Evermore by C. J. Archer Page B

"He's got the manners of a
sewer rat. Ah, yes, this is his street."
    The coach slowed then pulled to a stop a few
houses down from Price's. George poked his head out the window.
After a few moments, he pulled it back in. "Price's landlady has
just let Blunt inside."
    "I wonder why Price has come here and not to
a den," I said. "He should be desperate for his opium now. Do you
think he's getting it from Price?"
    "You may be right," George said.
    Theo nodded. "He must be. What a strange
arrangement."
    "A shocking arrangement," I muttered. "I
wonder how long it has been going on."
    "Price must be gaining something from it,"
George said, "but what?"
    "Money." Theo's jaw set hard and the word
sounded like it was ground between clenched teeth before being spat
out. "Why does anyone do anything of a shocking nature?"
    I looked to George, but he didn't seem to
notice Theo's bitter tirade.
    "Let's not condemn Price yet," George said.
"We don't know for certain if that's why Blunt has come here. There
could be all sorts of other reasons. It could even be a simple
social call."
    "Oh, George, don't be so naïve," I said.
"Price may be the Grand Master of your society, but that doesn't
mean he's innocent. For all we know, he may be behind
everything."
    "Emily! Price may be a little...difficult at
times, but he's never abused his paranormal knowledge before."
    "That we know of."
    "And he did help us find the culprits who
released the shape-shifting demon."
    "He led us to Finch, who indeed was
controlling it, but there was someone else involved too. I am
certain of it."
    "Blunt."
    I shook my head. "I've never been entirely
convinced of Blunt's guilt. He was terrified when Jacob haunted him
at the school. You'd think a man who knew all about shape-shifting
demons would be more comfortable with the supernatural."
    "As I recall, Beaufort had a knife. A
knife-wielding spirit would terrify anyone."
    "Blunt was afraid of being haunted from the
start," I said. "Even before Jacob threatened him with the
knife."
    George sniffed. "Blunt was the villain then
and I am certain he's the villain now too. He must be. Look at him.
Any man in the grip of opium must have a guilty conscience to
suppress."
    "Any man controlled by opium is too weak of
mind to be behind the summoning of Mortlock and now this curse.
Price has proven to us on many occasion that he is very strong
willed."
    "It cannot be Price," George said. "He
doesn't have children and his name is not Seymour."
    "The same can be said of Blunt, yet you
consider him the villain."
    George said nothing to that, probably because
whatever argument he used would also throw suspicion on Price.
Instead, he opened the coach door.
    "Let's go and see what they're up to, shall
we?"
    Theo caught his arm. "I don't think that's a
good idea. We don't want to alert them to our suspicions."
    George sat back with a sigh and shut the door
again. "We need Jacob."
    They both looked to me. "He's terribly
unwell," I said, then I realized how absurd it was for a spirit to
be described as ill. "I don't want to summon him. I think we should
wait a little longer."
    "What if they're putting a curse on the
Otherworld right at this moment?" George said. "We should go
in."
    "You're right." Another curse might spell the
end for both Jacob and the Waiting Area. "Let's go."
    "It will serve to eliminate Price, if nothing
else."
    Theo shook his head and stayed me with a hand
to my arm. "I don't think Blunt would be in any state right now to
enter the Otherworld, or assist Price to."
    "I give you that point," George said, sitting
back down. "Once he takes the opium, he'll be useless for a
while."
    So we waited. And waited. George's stomach
growled every minute, without fail. It was mid-afternoon and we'd
not had luncheon.
    "My apologies," he said after each
gurgle.
    I rubbed my temples where a dull ache had
taken up residence, tapping against my skull. "Perhaps we should
go. Nothing is happening here."
    Jacob appeared on the seat beside