I turned to find that Marie had moved across the room and was standing not a foot from me.

My heart jumped into my throat.

“Not everything was easy for her,” Marie said quietly. “She bore a huge burden.”

“What burden?” I asked. Suddenly everything seemed brighter, louder. I was aware of the rattle of hot water pipes and the hum of the electricity powering the lights in the display cases. Fear had dialed my senses to ten.

Marie took a few steps toward me. “You found the apothecary and the garden. I’m sure you’ve seen what lies behind those high walls.”

“The plants to stock the apothecary?” My voice sounded small, hollow.

“That’s part of it but . . .” She stared at me, her eyes searching, and finally finding something that seemed to trouble her deeply. She moved closer—slowly and deliberately, the way she had when she’d come to my house. She narrowed her gaze, her brown eyes glinting in the dim light. “They were keeping an unfathomable secret.”

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 18

I had the strongest urge to leave—No, not leave. Run.

“I’m sorry,” Marie said. “Please. Please don’t go.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “I’m not trying to pressure you into giving me any information—”

“I don’t even have any information,” I said. “I—I haven’t opened the door.”

Her sigh was heavy with relief. “Good. Don’t open it.”

“Why? What’s behind it?” I inched closer to the door.

“I don’t know exactly.” Her shoulders rolled forward as she hugged herself around the middle. She drew a long breath. “Circe looked after a very rare, very poisonous plant. The only reason I know that much is because of—” She stopped short. Pain twisted her beautiful features. “Because of Astraea. She was a relative of yours and my best friend in the whole world, like a sister.”

Some of the fear had ebbed but I kept the door in my line of sight. “What did she say about the plant?”

Marie gazed off to the side like she was recalling a distant memory. “She told me it was the center of her world, that it consumed her waking days and even her dreams. Once, she told me she would have given her life to keep it safe, and I laughed.” She looked absolutely disgusted with herself, shaking her head, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them again, tears threatened to spill over. “She didn’t talk to me for six months.”

“Why?” I asked. “There are a lot of poisonous plants in the garden. At least a dozen of them are deadly.”

“It’s nothing like those other plants. It couldn’t be, or they wouldn’t have kept it locked away.” Her tone darkened. “And if that’s true, and I have every reason to think it is, then you should never open it. Never even speak about it. Ever.”