"It was a very intense moment, with screams and lamentations. In the show they do not show how terrible it was. What they show is but a pale reflection of what went on. The actress has been accused of overacting, but in this, she did not do it hard about it, Zayda had recovered her sister, but before she could make plans, she sees her killed by Thomas…- Thomas will insist that it was self-defense, but I know it was not. Even now he will not admit it. Maybe he is ashamed of it. Maybe he wants me to think better of him…" Amos shrugged. "In any case, Zayda had no reason to love him nor the Benchleys. So, she laid this curse on him… Only to find out that she had cursed her own nephews, oh, how she howled and tore her hair. Titus tried to comfort her, but she would not be soothed. Eventually she stopped crying, and I asked her if she thought there was a way that the curse could be lifted or modified."
-0-
"There is a chance. I will have to ask the help of the Gypsy King. Whether or not he will listen..."
-0-
"I did not pry but I knew that she and Titus had not left the tribe in the best of terms. Still, she could beg for the sake of the children. She and Titus decided to go seek that help.
"As for me, I still had to give my condolences for Dame Alice to the family. It was a courtesy call that was expected of me, so I went.
"I got in time to listen to the reading of the dispositions of the management of the property. As I expected, Leonore was to be the administrator for George until he reached maturity – and later, if George trusted her, she could continue. She was to draw a salary. There was a stipulation that charity gifts should not exceed a certain amount and could be curtailed if the money was short. Any further contributions should be drawn from her salary. She would be audited by the Benchley law firm to make sure that this stipulation was obeyed. Reverend Moore would certainly hate that, but there was little that he could do.
"When they were done, they turned to me."
-0-
"Well, she did not leave you anything" Thomas mocked me.
"Why should she? I barely met her, and she owed me nothing."
"You certainly hoped, didn't you?
"My hopes have nothing to do with the Benchley business."
"This could have been all yours if your grandfather had not been shipped off for being such a pain to Jacob."
"That's enough!" Leonore interrupted. "Keep being annoying, Thomas and your allowance will be a lot less than you hope."
"Sister dear, I see that the power has gone to your head."
"And I see that you have no more sense now than you did when you left."
-0-
"Kevin tittered, and Frederick made noises about proper bheavior. I could see why neither Dame Alice nor his son wanted to entrust the business to them. Kevin was a fool, and happy in his foolishness. Frederick played the part of the respectable man of business, and you could see him strain trying to play it. Thomas was no fool, but his desires always came first. No one could be trusted to run the business. Leonore, if you discounted her penchant for Reverend Moore, was the safe choice.
"I excused myself and left. I hoped that Zayda could get back before the full moon, but if she did not, I had to prevent Thomas from going into a rampage. Zayda, by seeking to punish the Benchleys was putting a lot of innocent people at risk, and my job was to help prevent it.
"I realized that I needed an ally. And the only allies I had were Mimi and Miriam. I wondered if Mimi would keep her post not what Nuri was dead. And Miriam.
"Miriam I almost killed when I went to see her in her bedroom."