They moved their chairs back into the correct positions. Madame Ophelia’s chair had actually been knocked over, Elizabeth noted, and when she laid her hands on the table, she saw that Madame’s were shaking just a bit.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to relax. “May I touch your hand, Madame Ophelia?” she asked after a moment.

“Of course.” Madame slid her hand underneath Elizabeth’s.

“Oh,” she cried.

“What is it?” Persephone asked anxiously.

“I . . . I just felt that overwhelming sense of dread that . . . that I felt before.” Elizabeth wrapped her fingers around Madame’s hand, which, she noticed, was rather cold. Anna had been lying when she said Elizabeth’s were cold, but Madame’s really were.

“Concentrate,” Madame whispered, tightening her grip on Elizabeth’s hand.

“I . . . oh . . . oh no . . .”

“What do you see?” Madame asked, her voice a mere shadow of her usual commanding tone.

“I see anger and someone is shouting. Cheat. Stolen. Ruined.” She shook her head against the vision.

“Who is it? Who’s shouting?” Persephone demanded.

“Can’t see, can’t see. Something heavy. Something heavy and pain . . . Ahhhh!” Elizabeth jerked back in her chair, but Madame didn’t let go of her hand.

“What happened?” Anna asked desperately.

“Pain, so much pain,” Elizabeth cried, writhing. “And blood, more blood, and shouting and screaming and then . . .” She sagged in her chair, panting from the effort.

“Then what?” Persephone nearly shouted. “What did you see?”

Elizabeth opened her eyes and gave Madame a despairing look. “I saw only darkness.”

Madame made a small sound in her throat, and all the color seemed to have drained from her face.

“I didn’t want to tell you,” Elizabeth said. “You were right. People don’t really want to know, do they?”

“You also said that we can’t change the past but we can change the future,” Madame reminded her.

“When did I say that?” Elizabeth asked.

“When you were in a trance or whatever it was, during the séance,” Anna explained helpfully. “But is that true? Can you change what happens in your visions or whatever they are?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” She gasped. “I should have tried with Mr. Miller, though, shouldn’t I? He might still be alive.”

“And you have to try now,” Persephone said. “How can we stop this person from . . . from . . . ?” Her voice broke as tears flooded her eyes. Plainly, she was fonder of Madame Ophelia than she had seemed to be.

“These people you’ve, uh, cheated,” Elizabeth said, pretending to be embarrassed to mention it, “do any of them seem violent?”

“Of course not.”

“Would a woman be violent?” Persephone asked.

“If someone stole all her money, she very well might,” Anna said.