Chapter 16 - An Arrangement of Pitch Pine with Mountain Ash

As this is a Regency story, there is bound to be some AU-ness and OOC-ness. Please bear with me. Emphases are in italics and titles of books &ca are underlined. This story places great stress on the significance and meanings of flowers.

Language of Flowers

Chapter 16 – An Arrangement of Pitch Pine with Mountain Ash

My Lord Villiers had left a victor when he departed Hades, there was no gainsaying it. Poor Lord Percy Weasley and Mr Goyle came off badly in the battle of dice and wit. When news of this incident leaked out at dawn, the gentlemen of the ton shook their heads mournfully over the startling disclosures of Villiers' past history, but railed at him in hushed tones for being the source of his beautiful mother's distress. The women of ton, led by the eccentric Miss Granger, Lady Ginevra Weasley and Miss Lovegood, eventually came to the opinion that Lord Villiers had done them and society a tremendous service by purging the country of a fortune hunter and thus rendering London more habitable. Lady Ginevra could not be blamed for wishing death upon her brother who had slandered the name of one friend and derided the virtue of another. The two Duchesses, the mothers of the injured man and the gunman, reacted to the news of the early morning fracas by taking to their beds with volatile salts. Miss Granger, of stronger mind than most of her sex, considered the near death of Lord Percy (whose survival was by no means ensured) a pretty scandal, for the incident appealed to her secret love of adventure. She was partaking of a solitary breakfast (her father having gone out to the Offaly residence) when Sir Harry Potter, Lord Lupin and Lord Sterne were announced. She looked up amiably from her eggs and toast as the gentlemen came in and offered them a share of the meal.

"Don't mind if I do," said Sir Harry, dusting his drab grey coat that reached ankles. Picking out a handkerchief from one of his coat's three tiers of pockets as to clean his round spectacles, he grinned sheepishly at Brown as she handed him a plate. Miss Granger could not help noticing that she could see her own reflection in Sir Harry's large mother of pearl buttons.

"Strong coffee for me," said Lupin briskly. "I've breakfasted an hour since."

"Lord Sterne?" asked Miss Granger politely hoping that he would make no allusions to their conversation of the previous evening.

"Just coffee," he answered brusquely with a scowl at both Brown and her mistress.

Gesturing for her guests to sit, Miss Granger ventured to ascertain their purpose, "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit at this ungodly hour? Why, it has only gone eight!"

"Business to attend to," mumbled Sir Harry in between his food bolting exercises. Lupin nodded mysteriously and stared into his coffee cup, waiting for Sterne to make a clean breast of their reason for calling.

"If it's about Ars Chemica, I know it already," said Miss Granger. "They are still interested in Hiero Gravitas' work."

"My dear Miss Granger," purred Lord Sterne dryly as he narrowed his eyes. "I am unable to speak of intellectual matters before nine in the morning."

"Ah, you must forgive the clock in my mind then," murmured she, masking her demur with a forced smile. Sterne looked askance at her and scowled darkly at her. "What news then? Did Ron blow his horses on the race to Portsmouth?"

Sir Harry's eyes brightened at the prospect of sporting conversation. "You could say that. I lost three guineas to him as a result; and Lupin here lost one."

"Pity," agreed Miss Granger.

"I say, 'Mione," began Sir Harry with some nervous trembling in his voice. "Do you think Villiers is of sound mind?"

"As sound as yours and mine. Why do you ask?" enquired Miss Granger, watching a beetle hover her half eaten toast. "Wait a moment." She stopped her friend from answering. "Brown, get the potion that I brewed yesterday and place the vials open on the middle of table, next to the throatwort arrangement." Once that was done, she turned meaningfully to Lord Sterne as the beetle fled from the sudden air of solemnity. "Sub rosa,* you understand."

He smirked his acknowledgement of her prudence.

"What does that mean?" asked a nonplussed Sir Harry.

Lupin gently informed him that it was to ensure that the conversation was in confidence.

Miss Granger rolled her eyes in perfect synchronisation with Lord Sterne that it disconcerted Sir Harry and discomposed Lupin. "You were saying, Harry? Do you have reason for doubting Villiers' reason? No? Has he given you cause to doubt the state of his mind?"

Sir Harry squirmed under his friend's thoughtful gaze. Ignoring Sterne's contemptuously curled lips and heavy scowl, he replied, "No, no, not in the least. But the thing is a secret. I'm bound by honour, you know."

"Really," returned Miss Granger as she skilfully caught the beetle in a jar. "What sort of a business arrangement is it? Delicate? Too delicate for female ears, perhaps?"

Sterne gave a snort of disapproval and glared at the Baronet.

"It's only secret so that Ginny won't hear of it," stammered Sir Harry.

"Ah, I see. Who called Villiers out and why?"

Sir Harry gasped at Miss Granger in astonishment and took in his other two companion's calm faces in apprehension. "How did you know?" he muttered.

Brushing aside his question, the hostess turned to the older gentlemen. "Who is the belligerent fellow?"

"Gregory Goyle," replied Lupin, looking into the recesses of his refilled coffee cup. "Severus thinks it's a potential scandal and so it is, if you consider the Malfoy temperament in father and son. Goyle, like Lord Percy, was all for a fight."

Miss Granger's eyes darkened. "Ought I be surprised? I assume by your question on Villiers' reasoning faculties that he refused the challenge? My downstairs staff did not provide me with the full details."

Sterne smirked at the lady's cool irony and Lupin spat his coffee into the cup so that he could laugh. Sir Harry, however, looked mortified. "No! Heavens, no! He took up Goyle's challenge with as much enthusiasm as he did Lord Percy's."

"Villiers as a cool customer," said the lady lightly as she sipped her tea. "Who would have thought! Out of curiosity, why did you doubt Villiers' sanity?"

"He didn't seem much interested in the affair," answered the Baronet. "In fact, Ron and I arranged the whole thing. We're acting for him and I saw Nott and Macnair at home an hour ago. Between the two of us, we fixed the whole thing to occur this evening at dusk at Barn Elms. Villiers already knows and bade me take Lupin and Sterner to consult you."

"Let me guess, he did not appear delighted with your splendid arrangements and it wounded your ego?" mocked the lady. Sterne suppressed the urge to laugh at Miss Granger's reading of Sir Harry's character by training his eyes on her drumming fingers. "Did not you tell Ginny?" she asked.

"We assumed she would be prostrate with grief," offered Lupin blandly.

"We – meaning Harry and you? Typical!" she snorted, pushing aside her plate. "This is what you must do. Harry, go to Ginny and tell her the whole truth. It's hers and the Duchess's at-home day today. Take my word for it; she will be at Queen Square all day. Lord Lupin, try to see if you can offer an olive branch to Mr Goyle. Lord Sterne will try to dissuade Villiers. I will see Lady Minerva and Sanguine."

Unaccustomed to his friend's sudden air of decisiveness, Sir Harry was about to question her instructions when Sterne forcibly ushered his companions out of Lord Orthod's residence and bid them do as they were told.

For some time after they had left, Lord Sterne wandered around the streets, staring vacantly into windows. The stroll did much to his cognitive processes and he soon found himself at Grosvenor Square in front of the Duchess of Mallefille's townhouse. On learning that his admirable godson was not at home, he sauntered leisurely to Black's. He sat down with a newspaper by the empty fireplace and began his wait. Various people came and went, among them Lord Villiers, with whom Sterne exchanged his views on the impending duel. Realising that it was useless to dissuade a young man who was intent on his own destruction, he opted for the next course of action – he sought and obtained the young man's permission to accompany the duellers that evening.

Two hours before the fateful event, Sterne had learnt by way of Miss Granger's message (delivered at the club by her father's page) that only Sir Harry's commission and her efforts had met with Success. Unperturbed, he kept the note in his breast pocket and took the carriage with Villiers to Barn Elms. Goyle was uncharacteristically early and bore displays of having exercised with a fencing master earlier in the day.

"How's your wrist feeling?" taunted Goyle as Sir Harry and Lord Ronald sombrely assisted Villiers in his preparations.

