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"I begin to wonder if I have done you an injustice. Either you are a consummate actress, deserving of a far better position than the one you left so abruptly, or you are genuinely bewildered by all this."
"How kind of you to give me the benefit of a doubt!"
She meant to stare steadily ahead, but could not resist a glance at him. His smile gave his thin face a kindness and charm it had not had before. He was very much taller than she; she had to tilt her head to look up into his face. Perhaps that is why she stumbled, so that it was necessary for him to catch her arm. He continued to hold it as they went on.
"Sarcasm does not suit you," he said. "Yet, if you are what you seem, you are certainly entitled to exhibit it. Well, to err is human; I am not often wrong, but… Tell me, Miss Ransom, have you ever played at table turning, or been present at a seance?"
The touch of his hand was warm and firm without being in the least presumptuous. It stimulated a current of heat that ran through Maria
"Why, yes," she replied. "Once, when Mr. Billings and his daughters came to visit, Amelia, the elder, proposed that we have a seance. It was most exciting. But then we found that Mary had been rapping on the floor with her shoe, and Amelia began to laugh, and… Oh! You don't mean to tell me that this experiment -"
Again she stumbled, and since they were at that time descending a staircase, the lawyer's grip on her arm prevented what might have been a nasty fall.
"Watch where you are going," he muttered.
Maria
"These slippers are too large." she said. "But I asked you -"
"Not surprising that they should be. Her Grace insisted on purchasing them and the other garments without having the least idea of the appropriate sizes. She seems to have done remarkably well, in general. I suppose she will pretend that she obtained your dress size from the ghost of David Holmes."
It was clear that he was trying to change the subject because he regretted the question that had given Maria
At the foot of the staircase they turned to the left and followed another corridor into the depths of the mansion, coming, at last, to an open doorway.
The first sight of the chamber within made Maria
Maria
A circular table in the exact center of the room, covered with snowy damask that fell in ample folds to the floor, was surrounded by several chairs upholstered in white velvet. The Duchess was already seated. With an imperious gesture she indicated that Maria
For a brief time the Duchess sat quietly, her head bowed as if in prayer. Then she lifted her eyes toward Maria
"Do you understand what we are doing, my dear?" the Duchess inquired.
The gentle, familiar voice was reassuring – but it was also startling, coming from that frightening face. Maria
"No," she murmured.
"Open your heart," the Duchess whispered. "Invite them to enter. They are there, just beyond the veil of the senses – thronging, hoping for contact. Empty your mind and heart of all but thoughts of love."
Maria
"One moment." Carlton's deep voice cut through the fog that filled her head. "I would like to see Miss Ransom's hands on the table."
"Roger, Roger." The Duchess shook her head sadly. "Very well; we will clasp hands."
She extended her shapely white fingers. Maria
Thinking thoughts of love was not as easy as Maria
Deciding that her father had not the face or the figure to inspire romantic visions, Maria
Two loud, distinct raps echoed through the stillness. The Duchess's hand contracted, squeezing Maria
A single rap replied. Then the table began to move.
It tilted violently once and then settled into a steady rocking motion. Maria
The lawyer's hand was like a vise, locking hers, but she scarcely felt his touch. Her head had become detached from her body. It was floating several inches above her neck. The sensation was very odd. She heard a soft moan and wondered if it had come from her neck or her head.
"She is going into a trance," the Duchess exclaimed, in a thrilling whisper. "Maria
A sharp staccato creak replied.
"For pity's sake, Honoria," the doctor exclaimed.
"Be still! Maria
Maria
Maria