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~ Prologue ~

Sutton Village, England

1815

SASSY WALKED THE short distance from the livery, where’d she left her cob horse and curricle, and made her way to the curio shop that also served as their village book shop It was a busy ti, nearly lunch, and the wide avenue was bustling with people, horse-draagons, and quite an ies, and styles for their quaint village

The dust they kicked up didn’t do her orn blue cloak any good With a gri dirt as she made her way to the lead-panedof Mrs Plu

A little bell announced her arrival, and the tall, buxom woman Sassy had known forever looked up fro a stack of the new and latest novel that had only just come in The woman smiled and welcomed Sassy “Hallo, m’dear, and how is the vicar today?”

Pushing a stray hair away froave Mrs Plummet a warm smile “Papa is cranky today, I am afraid He shooed me off and told me to come into town and purchase a book to keepabout him, and he won’t have it”

Mrs Pluhed and said, “Good then, Sassy love If he is feeling feisty, perhaps ill have a small miracle and he will take a turn for the better”

Sassy ale to dive into Mrs Plummet’s arms and cry She held herself in check and unconsciously rubbed the ring on her right hand beneath her glove

She couldn’t very well tell Mrs Pluain, she felt useless She hadn’t been able to save her o when she had suddenly fallen ill and died within a week What good was the power if she couldn’t rid the ones she loved of disease?

Now, her father was not getting any better, and not all the tisanes in the world were helping Not even those her ht her to concoct had worked to do more than ease his discomfort

She picked up the latest novel by an author whose nanize and looked it over “What do you think?”

“I started reading it last evening It was very … absorbing”

“Right then, I’ll give it a try” Sassy fished in her knit purse for a coin She shouldn’t be wasting her father’s money on a book, but he had insisted and she didn’t want him to worry about her It was all he talked about these last few days—her future

She knew she was going to lose hiht How could she do without hiuidance, especially now?

When her mother had passed, Sassy had been left to carry the burden of what she was alone, except for her father He had kept her secret, even as he had her mother’s Now that she had reached herthe ‘transition’; without her mother to advise her, only her father could help her

She should, of course, be able to turn to her hter when she’d defied the man of the cloth No

, Sassy would get no guidance froh like her they had the ‘power’

She set these disturbing thoughts aside as she took up the package Mrs Plummet handed her and made her way outdoors