minute. „I wasn’t told. My orders were to find out Delaney’s

location and report to our man in New Orleans.“

Silver felt a swift, sinking disappointment. The man truly

didn’t know. Carey’s voice was shaking with fear and his

muscles were taut with terror. She had hoped he had been

lying to her when she had first asked him who was pursuing

Dominic, but a man seldom lied with a blade biting into his

throat. She reluctantly lowered the knife, her arm dropping

from around his neck. She stepped back. „Then send word to

your man in New Orleans that Dominic doesn’t want to be

found.“ She drew her dark blue cloak more closely around her.

„And tell him that questioning his kin can be very dangerous.

Don’t follow me again, Mr. Carey. It annoys me.“

There was no sound of a footfall, nor even a whisper of

movement in the grass, and it was not until he heard the soft

clang of the garden gate that Carey realized the girl was no

longer behind him. He whirled around, too late to catch

anything but a brief glimpse of Silver Delaney before she was

gone, hurrying down the sidewalk toward the hired carriage

waiting in the next block.

A few moments later Silver settled back against the leather

cushions of the carriage and closed her eyes, attempting to

relax her taut nerves. It was unusual for her to be this nervous,

and she must not let emotion sap her strength. Fear wouldn’t

help Dominic. Those men still didn’t know where Dominic

and Elspeth had gone and, with luck, would not find out. She

only wished she could contact Dominic and tell him he was in

danger once again. It was frustration that was causing her

distress and exasperation to grow more desperate with every

passing day. Dom had promised to contact her when they had

found a villa to Elspeth’s liking, but that might be months.

Blast it, she should have gone with them.

Then her lips curved in a wry smile. She had not been

invited to go along, and she probably wouldn’t have gone if

the invitation had been issued. Even after four years of

marriage Dominic and Elspeth had no need for anyone else.

Silver had realized early on that it was sometimes lonelier to

see the love that bonded them together and shut her out than to

stay at the academy, where the rejection was deliberate. She

could armor herself against the cruelty of strangers, she could

fight contempt and stupidity, but it was virtually impossible to

stem the poignant, wistful feelings evoked by watching

Elspeth and Dominic together. How would it feel to be loved

as Elspeth was loved?

She was being foolish. She deliberately straightened on the

seat and squared her shoulders. There was no reason to grow

weak and tearful over something no one could change. She

had been lonely all her life and could not expect anything else

in the future. Perhaps some people were meant to be lonely.

She had to accept the loneliness and go on with her life. There

were many rewards she could wrest from the world once she

had left this blasted school.

She smothered a chuckle as she imagined Mrs. Alford’s

expression of profound relief when Silver finally walked out

her front door. She had made sure that the last two years had

been as difficult for those around her as they were difficult for

her. Well, it had been their own fault, she thought defiantly. No

one could expect her to meekly let Mrs. Alford and her

mawkish pupils treat her with contempt. If she couldn’t have

friendship, she would have respect.

She glanced out the window of the carriage. She could see

the bright lights in the distance and the cheerful, alluring

music of the calliope drifted faintly to her ears. She was

almost there. She felt the anticipation begin to rise within her.

The circus. Here she had acceptance. Circus people were also

outcasts, yet proud, even splendid, in their isolation. They had

brought her into their world without thought or hesitation.

Soon, for a little while, she could forget-loneliness and pretend

she belonged to the brilliant, shoddy world of Monteith’s

Circus.

„You’re late.“ Sebastien threw open the door of the

carriage, his voice hoarse with strain. „Hurry!“

Fear clutched painfully at Silver’s throat. „Etaine?“

Sebastien nodded jerkily. „She had an attack this

afternoon.“ He tossed a coin to the coachman and easily lifted

Silver but of the vehicle. „We did everything you told us, but

she’s not much better.“ His handsome face was anguished.

„That son of a bitch made her go into the cage tonight. She

could scarcely breathe and he still made her perform with the

cats.“

Anger flared white-hot within Silver. Damn Mon-teith.

She’d like to cut his heart out. „She’s in her tent?“-

Sebastien nodded and hurried ahead, elbowing a path

through the crowd for her.

„How is she, Sebastien?“ a ticket taker called as they

passed the entrance of the big tent.

„Not good,“ Sebastien said curtly, scarcely looking at the

man. He hurried Silver past the big tent, the animal cages, and

on to a small tent at the back of the field. „Khadil is with her

now, but she’ll have to leave before Monteith discovers her

absence from the sideshow.“ He lifted the flap of the tent and

waves of moist heat struck them in the face. Then they were in

the tent, stepping around the small banked fire on which a

kettle of bubbling hot water was sending mists of steam into

the air, to hurry toward the woolen pallet on the far side of the

tent where Khadil was kneeling.

The albino turned to look at them, her strange eyes wide

with anxiety. „She’s seared, Silver,“ she whispered. „I’ve been

holding her hand like you said, but she’s so scared.“

„It’s all right, Khadil.“ Silver shrugged off her cloak and

threw it on the brassbound trunk beside the pallet. „You’ve

done very well. All you could do.“

She looked down at the tiny figure on the pallet, a sharp

pang of sympathy wrenching through her. Etaine’s eyes were

closed and her mouth was wide open as she struggled

desperately for breath. The child was still wearing her pink

tutu and tights, her fair skin shining with a mist of perspiration

that had darkened her white-gold curls to pale brown. She had

lost weight in the last few weeks and appeared even younger

than ten years of age.

Etaine’s lids fluttered open and she saw Silver. Hope flared

in the blue depths of her eyes. She smiled shakily. „I’ve .

been… trying.“ Each word was torn from her as she struggled

painfully for air. „It doesn’t – “

„Shh.“ Silver dropped swiftly to her knees beside Khadil.

„Save your breath. I know you’ve been trying. You just needed

someone to help you try a little harder.“ She glanced over her

shoulder at Sebastien. „I’ll need someone to keep that kettle

steaming.“

He nodded. „Many of us will take turns coming in to tend

it.“

Silver turned back to Etaine and smiled. „Why don’t we

undress you and wrap you in a blanket the way we did the last

time? That will make you feel much freer.“ She quickly began

to take off the child’s spangled pink finery. She experienced

another ripple of rage as she had a sudden mental picture of

how Etaine must have looked facing the lions tonight.

Monteith always deliberately tried to accentuate his daughter’s

youth and childish vulnerability when she performed. He must

have been very pleased tonight, Silver thought savagely.