Chapter 1
The chipped porcelain of the teacup, a veteran of countless lukewarm encounters, offered a comfort of sorts to Thomas's slightly chilled extremities, a meagre bulwark against the insistent draught that insinuated itself through the less-than-perfectly-sealed sash window of the King's Head - an establishment whose heyday, one rather suspected, resided firmly in the sepia-toned annals of yesteryear. Outside, the persistent drizzle, having apparently exhausted its repertoire of dampness, had finally conceded defeat, yielding to a sky the precise shade of a melancholic pigeon, a perfect atmospheric accompaniment to the hushed murmurings within the snug. Thomas, a young man whose default facial expression suggested a thoughtful, if perpetually slightly bewildered, engagement with the world, nursed his tepid infusion, his gaze drifting languidly about the room until it snagged, like a particularly tenacious burr on a favourite tweed, upon the corner booth. There, the estimable Mr. Davies, the public house's corpulent custodian of both ale and anecdote, held court with a brace of local worthies, their faces just sufficiently familiar to prevent precise identification, thus preserving a pleasing air of village mystery.
A delicate flutter of nerves, that familiar avian ballet in the epigastric region, commenced its delicate routine. Tonight, the Rubicon was to be traversed, the die irrevocably cast, the metaphorical goose well and truly cooked (though, as it turned out, the evening's repast would involve rather more bovine delights). The invitation, a study in crisp, almost aggressively formal stationery, had arrived some seven days prior, bearing the rather intriguing, if somewhat geometrically assertive, emblem of The Ancient. "Worshipful Elder, Sentinels, and Brethren of the Circle of Sincerity No. 3276 E.C. request the distinct pleasure of Mr. Thomas Ashton's company?" The very phrasing hinted at clandestine pronouncements and the sort of handshake that might involve secret pressure points.
The precise nature of the evening's proceedings remained, it must be admitted, veiled in a pleasingly theatrical obscurity. His grandfather, a man whose conversational style favoured the laconic to an almost Beckettian degree and whose explanatory powers were akin to deciphering Linear B after a particularly potent sherry, had, Thomas now understood, been one of The Ancient. This revelation had only fully dawned through the occasional hushed, almost conspiratorial, telephone exchanges and the discovery of a timeworn leather emblem, tucked away in the dusty, forgotten proscenium arch of the attic. When Thomas, some weeks hence, had tentatively broached the subject with the venerable Mr. Grimshaw - the village's retired purveyor of tinctures and unguents, a man whose spectacles magnified not only his eyes but also a certain twinkle of knowing amusement - the response had been a smile of considerable warmth and an invitation of exquisitely crafted vagueness.
"It's been a while, you see, Thomas, my dear boy," Mr. Grimshaw had confided, his voice a low, conspiratorial murmur that suggested he was about to reveal the location of the Holy Grail rather than a lodge meeting. "A veritable hiatus, in fact. You shall be a most welcome? re-animation."
A veritable hiatus. The phrase echoed in the echoing chambers of Thomas's cerebrum. Seven years, Mr. Grimshaw had later divulged, with an almost apologetic pursing of his lips that suggested a collective failure on the part of the Oakhaven brethren. Seven years since the last wide-eyed neophyte had been ushered into the hallowed, if perpetually dusted, precincts of the Circle of Sincerity. This painted a poignant picture of a fellowship perhaps experiencing a gentle autumnal decline, a venerable tradition slowly yielding to the relentless tide of modernity. Yet, in Mr. Grimshaw's pronouncements, there resided a quiet dignity, a palpable sense of enduring worth that had rather piqued Thomas's intellectual antennae.
The snug's door, with a sigh that spoke of countless pints imbibed and secrets exchanged, creaked open, admitting a damp gust of the Norfolk evening and the slightly stooped figure of Mr. Finch, the village's articulate dispenser of legal pronouncements. His gaze, sweeping the room with the practiced efficiency of a seasoned birdwatcher, alighted upon Thomas, and a smile of considerable reassurance, like a sunrise after a particularly gloomy night, unfurled across his features as he navigated the ale-infused atmosphere towards the table.
"Thomas, my dear fellow, splendid to behold you. All braced for the grand initiation into the mysteries of The Ancient?" Mr. Finch's voice, a comforting baritone rumble, resonated with avuncular concern.
Thomas, feeling a sudden and unwelcome clamminess in his nether extremities, managed a smile that wobbled slightly, like a poorly balanced blancmange. "As braced as one can reasonably be, I rather imagine."