"More relaxed than yours," the Marquess replied, sharing a intelligible look with his godfather.

"You must think me a much bigger fool than you, my Lord Villiers."

"I would not know; I have never meditated on the matter," commented his Lordship coldly, adding a bite to his words.

Goyle swore at his opponent as they examined the rapiers. The rasp of steel scraping against the scabbard revealed that Goyle's sword was out. A few more hot words passed between the lips of Goyle when Nott came punctiliously forward to measure the swords.

"Don't you the feeling this ought to be stopped, Ron?" whispered Sir Harry to his friend.

"Yes. It could ruin poor Ginny," answered Lord Ronald. "Both Goyle and Villiers are mad!"

"Stark mad," murmured Sterne as he silently berated the absent Lupin for choosing to chaperon Lady Sybill to a Vauxhall play that evening.

"But it's bloody famous sport, isn't it? There's no stopping it now. Bloody brilliant, isn't it?" said a cheerfully amused Lord Ronald. The looks his friends bestowed on him soon censured him and he regained the little good sense that he had and pursed his lips in silent penitence.

Immediately following the barely restrained formal salute, the blades came together soon. There were no other sounds save the clashing scrape of steel and the combatants' oaths. Their respective Seconds stood with drawn swords in their places lest their man was disarmed. Sterne looked on their swordplay with a critical eye. He only raised a brow in a form of approbation at Villiers's move, which he had undoubtedly learnt from his father. At Goyle's poor passes, he frowned in scorn. No mean swordsman himself, Lord Sterne soon saw clearly that the duello was already marking its winner. He hoped against all other factors governing Villiers' presently disordered mind that his godson would not kill his opponent. The match was truly a match of hard fighting, for one man had unbearable insults to avenge and the other's whole mind and will were bent towards destroying his adversary. Very soon, even the unfocused Lord Ronald noticed that his man was better at swordplay. Goyle's thrusts were savage indeed and his attack full of fire, but his wide passes could be easily parried. The onlookers were soon drawn to the conclusion that Lord Villiers constantly had Mr Goyle at his mercy. It was evident that the blond gentleman who was expectedly light on his feet, was playing with his opponent and slowly, the spectators realised that he was making for just one spot and would be satisfied with no other. It seemed that the end of was near. Goyle saw an opening and lunged forward. Following a scurry of blades and a lightning thrust from Villiers, Goyle staggered back with a hand on his right arm. The Seconds sprang to action but Goyle stayed them with a vicious oath. "I'm not dead yet, Villiers! I'll send you body your precious Lady Ginevra yet. You're tired of life, cur!"

"Cur, am I?" laughed Villiers almost hysterically, "You are an impudent one then."

Infuriated by this exchange, Goyle lunged forward in quarte and was adroitly disengaged by Villiers, the fight continued as the two men fought desperately for their lives, every thrust by Goyle was successfully parried by his opponent. Villiers descried an opening and attempted to lurch for the throat but was swiftly held back. Goyle lunged savagely forward so much so that forte touched foible. Although the gentlemen had been fighting for a good while, Villiers showed no signs of tiring for he was still fighting with the same force and cunning.

To Sterne's eye, it appeared as if his godson was intent on pressing his adversary. Tracing his lips with the fingers of one hand and drumming the fingers o the other on his forearm, he frowned at the two duellers' simultaneous lunges. His heart quickened on its own volition as he recognised a feint he had taught Villiers. Goyle had thought that he found an opening but his lunge was matched by Villiers' smooth time thrust which came quicker than the eye could follow, took Goyle's foible in a brilliant parry and passed on unchecked to the heart. All the onlookers gasped in alarm, save Sterne, who mentally made plans to remove his impulsive godson from England. As soon as Villiers sprang back, Goyle crumpled down from his position and fell heavily to the ground. Nott and Macnair rushed to the fallen Goyle with the surgeon who declared him dead.

"Damn you, Villiers, you've killed him!" Sterne angrily hissed.

Villiers bowed with a smile. "Of that, I am certain, Godfather."

"Did you have to use the time thrust?"

