Possession by C. J. Archer Page B

presence somehow and then he wouldn't have said
anything."
    "I don't
bloody care, Emily. Never, ever do something like that again. Understand?
Otherwise I'll have to haunt you forever for your own sake."
    I quite liked
the sound of that. The way his gaze softened and he quickly looked away told me
he realized his threat was pointless.
    "If I was
capable of aging," he said quietly, "I would look about fifty right
now."
    For some reason
I found that funny and I laughed. He didn't join in and stared out the window. His
jaw formed a rigid line in profile, his lips pressed tightly together. Neither
of us spoke the rest of the way back to the Three Knots.
    ***
    Once George and
Theo joined us, my silence didn't last long. I told them everything Mortlock
had told me, including his suggestion that the Beauforts were being targeted by
the girl and the person with her, and my idea that it was the same villain
who'd released the demon.
    Jacob swore and
punched the side of the cabin. George jumped, but Theo merely raised his
eyebrows then nodded in understanding.
    "We'll warn
your family," Theo said. Not knowing how tall Jacob was, he spoke to Jacob's
chest rather than his face. "Don't worry. No harm will come to
anyone."
    We all knew we
couldn't guarantee their safety. Without knowing who was behind the summoning, we
might as well have been blindfolded. What was to stop the girl and her
accomplice calling another spirit? What was to stop them going to the Belgravia
house and firing a pistol?
    But something
told me our villain was playing a more subtle, supernatural game.
    "I'll warn
Lady Preston, just in case," I added.
    "I'll do
it," George said. "I can stop by on my way home."
    "I'm not
sure your ways are delicate enough, George."
    He pouted. "I'm
good at being delicate where ladies are concerned."
    Jacob rolled his
eyes. I tried not to laugh, since it wasn't a laughing matter. I didn't want
Lady Preston or Adelaide to worry, but I did want them to be alert until
Mortlock was safely back in the Waiting Area and the people who'd summoned him
had been dealt with.
    "Of course
you are," I said to George. "But even so, I'd like to come along. Shall
we go now?"
    "Can you
drop me home first?" Theo said. "As much as I'd like to join you, I
must check on my aunt. I left her in a bit of a state this morning."
    Jacob seemed to
brighten at this.
    "As you
wish," George said. He pulled down the window and shouted instructions to
the driver.
    The gentle
rocking of the coach would have been soothing if my mind wasn't in turmoil and
my leg didn't throb. I watched Jacob sitting in the corner like a dark thunder
cloud. He seemed in no mood for talking.
    "We must
find Mortlock," I said. "Before he does something awful."
    George removed
his hat and wiped his brow. "But how?"
    "I'll
repeat my search," Jacob said, "starting immediately after you're
home safe."
    "Jacob will
find him," I told George.
    "Of course,
of course," he muttered.
    Theo nodded. "We
must also find the girl who summoned the spirit, and the man with her. For the
Beauforts' safety."
    "He must
think we're all stupid," Jacob mumbled.
    I tried to
ignore him, but I wasn't very good at it. Ignoring Jacob was like ignoring my
arms and legs. He was so much a part of me.
    "I think
the girl and her friend knew Mortlock when he was alive," he added.
    I stared at him
then repeated what he'd said for George and Theo's benefit.
    "Of course,"
George said. "Otherwise how would they know whom to summon?"
    I rubbed my eyes
with my thumb and forefinger. He was right. It made sense.
    Theo agreed. "So
find out more about Mortlock and we might find out more about the people behind
the summoning."
    "There's
another way we can learn about them." I took a deep breath and repeated
everything Celia had told me about my father and how I suspected the girl was
his daughter too, and therefore my sister. I told them about Louis' father's
shop and that we might discover where he lived if we asked the current owner,
Mr.