Mr. Finch emitted a low chuckle, a sound not unlike a contented badger, as he settled his considerable frame onto the opposing seat. "Don't you fret your youthful brow, my boy. It's not as? metaphysically demanding as it might sound. Simply be yourself, lend a keen ear to the pronouncements, and you'll be as right as rain, or perhaps, more appropriately, as right as a perfectly executed legal brief." He paused, his gaze softening with a touch of nostalgic reverie. "Your grandfather, you know, would have been positively chuffed. A good sort, Arthur was, within the venerable ranks of The Ancient."
A wave of unexpectedly poignant sentiment washed over Thomas. He had, regrettably, never quite managed to plumb the depths of his grandfather's involvement, a missed opportunity that now presented itself as a rather significant lacuna in his familial understanding. "I rather wish I had been more? inquisitive," he confessed, his voice tinged with a hint of regret.
"Ah, Thomas, the landscape of 'what ifs' is a well-trodden and often rather melancholic terrain," Mr. Finch observed with a sage nod. "But tonight, you embark upon your own singular trajectory within The Ancient. A trajectory of? well, as the Bard himself might have put it, 'Ripeness is all.' Or perhaps, in this context, 'Revelation is nigh.'" He offered another smile, this one positively incandescent with encouragement. "We ought to be making our way hence with some alacrity. The Circle convenes above the old bakery on Chapel Street. A familiar landmark, I trust?"
Thomas nodded. The aforementioned edifice, its signage faded like a half-forgotten sonnet and its windows perpetually bearing the ghostly residue of milled grain, was indeed a steadfast feature of Oakhaven's sleepy topography. He had often, in moments of profound idleness, speculated upon the nature of the esoteric activities conducted within its seemingly unremarkable fa�ade.
As they ambled through the crepuscular streets, the air redolent of damp earth and the comforting fug of woodsmoke, Mr. Finch, in a manner both informative and diverting, drew Thomas's attention to various local curiosities, peppering his commentary with delightful snippets of Oakhaven's quaint and often rather improbable history. His amiable discourse proved a surprisingly effective anodyne to Thomas's burgeoning anxieties. He spoke of The Ancient with a quiet reverence, not as some shadowy cabal steeped in impenetrable secrets and arcane handshakes, but as a convivial assembly of estimable gentlemen, dedicated to the noble pursuits of camaraderie, benevolence, and the ever-elusive quest for self-improvement.
Upon reaching the bakery, Mr. Finch, with the air of a seasoned navigator, steered Thomas around to a discreetly positioned portal at the rear. Within, a narrow staircase, its wooden treads groaning under the accumulated weight of generations of solemn ascents, spiralled upwards into the deepening shadows. The air grew perceptibly warmer, carrying the distinct olfactory signatures of beeswax polish and the comforting aroma of well-aged timber.
At the summit of the stairs, Mr. Finch executed a series of precise percussive taps upon a formidable oak door, a rhythmic code that spoke of ancient traditions. It yielded inward, revealing a dimly illuminated antechamber, a space that seemed to hum with a low, expectant energy, like a theatre awaiting the raising of the curtain. A gentleman of benign countenance and a meticulously cultivated beard, radiating an air of quiet welcome, extended a fraternal hand. "Brother Finch. And you must be young Mr. Ashton. A most hearty welcome to you, in the hallowed name of The Ancient."
This amiable soul, whom Mr. Finch introduced with due solemnity as Brother Harris, the Senior Sentinel, relieved Thomas of his damp outerwear and gestured towards a further portal, its heavy oak promising further mysteries within. From beyond it emanated the subdued susurrus of human voices, a low, anticipatory hum. Thomas's cardiac muscle, hitherto maintaining a semblance of decorum, now commenced a more vigorous percussive performance, not unlike a frantic jazz drummer. This, it seemed, was the very precipice.
Brother Harris placed a reassuringly firm hand upon Thomas's shoulder, his touch conveying a surprising strength beneath the gentle exterior. "Just be yourself, young man. We're all convivial spirits here, within the comforting embrace of The Ancient." He offered a reassuring nod, his eyes twinkling with an almost conspiratorial warmth, before engaging Mr. Finch in a hushed exchange that hinted at the weighty matters about to unfold.
Thomas stood for a fleeting moment, drawing a deep, fortifying breath, the scent of beeswax filling his nostrils like an ancient incense. The heavy oak door before him seemed to throb with the accumulated weight of tradition, of shared mysteries and the unspoken fraternal bonds of The Ancient. He was poised to step into a realm as yet unknown, a realm that had once held his grandfather and now, with a silent, insistent beckoning, awaited his arrival. A curious and rather potent cocktail of trepidation and a nascent sense of profound anticipation stirred within him as Thomas Ashton finally, and irrevocably, crossed the threshold into the Circle of Sincerity.