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thought that both Mama and Mrs. Mackenzie relished the thought of the blacksmith s son being accidentally shot in the head. And so the unwed young mother had become Mrs. Mackenzie, first my nanny and later our housekeeper. I d never known her as the frightened young girl she must have been back then; from my first recollections she d always been the iron-willed supreme authority over everything that went on in our household. Fiona and I had never been able to get away with even the slightest mischief under her watchful gaze. I sighed and plopped down in a chair, leafing through a book on protection spells. I m going to have to send John and the boys away, I mused as I turned another page. I ll have the boys harness Zeus and Bacchus to the old carriage first thing in the morning and take John to his mother s inEssex . She lives on a little farm by the sea and I think the boys would enjoy a holiday. I can get some lads from the village to come up during the day and care for the other horses. I thought they d be safe out there? Fiona asked. Are they not safe, Dulcie? The bunkhouse is in the stables. It s their home and Sebastian can t enter without an invitation. However, if he gets desperate enough there s no reason he can t light the stables on fire to getthem to comeout . Fiona looked up at me in horror. Page 19 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html I shrugged. If I can think of it he will too, eventually. Nothing useful here, I said, tossing the book aside and reaching for another one. The two of you should go with them. It s not safe here. Mrs. Mackenzie snorted. You ve never been a stupid girl, Dulcie. Don t start now. But it s not safe for either of you. You heard what Sebastian said tonight. He ll use you to get to me if he can. Mrs. Mackenzie leveled a look at me that brooked no argument. Your mother, God rest her soul, saved my life. I ll not abandon her only child and that s the end of it. Besides, Fiona said, reaching for another book, what with you turning vampires into weasels on our kitchen stoop, surely we re safe as houses. She flashed me what I m sure was meant to be an encouraging smile. I knew not to argue further and, in truth, a part of me was glad that they were staying. Another part was terrified for them. As unbelievable as it sounded, and I had grown up in a house where the unbelievable was commonplace, a vampire was stalking me and I had no idea how to fight him, how to kill him. My only weapon was a font of powerful magic I couldn t seem to control. Life just couldn t get much worse. You d think in all these books on magic and the arcane there d be something useful about vampires, I said tossing another book into the discard pile. I d cleaned the blood off of me and changed my dress but the wounds on my neck were still raw. I ran my fingernails over them absently. Dulcie, don t scratch, Mrs. Mackenzie said, without even looking up from her book. I can t help it, they itch. Maybe we could cleanse them with Holy Water? Fiona suggested. I arched a brow at her. Do you happen to have any Holy Water about you? She grimaced and looked back down at her book. I continued scratching. You know who could probably help? Mrs. Mackenzie said. Mr. Pendergrass. Now, there s a thought, I replied. Mr. Pendergrass was an apothecary inLondon and a dear friend of my mother s. In a small back room behind his legitimate business he supplied witches from miles around with ingredients for potions and spells and he also had a rather impressive collection of books himself. If I took a horse in the morning I could possibly make it back by sunset. I hate the thought of you being out by yourself, Dulcie, but it looks like Mr. Pendergrass is going to be our only option, Mrs. Mackenzie said grimly as she tossed yet another book on the discard pile. If I can t get back by sunset then I ll have to stay inLondon and that leaves you two here alone and unprotected. Page 20 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html We ll manage, she said firmly. I shook my head and motioned to the books. Keep looking. I won t leave you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |