way, but she wasnât about to admit that, either.
She stirred herself to be logical. âThink about it. A short-wave here would serve what purpose?â Kat asked. âWeâre supposed to be on the lookout for spies in our midst. Mr. Churchill said so.â
Peterâs expression moved from amusement to surprise, and he stopped in his tracks so they were facing each other at a turn in the passage. âYou think thereâs a spy here?â
Kat set her lips. She knew something about spying. âItâs possible.â
âWell, it couldnât be the Lady,â he said.
She lifted her eyebrows. âAnd why ever not?â
âMaybe she has a wireless out of sheer practicality.â He paused. âSheâs living up here nearly alone, and with her husband ill and all.â
Kat wasnât keen on the Lady, what with the small girl left out in the cold garden, the Ladyâs chilly personality, and now Peter obviously thinking the Lady very fine indeed. Kat folded her arms across her chest. âIâm not at all sure about her.â
âI like her well enough,â Peter said in a tone that suggested he liked her quite a lot.
âWhy would she have a wireless behind a hidden door if itâs just practical?â
Peter shrugged. âYouâre too suspicious.â
Kat chewed her lip. âMaybe sheâs in league with someone else.â
âMaybe. Or maybe she doesnât know the wireless is in there. Maybe someone discovered this hidden room and is using it for his or her purpose.â
âI guess thatâs possible,â Kat said grudgingly.
âAt least itâs not a ghost.â
âRight,â Kat said. No such thingâwas there? As if in answer, a grumbling groan drifted up from below. Kat glanced down the dusky hallway, suppressing the urge to run.
The furnace,
or maybe the wind around the outer walls. Right?
Peterâs voice startled Kat. âWhat do you want to tell Rob and Ame?â
âI guess we shouldââ
âHere!â Marieâs voice, sharp, came from behind her. Kat almost leapt out of her skin. âJust what do you think youâre playing at?â
Peter said, âWe were trying to find the, um, you know, whereââ
âIf the Lady discovered you wandering about the hallways, youâd regret it,â scolded Marie. âBack to your rooms at once. And stay there until I fetch you.â
Peter and Kat hurried down the hall.
âWhere did she come from?â Peter whispered.
âI donât know.â Theyâd reached Katâs room. âI thought the hall was empty.â
âThis place is definitely spooky,â Peter said.
Kat couldnât agree more. Her heart was thumping. She opened her door. âRob? Ame?â
But Katâs room was stone cold, silent and empty.
10
Flesh and Bone
I T IS 1746. The magister makes Leonore a gift.
He says, âHere is a finger to replace your own, the one you have given up for the charmed child Rose.â
Flesh
and bone.
Leonore asks, âHow could you make a finger that can replace the one heaven gave me?â
âAh,â says the magister as he turns to stoke his fire. âThis is so finely wrought that none shall see it for what it is in the broad daylight. Only in the dark shall sight and sound betray; only the light of the full moon shall reveal.â He does not add that heaven could never be party to this making. He does not add that his skill of invention is bought with old magic. He does not tell her what he does with her payment of flesh and bone.
âTo keep this gift,â he says, âyou cannot leave the castle or the town or the fells that surround them.â
Payment made.
When the charmed fish-girl Rose does not bring Leonoreâs lord back from the brink of death, Leonore wants to try again.
She should have taken a boy first, and now she will. Her lord would want a boy
Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation