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She’d been taking classes with a tiny Russian va eyes for several weeks now Phoebe and Madame Elena practiced in the mirrored ballroom, which had excellent acoustics and a resilient wooden floor Mada vampire who appeared to be in his early thirties, accorand piano with a determined air

Ballet had been an important part of Phoebe’s childhood, but she hadn’t touched a tutu for h she had adored thewarm-up exercises at the barre, followed by the exhilaration of juht she showed much promise as a dancer Both Phoebe and Stella liked to excel at their activities, and Phoebe had moved on to tennis instead At the ti so ood at Now she had nothing but time

After the incident with Stella, Freyja had thought that Phoebe needed a wider social circle and more exercise to smooth out her volatileacquaintance with Phoebe’s childhood ballet a

“Good arret

In Freyja’s ballroo out her vampire limbs, Phoebe was able to work her body to the point where it almost felt like she’d done some exercise After a steady ninety randest of jetés and an exhilarating series of fouetté turns, Phoebe was pleasantly relaxed and her muscles ached The aches and pains, she kneould disappear in a matter of minutes

“You are ress,is still abominable, and you must remember to turn out fros in two”

“Yes, reed with her so that the woman would return

She waved Mada safely in the shadowed confines of the front hall where the light would not reach her All that tiiven Phoebe a headache, and she put on her dark glasses again

“Hoas your lesson?” Freyja asked

“Wonderful,” Phoebe said, riffling through the mail on the table There was no mail for her There wouldn’t be until after ninety days had passed Still, it was her habit to check “Where’s Miriam?”

“At the Sorbonne Some conference,” Freyja said, airily dismissive She linked arms with Phoebe, and the two strolled toward the back of the house, where Phoebe had taken possession of a rooarden

Freyja felt every female vampire should have a space of her own in the home that was set apart from the boudoir where she slept, bathed, and entertained intimate visitors With twenty-four hours to fill, it was iave structure and substance to the day At Freyja’s insistence, Phoebe had gathered up sos in the house and taken the room, non to all as “Phoebe’s study” The Roman vase was there that used to be in the front hall, as well as a particularly nice Renoir that reminded her of how she felt when she ith Marcus It was soft and sensual, and the dark-haired wo roses looked a bit like her

“You finished your painting!” Freyja exclai at the canvas propped on the easel

“Not quite,” Phoebe said, casting a practiced, critical glance over the work “The background needs adjusting, and I think the light is still too strong”

“You think all light is too strong, Phoebe, and yet you are drawn to it in your art as well as in your life” Freyja inspected the painting closely “It’s really quite good, you know”

Like ballet, painting was so Phoebe was pleased to pick back up

“What I’o back to work To Sotheby’s” Phoebe tilted her head this way and that to change her perspective on the piece

“Oh, Phoebe” Freyja looked sad “You know you will never work at Sotheby’s again”

“So you all say But I’ other than paint and dance, or I’ll go mad,” Phoebe said “You may have been a princess, Freyja I never was”

“We shall find you soood causes,” Freyja said “They will occupy your time You can build schools, join the police, take care of s I do all of those things, and they make me feel useful”

“I don’t think I’ fonder of Marcus’s aunt with each passing day

“You didn’t think you’d remembered how to plié,” Freyja reminded her “You never knohere the path of your life will take you”

“There’s always Baldwin’s collection to catalog, I suppose,” Phoebe replied “Not toPlace And Sept-Tours”

“You canin et to take a look Matthew’s house in Amsterdam The attics are filled with the most enormous canvases covered with dead white men in ruffs”

Having seen some of the places where Matthew kept his art, which included the downstairs loo at the Old Lodge, Phoebe wasn’t surprised

“But you must do more than hunt for treasure, Phoebe dear,” Freyja warned “You cannot save the world or everyone in it, but you must find a way to make a difference My father always said that hat vampires were put on earth to do”

34

Life Is But a Breath

16 JULY

We were just finishing up with the twins’ baths when Marcus rocketed into the roo concerned

“Edward Taylor’s in the hospital,” Marcus said to Matthew “Freyja says it’s a heart attack She won’t tell me where he is, or his condition”

Matthew handed Philip’s towel to Marcus before taking out his phone

“Miriam?” Matthew asked when it connected He put it on speaker so we could all listen in

“Freyja shouldn’t have called you, Marcus,” Miriam said sourly

“Where is Edward now?” Matthew asked

“The Salpêtrière,” Miriam replied “It was closest to the flat”

“His condition?” Matthew said

Miriam fell silent

“His condition, Miriam,” Matthew repeated

“It’s too early to say It was a major episode Once we know more, we’ll decide whether or not to tell Phoebe,” Miriam said

“Phoebe has a right to know that her father is gravely ill!” Marcus said

“No, Marcus Phoebe has no rights when it comes to her human fahter is not a danger to herself or others A hospital? She’s sixty days old!” Miriahtstruck The Salpêtrière is lit up like a Christht She wouldn’t be safe there”

“Can Edward beoutside of the box of ordinary warmblooded medical options If need be, he would transform Freyja’s house into a clinic, outfit it with the finest equipeon in the world, and make Edward the facility’s sole patient

“Not without killing him,” Miriam said bluntly “Padma already asked She wanted him moved to London The doctors refused”