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always had a talent for it. Mother and Grandmother managed a comfortable living. As you are no doubt
aware, the rage for all things psychical has been quite strong for several years now.
And unlike so many of the charlatans and frauds who pursue careers giving demonstrations, your mother
and grandmother were the genuine articles. They really could work crystal.
When I turned thirteen, my own abilities began to manifest themselves. It became apparent that I, too,
had a talent for working crystals. Mother and Grandmother taught me the fine points of the business.
Were your mother and grandmother members of the Arcane Society? Thaddeus asked.
No. She paused, choosing her words with some care. They were aware of the Society, but neither of
them ever applied for membership.
Why not?
I suppose they simply never saw any point to it, she said smoothly. The Society has always frowned
upon their kind of talent.
That attitude, I fear, is derived from an old legend within the Society.
The legend of Sybil the Sorceress. Yes, I know.
Actually, she is better known within the Society as Sybil the Virgin Sorceress.
She raised her brows. Surely the status of her virtue is a minor point after all these years.
He smiled faintly. It wasn t to Sylvester Jones, the founder of the Society. Evidently she refused his
advances.
Who can blame her? By all accounts he was not what any woman would deem a romantic man.
Can t argue with you there, Thaddeus agreed dryly. I do understand why your mother and
grandmother were reluctant to get involved with the Society. Unfortunately, the organization has always
been overly keen on tradition and legend.
Yes, well, my mother and grandmother were not.
How did they acquire the stone?
My mother found it when she was a young woman.
She found it? Thaddeus repeated a little too neutrally.
She gave him a steely smile. That s right.
Just lying about on the ground somewhere?
No, it was lying about in a dusty antiquities shop, I believe.
Something tells me there is more to the story.
If there is, my mother never told me. She said she went past a shop one day and felt a disturbing tingle
of awareness. When she went inside she saw the stone. She recognized it instantly.
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I ll take your word for it. Please continue.
She gathered her thoughts again. Things went quite well for the three of us for some time. Then
Grandmother died. Two years later, the summer I turned sixteen, my mother was killed in a carriage
accident.
My condolences, he said gently.
She managed an austere little inclination of her head. Thank you. Her hand stilled on Fog, who pressed
closer to her. She was being driven back to a railway station after visiting a wealthy, reclusive client.
There was a storm. The vehicle went over a cliff into a river. My mother was trapped in the cab and was
drowned.
A terrible thing.
She had the aurora stone with her at the time. The client had insisted that she use it, in particular, when
she consulted for him.
Thaddeus s expression sharpened almost imperceptibly. That was the day the stone disappeared?
Yes. I m certain the thief assumed that anyone who was interested in the stone would conclude that it
was lost in the river. But I did not believe that for a moment.
You think that your mother s client arranged the accident to cover the theft of the crystal?
That was my conclusion at the time. I knew he was a member of the Arcane Society, you see. That was
all the proof I needed. Only a member of the Society would be aware of the crystal and its power.
What was the name of your mother s client?
Lord Rufford. She drew a deep breath. I was convinced he had the stone in his possession. I
determined to search his household. So I applied for a post as a maid.
For the first time Thaddeus looked nonplussed. Good lord, woman, you took employment in the house
of the man you thought had murdered your mother? Of all the idiotic He broke off, jaw hardening.
But I suppose it was no more of a risk than going into Delbridge s house dressed as one of his
servants.
Easier, actually. The turnover in servants being what it is, especially at the entry-level positions, I had no
difficulty obtaining a position as a maid-of-all-work. As you know, it is the lowest position on any
household staff.
It cannot have been easy.
It wasn t. But it gave me an excuse to be found anywhere in the house. I spent several days emptying
chamber pots and scrubbing floors. But it proved fruitless. I picked up no trace of the stone.
I take it you were never discovered? Thaddeus asked.
No. Rufford was a very old, very ill gentleman. He died shortly after I left his employ. In the end I was
forced to conclude that someone else had arranged the carriage accident.
Someone who knew that your mother had an appointment with Rufford and decided that that would be
an ideal opportunity to get rid of her and steal the stone.
Yes. I was unable to pursue my quest for the crystal for some time after that because I soon found
myself penniless.
Didn t you take on your mother s clients?
People, it turns out, are quite reluctant to consult a young woman of sixteen years on matters of a very
personal nature such as their dreams.
I see.
She straightened her shoulders and concentrated on her tale. By the time I had buried my mother and
completed my useless investigation of Lord Rufford, I discovered I had no clients left. In addition, the
unscrupulous funeral director managed to erase most of what money my mother had left to me. The man
cheated me, but there was no way I could prove it.
He went very still, watching her with an unreadable expression. You must have been quite desperate.
I was. She looked past him out the window. The world makes it so difficult for a female to enter a
respectable profession, and then everyone wonders why so many women end up on the street.
I assure you, there is no need to lecture me on the subject. The women in my family hold forth on that
subject on a regular basis.
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I was contemplating going into service for real when Uncle Edward showed up.
Who is Uncle Edward?
My only remaining close relative. He was from my mother s side of the family. He was traveling in
America at the time of her death. I did not know where he was, so I could not write or send him a
telegram to inform him of what had happened. But he returned to England a couple of months later and
came to see me immediately. He took in my financial circumstances at once and invited me to live with
him.
Did your uncle know about the aurora stone?
Of course. I thought I made it clear. The stone has been in my family for generations.
Except when it isn t, Thaddeus said in his maddeningly neutral way.
She shot him a withering glare. He did not appear to notice.
Tell me about your uncle, he said.
She stifled a small sigh and continued her story. To be honest, I did not know him well at that time. I had
seen very little of him growing up. He rarely came to visit. I knew that my mother and grandmother were
fond of him but they did not entirely approve of him.
Why was that?
Among other things, he was an actor. He was always on the road, either here or in America. In addition,
he had a certain reputation with women. Although, to be fair, from what I observed, he did not have to
work very hard attracting female attention. He is a distinguished-looking and extremely charming man.
Women are drawn to him like bees to honey.
Did he treat you well?
Oh, yes. She smiled a little. In his own way, he is quite fond of me.
If that is the case, where is he now?
She looked down at Fog. He is traveling in America again.
Where in America?
She buried her fingers in Fog s fur. I don t know.
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