Chapter ONE - Weebly

“As close to a daughter as I’m ever likely to have.”
The girl had a pleasant round face and had just
barely come into womanhood. She should have been
wandering through shops with her mother, or perhaps
with a suitor. She should have been anywhere but here,
in this cold, dim chamber. But all Ethan could think as
he looked at her was Thank God it’s not Clara.
He bent closer to the girl’s neck and face. He lifted
her head, probing with his fingers for a lump or dried
blood. But he found nothing. Like Jennifer, she was
unmarked. “Where was she found?” he asked.
“Near the wharves again,” Pell said. After a brief
silence, he asked, “Was she killed by the same man?”
“I believe so. But there’s only one way I can be
certain she was killed by a spell.”
The minister winced, tight-lipped. “I thought that
might be the case.”
“Do you want to leave?”
Pell drew himself up to his full height. “No. I’ll stay
here.”
“Caner is worried about you,” Ethan said. “He fears
that I’m going to ruin you.”