expression on his face, and he seemed to be rowing away from a distant shore. “The Six of Swords. I’m afraid your love is distant from you. I do not mean emotionally,” she said, laughing, “but distant in miles.”
She means Ned, Nancy thought, although it could have been a lucky guess.
“And in the sixth house—ah, the King of Cups. He is an older man, near you now—a man who means a great deal to you. He believes in you very deeply, but he’s worried about you. He’s concerned for your safety—and not without cause.”
Dad. Hadn’t he just told her the night before that he was worried about her?
“And for your future—the World. That’s a card of great challenge. You must take care to protect yourself at all times. The World is a dangerous card, and next to the Chariot as it is, you must be very strong, very strong indeed—oh, dear!”
When she lifted the next card, Madame Rosa’s eyes narrowed. Turning to Nancy, she asked gently, “Have you had a disturbing experience lately? The Nine of Swords in your twelfth house would indicate that you have. See how she covers her eyes to shut out a nightmare?”
Wincing, Nancy recalled the feel of Sarah’s limp body in her arms. “The devil, the fool, and death.” What had Sarah meant?
“I was friendly with Mrs. Amberly,” Nancy began softly. “You know, last night—”
“Yes, I know. Her sister called me. I must say, though, I was saddened but not surprised. Once again the cards foresaw it all.”
“How? What was that last reading all about?” Nancy was at the heart of her pursuit with the tarot reader. She narrowed her wide blue eyes and waited for Madame Rosa’s response.
“I remember her last reading very vividly. The Tower, the card of sudden violence, and the Ten of Swords, two difficult cards, and in combination—well, they are a dreadful combination. And above them the Three of Swords—betrayal by a loved one.”
“When I saw her last night, she said something about a devil and a fool—and death . . .”
“That’s strange—those particular cards weren’t in her last reading.”
“You mean, they’re all tarot cards?” A funny feeling made its way up Nancy’s spine. “What do they mean?”
“Ominous cards, my dear. The Devil is the card of the lie, the putting of sensual pleasure above moral wholeness. The Fool is the card of misguided innocence, of instability. As for the Death card, well, it could mean drastic change, or it could mean death quite literally. Or thecards may also refer to specific people in a person’s life. In your reading, for instance, the King of Cups refers to a specific person. Any of the cardinal cards may do that.”
Stunned, Nancy leaned back on the divan. The Devil, the Fool, and Death— Yes, it was all coming clearer now.
• • •
“Come in.” Alison Kale’s voice was feeble. Nancy made her way into her suite quietly. She was shocked when she saw Alison. She looked so weak, so fragile and small in the large bed.
“I hope you’re feeling better, Miss Kale,” said Nancy. “I’m so sorry about your sister.” The early morning visit wasn’t going to be easy for Nancy. Alison Kale wasn’t going to like what she had to ask about, not one bit.
“Miss Kale, I hope what I’m going to say won’t upset you. It’s about a piece of paper—a piece of paper I found in this suite—in fact, in this very room. The words ‘Kill, Kill, Kill’ were written on it.”
Alison Kale flushed a deep purple, and suddenly she sat straight up in her bed. “You little snoop!”
“You wrote those words, didn’t you, Miss Kale?” Nancy’s own heart was pounding now. “And I need to know what you meant by them.”
“I—I wrote them because—because my doctor told me to.”
“Your doctor?” Nancy was puzzled.
“He suggested I could release my feelings freely on paper, if I let myself write what I wanted to. But I never hurt anyone! Never!” Now she was on her feet, going to the
She means Ned, Nancy thought, although it could have been a lucky guess.
“And in the sixth house—ah, the King of Cups. He is an older man, near you now—a man who means a great deal to you. He believes in you very deeply, but he’s worried about you. He’s concerned for your safety—and not without cause.”
Dad. Hadn’t he just told her the night before that he was worried about her?
“And for your future—the World. That’s a card of great challenge. You must take care to protect yourself at all times. The World is a dangerous card, and next to the Chariot as it is, you must be very strong, very strong indeed—oh, dear!”
When she lifted the next card, Madame Rosa’s eyes narrowed. Turning to Nancy, she asked gently, “Have you had a disturbing experience lately? The Nine of Swords in your twelfth house would indicate that you have. See how she covers her eyes to shut out a nightmare?”
Wincing, Nancy recalled the feel of Sarah’s limp body in her arms. “The devil, the fool, and death.” What had Sarah meant?
“I was friendly with Mrs. Amberly,” Nancy began softly. “You know, last night—”
“Yes, I know. Her sister called me. I must say, though, I was saddened but not surprised. Once again the cards foresaw it all.”
“How? What was that last reading all about?” Nancy was at the heart of her pursuit with the tarot reader. She narrowed her wide blue eyes and waited for Madame Rosa’s response.
“I remember her last reading very vividly. The Tower, the card of sudden violence, and the Ten of Swords, two difficult cards, and in combination—well, they are a dreadful combination. And above them the Three of Swords—betrayal by a loved one.”
“When I saw her last night, she said something about a devil and a fool—and death . . .”
“That’s strange—those particular cards weren’t in her last reading.”
“You mean, they’re all tarot cards?” A funny feeling made its way up Nancy’s spine. “What do they mean?”
“Ominous cards, my dear. The Devil is the card of the lie, the putting of sensual pleasure above moral wholeness. The Fool is the card of misguided innocence, of instability. As for the Death card, well, it could mean drastic change, or it could mean death quite literally. Or thecards may also refer to specific people in a person’s life. In your reading, for instance, the King of Cups refers to a specific person. Any of the cardinal cards may do that.”
Stunned, Nancy leaned back on the divan. The Devil, the Fool, and Death— Yes, it was all coming clearer now.
• • •
“Come in.” Alison Kale’s voice was feeble. Nancy made her way into her suite quietly. She was shocked when she saw Alison. She looked so weak, so fragile and small in the large bed.
“I hope you’re feeling better, Miss Kale,” said Nancy. “I’m so sorry about your sister.” The early morning visit wasn’t going to be easy for Nancy. Alison Kale wasn’t going to like what she had to ask about, not one bit.
“Miss Kale, I hope what I’m going to say won’t upset you. It’s about a piece of paper—a piece of paper I found in this suite—in fact, in this very room. The words ‘Kill, Kill, Kill’ were written on it.”
Alison Kale flushed a deep purple, and suddenly she sat straight up in her bed. “You little snoop!”
“You wrote those words, didn’t you, Miss Kale?” Nancy’s own heart was pounding now. “And I need to know what you meant by them.”
“I—I wrote them because—because my doctor told me to.”
“Your doctor?” Nancy was puzzled.
“He suggested I could release my feelings freely on paper, if I let myself write what I wanted to. But I never hurt anyone! Never!” Now she was on her feet, going to the
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