“Why?”

In the nearly two months since Nellie had taken charge of the Cavendish banking and finance businesses in Salem, Finn had more than once been amused by her directness. And his respect for her shrewd intelligence and business acumen had increased steadily. She not only had wasted little time in accepting the burden of leadership of her family that was her birthright, but had also quickly made herself known—and been accepted—by the other leading families long called the Five in Salem. Including the Deverells.

“Why, Finn?” she repeated.

“Because myself and my deputies require more formal training than we’ve had. The FBI has a program for that, and they’re sending agents down here to work with us for . . . a little while. A few weeks. Maybe.”

She lifted an eyebrow at him, brown eyes holding that unusual sharpness that was both a Cavendish trait and very much her own. “And?”

“Why should there be an and?”

“Because there always is,” she replied dryly. “Especially in Salem. The crows are gathering again, Finn. In numbers, mostly outside town, but there if you notice. I noticed this morning. Why?” Her voice was very steady.

“Why didn’t you ask them?” Only a Cavendish born could command the crows, one of their several Talents—and Nellie had those talents as well as others. In spades.

“I’ve been doing my best to leave them alone,” she reminded him, her gloved hands resting, fingers laced together, on her neat blotter. “After what Duncan did to them, they deserved the time to heal. And just be birds.”

He glanced at the whisper-thin gloves covering her slender hands, also not asking why she still wore what had been designed as an outward focus point to help her control her Talents. He doubted she still needed them, but he hadn’t asked. “And,” he finished for her, “that’s still a Talent that unsettles you. Despite everything.”

She frowned. “Because I don’t want to command them. Why should I? I’ve learned more about them in the last few weeks than I have in my entire life, even without trying and even though there’s seldom been more than one or two around me. For once.” Crows had gathered around her all her life, something that had baffled and frightened her until she had come to Salem and learned of her heritage.

Now it just made her uneasy.

Just.

Mildly, he said, “I didn’t ask why you didn’t command them. I asked why you didn’t ask them why they were gathering again. You noticed it. You noticed it was unusual. So why didn’t you ask them what’s going on? Tia is usually the one closest around you, right?”

“Yeah.” Her frown lingered, the rather severe expression doing absolutely nothing to mar the beauty of her finely drawn features. The Cavendishes had always had good looks, but in that way as well Nellie was rather extraordinary. “I told you. I don’t want to bother them. Tia . . . communicates . . . what she wants to. When she wants to. About them, about their history. Bits and pieces. But she just offers. I don’t ask.”