He glanced at Persephone, as if for confirmation, but she refused to meet his gaze. She probably wasn’t pleased that he had seen Elizabeth. He turned back to Elizabeth. “Are you the one who predicted the accident? You are, aren’t you?”

Elizabeth shivered. “Please . . .”

“What accident?” someone asked.

“A man got run over by a wagon,” Jake said, gesturing. “Right out front here. I was on my way to talk to Madame Ophelia, and I saw the whole thing.”

Mrs. Darlington was gaping at Elizabeth now. “And you predicted it?”

“I didn’t predict it,” she insisted.

“Persephone told me you did,” Jake insisted. “She said you knew the man was going to die, too.”

“He died?” someone gasped.

“And she knew it was going to happen?” another asked in amazement.

While they were still immobile with shock, Jake stepped forward. “I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’m John Miller.”

Elizabeth automatically offered him her hand. “And I am Mrs.—” She cried out as if his touch had burned her, and jerked her hand loose again. “No!” she gasped, taking a step back and covering her mouth with her other hand.

“What is it? Did I hurt you?” he asked, looking at his hand as if it might have been guilty of something.

But she was shaking her head and still backing away.

“What is it?” Persephone asked, hurrying to her side. “Mrs. Gideon, are you all right?”

She caught Elizabeth’s arm and gazed deeply into her eyes.

Elizabeth shivered again and tried to shake off whatever had seized her. “I . . . I’m sorry. I just . . .”

“Are you hurt?” he asked again, frowning in confusion.

“No, I just . . . For a moment, I had this terrible feeling, but it’s gone now.” She managed a feeble smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

But he wasn’t smiling back. “Did you have another premonition?”

She tried shaking her head, but no one was convinced.

“You did, didn’t you?” one of the other women asked.

“Just a feeling,” she hastily explained.

“Was it about me?” Jake asked anxiously. “Was it something about me?”

“I . . . I don’t know. It was so fast, I don’t know what it was.”

“Did you see something?” someone asked.

“What did you see?”

“Was it the spirits or something else?”

“Can you do it again? Can you answer my question?”

“Please,” Persephone pleaded as Elizabeth became visibly upset by the barrage of questions. “Stop tormenting her.”

“I must go,” Elizabeth said, pushing her way through them, but she stopped at the door and turned back and looked straight at Jake. “Be careful,” she said urgently, and then fled.

—

Cybil and Zelda had just arrived home from their teaching duties when someone rang the doorbell. Cybil answered it and was not surprised to find Mr. Waterson on her doorstep.

“I hope this isn’t an inconvenient time, Miss Miles,” he said.