"If we're not careful, we'll forget why we're here," he said, stepping back, just a half step.

"Why are we here?" she asked, her eyes glinting as her mouth twitched, her lips still swollen from his kisses.

"Flirt!" he said, still holding one hand but stepping back to arms' length. "The men in America must be desolate without you."

She laughed without a trace of amus.e.m.e.nt. "It wasn't quite like that." She pulled back her hand, as if a memory hurt. "Now, what did you want to look for?"

She was right. Keep it casual. He only hoped he could.

"I'm interested in paranormal and magic." He ignored her rising eyebrows, although his thumbs itched to smooth them.

"Anything on witchcraft, magic, sightings, vampires." He tucked the last in as an afterthought.

"You believe in all that stuff? I thought you were kidding last night."

"I'm prepared to believe anything I haven't disproved."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "I'll look. If you really want me to." She made no attempt to hide her surprise. But then she never seemed to hide anything. She was open as a rose in summer and just as fragile.

Together they searched the stacks and a.s.sembled a small mountain of books on the wide library table. "Quite a collection,"

Dixie said, giving the heap an uncertain eye. "You won't get through it all today."

"May I presume on your hospitality some other day?"

She shrugged. "Whenever. I'll be here, or at least in and out. You can't phone I'm afraid, but the books are yours if you want them. I'm not into that stuff. I'll get them valued."

He held out his hand. "Agreed."

"Shall we settle the deal with a cup of tea?"

He shook his head. He'd only just absorbed the coffee. His body couldn't handle any more. Not in daylight. "I'll skip it."

She left to fix tea, and he found a corner away from the last afternoon sun. In a couple of hours it would be dusk.

"See you tomorrow," he said as he waved good-bye, a tall lean silhouette in the dusk. Dixie left shortly afterwards, leaving all the lights on and the shutters open. The house shone like a beacon across the village green, but it should keep unwanted visitors away. She planned a long shower to clear the grime and dust away, and then a nice quiet supper at the Barley Mow. And she'd make a point of not thinking about how Christopher kissed.

Chapter Four.

On her way upstairs, Emily called to her, "Dixie, come in a minute, dear. I have a visitor."

It was a toss-up who won the prize for most uncomfortable: Emily seated by the silver teapot with a lace napkin on her lap; Dixie all too conscious of the cobwebs on her clothes and the dirt on her face; Ida Collins with her knitting on her lap and a plate of sandwiches at her elbow.

Dixie invaded their dainty tea, feeling like an unwashed coal miner. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm in no state to sit down." She hesitated to even offer a hand to Ida.

Emily obviously didn't want Dixie on her upholstery. "Oh dear," she fussed, "and we were planning on a nice cup of tea and a cake with you. Ida brought some jam buns, they're raspberry."

"I think I'd better take a rain check," Dixie said and took a step towards the stairs.

"No," said Ida, quiet as a lady yet as insistent as a drill sergeant. "That isn't necessary. Emily can give you a cup to take upstairs and you must have one of my raspberry buns."

There was no gracious way to refuse. Dixie took the cup and saucer in one hand, balanced the plate in the other and made it upstairs. She left the tea and bun in her room while she showered off the dirt of Orchard House. By the time she dried her hair, the tea was cold. She tipped it down the washbasin. She wasn't hungry for the bun, not after the lunch she'd had. Not wanting to hurt Ida's feelings, Dixie wrapped it in a wad of Kleenex and tucked it inside a paper bag in her trashcan.

Weary, she stretched out on the bed. An evening reading appealed more than a night at the Barley Mow. By nine, she was asleep. At ten, Emily tapped on the door. Hearing no answer, she peered inside. Three quiet steps, and she removed the empty cup and plate.

Ida waited downstairs. "Asleep?" she asked.

Emily nodded.

"That's the poppy in the tea. She'll be out for about six hours, then the aconite in the buns will start working."

Emily frowned. "Are you sure it's safe? If something goes wrong-she's in my house."

"I know what I'm doing and it isn't kidneys in betony sauce for a vegetarian."

"I did my best."

"It wasn't good enough. This will work." She looked at her watch. "About four in the morning she'll start vomiting. Wait until eight or nine to be sure she gets it all out. Then call the doctor. She'll be weak but unhurt." She paused. "Be sure to flush and clean the loos. You don't want anything left."

