Heart of Gold

'And if Lutetia breaks down, I know which neighbouring country will be ready to move in.' Aubrey sighed and folded the newspaper. 'The Heart of Gold must be restored.'

'It'd be pleasing if we could manage this before your parents get here.'

'I'd thought of that.' Aubrey sipped at this third cup of coffee and closed his eyes in appreciation of its richness. It's the little things that remind us we're human, he thought, and how enjoyable it can be. 'Oh, did I mention that the embassy is going to hold a ball this weekend, in honour of the alliance?'

'A ball? Well. Are we invited?'

'I'm expected to be there. And so are you.'

'Splendid.'

Aubrey dusted some crumbs from the front of his jacket. 'I thought I might ask Caroline.'

George nodded, with a completely straight face. 'I thought you might, too.'

'She may enjoy that sort of thing. Music, a chance to get dressed up.'

'You're just thinking of her. I know how unselfish you are.'

Aubrey grinned. 'You know me too well.' He stood. 'And who'll you partner? I'm sure Caroline's mother is free.'

George opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Madame Calvert appeared at their table. 'The embassy ball? I have a niece who would be delighted to accompany you.'

George spluttered. 'I . . .Well, I'm sure that . . .'

'Excellent. I'll make the arrangements.'

'WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING, OLD MAN?' GEORGE SAID as they mounted the stairs to their rooms.

'I thought you were handling the situation beautifully. I tend to be overawed when you adopt your smooth, suave persona like that.'

George jammed his hands into his pockets. 'I was thinking of asking that waitress from the café in the gardens. Or I'm sure one of the girls from that acting troupe would be interested. Fun-loving types, they seemed.'

'I'm sure Madame Calvert's niece will be very presentable.'

'Presentable,' George repeated. He coughed and held a hand to his forehead. 'I feel a cold coming on. I don't think I'll be well enough to go.'

'Don't worry, George, we have much to do before then.'

'I'll never make it. I'm fading fast.'

BEFORE THEY SET OUT FOR THE DAY, AUBREY PREPARED himself as best as he could. He stowed some of his useful items in his jacket: chalk, a pocket knife, some clay, three glass marbles, a brass door knob and – on a whim – a feather.

The brick from the Faculty of Magic lay on his washstand. Aubrey studied it, humming to himself as he did. Its properties could come in handy, but it was an awkward thing to be carrying around. If challenged, he imagined he could present a plausible excuse – 'I need to mend a wall and I wanted to get the right colour' – but in these suspicious times it could strain even his powers of persuasion.

Why take a whole brick when a piece will do? he thought. Just as the brick had stood in for the tower, if he could break it up, a fragment could stand for the whole. When they came near the Liberty Gardens he could use small pieces of brick – even brick dust – to determine the exact whereabouts of the Heart of Gold.

He paused and hefted the brick in both hands. How am I going to shatter a brick in an exclusive Lutetian apartment?

He scanned the room, hoping he'd simply overlooked a hammer and anvil tucked into the corner. Plenty of delicate, spindly furniture. Lots of subtly patterned wallpaper. Not much in the way of blacksmith's tools.

He shrugged. Why use muscles when gravity could do the work?

Balancing the brick under one arm, he knocked on George's door. He entered just as his friend called, 'Come in.'

George was standing in front of the cheval mirror with two brushes. 'How's my hair?' he asked.

'Perfect.' Aubrey went to the window. Below was a quiet alley. 'Excellent. Now, I want you to nip down there and tell me if anyone's coming.'

'Why?'

'I don't want to drop this brick on someone's head.'

'I see. And my job is to prevent such a thing?'

'One step ahead, you are. Good to see.'

The results were satisfactory. George came back with a palm full of rough brick gravel, as well as a collection of larger fragments. 'There you go, old man. No damage to people or property, although I think we succeeded in scaring a nasty-looking cat.'

Aubrey held his jacket pockets open and George poured in the pieces. 'Now,' Aubrey said, 'let's see if we can finally track down this Heart of Gold.'

THE MORNING WAS WARM, BUT FLAT AND DULL. THIN CLOUD, the colour of wallpaper paste, covered the entire sky. The foul odour that Aubrey had noticed while on the Exposition Tower was still present, a faint, underlying smell of rot that unsettled his stomach. It was having the same effect on the Lutetians, too, to judge from the sour faces they passed while walking along Generosity Street.

Aubrey, however, was in good spirits. He hummed as they marched toward the Hepworths' apartment. Even the growing numbers of doom-laden posters couldn't dampen his spirits.

He wanted to speak to Inspector Paul, when he could find time. Some judicious sharing of information might be timely. He had the feeling they could be useful to each other.

'Solved a problem?' George asked him as they crossed Fairness Street. The smell from a bakery was mouthwatering enough to drive off the sickly city stench, and a long line of customers attested that the products of the shop tasted as good as they smelled.

'A problem?'

'You're humming again. It seems to help you think, just like a cat's purr helps its digestion.'

Aubrey stopped dead and stared at his friend. 'Where did you get that piece of information from?'

'Renaissance man, remember? I aim to accumulate knowledge like an oyster accumulates . . . seaweed?'

'Be that as it may. A cat's purr helps its digestion? Where did that come from?'

'Can't recall. But it's an impressive morsel to drop into a conversation, don't you think? Especially with a pretty companion.'

'Ah, I see. This Renaissance man business is a way to impress females.'

'Why would you think any differently?'

THEY ARRIVED AT THE HEPWORTH RESIDENCE TO FIND Caroline on the front stairs, giving a ginger cat a saucer of milk.

Aubrey waved to her. 'Taking care of strays?'

Caroline smiled. 'He's hungry.' She bent and stroked the lucky cat. It lapped at the milk and began to purr.

George opened his mouth, but Aubrey cut him off. 'Not now, George.'

Caroline looked up, then stared at Aubrey. 'What on earth is that in your jacket?'

Alarmed, Aubrey looked down to see that that his pocket was moving. 'Oh. That's a brick. Or parts of a brick. Brick dust, too.'

'I hope magic is involved.'