Devlin’s ghosts were nearby. I couldn’t see them, but I could sense their presence. Maybe they were out in the garden with the other ghost, waiting for their hosts to cross whatever divide kept them apart.
They might be waiting for me, too, if I wasn’t careful.
Pushing back my chair, I rose. “Would you excuse me? Little girls’ room.”
I made my way through the crowded restaurant without glancing in Devlin’s direction. Inside the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and then studied my reflection in the mirror.
This fascination with Devlin could go no further. I’d put myself in a dangerous position because of my attraction, but it wasn’t too late. I could still put a stop to this. I could hole up in my sanctuary until he and his ghosts just went away. All it took was a little common sense and a great deal of willpower. Normally, I had both.
Patting my face dry, I straightened my spine and exited the bathroom.
Devlin waited for me in the narrow alcove outside. To get back to my table, I would have to go past him.
I hesitated, then started forward.
He leaned a shoulder against the wall, folded his arms and watched me with the darkest eyes I’d ever looked into. Sorcerer’s eyes, I thought. Numinous and mesmerizing.
It occurred to me in that moment that no matter what I did, Devlin and I were already irrevocably bound by circumstances. If the clues to the killer were hidden within the gravestone imagery, I might be the only person who could interpret them. He needed me and that knowledge thrilled me far more than it should have.
There wasn’t much room in the narrow passage, and when someone jostled me, I found myself pressed up against him. In that brief moment of contact, I caught the scent of cologne on his skin, a whiff of whiskey on his breath. And something else, too. A faint whisper of musk that belonged only to Devlin.
Our faces were close, our lips only inches apart. For a moment, I thought he might kiss me, and I wondered how I would respond. Even the thought of it made me breathless, and I closed my eyes, imagining the pressure of his mouth against mine. I felt his hand on the back of my neck, the tease of his thumb across my lips and a deep shudder ripped through me. When I opened my eyes, he hadn’t moved. I had conjured it all, and I didn’t know whether the emotion storming through me now was relief or bitter regret.
Shaken, I backed away from him, away from my fantasy. Those magnetic eyes followed me. I had the strangest feeling that no matter where I went or what I did, Devlin’s gaze would always be on me.
“I thought you barely knew Ethan Shaw,” he said.
His cool tone, coming on the heels of my overheated imagination, caught me off guard. “What?”
“You only met him briefly through his father. Isn’t that what you said?”
“Yes…”
“And yet here you are together.”
The disapproving note in his voice released me from his spell and I frowned up at him. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t have dinner with Ethan Shaw? And not that it matters, but Temple is the one who invited him. It seems the two of them are old friends.”
“Good to know. Maybe we can avoid a turf war over the remains,” he said.
“Maybe we can.”
What a strange encounter. What an awkward conversation. If I didn’t know better, I would almost think he sounded jealous. But then that would mean—
I cut off the half-formed thought. I couldn’t allow myself to go there. Not after today. Not after everything my father had warned me about had come to pass. A door had been opened and something terrible had come through. I had to stay away from Devlin and his ghosts. I couldn’t let that door swing open any wider.
And yet in the face of all that, his attraction was so powerful and mesmeric, I couldn’t tear myself away.
Music from the restaurant drifted through the arched door way where we stood. The beat was dark and heavy and some thing primitive stirred within me. Something I had never felt before.
I looked up into Devlin’s face, searching. He had no idea the battle that raged inside me. He had no idea the havoc he had wreaked on my peace of mind.
His dark eyes drew me in and I shivered before somehow mustering the strength to break free. “I should get back.”
He moved aside to allow me to pass, but I stood motionless, trapped now by my own weakness.
Temple came up to us then and placed her hand on my arm. “There you are. We were beginning to think you’d deserted us.” She studied my face curiously, then turned to Devlin and put out her hand. “Temple Lee. We met years ago, but I’m certain you don’t remember.” Her tone implied that of course he would remember. She was Temple Lee.
Devlin smiled noncommittally, making me think he couldn’t place her, and I don’t know why that amused me. “Nice to see you again. I got your message earlier,” he said. “A time for the exhumation hasn’t been set yet, but I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” She looped her arm through mine. “We should get back. Poor Ethan will think we’ve both left him.”
I said nothing, merely nodded. In a way, it was a relief to let Temple take charge.
“I couldn’t help noticing that you’re dining alone,” she said to Devlin. “Would you care to join us?”
My heart skipped a beat as I gazed up at him, hoping he would decline. An evening of trying to make small talk in his company without giving anything away was more than I could bear at the moment.
“Thank you, but not tonight,” he said. “I wouldn’t be very good company. I have a lot on my mind.”
And then his gaze dropped, swept over me, and I felt as if I’d just been given a very intimate appraisal. Everything inside me stilled, then trembled and Temple’s earlier words came rushing back to me.
After Ethan left, Temple and I stood outside the restaurant talking. It was still drizzling, but neither of us minded the damp weather. We leaned against the wall, faces upturned to the sky.
“I love the smell of rain,” she said with a sigh. “So crisp and clean, and yet there’s always an undercurrent of flowers here. For my money, this is the most gorgeous city in the South. If New Orleans is midnight, Charleston is twilight. All soft and misty and sweet-smelling.”
“You’re such a romantic,” I teased.
“Only in moments of weakness. Or when I have too much wine.”
“Temple…can I ask you something?”
“Hmm…” she said dreamily.
“Were you at Emerson when Afton Delacourt was murdered?”
Her eyes slowly opened. “How do you know about Afton Delacourt?”
“Her body was found in Oak Grove, right?”
“Who told you that? Who’s been talking to you about Afton Delacourt?”
The hard edge in her voice took me by surprise. “I’ve been doing a lot of research in preparation for the restoration, remember?”
She looked unconvinced. “What is it you want to know?”
“I heard that Rupert Shaw was questioned by the police. Do you think there’s any chance he was involved?”
“Of course not. That whole situation was created by someone who had a grudge against Dr. Shaw. They deliberately set out to ruin his reputation and very nearly succeeded. He was asked to leave Emerson, you know.”
“That must have been a difficult time for him and Ethan.”
“It was a difficult time for all of us. Everyone on campus was on edge. We thought there could be a murderer in our midst.” She glanced at her watch and scowled.
“Did you know anyone who belonged to the Order of the Coffin and the Claw?”
“What is this, an inquisition? Why all these questions about something that happened a hundred years
