Page 74 of His Wicked Charm

“The Brotherhood of the Blessed,” Lilah said.

“Is that what she said?”

“No. It’s right here.” Lilah had turned the page. She pointed to the first words written.

“We are the Brotherhood of the Blessed, given the fortune granted to only the few who know the way.”

“This is their agreement, the charter of their club,” Con said, excitement in his voice.

Lilah skimmed her eyes down the page. “Actually, I think it’s their bible.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“OR, AT LEAST, a thesis on their spiritual beliefs,” Lilah clarified. She began to read.

“Gods once walked upon this land, and men understood the pattern of life. Their names are long forgotten, both gods and men, but the truth of the world will always remain.

“Like the spiral, we are never ending. Birth, life, death are but three phases of the same being. There are three realms: land, sea and sky. There are three Brothers. There are three aspects of our nature: mind, body and spirit.”

“That explains the triskeles,” Lilah interjected.

“To those who have opened the Gateway, as foreseen, the Goddess grants the further blessings of their natures.”

“I presume your grandfather and his friends opened this ‘Gateway,’ whatever that is,” Con said. “But what does ‘the blessings of their natures’ mean?”

“He called the mind, the body and the spirit the ‘three aspects of our nature.’ So I would think he means the blessings are of those three things. Maybe health for the body—everyone says that my grandfather was very ill when young and made a miraculous improvement. Maybe that is his blessing.”

“Is he the only one who received a blessing? They’re a brotherhood, and he says ‘to those who have opened the Gateway.’ Wouldn’t each of them be blessed?”

“Let’s say my grandfather got health, and I think obviously Mr. Blair would be the mind. He would want wisdom.”

“Leaving Niles Dearborn for the spirit?” Con asked skeptically.

“Hmm. Doesn’t seem likely. Let’s go on.” She turned the page. “Here. He calls the three natures head, heart and hand.” She continued to read.

“The hand belongs to the material world and as such lies within the realm of the earth, whereas the sky is the ruler of the head, the intellect, and the heart, or spiritual, dwells within the sea. We, the Brothers, embody these realms.”

“The old boy didn’t suffer from a lack of pride, did he?”

“I’d say not. As best I can tell, he’s identifying himself as the spiritual aspect—yes, here he says he has long ‘suffered from an affliction of the spirit.’”

“What was his illness?”

“I’ve no idea. I never knew him. He died years before I was born.” She paused, thinking. “I can’t remember who told me about his illness. It was simply one of those family stories. But I had the impression it involved a weakness, a lack of stamina—maybe his heart or lungs.”

“That would fit. Your grandfather, Sir Ambrose, received relief from his weakness of the heart or ‘affliction of the spirit.’ Mr. Blair took wisdom, and Dearborn got material things. Makes sense—at one time, Niles’s father made a great deal of money off some investments.”

“Oh!” Lilah exclaimed, her eyes widening as she scanned the rest of the page. “Con, look. Here he says, ‘We are the Defenders of the Gateway. We are the Keepers of the Keys.’”

“What!” Con leaned over to look at the words himself. “‘Keepers of the Keys.’” He looked up at her, his face only inches from hers. Lilah’s heart began to pound. Con pulled his eyes away and sat back.

“But why do they want the key to this meeting place so badly? Surely they’re not kidnapping people because they want a blessing?”

“If the Dearborns believe their ability to make money is tied to this place, they’d do anything to get in.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine Mr. Dearborn actually believing in all this.”

“I doubt he believes in this ‘three realms’ spiritual dogma. But gamblers believe in luck, and he’s a gambler. He wants his luck back.”