Page 92 of His Wicked Charm

“Forty-four.”

“You said Sir Ambrose died before you were born, which would make him around fifty. I don’t know when Bertram Dearborn died, but he’s obviously gone, as well. Of these six men of the Brotherhood, only Niles Dearborn is still alive.”

“You think Niles killed them all? I can’t believe that.”

“No, I don’t think so. His crimes are generally smaller. I’m just pointing out that it’s peculiar for this many men to die before their time.”

“We don’t know how old Mr. Dearborn’s father was when he died.”

“Do you remember him meeting with your father and Dearborn?”

“I don’t remember him at all.”

“Then at best, he must have died when you were still a child. Five men—and for all we know, Niles could be at death’s door. That’s a very great coincidence.”

“What are you saying? That they died because of...all this?” She made a vague gesture at the letters before them. “That the Sanctuary killed them?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But we have to consider the possibility.”

“No...” Lilah groaned. “Now you’re going to tell me that this is a...a...”

He nodded, finishing her sentence, “A curse.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

“NO.” LILAH JUMPED to her feet. “I cannot. I have reached my limit. It is difficult enough to accept that I have this bizarre ability. It’s even harder to conceive that my grandfather and father followed a religion my grandfather dreamed up and held strange ceremonies in some secret place, where they recited incantations about ancient gods. But curses are simply more than I can agree to.”

Con went to Lilah, taking her in his loose embrace. “I have trouble believing all of this myself. I don’t really mean a curse, not in the way of ‘you have disturbed this ancient resting place, and now you will be eternally cursed.’ It’s just that it seems the two things—the Sanctuary and their early deaths—must have some connection. Either circumstance is odd, but the two things together is—well, that’s pushing my limit.”

“But what could possibly be the connection between their early deaths and this ‘Sanctuary’?” Lilah pulled away and began to pace. “How could finding that place or participating in these rituals cause someone to die years later?”

He thought for a moment. “What if there was something in the room, poison in the air or on an object they touched? Maybe there’s a well that they drank from, and it contained...something dangerous.”

“Years later?”

“Like arsenic—it built up over time as they continued to visit, until finally it killed them.”

“But if it was a poison, wouldn’t their deaths be similar? My father died of a heart attack, but Sabrina’s had apoplexy.”

“I’ve no idea,” Con admitted.

“We don’t have anything that really connects the two,” Lilah went on, gaining steam. “We don’t know when or how Niles’s father died, and Niles is still alive. Second, it’s possible that my family and Sabrina’s don’t have long life spans. Perhaps many of our ancestors died young. It’s a strange coincidence but not impossible.”

“We should talk to Aunt Vesta. We can look into the family histories. See if all your ancestors met early deaths. Perhaps this valet you talked about could tell us.”

Lilah said quietly, “If you are right about this, if the early deaths somehow happened because our grandfathers found the Sanctuary, then Sabrina and I—”

She saw the realization hit Con, too. “No. No. It doesn’t mean that.” He went to her and took her arms, looking intently into her face. “If a poison in the Sanctuary killed them, you and Sabrina wouldn’t be affected. Neither of you have ever been there. Anyway, you’re right. A curse is ridiculous. You are not going to die.” He set his jaw in such a pugnacious way that Lilah had to smile.

“Well...if you forbid it...”

“I do.” He kissed her, hard and quick. “Come, let’s find out what your aunt can tell us.”

As it turned out, Aunt Vesta could tell them very little. She couldn’t remember when Bertram Dearborn died or how, and she was equally ignorant about Sabrina’s grandfather. “And Papa simply didn’t wake up one morning. I was quite young, you understand, when they died. But I cannot imagine that a holy place would make anyone die. It’s a Sanctuary.”

“They called it that,” Lilah said. “It doesn’t mean it actually is.”

“Oh, no, no, I am sure Papa was right if he said it was a sacred spot. He was sensitive to such things. That’s where I got it. Your father, sadly, was not.” She gave a little sigh at the thought of her brother’s lack of discernment. “Besides, the Goddess wouldn’t harm her faithful servants. She’s a kind and loving being. She blessed them.”