Escape to Ecarte Island

The Presentation

They were then left alone in the study, for even the Grand Marshal had stepped out to practice his all important speech of introduction before the presentation.
Nora could barely breathe from nervous excitement, but managed to say in an unwavering voice. "Congratulations, Master Hollenburg."
"Thank you, Ellenora." Petrich replied, turning from the shrouded easel.
Nora came to him. "I had read about the Rykindella Commission and how you were badly injured defending the document from the commissioner's own son."
              "Yes." Petrich confirmed, "I still have the scars." He pointed to his upper right arm. "Here." Then he pointed to his right side, "And here."
             Nora shook her head in wonder.
            "I owe Captain Baugainvillea my life. I will never be able to repay him for that. My love and respect is all I can give him in return."
             Nora slowly paced away from him, turned, to look at him with her squared shoulders, lifted chin, and her unwavering, demanding gaze. Noblewoman.
               "Now I shall let you know something I can not explain, but perhaps you can." She paused, and Petrich nodded for her to continue, "I do not remember anything of you living under our roof. I do not recall our meeting, of our being friendly, nor any of our work together. All I can remember is waking up one morning and feeling the urge to go up to the attic, a place I rarely ever go. But I was looking for something I had lost. I could not even recall what that something could have been."
Petrich said nothing, and Nora continued, pacing as she spoke.
"Although I am quite sure it was not what I was seeking, I found up there, a very rough draft of a star chart. It was then I began research on celestial scribes and their craft. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became, particularly your work, Master Hollenburg. I studied your very first commission, the death document of the Baroness Valryllian-Beaumont and my fascination became somewhat of a passion, if not an obsession.  I began to practice your color palettes, your detail work, your text calligraphy. It came to me as second nature. I could not understand it, but felt so very happy. The most happy I had ever been. And then there was your most recent work, the Wiemer-Hanns birth document.  It spoke very loudly to me. It was as if I felt it. It was somehow alive, and that was from only a color print in an art publication!"
          Nora faced him again. Petrich stood, with his hands in his formal trouser pockets, gazing at her, intently listening.
            "I never took any of this to my parents, fearing they would worry  that I had gone mad. I came so very close to saying something to Captain Baugainvillea, but did not feel too comfortable about it, until he seemed insistent on bringing me to this Grand Showing. It was then and the during the drive down that I became aware that something had gone desperately wrong with my memory." Nora then clasped her hands. "I shall like to hear an explanation now."
And it came in the tone of an adult demand, and it was something she deserved. Petrich was ready. He discreetly cleared his throat and began.
"As a freelance scribe, support is all important, work space included.  Your family, as well as several others, were at the ready to lease me studio space. The attic of your home offered the best of everything I required, so I signed the lease contract. I saw your immediate interest in my work and I asked that you become my assistant, of sorts, only in your spare time. You took care to organize my supplies, and even brought me tea in the afternoons. Choosing my color palettes for the pieces was always a hardship for me, but you. . .you had an extraordinary gift for them, so I had you assist me in a larger capacity by choosing the color palette for that birth document, which could explain why you felt so drawn to the print of it. It was a part of you, just as it was a part of me. It was ours."
Nora blinked. "I somehow felt that it was somehow connected to me. I simply could not understand why. If I could only remember!"
Her voice was beginning to waver in frustration and Petrich stepped closer to her, wanting to comfort her, wanting, needing her to understand. So wanting all this confusion to end for her. He could do it by taking her into his arms, and she would instantly have her memory back, as well as the emotional toll. Petrich was not at all sure if Nora would be able to withstand such a thing.
He thought it best to clasp his hands behind his back instead. He had acted impulsively the first time he had shared a memory with her and was careful not to let it happen again.
"You do not have memory of this because. . . I took it with me when I had to escape to Ecarte Island. There had been a real threat against me, and thanks to your father and Benedict, I was spared. Since I was unable to take you with me, I made the decision to protect you from any questioning and potential misery by erasing myself from your memory."