"It was the best imitation of your feint I could produce in so trying a manner. Did I disgrace you with my weapon?" laughed the blond unsteadily in a mix of arrogance and nervousness.

"Confound it, bloody dunderhead! The authorities could condone your slaying of Goyle as it was executed in an honourable duel, yet that is not certain. They may not look kindly on you should Lord Percy die! Mr Macmillan was hung for killing his duelling opponent last year. If it came out that both Lord Percy and Goyle were slain at your hands, you must not be in England! I shall have to pack you off to France. What then of your plans? Have you thought on the shame it would bring your mother? Have you any consideration for the feelings of the woman you claim to love? No!" scolded Sterne emphatically in his quiet scowling way. "You will have to leave your dear affianced, and mother and leave for France."

"I could not act in such an irregular and clandestine conduct," answered a visibly shaken Villiers as they drove away from Barn Elms.

"When will you learn you are never to disregard my warnings!" hissed Sterne, thankful that Sir Harry had taken Lord Ronald home in the baronet's carriage.

"Must I stand trial for both Goyle and the Weasley fop?"

"Not at all," answered Sterne in a cold dangerous drawl. "You forget that I am somebody; my godfather is still somebody. Despite this optimistic prognostication, I hope you are fully aware that for some time to come, you will live with your father on the continent. Goyle's death is an affair of honour and I will use all my influence to exonerate you. I shall bear all the inconveniences on that score. I will request Sanguine to see to the Percy Weasley matter."

"I am in honourable man, sir," insisted Villiers feebly.

"You are, to borrow Miss Granger's phrase, only a nobleman who happened to be your father's son."

"Should I apologise for the brawl at Hades?"

"Only if Lord Percy lives. You must leave," said Sterne grimly. "If you are short of blunt, you may draw upon my Parisian account with Gringotts."

Haughtily regarding the older man through misty eyes, Villiers protested stiffly, "I have enough for my needs."

"Good! You leave in two days," stated Sterne as they arrived at the Duchess of Mallefille's residence.

Footnotes:

Readers, you will notice that the title of the chapter contains the name of flowers/plants. This is significant to understanding the plot. While some of you may be familiar with the language of flowers, I beg you to allow for differences in interpretation. Some flowers/plants have one meaning during the time of the Regency and another during the Victorian era. My guess is that those of you familiar with this language are acquainted with the Victorian interpretation rather than the Regency one.

Naturally, there is also a deeper meaning beyond that of the flowers. What it is – I leave it to you to uncover.

(1) Pitch pine represents "philosophy".

View it here http://sherpaguides.com/tennessee/images/pitch_pine.jpg and http://www.buenavistatownship.org/Photos/Pitch%20pine.jpg. Pitch pine is one of the most fire resilient eastern conifers. Where fire kills the foliage, new needles are produced on new branches from suppressed buds on the bole. High resin content in this species produced the name "pitch pine". In the old days, if you couldn't afford candles, you used pitch pine knots for torches. Up to the Edwardian era, pitch pine sap was used to make turpentine and rosin. In the Middle Ages to the Victorian era, pitch pine was a popular choice for sills, window and door frames, and structural beams. Because of high resin content, the decay-resistant wood was popular for ship building, mine props, railroad ties, and fencing. I am told that currently, pitch pine is used in pulpwood and lumber production.

Pitch pine is also an important food source for wildlife. Sprouts and seedlings serve as browse for deer, cottontail rabbits, and meadow mice. Pine seeds are eaten by many species of birds and rodents including quails, game birds and field mice. Red squirrels also favour the pitch pine's serotinous cones for food as they contain fewer seeds.

(2) Mountain ash stands for "prudence".

View it here http://www.yourdictionary.com/images/ahd/jpg/A4mounta.jpg, http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/Phenology/images/Mountainash.jpg and http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/Phenology/images/Mountainash2.jpg. Mountain ash is the common name for rowan. It was regarded as a scared tree by the Celts and from that time onwards, it was highly valued for its powers of protection against witchcraft and evil influences. For these purposes, the trees were grown in gardens, branches hung over doorways and sprigs worn in hats. The mountain ash's wood retained these properties and was used to make dowsing rods, farm implements and for roofing timbers. Birds are very fond of mountain ash berries. Its fruit can be used to make a delightful jelly best eaten with poultry.

