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from the harbor,” she replied.
    “Does your family still reside there?”
    Her shoulders slumped slightly, and it was the first hint of emotion I had seen from her. “They do. It was difficult to leave them, but a guardian must go where ordered.”
    “You have my sympathies. I am recently displaced myself, and quite homesick,” I admitted.
    “I have never heard of a married chronicler before.”
    “Neither had we, until now. But I am quite used to being unique, as the only seer in England.” I smiled as bravely as I could. “There were no seers near you in America?”
    “No. I had heard rumors of one in San Francisco, but that is on the other side of the country.”
    “I see.” During our tour of Europe after our wedding, Michael and I attempted to meet with the seer in Italy to satisfy my curiosity on what it would be like to meet another of my kind. Unfortunately we were not able to do so, due to a problem with the local trains, and we had been forced to move on.
    “Did you leave behind any suitors in New York?” I asked.
    Miss Dubois laughed. “A few, but none I cared for. Most were simply interested in the acclaim of marrying a guardian.”
    “It must be nice to be acclaimed. Before Michael proposed, I only had one suitor, who turned out to be a murderous vampire. Most people consider marrying a seer to be quite undesirable.”
    “Men are odd creatures. As a guardian I would think it marvelous to have a seer as a spouse, for a seer’s abilities would be remarkably useful to aid in investigations.”
    “It’s more of an issue that magicians prefer that their children inherit the same magic. A librarian wants librarian sons. I imagine guardians are much the same,” I said, and she nodded.
    “I still find it odd that no one has sought your aid before. It seems as though you would be very useful in political matters.”
    “It’s…a complex issue,” I replied with a slight wince.
    “My apologies, I didn’t mean to offend.”
    “Not at all. Politics are at the very heart of my circumstances. We have reached a sort of peace among the different magician factions at the moment, and there are those who would see my involvement in politics as an unfair advantage. My magic would tip the scales in favor of whichever side I shared my visions with.”
    “I hope my request for your aid doesn’t cause you too much trouble.”
    “I’m sure any sensible magician would not begrudge a guardian the aid of a seer.” I held my tongue on the subject of whether or not my husband and his mentor could be considered sensible judges on this topic. Instead, I turned the conversation to Dr. Bennett in hope of gauging her feelings toward him. “Dr. Bennett seems to be quite helpful to your investigations.”
    Miss Dubois coughed, appearing startled by my statement. “Yes, he often is. He has remarkable skill in determining the cause of a victim’s death, and it is always helpful to have a healer present after a difficult battle.”
    “The two of you have worked together for several years?”
    “Yes, we have.” This time I thought a spied the slight pink stain of a blush. “Dr. Bennett has been instrumental in solving many troublesome mysteries. I am grateful for his aid.”
    “He must be quite devoted to your cause to relocate here with you,” I commented with my most convincing expression of innocence. Miss Dubois coughed again, and I doubted that it was due to a sudden onset of consumption.
    She smiled. “Yes, he is a true friend.”
    A true friend? Poor Dr. Bennett. “It seems as though the two of you would make a smart match. Have you never considered making your partnership permanent through marriage?”
    There was no mistaking the blush now. “Our partnership is purely professional, Mrs. Black. And, as you said, magician men want their sons to follow in their footsteps. I can’t imagine that a witch would be eager for guardian offspring.”
    “True.” Though judging by the depth of Dr. Bennett’s