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MaTTHEW SaT, shivering in the sunlight, in the grass beside the spring

It had been a half hour since he&039;d fled Linch&039;s house, and still he suffered the effects of their encounter He felt tired and sluggish, yet frightened to the very core of his being Matthew thought - and thinking seemed more of an effort than ever in his life - that Linch had done to his : entered it without permission, poked about, and left a little smear of mud to betray his presence

Linch had without a doubt been the winner of their duel

But - also without a doubt - Matthe Linch was the owner of the shadowy hand that could reach into the human mind and create whatever fiction it pleased Matthew considered hient and alert; if he had been so affected by the ratcatcher&039;s trancing ability, how simple a task it must have been to overwhelile Buckner, Garrick, and the other targets and indeed Matthew suspected that the persons in whose minds Linch had planted the scenes of depravity had been carefully chosen because of their receptivity to such reat deal of experience at this bizarre craft, and nals that indicated whether a person was a likely candidate for ht that in his own case, Linch had been probing his line ofthe barrier Linch would probably have never even atte if the man hadn&039;t been desperate

Matthew offered his face to the sun, trying to burn out the last vestiges of shifting sand from the storehouse of memory

Linch, Matthew believed, had underestient than her timidity let her appear Matthew believed that the house in which she described seeing Satan and the white-haired imp was not the Hamilton house, but the house of her own mind and back there in the dark roo her Surely theas he&039;d done the work, but perhaps the recollection of the event had been locked away fro - which Violet had heard when Linch had co at her house - was an alternate key

The question here and when had Violet been entrancedi Matthew thought that if Buckner and Garrick could reht supply the fact that Linch had also co poisoned bait as a "precaution" - to their own houses Matthew could envision Linch asking either man to step out to the barn to look at evidence of rodent infestation, and then - once away fro upon thee weapon that both erased reality and constructed a lifelike fiction What was particularly a to Mattheas the fact that the effects of this power iven some mental command that the fiction not be ihts later and the ether except in the case of Violet ada to her in Linch&039;s voice

It was the da he&039;d ever heard of Surely it was some form of sorcery! But it was real and it was here and it was the reason Rachel was going to be burned on Monday , it seeo to Bidwell and plead his case, but he knehat the result of that would be Bidwell e shackles for hier to others or hi such a theory to the istrate; even if Woodere able to hear and respond, he would believe Matthew to be so severely bewitched that the stress rave

The ratcatcher, it see a duel Linch had demonstrated that the as over and declared hi victor

Matthe his knees up to his chin and stared out over the blue water He had to ask the question that seemed to him the most basic query in existence yet also the most complex: Whyi

For what reason would Linch put forth such an effort to paint Rachel as a witchi and why, indeed, was a man of his vile nature even in Fount Royali Had he murdered Reverend Grove and Daniel Howarthi If Rachel was only a pawn in this strange gaet - then why go to such extremes to destroy Fount Royali Was it possible Linch had been sent from Charles Town to do these dark deedsi

It seeht encourage the burning of a few empty houses, but they wouldn&039;t stoop so low as to subsidize ned in a old coins were spent on a spill of cri the surface of the spring ripple with a passing breeze

Gold coins Yes Gold coins Gold and silver, that is Of the Spanish sta shape in Matthew&039;s h he&039;d found nothing last night, there was indeed a fortune of pirate coins down at the bottom of the fount Say that somehow Linch - whoever he really was - had learned of its presence, possibly months or even years before he&039;d arrived on the scene When Linch got here, he discovered a town surrounding the treasure vault What, then, could he do to get the coins for himself and himself alonei

The answer: he could create a witch and cause Fount Royal to wither and die

Perhaps Linch had gone swiht, and discovered Oh, Matthew thought, and the realization was like a punch discovered not only gold and silver coins but a sapphire brooch

What if there was not just coinage in that treasure vault, but also jewelryi Or loose geht that brooch up from the depths, then the ratcatcher are of how necessary it was to clear the toay before a real atteht Yes It was definitely a reason to kill two men and create a witch But wait Was it not in Linch&039;s best interest that Rachel not be burnedi With the rerow healthy again So as he going to do to make sure the town&039;s decline continuedi Create a second witchi That seereat deal of risk andNo, Rachel had been the perfect "witch, " and the more reasonable action would be to somehow capitalize on her death

Perhaps with another eance of "Satan" in a di hencei

Matthew suspected that this tiular Would it be Dr Shields lying in a pool of bloodi Schoolh vital, were replaceable in the future of Fount Royal

The next victim would be Bidwell himself

Matthew stood up, his flesh in chillbu with a h lined by their lives of difficult labor, were free froht with Fount Royal or soon to be right, with the execution of the witch

Little did they know, Matthew thought Little did anyone know, except Linch Especially little did Bidwell know, for as Rachel died writhing in the flames the plan would be set in motion to cut his throat in the same manner as the other victims

and what could be done about iti

Matthew needed evidence One sapphire brooch would not do; besides, Mattheas certain Linch would now hide it in a place even a rat couldn&039;t discover To expose the coins that Goode had found would be beneficial, but would also be a betrayal of Goode&039;s trust Obviously Linch was the thief who had entered Bidwell&039;s house that night and taken the gold coin from Matthew&039;s room, probably in an effort to ascertain if it was part of the treasure and where it ht have come frootten hold of a Spanish coini

Mattheas feeling more like himself now He wouldn&039;t return to Linch&039;s house alone for a barrel full of gold coins But if he could find soht implicate Linch some hard proof to shoell

"There you are! I was just on h-pitched and waspish, struck hihan She was shtly, her hair contained under a stiff white bonnet, and she wore a lilac-colored dress In her arood spirits this day!"

