A Star Shall Fall

Marie Brennan A STAR SHALL FALL

Map

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Mortals

Those marked with an asterisk are attested in history.

Galen St. Clair — a gentleman, and Prince of the Onyx Court

Charles St. Clair — a gentleman of good name and poor fortune; Galen’s father

Cynthia St. Clair — a young lady in need of a dowry; Galen’s sister

Philadelphia Northwood — a young lady of great wealth

Jonathan Hurst}

Laurence Byrd} — friends to Galen St. Clair

Peter Mayhew}

Dr. Rufus Andrews — a physician and scholar; Fellow of the Royal Society

*George Parker, Earl of Macclesfield — President of the Royal Society, and architect of the new calendar

*Henry Cavendish — a brilliant young scholar; son of Lord Charles Cavendish

*James Bradley — Astronomer Royal to King George II

*Charles Messier — a French astronomer

*John Flamsteed — the first Astronomer Royal, now deceased

*Edmond Halley — a cometary astronomer and Fellow of the Royal Society, now deceased

*Sir Isaac Newton — former President of the Royal Society, now deceased

*Dr. Samuel Johnson — a learned gentleman of very strong opinions

*Elizabeth Vesey}

*Elizabeth Montagu} — ladies of the Bluestocking Circle

*Elizabeth Carter}

Edward Thorne — valet to Galen St. Clair

*Kitty Fisher — a courtesan

Sir Michael Deven}

Dr. John Ellin} — former Princes of the Stone, now deceased

Lord Joseph Winslow}

Dr. Hamilton Birch}

Faeries

Lune — Queen of the Onyx Court

Valentin Aspell — Lord Keeper

Amadea Shirrell — Lady Chamberlain

Sir Peregrin Thorne — Captain of the Onyx Guard

Sir Cerenel — Lieutenant of the Onyx Guard

Dame Segraine — a lady knight of the Onyx Guard

Dame Irrith — a sprite, and lady knight of the Vale of the White Horse

Carline — an elf-lady, now fallen from grace

Rosamund Goodemeade — a helpful brownie

Gertrude Goodemeade — likewise a helpful brownie, and Rosamund’s sister

Savennis — a courtier of scholarly inclinations

Wrain — a sprite, likewise scholarly

Magrat — a church grim

Hafdean — keeper of the Crow’s Head

Angrisla — a nightmare

Podder — a hob, and servant to the Princes of the Stone

Blacktooth Meg — hag of the River Fleet

Ktistes — a centaur, grandson of Kheiron

Wilhas von das Ticken — a good-tempered dwarf

Niklas von das Ticken — an ill-tempered dwarf; Wilhas’ brother

Lady Feidelm — an Irish sidhe, and former seer

Abd ar-Rashid — a genie of Istanbul

Il Veloce — a faun long resident in the Onyx Hall

Wayland Smith — King of the Vale of the White Horse in Berkshire

Invidiana — former Queen of the Onyx Court, now deceased

PROLOGUE

GRESHAM COLLEGE, LONDON

20 June 1705

The room was a shabby one to contain the intellectual brilliance of England. Small and scant of windows, it was nearly unbearable in the warmth of an early summer day, and filled with gentlemen looking forward to the pleasanter air of their country estates, away from the stinks of London. Some listened with interest to the letters being read, an exchange between two of their fellows regarding the island of Formosa; others fanned themselves futilely with whatever papers came to hand, wishing they dared nod off. But the gimlet eye of their president was upon them, and though Sir Isaac Newton might be more than sixty years old, age had not slowed him in the least, nor dulled the sharp edge of his tongue.