This is one of my favorite chapters. I had so much fun writing interactions between these characters that didn't all meet in the series. I hope you guys also have as much fun reading! And thanks for all the reviews and likes!
The Chilton residence was on the outskirts of the city where there was more room for unnecessary embellishments and gardens. Will guessed that the extravagant house was likely where the majority of the funds from the London Academy of Science and Medicine were spent. If Will hadn't been so driven he would have turned around when the butler opened the door.
He followed the man to the parlor, where he was met by Chilton who was wearing a green cravat to match his green suit dotted with gold. He swung his cane with a flourish when he saw Will.
"Sir William Graham," he said, bowing deeply. "I am so grateful you accepted my invitation. It was inevitable that two men of science, such as ourselves, would eventually come together to discuss academic endeavors."
"Yes," Will said, plastering on a smile. "That is precisely why I am here. As the head of the London Academy of Science and Medicine, you no doubt have access to the papers I requested."
Chilton mocked offense.
"Of course," he said. "My influence is far-reaching and the papers you were curious about were quite easy to obtain. They are currently in my library."
Chilton began leading Will down the hallway, taking the opportunity to point out his priceless vases and rare paintings.
"The papers were simple doctoral notes, so they were in the records." Chilton stopped to point to a painting of two women sitting together. "Ah yes, and here is the Jean Baptiste Claude Richard. I nearly had to kill a man to outbid him for it. But yes, the records…"
They finally reached the library, although Will was quite sure they had taken a few detours for Chilton to show off his house. He swung his cane in the direction of a table with a dusty leather-bound book sitting on it. Will didn't even notice the rest of the immense library.
"The scientific records of Dr. Abel Gideon, doctor to the king," Chilton said proudly. Will quickly opened the notes and scrolled to the date of the king's death. His eyes lit up when he saw the word, assassination. He slammed the book closed and tucked it into his jacket.
"Thank you very much, Dr. Chilton," he said, making Chilton smile fondly.
"It was my pleasure," he said, overly modestly. "Anything for a friend."
There was a ring at the door. Chilton straightened up.
"That must be my other guest," he said, making his way back to the parlor. Will followed behind him curiously.
"Forgive me but I didn't realize there would be other guests," Will said.
"It would rather rude of you to keep my company to yourself," Chilton said. Will frowned with vexation. His irritation changed to concern when the other guests entered the parlor.
"Baron Tobias," Chilton said with a bow, then turned to his other guest. "And Archbishop Mason. A true pleasure."
"Frederick, you needn't flourish us with your sickening compliments," Tobias said, not hiding his frustration.
"I have no objection," Mason said, leaning back into the comfy parlor chair. Tobias curled his lip at him and Will was struck by how out of character this dinner party was for all three men. He felt a heavy pit in his stomach but couldn't see any possible exit from the private dinner turned party. He realized with annoyance that he hadn't revealed his dinner plans to anyone at the palace, so no one knew his whereabouts. Tobias gave him a menacing smile.
"Sir William Graham," he said, offering his hand.
"Baron Tobias," Will said, shaking it.
"I hear you're quite a fencer," he said. "You must let me challenge you one day."
"You would challenge all of London to fencing if you could," Mason said with boredom. "And you'd lose."
"Thank you, Your Holiness," Tobias said in a monotone irritation. Chilton cleared his throat and turned to Will.
"I assume you and Archbishop Mason have been acquainted?" he asked. Will nodded.
"Very well then, shall we move to the dining room?" he suggested, pointing with his cane.
The three men sat at the grand table, much too long for the amount of acquaintances that Chilton had. A lone butler, the same man that had answered the door for Will, served dinner.
"Thank you, Cordell," Mason said.
Will fought to expel his worry during dinner, but the interactions between the three men were discomforting. They were too familiar with each other, and it was much too unexpected. Will couldn't piece together why the men would keep each other's company in the first place or why they would continue to do so. More so, their conversations felt too forced as if they were simply talking to pass the time until something happened but Will couldn't figure out what that something was.
"Will, I must ask you," Chilton said, swirling his wine but not sipping it. "Why did you keep your family history a secret?"
"My father wasn't exactly on the friendliest terms with the court when he was banished," Will pointed out. Tobias chuckled.
"That's true, from what Papa has told me of his time in court before he passed away, God Bless Him," Mason said, tilting his head quickly up towards the sky.
"It must have been horrific to grow up destitute," Chilton sighed.
"We weren't completely impoverished," Will pointed out. "We had some things."
"That sounds positively dreadful," Chilton said. "No wonder you hate the nobility."
"I don't hate the nobility," Will said, but the words fell flat.
"And we don't hate the poor," Mason said. "Those disgusting, filthy pigs."
Will took a long sip of his wine glass. He noticed the butler had disappeared. He changed the conversation, "Forgive me if this is forward, but I must admit that I would not have guessed you three to be such close friends."
"Friends is a loose term," Tobias explained.
"We have mutual interests," Chilton agreed.
"Surely you can understand that," Mason said. "Your relationship with Hannibal seems to operate on similar principles."
"Are you referring to self-interest?" Will asked, their answers making him more jittery. He drank more wine to calm his nerves.
"Yes, it is the value that all of London acts upon. Whether or not all of its inhabitants acknowledge that." Mason said, cutting the ham on his plate. "And we understand court and the nobles. And the king."
"Hannibal?" Will asked.
"I'm sure you've noticed, Will, that the king has been gaining an unprecedented amount of power. It wasn't pretty the last time the king had that much power," Chilton said. "We thought ourselves lucky when Hannibal replaced him but now the court seems to be falling down the same path."
Will's head was pounding now. He drank more wine, but it was only dulling his mind.
"You're going to kill Hannibal," he said, clumsily throwing his napkin off his lap. His words were slurring. "And you want me to kill him for you?"
Mason laughed. Will shook his head, trying to dispel the heavy fog that was strangling his thoughts.
"You put...drugged my wine?" he asked while struggling to stand up, Mason kicked his chair over. Will tumbled to the floor, barely hanging onto his consciousness.
"You're right about the drugging but you misinterpreted our intentions," Mason said. Will grasped for the door as the other two men stood to join Mason.
"You're much too infatuated with the king to kill him and you hate the nobles too much to help us," Mason said. "You're the only one that stands between us and the king."
"I've been waiting patiently for that opportunity," Tobias added.
"It's for the good of London," Chilton said. The three pairs of legs standing in front of Will blurred as his head fell unconscious on Chilton's rugged dining room floor.