you can be…"
Smiling happily, Merlin said, "You say the nicest things!"
"Is Sara here with Laurence?"
"No…Sara is no more!"
"Do you mean she died?" Merlin asked obviously taken by surprise.
"No!" Arthur laughed, "I mean that she is no more Laurence's favourite person."
'What happened?"
"She had gone to France to visit her Grandmére and when she returned she seemed cool and preoccupied, Laurence found out why. Stopping by her place and I say this without malice, he found her entertaining," he stopped to give a knowing nod, "a young Frenchman called Matthieu.
"Laurence was shocked and also upset. There was nothing I could say as I had never really liked her and felt that he could have found someone nicer whom he could have introduced to his family. He'd been going out with her since his second year here and had kept her a secret from his parents. I'd like him to find someone who would treat him as if he was special and love him for himself not the family money and a title he might inherit. She was a little gold digger and who knows how many other chaps she'd had over the years."
"Do you think I'm a gold digger after your millions?"
"Merlin, I have no doubts about you. I know that you are not after my money…my body maybe but not my money!"
Merlin smiled and glanced at the bedside clock, "I have thirty minutes before I must start doing the fish cakes, 'Can you think of something we might do to while away the time?"
Arthur proved that he could…
-0-0-
Supper was a success both Arthur and Laurence liked the fish cakes but it was the nachos which surprised both of them, layer upon layers of crisp tortilla chips with tomato salsa and refried beans topped with mounds of melted cheese and served with two sides of ground beef and sour cream.
"Lived in Mexico recently?" Laurence wanted to know. "These are excellent. Arthur, we have a chef in our midst and we didn't even realise it."
"Well, apart from fish pie and a few other plain things, that is the extent of my cooking abilities, and even then I am sometimes liable to fail," explained Merlin.
Arthur smiled he loved hearing someone compliment his boyfriend and he just caught Merlin's eye and smiled at him. Merlin was happy that it was only Laurence and Arthur as the three of them got on so well and if Sara had been here, her snide remarks and looks of obvious boredom would have spoilt the evening.
Laurence insisted on clearing up saying, "You two sit there and enjoy each other's company. When I've finished here, I'm turning in as Trinity is upon us and it's make it or break it this term!"
Two hours later, Merlin finally said, 'Arthur, you haven't forgotten have you that I have twenty minutes to get back to residence."
"I'll drive you," he kissed him adding, "it would be my pleasure. Thanks again for the supper, you certainly impressed Laurence."
It was hard for Merlin to leave knowing that he would be returning alone to his room.
"I'll phone to say goodnight, once I get back home," Arthur promised.
"…and look out for taxis!" Merlin said with a grin which called for another kiss as far as Arthur was concerned.
Merlin lay in bed and after Arthur's call, realising that he had never told Arthur about his conversation with Dr. Eleanor Lucas. It could wait until they had supper on Thursday, he decided.
-0-0-
With the full quota of students present, breakfast was a little tense for Merlin. He kept glancing at the next table but luckily the group he was dreading never appeared. He set off for his tutorials with a light heart. Having already one week under their belts, they settled down quickly and got to work.
Merlin saw Arthur in the distance but didn't acknowledge him. They had decided not to draw attention to each other as it might provoke more trouble for Merlin.
Before they returned to Liverpool, Arthur and he had a heart to heart about keeping a low profile, as there were only ten weeks left for Merlin and eight for Arthur. The previous term had been difficult with the shoving incidents, Merlin's injuries and Beth's attack and the cat. Merlin felt that the college was not supporting them and seemed to be of no help. Arthur knew that it was eating away at Merlin, as he could sometimes see the panicked look in his eye if he were in a group.
"Anyway, we're here to study not socialise," Merlin had conceded.
Arthur just smiled and said, "Why, what did you have in mind?"
Merlin had just laughed and leant forward and kissed him. "It would be nice to be able to nod and exchange a few words."
"What no kisses or hugs?"
Merlin laughed shaking his head, "I want to be considered a serious student and hanging around my boyfriend's neck in The Quad would seriously undermine that. There is after all a time and a place for everything."