"Uh yes Good spirits" He was already edging away froift! I knoell, I know our dinner last night was difficult for you, and I wished to - "

"It&039;s all right, " Matthew said "No gift is necessary"

"Oh, but it is! I realized how hter&039;s display of willful misbehavior - therefore I wished to bake you a pie I trust you like sweet yaolden-crusted pie from the basket to show him It was held in a pie dish of white clay decorated with small red hearts

"It truly looks wonderful, " Matthew told her "But I can&039;t accept it"

"Nonsense! Of course you can! and you may return the dish the next ti at six o&039;clocki"

He looked into her eyes and saw there a rather sad coently as possible, he said, "Mrs Vaughan, I can&039;t accept the pie and I can&039;t accept your invitation to dinner, either"

She just stared at him, her mouth partway open and the pie dish still offered "It is not in hter, " Matthew continued "She sees, just as you do, and there lies the collision I regret you have a problem in your household, but I can&039;t solve it for you"

The woain, thank you for the dinner I truly did enjoy it, and the corateful young bastard!" she suddenly hissed, her cheeks flaer &039;"Do you realize what effort was expended to please youi"

"Uh well I&039;m sorry, but - "

"You&039;re sorry, " she mimicked bitterly "Sorry! Do you kno owni Do you knoorked over that hearth and cleaned that house for your pleasurei are you sorry about that, tooi"

Matthew noticed that several citizens who&039;d co If Lucretia noticed, itcannonades at him "Oh, but you came in our house and ate your fill, didn&039;t youi You sat there like a lord at feast! You even took bread aith you! and now you&039;re sorry!" Tears of rage - ht you were a gentleentlehan, " Matthew said firhter from what you perceive as - "

"Who asked you to save anybody, you self-righteous prigi How dare you speak to me as if I&039;m a milkmaid! I am a person of estee in his face Matthew said quietly, "Yes, I hear you"

"If I were a man you wouldn&039;t speak to me with such disrespect! Well, damn you! Damn you and Charles Town and damn all you who think you&039;re better than other people!"

"Pardon o on and run!" she hollered "Run back to Charles Tohere your kind belongs! You city dog!" So in your ludicrous gardens and dancing at your sinful balls! Go on and run!"

Matthew didn&039;t run, but his walking pace was brisk enough He saw that theof Bidwell&039;s upstairs study had opened and there was theout upon this unfortunate scene Bidas grinning, and when he realized Matthew had seen him he put his hand to his mouth to hide it

"Wait, wait!" the brazen woman shouted "Here, take your pie!"

Matthew looked back in tihan hurl the pie - dish and all - into the spring Then she fired a glare at hiht have scorched iron, turned on her heel, and stalked away, her chin lifted high as if she had put the Charles Town draggletail in his fly-blown place

Matthew entered the istrate&039;s rooht the wohtened birds back in the swah he did shift his position to the side as Matthew stood next to his bed

"Siri" Matthew said, touching his shoulder "Siri"

Woodward&039;s sleep-swollen eyes opened to slits He struggled to focus "Matthewi" he whispered

"Yes, sir"

"Oh I thought it was you I had a dreai"

"No Just tired very tired Dr Shields was here"

"He wasi This hts they run together"

"I can iine so You&039;ve been very ill"

Woodward sed thickly "That potion Dr Shields gives reeable taste I told hi"

Here was a reason for hope, Matthew thought The"I think the potion is doing you soood, sir"

"My throat still pains hter Tell me did I dream this, or did Dr Shields apply a funnel to my botto renant but necessary procedure So too would the servant who had to wash out the two chamberpots filled with black, tar-like refusal

"ah Yes that would explain it My apologies to all involved"

"No apologies are necessary, sir You&039;ve corace for the uh unpleasantness of your situation" Mattheent to the dresser and got the bowl of fresh water that had been placed there and one of several clean cotton cloths

"always the diplomat, " Woodhispered "This potion does tire me Mattheas done to my backi"

"The doctor used blister cups" Matthew dipped the cloth into the water bowl

"Blister cups, " Woodward repeated "Oh Yes I do reri at death&039;s door"

"Not nearly so close as that" Mattherang out the wet cloth and then began to gently apply the cool cotton to Woodward&039;s still-pallid face "Let us just say you were on a precarious street But you&039;re better now, and you&039;re going to continue i Of that I&039;ht"

"I aht, I am correct, " Matthew said "The worst part of your illness has been vanquished"

"Tell that tobones Oh, what a sin it is to be old"

"Your age has nothing to do with your condition, sir" Matthew pressed the cloth to Woodward&039;s forehead "You have youth in you yet"

"No I have too htly glazed in appearance, as Matthew continued to daive so much to be you, son" Matthew&039;s hand may have been interrupted in itsseconds

"To be you, " Woodward repeated "and where you are With the world ahead of you and the luxury of time"

"You have much time ahead of you too, sir"

"My arrow has been shot, " he whispered "and where it fell I do not know But you you are just noing back your bow" He released a long, strengthless sigh "My advice to you is to aiet"

"You will have et, sir"

Woodward laughed softly, though the act seerimace "I doubt I can help you with much anymore, Matthew It has come to my attention on this trip that you have a very able mind of your own You are a man, noith all that manhood entails The bitter and the sweet You haveup for your convictions even against e my opinionsi"

"I would feel an utter failure if you had none, " he answered

"Thank you, sir, " Matthew said He finished his application of the cloth and returned it to the water bohich he placed atop the dresser again