Chapter Two: Investigation begins

Tompty had managed to pick up the rude basics of reading and writing, at least enough to cope with the official to and fro messages from his father, without the need of a scribe at the lodge.

A messenger was immediately despatched to the royal palace, informing his father that the Prince was curious about this chocolate rose that everyone was talking about and had expressed a keen interest in investigating the incident personally. Would the Count permit Arrik to travel to Newmarket town and question the gardener and any other witnesses regarding the appearance of this chocolate rose?

He added that he was prepared to escort him incognito, with the bare minimum guard, so as not to risk attracting any attention to the young Prince.

Tompty had long been of the opinion that the Prince was never really under threat by his own people and should have been allowed to live in the Palace with the Queen. Tompty remembered his aunt, the Queen, as a confident, a vivacious and loving woman, not the timid fearful recluse that his father the Count had made her out to be. He had only occasionally seen her in the last few years, visiting his sister and a certain lady in waiting that he was particularly attracted to, and the Queen appeared to be as unchanged as she ever was.

The Count considered Tompty's request regarding Arrik's interest when the communique was delivered. The chocolate rose was complete nonsense of course, he thought, a stupid hoax. He had personally supervised the questioning of the simpleton gardener. He couldn't understand the high levels of public interest in what was fast becoming of legendary proportions. Even the Grand Council, full of the oldest, most soft-minded barons he could possibly appoint to the position, were full of questions about the subject. Why not let Arrik waste his time and energies on this tomfoolery? What harm could it do?

It also, he thought, presented an opportunity that he had long been waiting for.

"Very well," he dictated to his clerk in writing back to his son Tompty, "let the boy loose on the subject if you must. The idiot gardener is still unwilling to answer questions, however, so is pointless to be seen by Arrik. The fool's daughter is still at large as we have no proof she knows anything, but she is of no consequence. Arrik must be accompanied by you at all times and, as you suggest, he must travel incognito. It is imperative for the safety of the country that no one discovers who he is while away from the protection of the Royal Chalet Guard."

He dismissed the fool clerk to write out the missive in his best handwriting. Then he turned to the Captain of the Palace Guard, the only other man present in the Count's day chamber.

"Dargo, I have a discrete little job for you. Gather three of your best men, ones who know how to keep their mouths shut. Once you have left the castle, change into clothing of the sort that desperate hooded highway robbers might wear. Oh, and make sure one of your men is the best archer we have."

So, it came to pass that the two friends set out on the whole day ride from the mountains to Newmarket town, which itself was less than a two-hour ride from the Count's abode at the Royal Palace. The Prince and Tompty travelled by coach, as Arrik was never allowed to ride on horseback, and were accompanied by two liveried coachmen.

Arriving early evening, they stayed in a Newmarket town inn overnight and called on the gardener's daughter in the morning.