"But what if no one else was there?"
Shaking his head, Merlin said, "Not even then! You can't count on that as even darkened windows have eyes…one of my teachers used to say."
"You're a hard task master, Mr Emrys."
"Arthur, whoever is causing this trouble is clever. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the end of him! He has a plan and he seems hell bent for leather to bring it to fruition."
"Hell bent for leather! Merlin, come on, been seeing many cowboy films recently?"
"Surprisingly not as the phrase is believed to be the American equivalent of Rudyard Kipling's 1889 'hell for leather'. It came up in one of my tutorials as recklessly determined."
"All right, I agree, no demonstrations of our relationship on college property," Arthur said with a grin. He and Merlin had been very careful, never acknowledging the other with more than a nod. They had even refrained from being too relaxed when he was driving Merlin back to his residence. But he knew that for someone who was looking for something incriminating, even a nod could speak volumes.
"Of course, my bedroom is not covered by that ban…" Merlin said with a bright smile.
"Thank goodness…!" said Arthur.
-0-0-
By the time supper came around, the Dining Hall was full and Toby said quietly, "Some of the group's there but not Baxter."
They left and walked out and no one as much as raised an eyebrow at the next table. They were all in good spirits and ignored the Freshers.
"Maybe he won't come back..." Merlin said hopefully.
"He'll be back, it's his third year and he only has one more to go but maybe he will lose interest in us and find someone else to annoy."
But he hadn't, the following morning, he was back, riling up his group. Merlin did notice that he now had only three followers better than Michaelmas when half the table seemed involved.
Later on the stairs, two chaps passed Merlin whose tendency was to freeze but they smiled pleasantly at him as one said, "It's good to be back isn't it?" Merlin nodded, he felt better.
-0-0-
Arthur spoke to him on Wednesday, "How's it going?"
"So far so good, Baxter seems to have lost some followers and according to Toby apart from smirking in my direction, he did nothing.
Trying to get Merlin to think of something else Arthur said, "Can you check with Toby on the date of the Medieval Fair where they will be jousting. I checked the dates at Cardiff Castle, it's the very end of June. You'll be finished and I think we should spend a weekend there. You can see the falconry display and we'll both enjoy the jousting."
"Arthur, that sounds like fun..."
"Especially, the hotel..."
"We've not even been apart four days and already you have plans to seduce me with a weekend in a fancy hotel."
Arthur laughed, "Who me? Never, I am the epitome of a gentleman!" Arthur paused and waited, when Merlin didn't say anything, he turned and asked seriously, "I am, aren't I Merlin?"
Merlin started to laugh and said, "As I have no one to compare you with, in the area to which you are referring, I agree, you are the epitome of a gentleman and more important than that you are mine..."
Arthur could tell that he was more upbeat than when he had answered the phone. He said, "Better let you go as I have work to do. Sleep tight...supper tomorrow?"
"Of course, I would not miss it. Good Night and God Bless!" Once he hung up, he again reminded himself that on Thursday he intended to tell Arthur about Dr. Lucas.
He went to sleep and dreamt of jousting knights, extravagant hotel rooms and a falconer with a barn owl called Daisy.
-0-0-
As he had been coming in on Thursday night, he'd met up at the Porters' Lodge with another student called Tom from his staircase who had innocently said, "Nice car your friend drives!"
For a second, Merlin had been on the defensive but then he had just smiled and nodded saying, "Yes!"
Arthur was supposed to meet him on Thursday after tutorials on High Street but deciding to keep a low profile, he told him he'd take a bus to his place. He wasn't really cut out for this cloak and dagger stuff as he preferred being straightforward but if it meant that it would keep everything on an even keel he'd do it.
They drove out of town to a pub called The Wicket. Merlin was surprised to see no bats or pictures of cricketeers, until on the back of the menu he read that a wicket was a small door set into a larger one and in this village, there used to be a gaol and the prisoners' families used to bring them food and pass it through the little doorway to the guards who hopefully passed to on to their loved ones.
