Potent Charms by Peggy Waide Page B

spent a great deal of time together as
children. When my father died, I moved to my mother's
dower estate. I still saw Stephen from time to time. In fact,
he introduced me to Winston, a debt I can never repay.
Unless, perhaps, I can return the favor."
    It was now or never. Remembering all of Hildegard's
vile gossip, a part of Phoebe, perhaps her heart, wanted to
discount everything she'd heard. At least Elizabeth,
Stephen's friend, would tell the truth. "Has Stephen been
married?"
    "As a matter of fact, he was. Twice."
    "What happened?"
    Elizabeth concentrated on a flock of pigeons overhead,
evidently considering Phoebe's request. She leaned against
her seat and said, "I was only thirteen when Stephen married Emily. I think Stephen loved her for all the good and
kindness she brought into his life. We moved away shortly
thereafter. Emily died the next year. Two years later, he
married Louisa. She died the following spring."
    Nibbling her lower lip, Phoebe sucked in a deep breath,
then forged ahead. "Did he murder them?"
    Elizabeth's eyes rounded and her mouth snapped open,
then shut.
    "Oh, I'm sorry to just blurt that out, but I'm so confused
and... well... my aunt said horrible things."
    Recovering from her shock, Elizabeth gazed at the activity surrounding them, her lips pressed into a frown. "I
imagine Hildegard filled your ears with a good deal of
twaddle. Sometimes, my own peers irritate me so greatly I
want to denounce them all. Unfortunately, when it comes
to scintillating tidbits regarding the lives of other people, society has a long, if uninformed, memory. Stephen's
desire for privacy fires speculation. Every time he comes to
London, the gossip begins anew."

    "Please. I need to know the truth."
    "I'm not certain I can help. Stephen's rather taciturn
about his past."
    "The words mule-headed and shut-mouthed come to
mind."
    Elizabeth stared at Phoebe open-mouthed, then burst
into laughter. "Dear Phoebe, I am so glad we met."
    "I'm usually a tad more tactful, but I really do need to
know. Did he murder them?"
    "Of course not."
    Thank goodness, thought Phoebe. She should have
trusted her instincts all along. Stephen was not capable of
murder. That meant there was a logical reason for all the
rumors. "However did Emily die?"
    "It was some sort of accident shortly after Emily birthed
the Badrick heir. Stephen found her and the baby dead in
the nursery. Or was it the bedroom?" She chewed on the tip
of her finger.
    "What of Louisa? Hildegard said she left Stephen and
died as a result."
    "Actually, I believe she fell down a flight of stairs one
night. I'm sorry I'm not much help. I was in the country at
the time and Stephen refuses to speak of it."
    "Hildegard also mentioned a curse."
    "Lud. Stephen speaks even less of that than his two dead
wives."
    Phoebe recognized Elizabeth's reluctance, unsure if she
truly knew so little or whether she protected Stephen. Thus
far, most of the information made Phoebe wonder even
more about Stephen's past. She pressed on. "Surely you
have more accurate information than my aunt."
    "It has something to do with his great-grandfather and a gypsy woman, who cursed the Badrick men and their marriages."

    "Does Stephen actually believe that malarkey?"
    "When I was eight, Stephen showed me this lock of hair
with ribbons in a trophy case. He said it was his heritage. I
know his father believed it and became a bitter, nasty man.
As for Stephen, if you live with unhappiness day after day,
year after year, a part of you comes to believe anything
even if you are otherwise an intelligent man." Impatiently
throwing up her hands, Elizabeth added, "Whether the
curse exists or not, he believes both women would be alive
if not for him."
    "Phooey. Do you believe in the curse?"
    "I do know that no family deserves so much unhappiness. Perhaps I disbelieve because I wish the best for
Stephen." Elizabeth twirled the handle of the parasol
between her palms. "Since