Read Online Accursed by Amber Benson - Free Book Online

should not presume that the Protectorship passed to a member of the Swift family. Ludlow may not even have chosen a successor. If he did not, Albion might have chosen anyone. If it is a Swift, however, it seems more likely to be Ludlow’s son, Henry, who has not been seen outside the walls of his home since his father’s death. Word is that he is ill, but that may be merely obfuscation. From all that we have heard of William Swift, he hardly seems up to the task.”
    Lord Blackheath nodded slowly. Melbourne had pulled the center of power in the room away from him, and now he used silence to draw it back. One by one the directors gave him their full attention as they awaited his response, the pause lengthening and growing awkward.
    At last, Blackheath glanced around the table once more and spoke. “There are many possibilities, but I am certain we can all agree that not enough effort has been expended attempting to discover the identity of the new Protector. Not knowing his identity could be dangerous for us all. I say that William Swift bears watching. Sir Horace pointed out that William has never shown any interest in magic. About that he is certainly correct.
    “But it may be that magic has an interest in him.”

 

    D amn William for lacing me up so . . . emphatically.
    Tamara cursed her brother as she took baby steps toward a nearby love seat. In the midst of the Wintertons’ dinner party, she had slipped away to steal a moment to herself in a sitting room beside the front parlor.
    Dark spots drifted across her field of vision. She tried to take a deep breath but thanks to her corset, her chest could not expand, which meant that her lungs could only partially fill with air. Perhaps if she took only shallow breaths, she would be all right.
    You should never have listened to Byron, she admonished herself. If she had worn a bodice without a plunging neckline, she would not have had to use the whalebone. It was the most unforgiving corset she owned, but it did give her décolletage a nice push heavenward. Looking down at her meticulously powdered chest, she sighed. Lightly. Oh, well, if she had to suffer for beauty, she supposed the effect was worth the trouble.
    With a careful glance around the room to be absolutely certain she was alone, Tamara slid the bulk of her body onto the love seat. Since she really could not bend into a sitting position, thanks to the heavy saffron material of her dress, the effort was decidedly clumsy. She heaved a sigh, though, as she stretched her torso out so that her back took on a slight convex curve. Blissful relief, she mused.
    Her peaceful respite was disrupted by the sound of a woman loudly clearing her throat. Startled, Tamara looked up to find Sophia Winchell standing at the threshold, her mouth twisted into a little moue of disapproval. It was, Tamara had discovered, the natural state of her countenance.
    “You look as if you’ve swallowed something unpleasant, Sophia,” she said, allowing a hint of exasperation to enter her voice. “Shall I call for someone to bring you a glass of water?”
    Sophia sniffed superciliously and averted her eyes, as though unable to bear witness to Tamara’s debasement. “It was William I sought. You’ll pardon my interruption.” She clutched her hands so tightly together that they were white.
    “Yes, of course. As you can see, however, William is elsewhere. Might I be of any assistance?”
    Sophia shook her head quickly, causing her tightly wound curls to jiggle like little insects. Tamara suppressed a snicker, knowing that if she at all exacerbated the tenuous situation, William would skin her alive.
    “Right. Then, if you don’t mind, I shall return to the task of breathing. This corset seems to require all my attention at the moment.”
    Sophia didn’t respond, just rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. Tamara watched her retreating back.
    Assured that she was gone, Tamara allowed herself to grin. So pleased was she with how well