The Alchemist's Key Read Online Free PDF Page B

fix.’
    ‘Absolutely.’ Wade shook off the scare. ‘And I don’t suppose you’ve spied a stereo, VCR or television anywhere?’
    ‘Not as such,’ Hugh informed him. ‘But never mind, once your modem is connected up, we can go shopping.’

4
The Hidden Benefits
    B y breakfast the next day, Wade and Hugh were able to sit up in their own beds and talk to each other as they ate, via their laptop computers.
    Wade also had a top-of-the-line Macintosh and all the accompanying hardware, down to his own CD burner. All this desktop equipment had now transformed the music room into a graphics studio; fantastic visual images were Wade’s forte. He constructed websites, logos and suchlike to earn a living, but what he really wanted to do was create interactive games. Trouble was, he couldn’t seem to come up with a concept that hadn’t been done a thousand times before.
    ‘Talbot has just handed me a ghastly-looking brochure on the house. I’ll have to design a new one,’ Wade informed Hugh, who could be seensipping coffee on the screen of the laptop positioned on the bed beside Wade.
    ‘Good morning, Talbot.’ Hugh gave him a wave.
    ‘And a good morning to you, Mr Prescott.’
    ‘What do you think of our little setup?’ Hugh inquired.
    ‘Oh, it’s most impressive, Sir,’ Talbot conceded dryly, ‘I feel just like Dr Spock.’
    Wade had opened out the brochure of the house, and sat observing a floor plan of Ashby. ‘According to this, there are still several rooms we haven’t discovered yet.’
    ‘Good.’ Hugh was delighted. ‘I’ll be along soon. Now that you’ve had your electronics fix, it should be safe to take you exploring. No strange dreams last night?’
    ‘Nah, too stoned,’ Wade explained. Then, remembering Andrew’s warning about mentioning such things around his father, Wade glanced over to catch Talbot’s reaction. The butler was going about his business as if he hadn’t even heard the comment. Wade, who was not used to having other people around him all the time, decided he would have to be more careful about his off-the-cuff comments.
     
    By that afternoon, Wade and Hugh had explored the interior of the manor.
    There was only one room upstairs they had yet to stumble upon and that was the conservatory — to be found at the far end of the mezzanine level of the library.
    Wade, being a softy at heart and rather fond of animals, found this room most disturbing. The bug and butterfly collections he could almost appreciate, but the sight of the other stuffed creatures made his stomach turn. ‘What compels someone to hunt down and slaughter little furry animals?’
    Hugh could have predicted this would be his friend’s reaction. ‘In this instance, I believe it was probably for scientific observation.’
    ‘It’s still sick.’ Wade screwed up his nose and left.
    Downstairs, off to the left at the rear of the Great Hall, was another drawing room. The two bedchambers adjoining had an en suite each. The only difference between them was that one of the bedchambers was slightly wider than the other.
    A hallway led straight out of the back of the Great Hall, and took you past a cool room and pantry into the huge kitchen and servants’ dining area. At the far end of the kitchen, a hallway led past the servants’ sleeping quarters to an enclosed stairwell. This flight of stairs gave access to Hugh’s rooms — back before the Restorationperiod his had been the master’s chambers. Another room, dividing the kitchen from the eating area, housed a staircase that led to the little hall between the music room and the round picture gallery upstairs.
    Downstairs, at the foot of the enclosed staircase, but off to one side, was a door that led outside. Opposite the bottom of the staircase, was the door to the cellar — a very well-stocked cellar, at that.
    ‘And last, but by no means least,’ Wade announced as he headed towards the double doors located to his right and at the rear of the Great