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perplexed. “Nearly getting killed?”
    â€œFor destroying a very fine carriage,” I pointed out. One worth more money than I was ever likely to see.
    Lord Jasper waved that away. “Don’t be silly, Violet,” he said. “I’m just relieved that you’re both unharmed.” He shook his head. “I’ll have the stable master do a thorough inspection of the horses.”
    His gaze fell on the open pages of Tabitha’s magazines. “Why are you reading an outdated magazine?” His face settled into stern lines. I swallowed. “And about the dowager countess?” he added sharply when he looked more closely at the articles.
    Tabitha just blinked innocently. “I was looking at old dress patterns. For Violet.”
    â€œMm-hmm.” He sighed. “Girls, Lady Ashburnham deserves your respect and courtesy. She doesn’t deserve to be accosted in ribbon shops or investigated like a common criminal.”
    â€œWe know,” I replied, cringing slightly. “But there’s a reason for it.”
    â€œI assumed as much,” he remarked with a gentle smile. “Out with it, Violet.”
    â€œI’ve been seeing spirits again,” I confessed.
    â€œAs expected.”
    â€œI’ve seen Lady Jasper,” I blurted out.
    He leaned heavily on his cane. The silver swan head seemed to stare at me accusingly. “Have you now?”
    I rubbed my damp palms on the upholstered arms of my chair. “Yes. And I’m worried that she’s jealous.”
    â€œAnd I’m worried that Lady Ashburnham is just looking for a rich husband,” Tabitha added unhelpfully.
    Lord Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose. “My sisterwarned me I was mad for taking in two girls,” he murmured. He had to be referring to Lady Lucinda Baxter. His other sister, Lady Octavia, who was traveling to stay with us as a chaperone, was far more sympathetic and amusing. Still, the air left my lungs. I felt as if I were underwater again, drowning as Tabitha’s sister had drowned. Tabitha could simply move back into the family’s manor house across the field. I had nowhere to go. Colin had nowhere to go.
    â€œI’m sorry,” I said again.
    Lord Jasper raised his eyebrows. “You needn’t fret, Violet. I’m not casting you out.”
    My throat felt too hot and tight to speak so I just nodded.
    â€œOh, girls,” he added sadly. “My wife would never begrudge me happiness.”
    I thought of the way the ice had fallen off her like an angry avalanche, and Colin’s burn from the lavender.
    I hoped he was right.
    â€œI don’t like this,” Colin said to me the next morning as we passed between the gates of the cemetery. Birds sang from the treetops and the sun was bright on the hills.
    â€œI know,” I said. “You’ve mentioned it once or twice. Or a thousand times.”
    He slid me a dark glance. “Did you forget you were nearly stabbed with a shard of ice the last time we were here?”
    â€œAnd Lord Jasper nearly fell off a horse and we broke his carriage.” I tucked my arm into his. “Remember when theworst thing we had to worry about was Old Betty’s boys?” She’d trained them to pick pockets in and around Covent Garden, which would have been fine except that we considered it our territory.
    He snorted. “Justin still curses your name.”
    I rolled my eyes. “And his little sister says yours with that annoying giggle.”
    He flashed me a grin. “Aye.”
    I nudged him as we picked our way between the graves. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I’d made earlier and stomp about willy-nilly. We read the names off the headstones while I inspected the ground for signs of ice or spirit activity.
    â€œTabitha says Lady Jasper was buried here,” I reminded him. “So I suppose we look for the most posh stone.”
    â€œI still say we