(3) The throatwort is also known as the fig-wort in some cultures. Although it is not explicitly stated in this chapter, Severus sends throatwort to Hermione on a daily basis. You will notice from the pictures http://www.californiagardens.com/images/Trachelium_caeruleum_aspect_c.jpg and http://www.flowers.org.uk/images/flowers/aut03_tracheliumclose_lrg.jpg that the plant has diverse great, strong, hard, square brown stalks, three or four feet high, whereon grow large, hard, and dark green leaves, two at a joint, harder and larger than Nettle leaves, but not stinking; at the tops of the stalks stand many purple flowers set in husks, which are sometimes gaping and open, somewhat like those of Water Betony; after which come hard round heads, with a small point in the middle, wherein lie small brownish seed. The root is great, white, and thick, with many branches at it, growing aslope under the upper crust of the ground, which abides many years, but keeps not his green leaves in winter. It grows frequently in moist and shadowy woods, and in the lower parts of the fields and meadows. It flowers about July, and the seed will be ripe about a month after the flowers are fallen.

Some Latin scholars during the High Middle Ages called the throatwort/fig-wort, "Cervicaria" because it is appropriated to the treatment of ailments in and around the neck. However, by the 15th-16th century, the English gave it the name "throatwort" because it was found suitable to treating throat complaints. Culpepper's The Complete Herbal (that I am quoting in its medieval English) says, "Venus owns the herb, and the Celestial Bull will not deny it; therefore a better remedy cannot be for the king's evil, because the Moon that rules the disease, is exalted there. The decoction of the herb taken inwardly, and the bruised herb applied outwardly, dissolves clotted and congealed blood within the body, coming by any wounds, bruise or fall; and is no less effectual for the king's evil, or any other knobs, kernel, bunches, or wens growing in the flesh wheresoever; and for the hæmorrhoids, or piles. An ointment made hereof may be used at all times when the fresh herb is not to be had. The distilled water of the whole plant, roots and all, is used for the same purposes, and dries up the superfluous, virulent moisture of hollow and corroding ulcers; it takes away all redness, spots, and freckles in the face, as also the scurf, and any foul deformity therein, and the leprosy likewise."

(4) "Blunt" is Regency slang for money.

(5) It is intimated at the start of this chapter, Harry had been racing Ron in his Four-Horse Club race to Portsmouth. How will you know this? From Harry's description, he was wearing the Club's official racing coat. In case, you've forgotten, the Four-Horse Club is a real club in Regency London. In this story, Harry and Ron are members of this elite club. The uniform of the club was strictly enforced. Whenever its members met or raced with one another, they must each wear a drab coat that reached to the ankles with three tiers of pockets and mother of pearl buttons as large as five shilling pieces. The waistcoat was blue with yellow stripes an inch wide, the breeches of plush with strings and rosettes to each knee. It was fashionable that the hat should be 3 and 1/2 inches deep in the crown.

* (6) A rose carved into or hung from a ceiling meant that the conversation held beneath it was in confidence, or sub rosa. So you see, the roses are not all above love as the romantics running around the world would have us think.

(7) The Duke of Offaly's townhouse is at Queen Square. It was built between the years 1708 and 1720 and named after Queen Anne. Dr Charles Burney and Fanny Burney (the authoress) lived here in 1771-2. Hampstead and Highgate could be seen through the open North side at that time. The Burneys' entertained Cook here when he returned to London from his 2nd voyage. From mid 18th to mid 19th century a girls' school called "Ladies Eaton". James Boswell's daughter was a pupil there. The Garden has a statue of Queen Charlotte that was placed there in 1775. Dr Willis lived there. Early in his illness King George III stayed with Dr. Willis. It remained a fashionable area until 1800.

