She looked at us as she pushed the Ouija board into the middle of the table. “Place one finger each on the planchette,” she said. We did as she commanded.

“We await you, oh spirits,” she said. Slowly the planchette began to move.

“D,” we said in unison.

It shot across the board. “E,” we chimed.

“A.”

Suddenly there was a great gust of wind. The curtains billowed out. The candle was blown out and we were plunged into darkness. Irene and Virginia rose to their feet with a cry of fright. I think the Starlings screamed as well. My own heart was hammering in my chest.

“Death,” Charlotte whispered. “It was going to spell out ‘death.’”

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

KINGSDOWNE

We went up to bed in uneasy silence. I didn’t quite believe in Princess Charlotte and her spirits but I had felt the cold draft in a small, closed room. I had seen the planchette race around to spell out “bugger off.” And I had heard the distant laughter. Now, it was possible that this was Jack’s idea of a joke, but his expression had also looked wary. And whose idea of a joke would it have been to spell out “death”? Of course, again, maybe we were reading too much into it. The word had not finished before the candle was blown out. It could have been “dear” or “deal.” But I had felt the fear in the room.

Queenie was waiting for me, for once cheerful and inclined to be chatty.

“You won’t believe what we had to eat in the servants’ hall,” she said. “Bloody good food they have here, don’t they? I’ll end up as fat as a pig. Come on, turn around. Let me undo your dress.”

“Queenie, I think I can manage from now on,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather be alone tonight.”

“I don’t know about you,” she said. “When I don’t turn up on time you’re always grousing, and when I do turn up you don’t want me anyway.”

I had to turn and smile at this. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I am normally delighted when you turn up at the right time to perform your duties. It’s just that I’m a bit unsettled tonight and I really don’t want to talk.”

“Oh, in that case just tell me to shut me gob,” Queenie said. “My old dad was always saying that to me. I’m used to it.”

“I don’t think I could ever bring myself to tell anyone to shut her gob,” I said cautiously. “My great-grandmother Queen Victoria would turn in her grave.”

Queenie chuckled and proceeded to undress me in silence, hung up my clothes and even handed me my toothbrush, so that I felt quite guilty for my uncharitable thoughts about her.

“Will that be all, my lady?” she asked.