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“Ultimately, we’ve gotten almost nowhere,” I said, discouraged.
“Not exactly,” Cora said, hopefully. She pulled a paper from her dress pocket and began to unfold it. “I found this in Whitechapel. It’s an advertisement for a benefit for the Magdalene Asylum in just a few days. And look what it says at the bottom: ‘Hosted by Samuel Mortimer, Vote Samuel for Councilor of London,’” Cora read out loud. “He’s throwing another party, giving us another chance to get to Violet.”
“The Magdalene Asylum?” I asked, taking the advertisement and reading it for myself. “What is that?”
“It’s for unwed mothers and wayward girls,” Cora said knowingly.
“Wayward girls?” Damon repeated.
“Yes. And when some girls can’t make rent, the Magdalene Asylum will take them in. One of the girls from the Ten Bells had to go when she became pregnant,” Cora trailed off. “Jenny went in back in May. She had her baby in August, but we haven’t heard anything about either of them since,” Cora said.
“Do you think…” I paused, wondering at the enormity of what I was going to ask her.
“I think we should find out more about the Asylum, about how Samuel is involved,” Cora said. It was true; if we could get closer to Samuel from another angle, maybe we’d have more clues. And more leads to Violet. We’d have to be smarter this time around, not reveal ourselves too soon.
“What if you went to live in the Asylum?” I asked Cora, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. It was risky, but it was the only thing I could come up with.
Fear flickered in Cora’s eyes. “What do you mean, live?”
“Not forever,” I said hastily. “Just for a few days, to see what really goes on there. We’d make sure you were protected. I saw the way you performed in the park. If you could do that, they’d never suspect you. And then we could figure out how Samuel is connected.”
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Damon said grudgingly. “But what if Samuel recognizes her?”
I paused briefly. I hadn’t considered that. “What if he does recognize her?” I asked, thinking out loud. “He’ll think she left the warehouse when he fled London looking for us and ended up on the streets. In his mind, she’d be just another wayward girl. He doesn’t know she’s with us,” I said, hoping it were true.
“A wayward girl?” Cora wrinkled her nose. “My whole life in London, I’ve been trying to prove that’s not who I am.”
“You don’t have to do it. I was just talking off the top of my head,” I offered. Maybe it was asking far too much from her. “I want you to be safe.”
Cora shook her head. “Damon’s right. It’s not a terrible idea. And if it helps save other girls from being compelled…” She shivered. “We’ll all go tomorrow. You can say you found me in the street by the Ten Bells. I’ll put dirt on my face and…”
Just then, steam began erupting from the teakettle in the center of the fire.
“I made you tea,” Cora said shyly, interrupting herself. “Do you drink tea, or only blood?”
“I’d love some,” I said. I wasn’t thirsty for tea, at least not the human kind. But despite myself, my heart went out to Cora for trying. She reminded me of Violet, always trying to see the bright side of things and never seeming depressed for long.
Not to be outdone, Damon nodded in agreement. “Is there anything you can’t do, Miss Cora? You’re our secret weapon,” Damon said in an exaggerated Southern drawl.
I smiled. After a moment, Damon sat down next to me. It was a tiny détente, but it was something. I took a sip of tea, and as the hot liquid warmed my blood, I didn’t think about feeding.
“You know, Katherine always thought I was a
gentleman,” Damon mused, glancing at me. “Except during a few choice activities.” I stiffened. It was the verbal equivalent of a crack of thunder, a sign that Damon wasn’t interested in keeping the peace between us.
“Katherine?” Cora asked, her face registering confusion. “She was the beautiful vampire?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
“Apparently, she’s the reason we’re all on the run from Samuel,” Damon said at the same time. “She fell in love with me, and Samuel couldn’t deal with it.”
“Damon, let it go.” My impatience was getting the best of me. “It doesn’t matter what happened twenty years ago or who loved whom more. Katherine’s gone. She can’t love anyone.” I knew he was looking for a fight, but I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“She was mine,” he said, seething.
“Really?” Cora’s voice cut through the tension. She stepped between us. “That’s what you plan to do? Fight each other over some long-dead vampire while a live one is terrorizing the streets, not to mention framing Damon for murder and holding my sister captive?”
“No,” Damon said contritely. “I just don’t like it when my brother disrespects me. If Stefan minds himself, then we’ll be fine.”
