In the Stars

by Ava Stone

  She blinked up at him, one tear trickling down her cheek. “Thank you, my lord.”

  Nathaniel drew her to a stop and brushed her tear away with the pad of this thumb. “There’s no reason to fret, my dear. All will turn out as it should.” One way or the other, he’d make certain it did.

  He saw her back to the hack, thanked the driver for waiting for him, and then strode purposefully into the raucous pub a few feet away. As soon as he stepped inside, he sucked in a breath of foul air and coughed. Damn it all, he’d wager the place hadn’t had a thorough cleaning since the Reformation. Best to breathe through his mouth to keep from tossing up his accounts.

  A beady-eyed barkeep looked Nathaniel up and down. While he wasn’t the wealthiest peer in England by any stretch of the imagination, Nathaniel didn’t imagine he resembled the One-eyed Hag’s usual patrons. He crossed the pub floor in a few strides to stand before the beady-eyed barkeep and said, “Afternoon, I’m looking for someone.”

  The barkeep snorted. “Lookin’ like ye do, I’d imagine ye could find a right number of someones.”

  A right number ready to roll him in White Chapel. He shook his head. “A specific person. I’m looking for a fortuneteller. Goes by the name of Derbardi, Madam Derbardi. I understand she’s somewhere in the vicinity.”

  The barkeeper blinked and his top lip lifted above his blackened teeth. “Never ‘eard of ‘er.”

  “Are you certain?” Nathaniel reached into his pocket, retrieved a half-crown, placed it on the bar, and slid it towards the fellow. Who knew how much he’d have to pay out to get answers in a place like this.

  The barkeep snatched the coin from the counter and shoved it into his own pocket. “Ye can keep givin’ me money, mister, but I still ‘aven’t ever ‘eard of the Derbarry woman.”

  “Debardi,” Nathaniel grumbled.

  “Not ‘er either.”

  Well this was a conversation that was going nowhere. “Is there someone who might have heard of her, someone who knows the area well?”

  The man snorted once more. “Ye’ll be lookin’ forever ‘oping to find someone who knows White Chapel better ‘an me.”

  That was most unfortunate. “Any fortuneteller in the area then?”

  The barkeep shook his head. “No.”

  A fairly unkempt fellow at the bar said into his tankard, “There was a fortuneteller ‘round here when I was a boy.”

  But by the look of the man, he hadn’t been a boy in quite a few years. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask, “Does she have family nearby? Do you know?”

  The patron chuckled. “The old witch and her kin were all killed long ago. But ye know—” the man scratched his chin “—she might’ve been named Debarry, now that ye mention it. Long scraggly black hair streaked with grey. Always made me shiver when I saw her.”

  The barkeep snorted. “Everything makes ye shiver, John. Ye lily-livered—”

  “Bah!” The patron barked. “Ye’d have shivered too. There was something about that old gypsy woman. She could see right through ye, right into the depths of yer soul.”

  “She was killed?” Nathaniel asked, as he couldn’t care less whether John or whoever he was shivered all the time or not.

  John nodded. “Oh, aye. Read those cards of ‘ers to ol’ Edgar Dawkins. Told ‘im he’d ‘ang by the neck. He didn’t care for that fortune and slaughtered the witch and ‘er whole family and left all their ‘eads in the alley back there.” The man gestured in the direction of the alley Nathaniel and Miss Throssell had traversed, then he snorted. “And that’s what they ‘ung ‘im for. Ye’d ‘ave thought she’d ‘ave seen ‘er own death in those cards.”

  Nathaniel couldn’t help but frown. What a horrific tale, one he was happy Miss Throssell hadn’t heard. He nodded slightly to the pair and said, “Well, thank you for your time anyway.” Then he started back for the fresher air out-of-doors while the barkeeper poured another drink for his customer.

  Mina couldn’t help but stare out the window, back down the alleyway. This is where she’d come with Peggy. She remembered everything so well. The cobbles were familiar, the nearby sights and sounds, she remembered the pub right down to the half-blackened windows out front. But try as she might, a door in the brick wall hadn’t materialized. She wasn’t losing her mind, was she?