"But you said it was safe." Emily felt the sweat pooling in her armpits. Sebastian had gone too far this time.

"It is." Ida didn't hide her impatience. "Now call Stanley to pick me up. I don't like being out late."

"How are you?" Emily's plump face peered out from the kitchen door.

At least no kidney's frying this morning-just coffee. "Fine. Just got up early. I've lots I want to do today."

Previous Top Next"Feeling alright?" Emily looked unbelievably worried.

"You bet! Living here seems to agree with me." Her life had certainly taken a turn for the better this past week. Some week!

She'd left Charleston, a newly unemployed school librarian, recently spectacularly dumped by the love of her life. Today she owned property in England and enough money to consider herself a woman of independent means. These things happened in the romance novels Gran used to read, not to Dixie LePage.

Dixie thought more about it as she drove into the village. Talk about life changes! She'd even found new men-Sebastian, polished, as good looking as hope and as worrying as a sore tooth; Christopher, strange as they come and faster than a speeding bullet; James, the obvious villain of the piece-the sleazy nephew.

She bought still-warm croissants from the baker on High Street and fresh coffee, ground to order in the small grocery store next door.

"Fine grind, I'll remember that," said the round and cheerful woman behind the counter. "You're the American who's moved into Orchard House, aren't you? We deliver on Tuesdays and Fridays. Call us and we'll send up whatever you need. I'm Kim, just ask for me."

"I will," Dixie replied, taking the business card from Kim, "but I'm still waiting for a phone."

"You are? Did you call British Telecom?" Dixie nodded. Sarah went on, "I'll have a word with my son. He works for them. I'll see what he can do." Dixie thanked her and left with her coffee and a plastic bag of milk that threatened to leak.

The Aga had gone out in the night, but Dixie managed to relight it on the third try and felt she'd scaled some new domestic height. On the back door she found a note from the milkman asking when she wanted delivery started, and how much.

Someone had tucked a parish newsletter into the mail slot in the front door. It was as if the village suddenly decided to acknowledge her presence.

Sipping her coffee, Dixie wondered where she could buy more of the solid fuel to replenish the dwindling supply. She took a deep breath. Yesterday she contemplated purchasing a new refrigerator. Today, it was milk delivery and fuel. What next?

What next was Sally rapping on the back door to give an estimate for cleaning.

As they walked through the house, looking over the peeling wallpaper, yellowed paint and damp patches over the front door, a quick sale seemed the best idea. But a few minutes surrounded by the pear wood paneling in the dining room and imagining a good log fire in the marble fireplace in the drawing room, and Dixie knew she was here to stay. Maybe for more than a month-or two.

The front doorbell rang as they were halfway upstairs. It was the locksmith.

Sally called from the stairs, "I'll check out the upstairs."

Dixie hesitated. Why? She couldn't be in two places at once. Sally could easily look over the bedrooms by herself. The locksmith set his tool bag down with a clank. "Let's look at these locks of yours."

"Tell you what," he said after inspecting the doors. "I can give you a nice set of Chubb locks. Front, back and French windows, and that side door by the breakfast room. No sense in just doing the front door."

Dixie agreed, even though the price suggested gold-plated locks. She intended to prevent uninvited visitors, whatever the cost-and heck, she didn't need to pinch pennies now.

He busied himself drilling a perfect circle in the oak front door, and commenting on the antique lock. "Wonderful they are. All made by hand back then. Beautiful to use and work with, but they'll never keep out anyone who knows what they're doing."They hadn't.

As he moved on to the French windows, another man arrived at the front door. "Cheers. Mum said you needed phones."

A couple of hours later, Dixie had phones in the kitchen, the front hall and the big bedroom overlooking the back garden that she'd earmarked for her own.

She closed the door on British Telecom just as the locksmith came in from the kitchen.

"You're all set up. They won't get in here easily." He handed her a set of bright keys and left her in a quiet house. No bustle of workmen, no toneless singing, no burr of automatic tools. Alone in her own house.

Except for Sally! The upstairs was deserted, but open doors and closets ajar showed where Sally had gone through the rooms.

In the book room, someone had rifled through Christopher's stack of books. No doubt about it. The copy of The Jew had been at the top of the pile. Now it lay open, a few inches from the rest of them. Why worry? Sally had been curious, that was all.

