"No, but I saw
her earlier with a man. He was tying her shoelace and I didn't see his face. I
assume they are the ones who've been following me lately."
"But why
follow you ? And why possess Adelaide?" Jacob huffed in frustration.
"I suppose we'll learn soon enough when we locate Arbuthnot."
"How will
you find him?"
He shrugged. "I'll
try some pubs, but London is huge and without knowing who the spirit is, it's
impossible to know where he might choose to go."
I drew in a deep
breath and let it out slowly. Our task ahead was daunting, but I had something
else on my mind. "Wallace Arbuthnot almost told us about Frederick before
he became possessed. He said he was indeed dead, which is a start, but now
we'll have to find someone else to help us. Your mother could write a letter to
Oxford, but I don't think she wants to do that just yet."
"No,"
he said quietly. He dug his hands in his trouser pockets. "Let's find
Arbuthnot first and worry about Frederick later."
I didn't answer
him. Part of me wanted Jacob to crossover, and I felt that solving the mystery
of his murder would be the key to his moving on. But a very large part wanted
him to stay here, with me. Perhaps it was selfish but it was the truth.
He paused at the
intersection with Druids Way, almost at the same spot where the girl had
summoned the spirit. "Emily?" I glanced up at him. He was looking down
at me, his blue eyes bright but soft, warm. When he looked at me like that I
felt like I was the most beautiful girl in the world. I could achieve anything,
endure anything. "Emily, are you all right? That book...what you learned...it's
a lot to consider."
I nodded and
tried to smile. "I'm fine. It feels so far removed from me, like it's not
about me at all." It was difficult to explain and in the end I simply
shrugged. "The book answered some questions I had but threw up many more."
"I
understand."
"Do you
think a single tribal family had the ability to see the dead?"
He leaned
against the iron fence of the corner house. A strong breeze ruffled his hair
and flattened my skirt against my legs. The air smelled fresher in Druids Way
thanks to the constant wind flushing out the soot. "It's plausible,"
he said.
The chapter had stated
that only the females of the family could be mediums, but they did not pass the
ability onto their children. It was the males who were responsible for perpetuating
the talent down the family lineage. Their daughters inherited it and became
mediums themselves, but their sons passed it along to their daughters and so on.
The tribe's
unusual power became known to Europeans once exploration expanded in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, but even then it remained little more than a myth. During
the later centuries, it seemed the tribe was almost wiped out from disease and
slavery, although it was rumored many escaped due to their women's ability to
cleverly summon ghosts to scare the slave traders away. For a while the tribe was
thought to be lost, the family having died out.
But I knew
differently. I was one of them. Very, very distantly if the lightness of my
skin was an indication, but still one of them.
"That
girl..." I said. "She might be...my sister."
"It's likely."
The ground
shifted and I clutched the fence rail next to Jacob for balance. He touched my
hand with his cool fingers. The simple gesture was more comforting than
anything he could have said.
"We must
find her," I said.
He squeezed my
hand. "We will. Don't worry."
***
I did not
question Celia until after supper. I tried plying her with an extra glass of
wine but, frugal as ever, she refused. On to plan B, the direct approach. With
the addition of compliments.
"Your
performance today was wonderful," I said. We sat in the small parlor that
we used when it was just the two of us. The fire burned low, its warmth enough
to reach even the furthest corners of the room. Lucy had not yet joined us after
finishing her chores, but she soon might and I did not want to have
her earlier with a man. He was tying her shoelace and I didn't see his face. I
assume they are the ones who've been following me lately."
"But why
follow you ? And why possess Adelaide?" Jacob huffed in frustration.
"I suppose we'll learn soon enough when we locate Arbuthnot."
"How will
you find him?"
He shrugged. "I'll
try some pubs, but London is huge and without knowing who the spirit is, it's
impossible to know where he might choose to go."
I drew in a deep
breath and let it out slowly. Our task ahead was daunting, but I had something
else on my mind. "Wallace Arbuthnot almost told us about Frederick before
he became possessed. He said he was indeed dead, which is a start, but now
we'll have to find someone else to help us. Your mother could write a letter to
Oxford, but I don't think she wants to do that just yet."
"No,"
he said quietly. He dug his hands in his trouser pockets. "Let's find
Arbuthnot first and worry about Frederick later."
I didn't answer
him. Part of me wanted Jacob to crossover, and I felt that solving the mystery
of his murder would be the key to his moving on. But a very large part wanted
him to stay here, with me. Perhaps it was selfish but it was the truth.
He paused at the
intersection with Druids Way, almost at the same spot where the girl had
summoned the spirit. "Emily?" I glanced up at him. He was looking down
at me, his blue eyes bright but soft, warm. When he looked at me like that I
felt like I was the most beautiful girl in the world. I could achieve anything,
endure anything. "Emily, are you all right? That book...what you learned...it's
a lot to consider."
I nodded and
tried to smile. "I'm fine. It feels so far removed from me, like it's not
about me at all." It was difficult to explain and in the end I simply
shrugged. "The book answered some questions I had but threw up many more."
"I
understand."
"Do you
think a single tribal family had the ability to see the dead?"
He leaned
against the iron fence of the corner house. A strong breeze ruffled his hair
and flattened my skirt against my legs. The air smelled fresher in Druids Way
thanks to the constant wind flushing out the soot. "It's plausible,"
he said.
The chapter had stated
that only the females of the family could be mediums, but they did not pass the
ability onto their children. It was the males who were responsible for perpetuating
the talent down the family lineage. Their daughters inherited it and became
mediums themselves, but their sons passed it along to their daughters and so on.
The tribe's
unusual power became known to Europeans once exploration expanded in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, but even then it remained little more than a myth. During
the later centuries, it seemed the tribe was almost wiped out from disease and
slavery, although it was rumored many escaped due to their women's ability to
cleverly summon ghosts to scare the slave traders away. For a while the tribe was
thought to be lost, the family having died out.
But I knew
differently. I was one of them. Very, very distantly if the lightness of my
skin was an indication, but still one of them.
"That
girl..." I said. "She might be...my sister."
"It's likely."
The ground
shifted and I clutched the fence rail next to Jacob for balance. He touched my
hand with his cool fingers. The simple gesture was more comforting than
anything he could have said.
"We must
find her," I said.
He squeezed my
hand. "We will. Don't worry."
***
I did not
question Celia until after supper. I tried plying her with an extra glass of
wine but, frugal as ever, she refused. On to plan B, the direct approach. With
the addition of compliments.
"Your
performance today was wonderful," I said. We sat in the small parlor that
we used when it was just the two of us. The fire burned low, its warmth enough
to reach even the furthest corners of the room. Lucy had not yet joined us after
finishing her chores, but she soon might and I did not want to have
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