Page 83 of His Wicked Charm

Con brought her a cup of steaming tea and pulled up a low stool to sit down facing her. He sipped at his own tea, watching her, then set the cup aside and leaned forward. “Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“Start with what happened tonight,” he told her, taking one of her hands in his.

“Clearly I walked in my sleep again. I must have taken the key out of my jewelry box and unlocked the door, unbelievable as it seems.”

“Were you dreaming?”

“I—I’m not sure. I was aware of being...pulled. I couldn’t quite catch my breath, and I had to go somewhere, though I had no sense of where it was.”

“Had to? You dreamed someone was forcing you?” Con asked.

“No. I needed to. I felt driven.”

“And then...”

“Suddenly there was a clap of thunder, and I woke up. I saw where I was, and I realized that I’d walked in my sleep again. And...perhaps it was the storm, the thunder and lightning, I’m not sure, but suddenly I remembered.” She pulled in a shaky breath, her hands trembling slightly. “Oh, Con, I’ve been so wrong and foolish. So blind.”

“It’s all right.” He took her hands between his. “What did you remember?”

“What happened that night. At the séance.” She wet her lips. She wanted to tell him, needed to, yet she could hardly force out the words. “A man Aunt Vesta knew—someone she loved, I think—wanted to contact his great-uncle. It was important to her, so she wanted me there. She used to say that the spirits yearned to be with children. I didn’t want to go. The séances scared me—the dark and the candles and the ghostly talk.”

“Sounds enough to scare any child.”

“But she was insistent. It meant so much to her. And I...” Lilah pressed her lips together, pushing back the tears. “I loved Aunt Vesta. You were right. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. She was fun. She came to my pretend tea parties. She liked to braid my hair. She said she had always envied my mother’s hair.”

“I’m sorry she left.” Con raised her hand to kiss it. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with her feelings for you. That séance drew such attention. She wanted the life that beckoned.”

“The fame and fortune. I know.” Lilah sighed. “And that was my fault. The séance was... I did it.”

“Did what?” Con frowned. “Caused the window to explode? Lilah, as you said, that was exaggerated. It was the storm.”

“No. It wasn’t.” Lilah braced herself, looking Con in the eye. Her heart pounded madly. “There was rain that night, but it wasn’t a ferocious storm. At least, it wasn’t before the séance.”

Con stared. “You’re telling me you think a vengeful spirit appeared? That you brought it back from the dead?”

“Do you not believe me?”

“Of course I believe you.” Lilah relaxed, warmed by his swift response. “Lilah, I know you don’t lie. And if you believe a spirit appeared, so do I. But I don’t understand. Why do you think you’re at fault?”

“I was the one who attracted it. There was something wrong with me.”

“Lilah, no, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“There was. I knew. I felt it. It had gotten worse that last year. That was when I started sleepwalking. I had no memory of what I did, but sometimes, when I was jarred awake in the midst of it, I had that feeling I had tonight. I felt...pulled.”

“And in the séances?”

“It was the opposite there. I felt as if I were drawing something out. I’d have a tightness here.” She tapped her chest. “Like a fist clenching inside me, pulling this...this power into me. I was responsible, but I had no control over it. It controlled me.”

“You were a child, Lilah. You didn’t know what to do. If there is blame, it should be Vesta’s. She used you.”

“I’m not sure she realized how much was my doing. She thought it was all her. I was more a good-luck charm.”

“Exactly what happened at this séance?”

“Aunt Vesta had the servants set up a table in the Great Hall. I sat between her and Father. There were several people there, and we all held hands. When Aunt Vesta called to her spirit guide, that knot began in my chest. It grew stronger and tighter, and that power began to flow into me. It spread throughout my body, expanding and rising. It was like floating in the ocean and being lifted by a wave. It was exhilarating.”