Sally had left a note and estimate on the kitchen table. She'd slipped out, she said, because Dixie was busy. She could send in a crew on Wednesday if Dixie would call. The charges seemed reasonable enough, given a major spring clean was needed. Dixie went around and locked every door. It was getting late and she had to get back to Emily's and tell her about moving out in the morning.

"What the h.e.l.l do you mean, moved out?" Sebastian barked at Emily. He imagined her holding the receiver from her ear and then covering it to block the sounds of his tirade from the nice, respectable bank employees.

"Sorry, Sebby. She just moved into her house. I could hardly prevent it, now could I?"

She could have if she'd done the job properly on Sunday. She'd made a pig's ear out of the whole business and Ida hadn't done any better. That's what happened when he left things to women. "You've made a mess of everything."

"I tried," she whined. "So did Ida. She said it was foolproof."

If he slammed down the receiver, she might put on a pout and stay away this evening. Sebastian sensed he'd need her by then.

"We've got to get this sorted out."

"Oh, Sebby, never mind. I'll be over tonight and make you feel better, lovey. Between us, we'll fix things."

Sebastian thumped the receiver back on its cradle. He couldn't rely on the women in the coven. Emily had been plain stupid and Ida was getting on and must have mistaken the dose-or Miss LePage possessed extraordinary strengths. Sebastian's stomach clenched at the thought. Was it possible? He knew interest in Wicca had grown in recent years in the States and Miss LePage certainly had the ancestry for it. Was that why she'd come? To a.s.sume the mantle of her dead aunts? Impossible! He'd never relinquish power. He'd fight her to the last. Whatever it took.

He was sitting silently, considering his options, when someone knocked on the door. Emily? Too early. Who?

"You!" Sebastian almost spat.

"Me." Christopher agreed. "I need ten minutes. May I come in, or would you rather talk on the landing?" Sebastian might well snarl. Christopher had deliberately waited until Miss Fortune left.

Sebastian opened the door and jerked his head, hardly gracious, but an invitation nonetheless. "Gone casual have you?"

Christopher asked, eying his rolled up s.h.i.+rtsleeves.Sebastian ignored the comment. "I won't offer you a drink, since you can't stay." He leaned against his desk, arms folded.

Christopher smiled. "Don't trouble yourself, Caughleigh. Just dropped by to mention something."

"What? Decided you want to make a will?"

Christopher chuckled. "Not yet, Caughleigh, not yet. I came about a far more immediate matter. Miss LePage."

"Yes, I noticed your concern. She'd be interested in your history."

"You'd have a hard time convincing her. She doesn't believe in me-or you. I just came to give a friendly, gentlemanly warning.

If any harm ever befell Miss LePage, it would anger me."

"And you alone would take me on?"

"I wouldn't be alone."

"We have a full coven."

"Not yet. The new initiates have nothing but curiosity and a smattering of knowledge."

Amus.e.m.e.nt lit Sebastian's dark eyes. "Marlowe, you've lost your heart to her."

Caughleigh would never know how close that jibe hit. Ever. "We both know I don't have one. No, she's innocent and uninvolved and it will stay that way. Keep your delinquent nephew away from her. Leave her and that house alone."

"And if I don't?"

Christopher picked up the telephone receiver and clenched it in his left hand. There was a loud snap and another. Slowly the plastic crumbled under his fist. The muscles in Sebastian's face tensed and his complexion paled. He s.h.i.+vered. Christopher opened his fingers and let a handful of fragments fall over the leather desktop. "You will."

He took a step as if towards the door but instead took Sebastian's jacket from the hook. "You look chilled, Caughleigh," he said. "You need your jacket."

Quicker than lightening, Christopher threw the jacket on Sebastian's shoulders and pulled the sleeves tight around his neck.

"Remember what I said," he whispered in his ear. Sebastian's hands clutched at air as his arms flailed. Christopher tightened his grip. Sebastian nodded. Christopher whispered, "I knew you'd understand." He held the sleeves until the seams made ripping noises.

Caughleigh slumped on the desk, the jacket still around his neck. He coughed and choked and managed a couple of profanities.

A wallet, keys, and date book fell from the jacket. Christopher pushed them aside until he saw the initials on the brown leather book: "D. LeP." He palmed it. Maybe he had no right to it, but neither did Caughleigh.