Page 106 of His Wicked Charm

Lilah broke open the seal and began to read aloud.

“My dearest Lilah,

“I have never been the father I should have. I’ve come to realize how much of my life I wasted on things I couldn’t change instead of raising the wonderful being the Lord entrusted to me. I can only beg your pardon and pray that you will read this letter with an open mind and a forgiving heart.”

Lilah’s voice caught and she stopped, pressing her lips together for a moment.

“Little as you wish to acknowledge it, you hold great power within you.

“Many years ago, my father and his friends discovered a tunnel beneath the tower. It led them to an ancient cave of wondrous beauty, steeped in magical power. I do not know what force caused this or why it was revealed to my father, but he recognized it as a holy place. They turned it to their own advantage, receiving great blessings, and guarding it with great secrecy.

“The cornerstone of the Brotherhood is the eternal balance of the Three. The Sanctuary requires three keys to open it, and each of the Brothers holds one of the keys. I pass my key on to you, relying on your character to use it wisely. I have left the key in your house, where only you would look.”

“‘Left the key in your house’?” Lilah exclaimed, looking up from the letter in indignation. “That is all he tells me? He hid the key somewhere in the house?”

“Doesn’t narrow it down much,” Con admitted.

“It’s useless.” She waved the page. “If that isn’t just like Father.”

“You don’t know what he means?” Vesta looked crestfallen and every bit her age. “I thought—I hoped—” Turning, she left the room.

Lilah gazed after her. “Poor Aunt Vesta. I can’t help her.”

“Perhaps Sir Virgil said something more about it.” Con nodded toward the letter.

“Yes, you’re right.” Lilah took up her reading again.

“In each of the chosen Three, there must be a balance of good and bad. We were granted abilities in the areas most dear to us, but we were also given the counterparts of these qualities in equal magnitude.

“The Dearborns’ gift of wealth is countered by a rise in their greed. Hamilton’s wisdom was balanced by the terrible headaches that plagued him all his life. My father could not be pulled from his dreams and visions. I clung so tightly to my connection to the afterlife that I lost the love of the one closest to me.

“With Hamilton’s death, the sacred balance of the Three was destroyed. The abilities of those who remain have diminished. Niles has had the more visible decline in his talents, as he began to lose money at a rapid rate. But I, too, have begun to feel my connection to the Spirit fading, my ties to my beloved Eva and the Otherworld slipping away.

“Realizing the problem, I put away my key and refused to open the Sanctuary until such time as the Three can be restored.”

“The argument between him and Dearborn that Roberts overheard,” Con interjected.

“I imagine so.” Lilah nodded and went on.

“Since that time, however, I have meditated much on balance. Nothing we do comes without consequence, and nothing is given to us without a sacrifice in return. I have realized that a sacrifice was required from the Brotherhood. Though I believe they did it unknowingly, they took from their own life forces in order to bring life to the Sanctuary.

“The three original Brothers all came to untimely ends. Hamilton also left this life too early. Tellingly, the excess of their gifts has caused the manner of their deaths. I have little doubt that Niles and I will meet the same fate. I do not fear this, for I am eager to rejoin my beloved, but I fear for you, Delilah, and for Sabrina and Peter, whose lives may be cut short.

“I realize now that the Sanctuary should never have been opened. I believe it should be closed forever. I intended to destroy the key, but I was too weak. I leave the decision of what to do with the Sanctuary in your capable hands. You are better suited than I to choose the right path. Pray forgive me for laying this final burden upon you.

“Yr. loving father”

Lilah set down the letter and looked at Con in dismay. “We were right. The Sanctuary has made all three families die young. Sabrina and I will—”

“No!” Con said fiercely. “You aren’t going to die young. We don’t know that it will affect you and Sabrina. The two of you have never been inside the Sanctuary. You’ve never taken any gift from it. Nor have either of you lived your whole lives here. Perhaps by stopping their visits, your father had already canceled the obligation.”

“The power is still there. I feel its pull, its energy. I’m sure we need to do something more.”

“Then we’ll do it.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. But I am not going to let you die.”