"But. . .that sort of thing can only happen between a scribe and a bound assistant! I couldn't possibly be a bound assistant! I am not even a novice!"
"Nonetheless," Petrich replied, "The rudimentary star chart you found in the attic is the foundation of our binding contract. We began psychically bonding while we were working on that Weimar-Hanns birth document. We were beginning to be able to communicate telepathically. The star formation was then revealed to us. You saw it as well."
Nora gasped, her hand coming to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh! How awful for you!"
"Awful?" Petrich could not help but chuckle. "How so?"
"I was too inadequate to even assist you when you needed it most!"
            "But. . .before you, I had all but given up hope of finding a bound assistant at all. Knowing who you were, where you were in the world, helped me more than you can know.  And my plan was to come fetch you only when you had come of age, not at this time.  Captain Baugainvillea convinced me to make an appearance anyway." Petrich rolled his eyes heavenward. "Of course, now I realize why he needed me to be here so badly. He really wanted me to watch Morriss sign that petition, something I knew absolutely nothing about.  But he also saw that I was suffering and needed to at least see you, just for a moment, to be sure you were well. The circumstances with which I left you were miserable for both of us, I'm afraid."
           "Was I difficult?" Nora asked fearfully.
            "No, darling. No more than would be expected. You so wanted to come with me, but both of us knew it would be impossible."
              "Because of my parents?"
             "Well, if they would have known."
             "They did not know??"
              Petrich shook his head. "No. It was something else that had to wait until you were of age."
             After thinking about it, Nora had to agree that it was most likely for the best, after all.
               "So. . .now what? Given what I know now?"
                 Petrich shrugged. "You have four more years before you are considered an adult. But the question is, will you be willing to be bound to me by then?"
                 Nora thought of the question, then answered.  "I want proper study for the next four years if I am to be a bound assistant to you, Master Hollenburg. What would you believe a proper education for me?"
              Now it was Petrich that was pacing about, deep in thought. "Well, I suppose my obvious answer would be to push for your acceptance into Justitia Observatory, now that it seems I'll be reinstated and will be on the advisory board."
            Nora's eyes lit up excitedly.
            "But. . .although I appreciate the encouragement to return to Justitia, I am not going to accept the position."
            "What??"
            "No, I've learned a great many things as a free lance scribe over the past seven years. I now know that it is possible to carry on without being a part of a guild. I've met people who have been more supportive of my work than many at Justitia. And I refuse to have either of us near Sir Reginald. I certainly do not trust him for any of your instruction.  So, I've another plan. . .what would you say to independent study with myself being your sole instructor?"
             Nora, opened her mouth to speak, but found no words.
            "I think the proper place to begin is a tour to see my works in their true state. That alone would take several months, then be off to Ecarte Island. I have made the decision to build my own observatory. I have purchased the perfect spot."
             Before Nora could answer, the study door opened and the Grand Marshal poked his head in.
           "Twenty minutes, Master Hollenburg."
            Petrich nodded to him. "We'll be ready, Alfred. Thank you."
            "We?" Nora asked, finally finding her voice again.
             "Present this document with me. You are a bound assistant-in-training. It is your first assignment."
            "But what is it that I do??"
            "Stay three paces behind me, then stand three steps to the left of the document. You are expected to do nothing after that."
Nora nodded. "I can do that. . .but tell me, Master Hollenburg."
"Yes?"
"You were able to take my memory of you away. Is there any way to give it back to me?"
Petrich nodded. "Yes."
"Before I begin any study, I want my memory back. I feel it important."
Petrich nodded. "That is fair enough. But I refuse to give it back to you all at once.  It would be too much of an emotional toll all at once. Only a bit at a time."
             To this, Nora agreed. "Very well, then. Thank you, Master Hollenburg."
             The study door again opened and two uniformed footmen entered to stand either side of the shrouded easel. In synchronized movement, they easily lifted it and stepped out of the study.
            Petrich looked at Nora and grinned. "Are you ready?"
            Nora stood as straight as her spine would allow and again lifted her chin.
             "I am." she answered.
             And then together, they followed the footmen into the grand hall.