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With that, he swung shut the home’s door, turned, and sprinted toward his town house

LADY MARGARET ST John started shaking the e, so frighteningly deadly in his ripped in his big, leather-clad hands and his eyes glinting behind his grotesque mask, it had been all she could do to hold herself still

Megs inhaled, trying to quiet the quicksilver racing through her veins She’d spent two years hating the man, but she’d never expected, when she finally met hilanced down at the heavy pistols in her lap and then across the carriage to her dear friend and sister-in-law, Sarah St John "I’m sorry That was …"

"An idiotic idea?" Sarah arched one light brown eyebrow Her straight-as-a-pin hair varied froold and was tucked back into a sedate and very orderly knot at the back of her head

In contrast, Megs’s own dark, curly hair hadabout her face like a tentacled sea s frowned "Well, I don’t know if idiotic is quite--"

"Addled?" Sarah supplied crisply "Boneheaded? Daft? Foolish? Ill-advised?"

"While all of those adjectives are in part appropriate," Megs interjected primly before Sarah could continue her list--her friend’s vocabulary was quite extensive--"I think ill-advisedyour life in danger"

"And yours"

Megs blinked "What?"

Sarah leaned a little forward so that her face caht Sarah usually had the sweet countenance of a gently reared maiden lady--which at five and twenty she was--belied only by a certainat the back of her soft brown eyes, but right now she s," Sarah replied "You risked not only my life and the lives of the servants, but your life as well What could possibly be iht?"

Megs looked away from her dearest friend Sarah had come to live with her at the St John estate in Cheshire nearly a year after Megs’s e to Godric, so Sarah didn’t know the real reason for their hasty nuptials

Megs shook her head, gazing out the carriage"I’m sorry I just wanted to see …"

When she didn’t finish the sentence, Sarah er was h her heart She’d directed To to find soer There hadn’t been, of course He’d been long dead Long lost to her But she’d had a second reason to look around St Giles: to learn er’s murderer, the Ghost of St Giles And in that, at least, she’d succeeded The Ghost had appeared She hadn’t been adequately prepared tonight, but next tiet away

Next tih the Ghost of St Giles’s black heart

"Megs?" Her friend’s gentle s shook her head and shtly--at her dear friend "Never mind"

"What--"

"Goodness, are we here already?" Megs’s change of subject was not subtle, but the carriage was slowing as if they’d finally arrived at their destination

She leaned forward, peering out theThe street was dark

Megs frowned "Maybe not"

Sarah crossed her arms "What do you see?"

"We’re on a narroinding lane and there’s a tall, dark house up ahead It looks very … ulanced at her companion "Yes?"

Sarah nodded once "That’s Saint House, then It’s as old as dust, didn’t you know? Didn’t you see Saint House when you s pretended to be engrossed in the di breakfast was at ht after" And in between she’d been bedridden at her s pushed the sad memory from her mind "How old is Saint House?"

"Medieval and, as I remember, quite drafty in winter"

"Oh"

"And not in the most fashionable part of London, either," Sarah continued cheerfully "Right on the riverbank But that’s what you get when your fas without a lick of modern style or convenience"

"I’ to be loyal She was a St John now after all

"Oh, yes," Sarah said, her tone dry "Saint House has been mentioned in more than one history No doubt that’ll comfort you when your toes turn to blocks of ice in the ht"

"If it’s so awful, then why did you accohts and shop, of course" Sarah sounded quite cheerful despite her gloomy description of Saint House "It’s been forever since I was last in London"

The carriage jerked to a halt at thather needlework basket and shawls Oliver, the younger of the two foote He wore a white wig as part of his livery, but it didn’t disguise his red eyebrows