  Oh, heavens, she hoped not! She wished Peggy was here to confirm for both her and Lord Healeyfield that she hadn’t gone mad.

  The viscount stepped from the pub and started towards the hack. He must think her the maddest of March hares, but he’d been so kind in the alleyway, brushing away that traitorous tear she’d tried so hard to keep from trailing down her cheek, promising he’d find Madam Derbardi.

  He stopped at the door to the hack and called up to the driver, “Back where you found us, if you don’t mind. South Street and Park Lane.”

  “Of course, sir,” the driver returned.

  Then Lord Healeyfield pulled open the conveyance door and climbed inside, settling on the bench across from Mina. His dark eyes landed on her, but he didn’t mutter a sound, not when the hack lurched forward, not to tell her what or if he’d learned anything inside the pub.

  Finally, she asked, “What happened in there, my lord? In the pub?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “The barkeeper had no knowledge of even your fortuneteller’s existence, let alone her current direction.” He rubbed his brow as though he was sorting out a most difficult problem. “What happened that day? Tell me everything. How you found her, what she said. Everything.”

  At least he hadn’t accused her of being mad aloud, even if he did think it. But if she told him everything, any doubt he had in regards to her sanity would be forever washed away. “You won’t believe me.”

  “That is likely,” he agreed. “But I would like to hear it all the same.”

  Mina took a deep breath, then her eyes settled on the daisy in her lap. How could she look at him when she told him the truth? She didn’t think she could take seeing the expression he was sure to sport as she told her story, the disbelief, the judgment that was sure to be there. “I dreamt about where I’d find her.”

  “You dreamt it?” he asked, skepticism lacing his words.

  “I’ve dreamt many things, my lord. Dreams are a glimpse into other planes, or they can be. And when I awoke, Mama’s scent – lilacs – filled the air in my room. I knew she’d given me the dream, wanted me to find the place she’d shown me, wanted me to find the fortuneteller. So I confided in my maid and then Peggy and I started for White Chapel. I recognized the pub from my dream and Mama’s scent grew quite strong. So we called for the hack to stop. I looked down that same alleyway where we just were and there was a door in the bricks. Above it was an old sign with Madam Derbardi’s name carved in it.”

  He grunted something unintelligible, which didn’t surprise Mina in the least. How could he think her sane after this?

  “So Peggy and I entered the door and it was dark inside. I could tell she was skittish and very uncomfortable, especially after Madam Derbardi stepped out of the darkness. So I asked her to wait with the hack and make certain it didn’t leave us.”

  “Your maid met the woman too?” he asked softly.

  Mina lifted her gaze back to the viscount and nodded. “You can ask her, if you like.”

  He scratched the back of his neck as though to make certain he wasn’t dreaming.

  “Anyway, Madam Derbardi said she’d been waiting for me and suggested I wanted my cards read. So I shuffled her stack of cards, letting my aura soak into them.”

  “Your aura?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m trying very hard to believe you, Miss Throssell, but this is all very new to me.”

  And he hadn’t called her a liar or berated her the way Papa would have by now. So Mina took a calming breath. “She could see my past. She could tell I had Trevelyan blood, she could see that Mama had passed away, and that I miss her v
ery much.” At his nod, she continued, “She could see that Papa and I are at odds and that a major change was just on the horizon, that I was going to have a most important decision to make. And then she saw my true love.”

  “Your one-eyed fellow?” he grumbled slightly.

  Mina nodded. “She said he was a dashing figure. He’d have a commanding aura about him—”

  “More auras?”

  Mina narrowed her eyes on the viscount. “And that I’d easily spot him because of his one-eye.”

  Lord Healeyfield heaved a sigh. “And how much did this cost you? Some bauble? Some family heirloom? A satchel full of coins?”

  Mina’s mouth dropped open. Payment? She hadn’t even thought about any kind of payment until this moment. She shook her head.

  “That bad is it?” he asked, concern darkening his eyes even more. “What did she require of you?”

  “No,” she said. “That’s not it at all. She didn’t charge me anything, not one farthing.”

