“I’m sorry. I had no idea she would faint again,” Madame said with apparent regret.

“And what did you hope to accomplish with this charade?” Elizabeth asked.

“Two things. I hoped to discover if your powers were real and then to convince you that they are.”

“How can my so-called powers be real if I don’t even believe in them myself?”

“And yet how do you explain what just happened?”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but no words came. She turned to Mother Bates, who was looking so distressed, Elizabeth wanted to hug her. “I . . . I can’t.”

Madame Ophelia turned to her two compatriots. “Ladies, are you convinced that Mrs. Bates has the sight?”

They both nodded solemnly.

“But I don’t have it,” Elizabeth insisted.

“Then test yourself some more,” Madame Ophelia challenged.

“How can I?”

“Attend another séance with genuine clients who are strangers to you and see if the spirits speak through you again.”

“And what if I refuse? What if I decide this is all a lot of nonsense and forget I ever even heard of you and your séances?”

“Then you will pay the price, I’m afraid,” Madame Ophelia said rather ominously. “You may not want the gift, but once you have it, it will haunt your dreams and your waking hours. You will not be able to control it. Better by far to accept it and use it as the spirits intended.”

Elizabeth frowned as if torn by indecision.

“This is so difficult,” Mother Bates said. “How can she possibly make a decision like this?”

“As I said, she can test the spirits again,” Madame Ophelia said. “Perhaps it will come to nothing, after all.”

“You mean if I attend another séance and nothing happens, that will mean I’m free of all this?” Elizabeth asked.

Madame shrugged. “It will be a sign.”

“And you’ll have real clients there? Not people who are just pretending?” she added with a censoring glance at the other two ladies. At least they had the grace to look ashamed.

“I promise, although these ladies are genuine clients under ordinary circumstances.”

Elizabeth highly doubted that, but she nodded. “And the clients can’t be anyone I know, either.”

“Of course. It would be too easy for you to guess at a prediction for someone you already know.”

“I suppose that’s true, but I won’t be guessing at anything since I don’t want any of this to be true. Actually, I was thinking that I didn’t want anyone who knows me to see me when I’m, uh, doing whatever it is that I do when the spirits move me.”

“I can understand your concern. No one you know will be there.”

“Except for me,” Mother Bates said a little plaintively.