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Simon's concerned."Gemma, what is it?"
"Simon, would you still care for me if you discovered I was not who I say I am?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean would you still care for me, no matter what you came to know?"
"What a thing to ponder. I don't know what to say."
The answer is no. He does not need to say it.
With a sigh, Simon digs at the fire with the iron poker. Bits of the charred log fall away, revealing the angry insides. They flare orange for a moment, then quiet down again. After three tries, he gives up. "I'm afraid this fire's had it."
;Yes," I whisper, without turning around."That is all."
In a rustle of velvet and silk, I am through the door, trailing the scent of juniper, the silence, and a shadow of a whisper: For now . . . Miss McCleethy's rooms are in Lambeth, not far from Bethlem Royal.
"May I come in?" I ask.
She lets me in with a pretense of friendliness. "Miss Doyle. To what do I owe this surprise visit?"
"I've two questions for you. One concerns Mrs. Nightwing; the other, the Order."
"Go on," she says, settling into a chair.
"Is Mrs. Nightwing among our number?"
"No. She is simply a friend."
"But you quarreled at the Christmas party, and again in the East Wing."
"Yes, about repairing the damage to the East Wing. I argued that it was time to rebuild. But Lillian is so very frugal."
"But she accepted you as Claire McCleethy, though that is not your real name."
"I told her I had taken a new name to escape a love affair gone wrong. That is something she understands. And that is all there is to it. What is your other question?"
I cannot be sure if she is telling me the truth or not. I move on.
"Why has the Order never shared its power?" She fixes me with that unsettling glare. "It is ours to have. We've fought for it. Sacrificed and shed blood for it."
"But you've hurt others as well. You've denied them any chance to have a part of the magic, to have a say."
"I promise you they'd do the same. We look out for ourselves. This is the way of things."
"It is an ugly business," I say.
"Power is," she says without regret. "I was not happy when you left me with the Rakshana. But I understand that you thought I was Circe. It is of no consequence now. You kept Circe from the Temple and the magic. You have done well. Now we can reestablish the Order with our sisters, and--"
"I think not."I say.
Miss McCleethy's mouth wants to smile."What?"
"I am forging new alliances. Felicity. Ann. Kartik from the Rakshana. Philon of the Forest. Asha, the Untouchable."
She shakes her head."You can't be serious."
"The power must be shared."