  At that, Lord Healeyfield leaned back against the squabs, his brow furrowed in confusion. “And you made it home with all of your possessions in tact? Was anything taken? Anything at all?”

  If Madam Derbardi had required payment, Mina would have gladly paid it. There wouldn’t be any reason for the woman to steal from her. Besides, “I’m missing nothing, my lord.”

  Nathaniel sank down in the chair behind his desk. He scowled at the stack of bills still piled like a tower before him, but his thoughts weren’t focused on his nonexistent funds. A pretty brunette with a most ethereal quality about her possessed every thought that popped into his head.

  Damn it all, he was no closer to convincing her to accept his suit, and he was fairly certain his heart was quite taken with the girl. He wasn’t even sure how that happened. He’d felt a pull towards her, drawn to her the night at the Ridgemonts’ ball. But now, after spending the day with Mina Throssell, catching a glimpse of the world through her very unique set of eyes, he was most definitely lost. Her mind didn’t work at all the way his did, and while he would have thought that would drive him mad, he couldn’t help but find Mina enchanting. Enchanting and delicate and earnest. Honestly, she was delightful in every possible way. He could spend the rest of his life trying to figure her out and he’d enjoy every last minute.

  He couldn’t figure out what to make of Madam Derbardi, however. But when he thought about everything, the door that didn’t exist, Mina’s certainty that they were in the correct spot, coupled with the horrific tale of a fortuneteller who’d once been in White Chapel, a slight shiver raced down his spine.

  “Ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost,” Griff said from the threshold, leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Ghost!” Nathaniel scoffed. Loudly. “What a ridiculous thing to say.”

  Griff shrugged. “Not so ridiculous. We have a haunted room back home at Achmore Manor. My broken-hearted great-aunt tossed herself from a window as a lass and—”

  “Griff!” Nathaniel grumbled. “I’m not in the mood for Highland lore.”

  “Aye.” His friend strode further into the room. “I can see that. Ye look to be in a fine temper. Did something happen at Throssell’s?”

  Nathaniel wasn’t certain how to even answer that. So many things had happened. He’d signed his marriage contract, he’d gone on the strangest outing of his life with his intended, he’d fallen quite hopeless for her, and…

  “Decided against marryin’ the lass, did ye?” Griff sank into the chair opposite Nathaniel’s desk. “Well, not to worry,” he continued. “I’m sure there’s some heiress in London who’ll think yer her Prince Charming, Nate.”

  But Nathaniel didn’t want just any girl, besides he’d already signed his marriage contract. “That’s not it, Griff. I’m actually quite happy with Miss Throssell, but—”

  “Are ye really?” Griff’s silver eyes widened in surprise.

  He didn’t have to look so skeptical about the whole thing. “She’s an enchanting girl,” he stressed, making certain his friend knew that disparaging Mina would not be tolerated. “But she saw some fortuneteller the other day and has convinced herself I’m not the man destined for her.”

  “This fortuneteller never met Colonel Throssell.” Griff chuckled. “I’d put my money on him rather than some hack fortuneteller.”

  And so would Nathaniel, but it was Mina who needed convincing. “The contract is signed, Griff. But I’m afraid she’ll always hate me for stealing her destiny from her.”

  “Stealing her destiny?” The expression the Scot sent Nathaniel made it quite clear, Griff thought he might be the slightest bit mad.

  “She sees the world differently than you and I.”

  Griff heaved a sigh. “Ladies and their misguided ideas. I don’t suppose Miss Throssell’s fortuneteller told her who her true love is, did she?”

  “In a round about way.”

  His friend shrugged. “Then that’s simple. Just be the man the fortuneteller described and yer troubles are over.”

  A bark of laughter escaped Nathaniel. Under different circumstances, the idea wasn’t a bad one except… “I’m not about to poke out one of my eyes just to match the old witch’s description.”

  Griff’s mouth fell open. “Is that the one-eyed business she was going on about last night?”

  Nathaniel nodded. “I don’t know what to do about it either.”

  “Well, yer not poking out one of yer eyes.”

  “Most definitely not,” he agreed. “I’m headed back to Throssell’s for dinner tonight. I’ll see if I can’t talk some sense into her.”

