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Authors: Cindy Spencer Pape
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helplessly. “Fine, my lady.”
“Please call me Caro. Really.” The other woman shared a wry smile. “Now, before your brain explodes, let me explain a few things. My husband, Merrick, works with Kendall, and the families are old friends—as is your uncle, by the way. My older four are adopted. I didn’t have Wink when I was twelve or Nell at fifteen. Tom is a Knight-in-training and would have been adopted with the others if he wasn’t a baronet in his own right. Each of them is gifted, in their own way, and Nell here has the ability to see and speak with ghosts. Hopefully, we can be of some assistance.”
“That would be…wonderful.” Amy shook her head. “And your husband doesn’t object to this? I can’t guarantee that there won’t be some danger.”
“I trust Kendall’s judgment and his ability to defend us. Not that either Nell or I are utterly helpless. Both of us are acquainted with self-defense.” Her smile twisted into a grin. “I haven’t been ‘my lady’ for too many years. I was originally the governess to this brood.”
That explained a great deal. Amy sat back and listened as Kendall explained about the phantom serpent in the photographs and the subsequent deaths. “I can’t find a thing in her studio,” he finished. “But there is some vague sense of a presence, which is why I was hoping a medium could help.”
“I can’t perform an exorcism, but I can certainly spot a ghost if there’s one present,” Nell agreed.
“It’s not a spell,” Kendall said with a shrug. “Or a curse. I’d be able to sense those. All that leaves is some kind of entity.”
“We’ll know shortly.” Caroline turned to Amy. “So tell me, how do you like working as a photographer?”
Soon, they climbed out of the cab and Amy led the others to her studio. After a brief tour, Nell shook her head. “There’s nobody here.”
Her mother frowned. “I’d swear there is. I agree with Kendall. I feel…something. And it’s definitely malevolent. But I can’t pinpoint what or where.”
Caroline stood beside the shelf where Amy kept the toys Sergeant Peterson made to entertain her subjects and picked up a clockwork horse that whinnied and pranced. “Wink would love these. She’s studying to be an engineer, but mechanical animals are her first love.”
“Mum, drop that right now!” Nell screamed and ran across the room. She grabbed the toy from her mother’s hands and threw it as far as possible across the room. “Mum, go outside. Now.”
“Nell—” Caro began to protest, but she did start moving.
“It’s after the baby,” Nell said hoarsely. “Get out.”
At that, Caroline clasped her hand over her stomach and ran from the studio.
“It’s still here,” Nell said in a near whisper. “I don’t think it can go very far from the pony.”
“What does it look like?” Kendall stood beside the girl, his hand on her shoulder, his walking stick raised, though there was nothing visible to strike.
“A black serpent, but the eyes are human, or once were.” Nell stared fixedly at the toy on the floor. “It’s pulling back in—I don’t think it can reach any of us.”
“Is it a ghost?” Amy asked, coming to stand behind the girl.
Nell shook her head. “Not like any I’ve seen. It was, I think, but it’s been…twisted somehow. I think we need Lord Drood to handle this.”
“Amy, did any of the subjects who died play with that horse?” Kendall asked without turning to look at her.
“Yes. I don’t know how I could have forgotten. In each of those groups, someone picked up the pony and played with it. Even the honeymooners—the man was intrigued and studied the horse while they waited their turn. Louisa played with it to get Daisy to settle. It is the one thing that connects all six. It is my fault they died.”
“No. You didn’t do this.” Now Kendall did turn and put his hands on her arms. “It has to have been Peterson. I knew there was something wrong about
“Please call me Caro. Really.” The other woman shared a wry smile. “Now, before your brain explodes, let me explain a few things. My husband, Merrick, works with Kendall, and the families are old friends—as is your uncle, by the way. My older four are adopted. I didn’t have Wink when I was twelve or Nell at fifteen. Tom is a Knight-in-training and would have been adopted with the others if he wasn’t a baronet in his own right. Each of them is gifted, in their own way, and Nell here has the ability to see and speak with ghosts. Hopefully, we can be of some assistance.”
“That would be…wonderful.” Amy shook her head. “And your husband doesn’t object to this? I can’t guarantee that there won’t be some danger.”
“I trust Kendall’s judgment and his ability to defend us. Not that either Nell or I are utterly helpless. Both of us are acquainted with self-defense.” Her smile twisted into a grin. “I haven’t been ‘my lady’ for too many years. I was originally the governess to this brood.”
That explained a great deal. Amy sat back and listened as Kendall explained about the phantom serpent in the photographs and the subsequent deaths. “I can’t find a thing in her studio,” he finished. “But there is some vague sense of a presence, which is why I was hoping a medium could help.”
“I can’t perform an exorcism, but I can certainly spot a ghost if there’s one present,” Nell agreed.
“It’s not a spell,” Kendall said with a shrug. “Or a curse. I’d be able to sense those. All that leaves is some kind of entity.”
“We’ll know shortly.” Caroline turned to Amy. “So tell me, how do you like working as a photographer?”
Soon, they climbed out of the cab and Amy led the others to her studio. After a brief tour, Nell shook her head. “There’s nobody here.”
Her mother frowned. “I’d swear there is. I agree with Kendall. I feel…something. And it’s definitely malevolent. But I can’t pinpoint what or where.”
Caroline stood beside the shelf where Amy kept the toys Sergeant Peterson made to entertain her subjects and picked up a clockwork horse that whinnied and pranced. “Wink would love these. She’s studying to be an engineer, but mechanical animals are her first love.”
“Mum, drop that right now!” Nell screamed and ran across the room. She grabbed the toy from her mother’s hands and threw it as far as possible across the room. “Mum, go outside. Now.”
“Nell—” Caro began to protest, but she did start moving.
“It’s after the baby,” Nell said hoarsely. “Get out.”
At that, Caroline clasped her hand over her stomach and ran from the studio.
“It’s still here,” Nell said in a near whisper. “I don’t think it can go very far from the pony.”
“What does it look like?” Kendall stood beside the girl, his hand on her shoulder, his walking stick raised, though there was nothing visible to strike.
“A black serpent, but the eyes are human, or once were.” Nell stared fixedly at the toy on the floor. “It’s pulling back in—I don’t think it can reach any of us.”
“Is it a ghost?” Amy asked, coming to stand behind the girl.
Nell shook her head. “Not like any I’ve seen. It was, I think, but it’s been…twisted somehow. I think we need Lord Drood to handle this.”
“Amy, did any of the subjects who died play with that horse?” Kendall asked without turning to look at her.
“Yes. I don’t know how I could have forgotten. In each of those groups, someone picked up the pony and played with it. Even the honeymooners—the man was intrigued and studied the horse while they waited their turn. Louisa played with it to get Daisy to settle. It is the one thing that connects all six. It is my fault they died.”
“No. You didn’t do this.” Now Kendall did turn and put his hands on her arms. “It has to have been Peterson. I knew there was something wrong about
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