“But Oswald fell ill at the opera,” says Lord Grimes.

“And what caused him to fall ill? I wonder. He was a man of healthy appetites and vigor. Never had a day’s sickness in his life.”

“You suspect a Sentinel’s hand? In a public place?”

Druscilla nods her agreement. “Victoria may be right. In the light of what we now know…”

For a long moment nobody speaks. I know I must go on.

“There is something else. I have been visited by an unwelcome spirit. A blackness accompanies him. I believe him to be a Dark Spirit.”

Druscilla frowns. She understand the term I have used to mean a spirit from the Darkness, and she is unable to mask her alarm. “He has visited you uncalled?”

“He has. On several occasions. He was here … during the inauguration. In fact, his presence affected my ability to control the demon.”

Lord Grimes shakes his head. “I knew there was something…”

“You heard him, too?” The idea somehow makes me feel less alone, less singled out.

“Not heard, no, but I observed your behavior.”

Druscilla nods. “Yes, there was something. I, too, detected a presence.”

A thought occurs to me. “Could it be that the two things are connected? The presence of a Sentinel and the Dark Spirit?”

Victoria fans herself with her scarf. “It would indeed be something of a coincidence otherwise. The Sentinels were known for favoring the use of such dangerous beings in their necromancy. A risky practice at best.”

I try to order my thoughts. “You mean, the Sentinel summoned the Dark Spirit to the chamber? Was he also responsible for having him hound me?”

“It is possible,” Druscilla agrees. “You must be on your guard, Morningstar. Such a combination of foes presents a very real danger.”

Victoria seems to shrink in her seat, looking suddenly every one of her many years. “This is too awful. A new Head Witch, the country in turmoil, war on the horizon—the spirits have been insisting as much for months—the Sentinels infiltrating the sanctity of our coven, of an inauguration! And now a Dark Spirit emerging from the Darkness. It is too much, all at once.”

Lord Harcourt gets up and comes to stand beside me.

“It is not more than we can face if we face it together,” he says, holding my gaze with his own as he speaks. “Your father had faith in you, Morningstar, and so do we all, but know this. You have our support. Whatever the price, whatever happens, I promise you we will stand by you.”

It seems even Louis’s father is prepared to offer me his sincere protection, to put his personal feelings aside for the good of the coven. The others nod and echo his words and I feel, just for a moment, a little of the fear I have been carrying these past days, I feel it lessen, feel it lift ever so slightly from my shoulders.

Chapter 13

13.