(8) The Duchess of Mallefille's townhouse is at Grosvenor Square, a very expensive, very fashionable address. It was built between the years 1725-1731 at the centre of the Grosvenor estate. It is the second largest Square in London. Average cost of homes originally built here was ₤7500. The majority of the residents here were titled. The area was called Little America because John Quincy Adams lived here while he was the American ambassador to Britain.

(9) Ton, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Regency/Empire period means fashionable Society, or the fashion. It originates from the French bon ton, meaning good form, i.e. good manners, good breeding, etc. A person could be a member of the ton, attend ton events, or be said to have good ton (or bad ton). Ton can be interchangeably used with beau monde. In this story, when I spell society with a capital S (i.e. Society), I am referring to the ton.

(10) Duelling Laws were passed in the reign of Louis XIV, to punish duellists with loss of rank, office, and estate, or with banishment; but pardons were constantly granted. In England, on the Restoration of Charles I, sword-duelling became more fashionable than ever; and every reader is acquainted with the killing of the Earl of Shrewsbury by the Duke of Buckingham, at Barn Elms, the Duke's second, Sir J. Jenkins, being at the same time killed by the Earl's second, while Lady Shrewsbury, the adulteress, held Buckingham's horse standing by. "O tempora! O mores!" The sanguinary blackguard Lord Mohun also is likely to be remembered; he, who shared in the murder of Montford the actor, and who afterwards, in 1712, fought a savage duel with the Duke of Hamilton in Hyde Park, where both were killed, each receiving three or four horrible wounds. Swords were still preferred to pistols in England, being usually worn by gentlemen, until after the middle of the last century; but the dagger had been rejected since the time of Charles I. Duellists sometimes came with swords and pistols; after exchanging shots they would use cold steel. It was not unfrequent, however, that two gentlemen who had got angry with each other at a tavern or in a private house, would at once draw their swords and fight, without any seconds or witnesses or formal arrangements. Lord Byron, great-uncle of the poet, in 1765 killed Mr. Chaworth, at a house in London in an impromptu sword-fight. Examples of this kind, in the memoirs and anecdotes, or in the comedies and old novelists' works of the eighteenth century, prove that "The world went very well then," as Mr. Walter Besant ironically says. Comparing the England of George II with the England of Charles L, it looks rather like a relapse into barbarism, owing to the decay of religion and morality and domestic life. In the method of duelling, we observe that pistolling found favour in Ireland as a gentlemanly pastime; indeed, it seems to have been the main pursuit of reckless men in the upper classes of society until after the Union. The pistol-duels in England, during the reigns of the last two Georges, of William IV., and at the beginning of Victoria's reign were often very serious; and some persons of considerable eminence, noblemen, statesmen, and distinguished military officers, 'were engaged in them. The sword-duel has been maintained, in France especially, since 1830, as an accessory to political ambition. It is, at the same time, almost a compulsory obligation, in certain cases, among military men in France, in Austria, and in Germany. French public men too commonly think it a needful accessory to their pretensions; it has cost several valuable lives, and has degraded the tone of political contention.

(11) Barn Elms is an oddly named park in Barnes in England, situated by Hammersmith Bridge to the West and the Wetlands Centre to the East. It hosts much amateur sport, such as football and hockey. Over a hundred years ago it hosted the Fulham Football Club home games. It was a famous duelling ground.

(12) Fencing terms for those who cannot follow the duel:

Parry = a block of the attack, made with the forte of one's own blade; also parade

Double = an attack or riposte that describes a complete circle around the opponent's blade, and finishes in the opposite line.

Line = the main direction of an attack (e.g., high/low, inside/outside), often equated to the parry that must be made to deflect the attack; also point in line.

Thrust = an attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point.

Lunge = an attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front leg.

Feint = an attack into one line with the intention of switching to another line before the attack is completed.

Riposte = an offensive action made immediately after a parry of the opponent's attack.

Foible = the upper, weak part of the blade.

Forte = the lower, strong part of the blade.

Time thrust = to thrust and lunge as your opponent does but your movement in doing so is to avoid his blade hitting you so that you can thrust your blade into his nearest organ.

For more fencing terminology, please go to http://www.fencing.net/drills/glossary.html.