  “She can be made to see reason, I’m sure.” Griff smiled in support.

  But Nathaniel wasn’t quite as certain as his friend.

  Mina scoured her mother’s old copy of Petit Albert. Pages after pages of how to look for treasure, making perfumes, and the enchantment of talismans. It was the latter that held her complete attention. Somewhere in the French text, there must be a set of directions, some way to enchant a talisman that would allow her to see entrances to other realms. Because there had been a door in that brick, she had no doubt; and there had to be a way to find it again.

  A scratch at her chamber door nearly made her jump from her skin. She slammed the book shut and quickly hid it under her pillow. “Come,” she called more brightly than she felt.

  “Your Lord Healeyfield is in—“ Peggy breezed into the room and then stopped when she found Mina sitting in the middle of her four-poster “—Just what are you doing abed right now?”

  Mina shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing, hmm?” Her maid lifted one eyebrow. “So if I check under that pillow of yours I won’t find one of those black books, I suppose?”

  Drat it all, Peggy knew her so well. Mina heaved a sigh. “I went back to White Chapel today,” she confided.

  “Miss Mina!” Peggy’s face fell. “I thought you promised not to ever go there alone.”

  “Oh, but I wasn’t alone.” Mina scrambled off the bed. “Lord Healeyfield went with me and—”

  Aghast, Peggy touched a hand to her heart. “You took Lord Healyfied to that cesspit?”

  “Well, he took me, if we’re being completely honest.”

  “And it was all his idea, I suppose?” Her maid looked more than pained.

  “Actually, it was.” Mina nodded. “He wanted to meet Madam Derbardi for himself.”

  Peggy’s expression shifted from pained to mortified. “Oh, Miss Mina,” she heaved an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t tell him about that fortuneteller, did you?”

  “Well, why shouldn’t I?” Mina thrust her chin out a bit stubbornly. “I had to tell him why I couldn’t marry him. I had to make him understand.”

  Her maid rubbed a hand across her brow. “His lordship will tell the Colonel and then we’ll all be done for.”

  “Lord Healeyfield can be trusted, Peggy,” Mina assured her. “He’ll never tell Papa. There’s no reason to worry.”

  “And
just what makes you so certain? Why should he keep your confidence?”

  Because he was noble and honorable. Because he was, truly, the most wonderful man Mina had ever met. “Because he gave his word, and I can tell that he is the sort of man who keeps his word.”

  Her maid shook her head in slight annoyance. “If he’ll keep that secret from your father, then you should probably reconsider your stubbornness in not marrying the man.”

  If only she could. Mina was certainly tempted to forget all about the one-eyed gentleman Madam Derbardi had seen in her cards, to accept Lord Healeyfield’s suit and build a life with the handsome and noble viscount, to find the brownies of Healeyfield Abbey and go about repairing his home, but…Well, why would Mama lead her to the fortuneteller unless the old woman’s words were of vast importance?

  Then an image of Madam Derbardi flashed once again in Mina’s mind and she cringed. “You did see Madam Derbardi, didn’t you, Peggy? I didn’t dream her up?”

  Peggy snorted. “I’ll never forget the woman.” And then she shuttered. “That jagged scar all around her neck. I don’t even want to know how she got that particular injury. I’ll have nightmares just thinking about it.”

  She’d had a scar around her neck? Mina hadn’t noticed that. But she was relieved Peggy had seen the same woman. She was starting to question her own sanity. “Her shop has vanished. It was nowhere to be found, Peggy. Somewhere in one of Mama’s books there must be a spell or an incantation of some sort that will let me find it again.”

  Peggy punched her hands to her hips. “Miss Mina, you’re a fool, if you don’t mind my saying so. Right now, in the blue parlor, that handsome Lord Healeyfield is waiting for you. Any girl with enough sense to fill a thimble would be down there with him, not in here searching through old black books, looking for trouble.”

  “But Madam Derbardi said…”

  “Aye, she said a lot of things. But the last thing she said was the most important, Miss Mina. You told me she said you needed to pay close attention to your heart, that you had an important decision to make.”