Qwilleran gave them a treat before leaving for his lunch date with the Appelhardt heiress. Arriving at The Pines in a hired cab, he found her waiting on the porch of the main lodge, and when he handed her into the carriage, he realized she was trembling, as she was on Sunday after defying her mother. He assumed they had exchanged words. Mrs. Appelhardt had been an effusive hostess before her daughter showed signs of rebellion. No doubt he was now considered a bad influence; beware of journalists!
As they drove away from The Pines, he said to Elizabeth, "That color is very attractive on you."
"Thank you," she said. "I like all shades of violet, but Mother thinks it's less than respectablewhatever that means."
"I've noticed that women of spirit and individuality are drawn to purple," he replied, thinking of Euphonia Gage, who had been one of Pickax City's most original and independent citizens.
Elizabeth was wearing a layender dress belted with braided rope, and her mermaid hair was rolled up under a tropical straw hat that looked as if it had been drenched with rain and stomped by a horse. "This hat belonged to my father," she said proudly. "He called it his Gauguin hat."
"You have interesting taste in clothing," he said. "Those long robes you wear ..." He ran out of words. What could he say about them?
"Do you like them? They're from India and Africa and Javahandwoven cotton and batik-dyed. I love exotic fabrics. Mother says I look like a freak, but it's the only way I have to express myself."
They were approaching the Domino Inn, and he remarked, "Two of the guests here read about your accident in the paper and mentioned that you'd been a student of theirsEdith and Edna Moseley."
"How wonderful! I want to see them."
"Unfortunately, they left this morning to return homeBoston, I believe."
"Why didn't they let me know they were here?" she said. "When Mother enrolled me in the academy, I was in a very bad state psychologically, and they were so kind! You're a very kind person, too, Mr. Qwilleran. Am I right in thinking you're not married?"
"I'm not married at the moment ... but I'm committed," he added quickly.
"What is she like?" Elizabeth asked eagerly.
"She's intelligent and comfortable to be with and nice-looking, and she has a melodious voice. She's head of the public library in Pickax City ..."
"I'd love to be a librarian," she said wistfully, "but I don't have the formal education. Mother convinced me I didn't have the temperament or the stamina for college."
They reached the downtown area, and she was appalled. "How could they desecrate this lovely island? Those dreadful shops! Those vulgar rocking chairs!"
To alleviate her horror he said lightly, "I have a vision of all fifty rockers occupied and rocking in unison like a chorus line and creating electromagnetic waves that would bring the entire resort tumbling down."
She relaxed and laughed a little.
"The worst is yet to come," he went on. "The lobby is hung with black pirate flags, and we're lunching in the Corsair Room, the entrance to which is guarded by a swash-buckling pirate."
At the reservation desk Derek looked at Elizabeth, and then at Qwilleran questioningly, and then back at the woman in the unusual hat. "Hi, Mr. Q! Do you want your usual corner booth?" he asked, adding under his breath, "Hey! Wow!"
When they were seated, Elizabeth said, "That person in the lobby is so tall!"
"That's Derek Cuttlebrink, a well-known figure in Pickax and an actor in the Theater Club . .. Would you have a cocktail, Ms. Appelhardt? Or an aperitif?"
"Please call me Elizabeth," she said.
"Only if you'll call me Qwill."
After a moment's hesitation she asked for a chardonnay spritzer, and he said he would have the same thing without the wine.
"And now I'm dying to know something about your nameJames Mackintosh Qwilleran with a QW. Was that your name at birth?"
"As a matter of fact ... no. Before I was born, my mother was reading Spenser's Faerie Queene, and she named me Merlin James. When I was in high school, you can imagine how my peers heckled a first baseman named Merlin! So I changed it when I went to college. My mother was a Mackintosh."
"That makes a big difference," she said. "When I charted "James Mackintosh Qwilleran," I knew something was wrong. First I have to explain how numerology works. Every letter of the alphabet has a corresponding number, beginning with one for the letter A. When you reach tenfor Jyou drop the zero and start again with one. To chart a name, you give each letter its numeral equivalent, total them, and reduce the total to a single digit. Is that clear?"
"I think so," he murmured, although his mind was wandering back forty years to Miss Heathshe of the toothy smile.
"When I charted the name you gave me, the final digit was two, and instinct told me you were not a two type! I had a feeling that you are a five!... So now, if you'll give me a moment, I'll chart your birth name." As she scribbled in a notebook, she mumbled to herself, "Merlin reduces to eight . .. add three for James and three for Qwilleran ... for a total of fourteen . .. which reduces to five.... I knew it! You're a five!" she cried in triumph. "Is that good or bad?"
Excitedly she said, "It means you like freedom, adventure, and change. You've probably traveled extensively, because you're adaptable and have a lively curiosity about new places and new people. And you have ingenuity, which must be useful in your work."
"In all modesty," Qwilleran said, "I must say you've got it right. But how did you know the previous number was wrong? You don't know me that well."
"It's your aura," she said seriously. "You have the aura of a five."
"And what is your digit?"
"I'm a seven, which happens to be the same as your male cat. In charting them I came upon an astounding fact. Kao K'o Kung adds up to seven, and so does Koko. In the case of Yum Yum and Freya, each name comes out to the same digit: one. That means she's patient and independent, with strong willpower. Koko is aristocratic, scientific, and mentally keen, but rather secretive."
"Remarkable!" Qwilleran said. Pensively he devoured a bowl of gumbo, while his guest nibbled half a chicken sandwich without mayonnaise. Gradually he led her into a discussion of cooking herbs, then medicinal herbs, and then toxic herbs.
"The islanders would probably know about poisonous plants," she said. "They make their own folk medicines. Have you ever been to the Dark Village?"
"Is that what the natives call Providence Village?"
"Yes, and it's a fascinating place. My father used to drive us through the village. If you'd like to rent a carriage after lunch, I could drive."
"Is it true they resent strangers?"
"Ordinarily, but we were always quiet and respectful of their privacy. The islanders liked my father. He'd talk to the fishermen on the beach and buy some of their catch."
She lapsed into a thoughtful silence and he left her alone with her memories for a while. Suddenly she said, "Qwill, would you call me Liz? No one but my father ever called me that. He was my best friend and the only one who ever really listened to me."
"I'd be honored ... Liz," he said. "How long has your father been gone?"
"Six years, and I still feel lonely. I have no rapport with my mother. William and Ricky are good brothers, but they have their own families and their own life."
"What about Jack?"
"We don't get along," she said sharply. "When we were growing up, he used to torment mepaint moustaches on my dolls and glue the pages of my favorite books together."
"Did your parents let him get away with that?"
"Mother excused him, saying he was naturally playful and didn't mean any harm, and Fatherwell . .. Father never tried to argue with her. You see, Qwill, Jack was such a beautiful boy that he could get away with anything! He's lost his looks now, from too much partying."