consultation appointments at the Institute, booked a reading for me at the request of Lady Hollister. I arrived at the Hollister mansion at the specified time, eight o'clock in the evening.'
'Did Lady Hollister send a carriage for you?'
Virginia's mouth curved into a faint, wry smile. 'No, of course not. People like Lady Hollister only extend that courtesy to those they perceive to be their social equals. As far as my clients are concerned, I rank a rung or two lower on the social ladder than a governess or a paid companion, because unlike women in those two respectable careers, I go out into the world to make my living.'
'But judging by the fact that you have your own house, employ a housekeeper and dress rather fashionably, I would hazard a guess that you make considerably more money than women in either of those two professions.'
She laughed a little and turned her head to look at him. 'Your guess would be correct, Mr. Sweetwater. The house is rented, Mrs. Crofton kindly agreed to take wages that she assures me are considerably lower than those she received from her last employer, and my dressmaker does not even pretend to be French, as the most exclusive ones do. But yes, I do manage nicely. What is more, my business has flourished now that I am affiliated with the Leybrook Institute. Mr. Leybrook is very skilled at attracting high-quality clients.'
'Such as Lady Hollister?' he asked without inflection.
Virginia winced. 'In retrospect, it would appear that she was not the best of clients.'
'Go on with your recollection of events.'
Virginia returned to the view from the study window. 'Let me think. I recall being shown into the library. The room seemed cold and dark, although there was a fire on the hearth and the lamps were lit. Something about the energy in that house, I suppose. Very depressing. Lady Hollister was waiting for me together with her companion. Tea was served. I asked Lady Hollister to tell me why she had requested the reading.'
'Did she explain?'
'It was obvious almost immediately that Lady Hollister was not entirely sane. Her conversation was disjointed, and she became easily agitated. Her companion had to calm her at several points. But Lady Hollister was very clear about why she had summoned me.'
'What mirror did she want you to read?'
'The looking glass in her dead daughter's bedroom.' A slight but unmistakable shudder shivered through Virginia. 'I dread those sorts of readings. The children...'
'I understand.'
She glanced at him again. 'Do you?'
'I have seen the taint of the monsters who prey on children. If you dread those readings, why do you do them?'
'I feel somehow compelled.' Virginia returned her attention to the window. 'Sometimes, not always, I am able to provide a sense of finality to the bereaved parents. It is as if the reading closes a gate into the past and frees them to move forward into the future. And on rare occasions, I have been able to perceive clues that have led the police to the killer.'
'You take satisfaction from those readings? The ones that lead to justice for the victim?'
'Yes,' she said. 'They comfort me in some way I cannot explain. But last night I was unable to give Lady Hollister what she wanted and needed. Instead, I suspect that I drove her deeper into madness.'
'What happened?'
'Lady Hollister told me that her daughter had died at the age of eleven. Officially it was declared an accident. The girl's body was found at the foot of the staircase. When I was shown into the bedroom, it was clear that nothing had been changed in the room since the poor child's death.'
'Where was the mirror?'
'On a small dressing table,' Virginia said. 'It faced the bed. I knew that I did not want to look into it, but I felt I owed the truth to Lady Hollister.'
'What did you see?'
Virginia closed her eyes. 'The girl was assaulted by someone she knew well. Someone who terrified her. She cried. That is probably why he strangled her. He wanted to silence her and used too much force. Afterward I suspect that he tossed her body down the stairs in an effort to feign an accident. But I know where she died.'
'In the bed.'
Virginia crushed the green velvet drapery in her tightly clenched fist. 'Yes.'
'Hollister. She was raped and murdered by her own father.'
'I think so, yes.'
The familiar ice-and-fire energy of the hunt splashed through Owen's veins. He suppressed it with an act of will. That particular monster was dead, he reminded himself. He needed to concentrate on the new prey.
'Did you tell Lady Hollister the truth?' he asked.
'I did not name Hollister as the killer. After all, I had no proof to offer. A woman in my position must be very careful with her words in a situation like that. The thing is, I do not see the afterimages of the murderers, only those of the dead. The visions tell me a great deal, but they do not provide all of the answers. It was possible that another close family member was the killer, an uncle or a grandfather, perhaps.'
'But you did tell Lady Hollister that the person who had murdered her daughter was someone the girl knew and feared.'
'Yes.'
'How did she respond?'
Virginia's brows came together in a troubled frown. 'I'm not entirely certain. That is where my memory of the night starts to blur. I think she may have left the room without speaking, but I cannot be positive. After that, everything is a blank until I woke up in that mirrored chamber.'
'You were drugged.'
'That is the only explanation,' Virginia agreed. 'But by whom? Lady Hollister? Why would she do that?'
'You told her a truth she did not want to hear. You said yourself she was clearly unbalanced.'
'We know Hollister used chloroform on Becky so it may have been on the premises, but I'm sure I would have recalled the smell or at least a struggle.'
'I'm told one does not always remember the odor, but I think in this case, it's more likely that the drug was in the tea.'
'In which case Lady Hollister intended to drug me even before she knew what I would see in the looking glass,' Virginia said. 'But again, why?'
'We do not yet have the answers, but we will get them.'
Virginia turned away from the window. ''We,' Mr. Sweetwater?'
'I cannot conduct this hunt-' He stopped and cleared his throat. 'I mean this investigation, without your assistance.'
She went back to her desk and sat down. 'You seem very eager to help me, Mr. Sweetwater. I suspect that is because you believe that I am the key to solving the case for your client.'
'You are a very suspicious woman, Miss Dean. Is it not barely possible that my client wishes to protect you and other potential victims of the glass-reader killer?'
'It is highly unlikely that Arcane has any interest in protecting practitioners like myself.'
'Well, as it happens, I am the one requesting your assistance, not J J. You will be dealing with me, not Arcane.'
'Is there a difference?'
'Oh, yes,' he said very softly. 'A vast difference. I am no more a member of Arcane than you are. As I told you, J J is a client.'
'No offense, sir, but I trust you will understand that I know less about you than I know about Arcane or J J.'
He smiled. 'By the time this affair is concluded, we will know each other very well, Miss Dean. Meanwhile, I give you my word that I am not going to ruin your career, nor will I allow J J to do so.'
'Hmm.'
'You do not believe me?'
'I'm not sure what to believe,' she said. 'There is the matter of your reputation. Only last week you exposed
