“ ‘And you’re not dead set against my going?’ I asked. I started cleaning up the chicken and rice on my plate. I was hungrier than ever. I wonder what trauma could have shaken my appetite. ‘I thought you’d feel just the opposite.’

“ ‘Well, this may surprise you,’ said Aunt Queen, ‘but I think you might accept this invitation for a very good reason. Few people outside the family ever get to see the interior of that mysterious Mayfair house, and you ought to take advantage of the privilege. Also I have a hunch that when you see Mona again, some of this fire will burn itself out. Of course I may be wrong, the child’s gorgeous, but it’s what I’m hoping for.’

“I was plunged into misery but eating like a pig. ‘Listen,’ I said, ‘if I can get her away from there, with her passport, can we set out for Europe immediately?’

“I could see the continued amazement in Nash’s otherwise placid and dignified face, but Aunt Queen looked a bit provoked.

“ ‘Tarquin,’ she said, ‘we’re not stealing the girl. Jasmine, more wine please. Jasmine, you’re not yourself. When have I ever nagged you so much?’

“ ‘I’m sorry, Miss Queen,’ she said. ‘It’s just those Mayfairs scared me. The stories people used to tell about their house, it was awful. I don’t know if a boy Quinn’s age—.’

“ ‘Bite your tongue, beautiful!’ I said, ‘and you can pour me some wine, too. I’m going tomorrow.’

“ ‘They had a ghost!’ Jasmine said, quite belligerently. ‘It used to scare off any workman who ever tried to work on that property. You remember my cousin Etienne, he was a plasterer, and they called him to that house, and the ghost pulled the ladder from under him.’

“ ‘Oh, stuff and nonsense,’ I said. ‘And Etienne used to tell fortunes in the cards.’

“ ‘I can do that too, Little Boss,’ Jasmine sent back. ‘I can read your cards, if you want, and tell you what your fate is.’

“She took my plate and heaped it with a second helping. The chicken was really delicious now, and the gravy was thick.

“ ‘Jasmine’s telling you the truth, darling,’ said Aunt Queen. ‘They’re a haunted family, as I said.’ She paused. ‘Before Dr. Rowan came out from California, no one would go near that house. Now they have big family get-togethers there. They are an immense clan, you know. And that’s what I fear when I think of them. They’re a clan, and a clan can do things to you.’

“ ‘The more you say, the more I love her,’ I responded. ‘Remember, I got my passport in New York, when I was there with you and Lynelle. I’m ready to rumble. But what do you mean, they’re a haunted family?’