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“Father is breaking you in,” Baldwin said “Like a new horse, or a shoe A de Clermont must be adaptable and ready for any need that arises”

Russell esture, which thankfully Baldwin er

Baldwin noticed an entry in the account book “Ah I wish I caught this before Gallowglass left for France”

“Gallowglass was here?” John asked

“Yes You just hed and scribbled soht It really is too bad he left so soon Matthew ht have made use of this debt in his efforts to blackmail Robespierre”

“Matthew’s in the Netherlands,” Marcus said

“No, he is in Paris Father needed another set of eyes in France,” Baldwin said

“Christ’s bones,” John said “Paris is the last place on earth I’d want to see How oes mad?”

“We can’t all bury our heads in the sand and pretend the world isn’t co if not direct “As usual, that e It is our duty”

“Good of your family to always think of others before yourselves” John didn’t like Baldwin’s sanctimony any more than Marcus did, but where Marcus was expected to remain silent and obedient, John was free to speak his mind Sadly, Baldwin had no ear for sarcasenuine compliment

“Indeed,” Baldwin replied “Your ht soh it ritten by a madman”

Marcus picked up a copy of the Federal Gazette froust

“Gallowglass usuallyfroes

“He stopped in Providence on the way here to take in supplies,” Baldwin said, “on account of the fever”

Marcus began flipping through the paper

services at this alar and critical period

Words leaped out at hied newsprint

Nothing so good to stop the progress of the yellow fever as the firing of cannon

“Christ, no,” Marcus said Yellow fever was a terrible disease It spread like wildfire in the city, especially in summer People turned jaundiced, and spit up black and bloody vomit as the fever poisoned their bellies

The College of Physicians having declared that they conceive FIRES to be very ineffectual, if not dangerousfever

Marcus scra for a later Philadelphia paper, but that was the only one He did, however, locate a copy of Providence’s United States Chronicle that bore a later date, and scoured it for an update on the situation to the south

“We are allin this city,” Marcus read aloud “There is no accounting for it”

Marcus had grown up under the shadow of srown accustoh and London As a vampire, he was immune to human disease, which made it possible for hiress of an epideues had sickened, abandoned their charges, or died These accounts in the A of a cycle of death hich Marcus had grown familiar There was little chance that matters in Philadelphia had ied by yellow fever between late August and the present moment

He picked up the letter To Doc, in England or France The letters bobbed up and down like the waves

It was from Adam Swift, and contained only one line

I’ve left you my books, so don’t let those bastards take them for taxes

“Which way did Gallowglass go?” Marcus said, gathering up the newspapers and the letter

“To Dover, of course Here, take these, too” Baldwin held out soers “You’ll need them in Hertfordshire”

“I’ to bloody Hertfordshire,” Marcus said, halfway out the door “I’ to Philadelphia”

—

PHILADELPHIA’S STREETS WERE QUIET when Marcus arrived in early Noveer than the voyage frolass and his crew mad with constant questions about speed and distance, and howto take

When they arrived, Gallowglass ordered all the warmbloods to remain on the ship, and left the ship itself anchored well outside the harbor It had been lass had last been in Philadelphia; there was no telling in what state they would find the city Gallowglass rowed the distance from where he’d dropped anchor to the Old Ferry Slip between Arch and Market Streets The wharves were empty, the only ships barren of crew and sails

“This doesn’t look good,” Gallowglass said darkly as they tied up the skiff As a precaution, his cousin took one of the oars and slung it over his shoulder Marcus had a pistol and a s of medical supplies

“Jesus and his la his nose shut as they turned down Front Street “What a stench”

This was Marcus’s first time back in Philadelphia since he had become a vampire The city had always smelled bad But now—

“Death” Marcus gagged The odor of rotting flesh was everywhere, replacing the more familiar fumes from the tanneries and the everyday filth of urban life There was a strange, sharp tang in the air as well

“And saltpeter,” Gallowglass said

“Please” A waif approached the but a smock and one shoe It was impossible to tell whether the child was ry”

“We have none,” Gallowglass said gently

“What’s your name?” Marcus asked

“Betsy” The child’s eyes were huge in a face that was n of yellow fever Marcus put his pistol in his belt and picked up the child There was no scent of death on her

“I’ll get you so toward Dock Creek

Like the area around the wharves, the busy streets were strangely es ran wild, and there was the occasional snuffle of a pig Piles of manure rotted on corners, and market stalls were abandoned It was so quiet that Marcus could hear the creaking of the rigging on the masts of the ships There was a steady clop of horses’ hooves on cobbles A wagon came into view The driver had pulled his hat low, and wore a kerchief over his nose and hwayman

The wagon carried dead bodies

Marcus turned the child away froh he suspected she had seen worse

As the driver came closer, Marcus saw that his skin was black and his eyes weary

“Are you sick?” the man called out, his voice muffled

“No We’ve just arrived,” Marcus said “Betsy needs food”

“They all do,” the e They’ll feed her there”

Betsy clung to Marcus

“I think I’ll take her to German Gerty’s instead,” Marcus said

“Gert’s been gone for years” The driver’s eyes narrowed “You seem to know a lot about Philadelphia for someone who just arrived What did you say your name was?”

“He didn’t,” Gallowglass replied “I’m Eric Reynold, captain of the Aréthuse This is my cousin, Marcus Chauncey”

“Absalo his hat

“Is the fever gone?” Marcus asked

“We thought so There was soain and it’s back,” Jones said “The shops were just opening and people co over Bush Hill to show there weren’t any more sick people in it There are now”

“The Hamilton estate?” Marcus dimly remembered the na you in,” Baldwin said “Like a new horse, or a shoe A de Clermont must be adaptable and ready for any need that arises”