The Shadow of Great Britain

Finally, she pulled a note from her glove and handed it over.

”This is his... birthday.” Her voice was so low it was barely audible: ”He said it himself last night. I asked him if he was born in winter, and he hesitated for a moment, then nodded. I followed up, asking about his childhood, and he mentioned offhandedly that he was born in Bradford, York when he was a child. I noted all of this down.”

Valeriy took the note, squinting to glance at it, then as if she had seen something unbelievable.

The witch was stunned for a moment, then immediately started rummaging through the astrology book at hand, muttering: ”Born on January 15, 1810, at two in the morning in Bradford, York... Calculating according to Bradford’s latitude and longitude, the sun should be in Capricorn, the moon in Scorpio, the ascendant is Sagittarius... Oh dear... this, this...”

Fiona was startled by Valeriy’s reaction: ”Is there something ominous about his fate?”

Upon hearing this, Valeriy stopped flipping through the book, raised her head, and exclaimed in wonder: ”Quite the opposite. This person is indescribably noble.”

She spread the astrology chart book on the table, pointing at the markings where Capricorn and Scorpio intersect, chanting: ”Sun in Capricorn means this person is goal-oriented and pragmatic in style, but with a strong desire for power and a pursuit of social status. People with the moon in Scorpio usually have deep emotions and a strong intuition and desire for control. An ascendant Sagittarius indicates this person appears free-spirited to others, but because he is a sun Capricorn, he is, in fact, extremely calm and calculated inside. Yet the most remarkable is that Mars is also in his guardian sign, Capricorn.”

Fiona was initially skeptical about Valeriy’s analysis, but after listening to this discourse, her eyes quickly shifted from initial wariness to belief.

She couldn’t help it; Valeriy’s judgment indeed matched her own impression of Arthur Hastings too closely.

Fiona asked softly: ”You just said his Mars is also in Capricorn? What does that signify?”

Valeriy nodded, turned over a page of the atlas, and revealed the complex astro chart: ”This is an exceptionally strong configuration, symbolizing alignment between action and goals, such a constellation typically appears only in calm, disciplined, ambitious warriors. Such people usually work with amazing endurance, persisting through tough conditions.”

In a daze, Fiona recalled the cold corpse lying in St Martin’s Church.

While she was distracted, Valeriy casually asked: ”His career should be related to justice, law, and order, right?”

Hearing this, Fiona felt a chill down her spine: ”How do you know?”

Valeriy smiled and pulled out the astrology chart calculated based on the birth date and place: ”Because his Midheaven is in Libra. And Saturn is in Sagittarius, indicating his responsibilities and trials lie in knowledge, law, and beliefs. Such a person is destined to endure pressure on the stage of ideals and order.”

”But what about his feelings?” Fiona’s voice suddenly became somewhat uncertain: ”I’m not... not necessarily wanting him to love me. But I always feel, at times, he seems like he’s made of stone, burying everything inside, and no one can ever know what he’s really thinking.”

Upon hearing Fiona’s inquiry, Valeriy slowly withdrew the astro chart: ”With the moon in Scorpio, emotions do grow, but they grow deep and rooted in darkness. Furthermore, being a sun Capricorn, such a person knows too well what emotions mean, and is very clear that once they commit to feelings, it’s hard to withdraw.”

The witch paused slightly as she spoke: ”Perhaps you should think positively; possibly, he cares about you too much. That’s why when he senses the emotions between you overwhelming, he will think of putting it on hold. When things cool down, he will come back to ignite it again.”

Unexpectedly, Fiona, who had been convinced by Valeriy until now, refuted at this point: ”I mean no offense, dear Valeriy. But why would a person who cares too much turn around and pay such attention to another woman at this critical moment? Is this also arranged in the horoscopes?”

Fiona’s words about ”another woman” were spoken with such bitterness, even though she wanted to pretend not to notice, in a place like Nightingale Mansion where information abounds, pretending to be blind or deaf is impossible.

She didn’t want to admit she was jealous.

She just wanted to confirm whether she was too naive or that person was too good at acting.

”Don’t rush. You yourself just said, that person seems like a stone. But don’t forget, stones don’t burn.” Valeriy stroked the crystal ball and added: ”But he has fire within him, buried deep. Once you get too close, you’ll get burned. Of course, he’ll try to transfer some of that fire, choosing someone safer, less important, to vent a little warmth.”

”You mean... that woman is just a substitute?”

Valeriy didn’t respond directly but opened the astro chart again: ”These days, his Venus is in retrograde, extremely unstable. Emotional tendencies are erratic and fluctuating, meaning...”

She looked straight at Fiona: ”During this period, he is the least trustworthy.”

Fiona frowned: ”How do you know I can trust?”

”I’ve calculated for you before, haven’t I? Because you are Venus’s original position,” Valeriy said calmly: ”And she is merely borrowing the position.”

It sounded cryptic, but to Fiona, it was a timely boost of confidence.

Valeriy noticed she was slightly reassured, then added a leverage: ”If you’re really afraid he’ll run, don’t chase. The more you chase, the more he’ll run. You just need to stand still; when he gets cold sweat in someone else’s embrace, he’ll return to rekindle.”

Fiona asked: ”Do I need to do anything else?”

”Your time is up.” Valeriy rose to see off the guest, pulling a copper amulet from her pocket and stuffing it into Fiona’s hand: ”Tie this to your hand. Remember, just follow your original rhythm, keep on as you were.”

”Thank you, Valeriy.” Fiona sighed with relief, thanking softly: ”I wasn’t a believer in God before, but after some experiences, I started to believe in God. And... what you said last and this time makes me feel that the stars can foresee human fate too.”

Her words were genuine, even carrying a peculiar sincerity.

After speaking, the hostess of Nightingale Mansion took out a small wallet from her pocket, drew out a ten one pound bills, placing them beside the astro chart: ”Then everything as usual, contact again if needed.”

The curtain fell again, wind chimes chimed crisply as Fiona left.

Inside the tent returned to silence, under the copper lamp, Valeriy slowly sat down.

First silent, she suddenly let out a deep breath.

As she reached for the teapot on the table, she heard the subtle sound of fabric rustling behind her, the deep blue curtain was lifted from within.

Two men slowly emerged from the shadows.

One was tall, expressionless, wearing a neatly buttoned plain coat—Officer Michael Colley.

The other was slightly overweight, with an atypically serious face—Officer James Hute.

Colley spoke first: ”Job well done. Following our instructions, you mentioned the key points.”

With that, he glanced at Hute, who understood and tossed a small bag of Guinea gold coins onto the table: ”This is the pre-agreed payment. Moreover, according to the guidance recently issued by the Police Commissioner Committee, the patrol route near Hudson Street will be slightly adjusted from tonight. No one will come to check your business license anymore, and no drunkards will dare tip over your stall again. Lady Valeriy, remember to stay in touch if you have no trouble in the future.”