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Prologue

It was a beautiful time of day, close to dusk, at a beautiful tie House sat back froht that had just begun to fade, as fine and poignant as an old building could be, a proud reone, yet ever reuilty Aluilt; he was too ecstatic over his day, still pumped with enthusias He enjoyed being a guide at the Tarleton-Dandridge, but today he’d had to ditch it The audition had been important and,full-ti up and playing with the band in Old Town, but he had drea a real rock star Noever, he had to slip back into the house--and suck up to Allison She was their unofficial leader, head of the guides or docents at the Tarleton-Dandridge, and if she forgave hiuests had already entered the house with their guide and that another, the last group of the day, was asseh to the side of the house near the gate, welco for the final tour Allison was dressed in the typical fashion of the Revolutionary era--the typical high fashion of the Revolutionary era, since fe the lines of that which would’ve been worn by Lucy Tarleton, the uides dressed as Lord Brian Bradley, the British general known as "Beast" Bradley, who had occupied the house

They all looked pretty cool in their clothing, he thought But especially Allison She was beautiful to begin with, even if she was kind of a nerd A real academic But she did bear a resemblance to the heroine she played, Lucy Tarleton They’d all re in the house and those in various museums, but there was no evidence that she was a descendent of the woman And if anyone would know, Allison would, since she was a historian Maybe it was the clothing that gave her the look

Allison wasn’t even glancing his way, so he quickly jumped the old brick wall that surrounded the house

He was still in his period clothing fro shift; he hadn’t sneaked out until after lunch Luckily, his band’s audition had been to open for the new "it" group--rockers who liked to dress up like Patrick Henry and friends--whichin his work outfit

Of course, he hadn’t asked for the tienerally better to do and ask forgiveness later than it was to beg for peruilt he did feel was because one of his colleagues had to take the tour group he should have led

Still, he had a plan He’d wait until the last group had gone through, and Jason and Allison had finished for the day He winced; he realized Annette wasn’t at work She’d made an appointment for a root canal But he knew his fellow docents as well as they knew him Jason would leave before Ally Julian just had to wait until Jason had left and Allison was alone, checking as she always did that the doors were locked and the alarus’s study--ye olde study, where that poor bastard Angus Tarleton had died, supposedly of a broken heart--to ht in the "haunted" house He’d wait for her there When Ally showed up, he would beg and plead and he could honestly tell her they’d probably get the gig, and he’d do anything to compensate for the tie passes to the first concert

He tiptoed to the front door and listened Once Jason’s tour had moved into the social rooms to the left, he hurried up the stairs But when he reached the second-floor landing, he heard conversation and footsteps coed into Lucy Tarleton’s roo at the house that day He’d have to wait until they were gone

At last, they were He heard the fourso a themselves

"Cherry, you may be a descendent of the family, but this place is owned by Old Philly History now We’re only the board" She started to speak, but Ethan Oxford interrupted her "Yes, it’s privately owned and operated, but there’s a charter The house was donated for the preservation of history"

Old Ethan Oxford was the senior member of the board Cherry’s e family Cherry would probably have eschewed her own father’s nae, Julian was certain, except that her husband, George Addison, was becoe that ca Mrs Addison

"No one knows this house like I do," Cherry insisted

"Really? You never lived in it It was handed over to Old Philly History long before you were born"

Julian sed to Nathan Pierson, who loved to listen sweetly to Cherry and then zing her

"Hush!" Sarah Vining said "There are tour groups in here!"

A moment later, even their voices faded away as they left the house

Julian started toward the attic but paused For so held in the roo except the painting of Beast Bradley The nice painting of Bradley "They say you were a brutal bastard Glad so himself a mental shake, he dashed up to the attic to hide He sat at the desk there, glancing at the piles of paper around the computer and the countless file folders Some of the information here was pure business--schedules, events planned at the estate, prograed to Ally Professor Allison Leigh "You would have to be a brainiac!" he said aloud He was a year or two younger than Ally, but he’d had a crush on her since he’d taken his position here And she wasn’t all work and no play He knew because she’d dated another musician for a while, an acquaintance of his