Arthur smiled, "…and just think now, prisoners get three good meals a day regardless of whether they have families or not."
"But at least in the old days people would be getting the food they liked not food that they might be allergic to."
"Merlin, do you honestly believe that all the food passed through the wicket was given to specific prisoners? I would think that the gaoler and his guards ate first and then anything that was left was doled out to the unfortunates."
"You have no heart, Arthur, here I was thinking of loving wives preparing food and sending it with the children to the prison where it would make the day a little brighter for some unfortunate who had run afoul of the constabulary."
"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Arthur said laughing and letting their fingers entwine.
They had just finished their main course and were considering the dessert when Arthur's phone buzzed, he ignored it but Merlin said, "Take it, it might be something important."
Arthur looked down at the screen and clicked on it. He was quiet for a moment and then looked and Merlin as he said, "Right, we'll be there in twenty minutes."
He beckoned over the waitress and settled the bill and they walked out to the car. Merlin realised that whatever had happened he didn't want to discuss it in public. They got into the car and Arthur said, "There's been some trouble at the residence. Drake couldn't get you so he phoned me. Someone set fire to the baseboards at the end of your corridor around supper time. There used some type of accelerant. The fire station was notified and now they are checking up on it. The six rooms at your end were checked by security and nothing, however a small area of floorboards, the skirting and a section of the wainscoting at the very end of the corridor were charred."
"It seemed at first to be just me but now, other people are involved," Merlin said without making eye contact with Arthur.
-0-0-
Merlin picked up the acrid smell of a doused fire as he was halfway up the stairs. There was a security man at the top who asked him to identify himself which he did and his name was checked off a list. He was then told to he could check his room but Arthur was not permitted into the corridor.
Richard was also standing talking to someone from the fire service who was taking notes. He explained that he had heard noise outside but had not paid much attention until he smelt the smoke. He came outside and saw the flames licking the wainscotting and had phoned the Porter's Lodge, then had knocked on the three other doors but Toby, Merlin and Dev were not in their rooms.
Arthur was slightly annoyed to have been left standing on the stairs but he knew that Merlin was quite capable of dealing with the problem. He turned to the security guard whom he didn't recognise saying, "So what happened this time? This is a bad section for disturbances, isn't it?" The guard just nodded, tight lipped as he should have been in his position.
Merlin came around the corner and said, "Nothing missing from my room, luckily the door fits well and the room doesn't smell. However, I left the windows open to get a cross breeze."
"Will you be able to stay here tonight?"
"I don't see why not... the fire's out and the damage is confined. Maintenance is going to be thrilled to be called back here again," he said with a grin. "Surely, someone will see that there is something wrong...this time."
Arthur didn't interrupt him but if the fire had been set six hours later, there might not have been anything to grin about.
"Do you want to go out and get a drink, it's just gone eight thirty? The Kitchen Bar will be crowded, so how about walking over to Starbucks?"
Melin nodded if they were trying to keep a low profile, Starbucks was the better choice, anyway it was on High Street.
After they found a table in the corner, they sat among students with their computers and cell phones. It was quiet except for the sound of the coffee machines and the low mummer of people placing orders.
"Sorry our supper was cut short, I still owe you a choice of dessert and a beverage." Arthur said trying to lighten the mood.
"What I don't understand is that they seem like malicious pranks."
"I don't consider trashing a room and pushing someone into the road a prank. Whoever is planning these things needs help. If this is the way he gets his kicks, I pity his siblings…"
Suddenly, Merlin remembered what he had wanted to tell Arthur tonight, so he said, "Arthur, I just remember why I was happy to go out of town this evening. I think you will also be interested in someone I met last week. I've been meaning to tell you since you came back, but we sort of got sidetracked on Sunday and it's not something you'd want me to tell you on the phone.
For a second, it flashed through Arthur's mind that this might not be what he wanted to hear if it concerned Merlin having met someone else. However, the look on Merlin's face didn't seem to harbour any disastrous news, so he said, "Go ahead, I'm all ears…"