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Chapter One

The sreen velvet, and a bit worn in the center, where years of feet had left a perold silk tassels at the corners were still fat and sassy, and the little round feet were polished to a high shine

Not to mention the personality, which was, um, happy

“I think it’s trying to hu,” Billy told me

“It is not!”

“Okay,” he said, eyeing the little thing warily It was currently up on its back two feet, ju up and down like an overly emotional puppy Probably because nobody used poufs these days and it wanted out of the small shop ere in

“It’s ju,” I told him “It’s excited”

“Oh, it’s excited all right”

“Billy!” I whispered, and glanced around “There are children in here!”

Normally, that wouldn’t have mattered, since Bi

lly Joe had been a like a century and a half now, and ghosts didn’t have to watch what they said But the children in question were part of the Pythian Court and were all seers of one variety or another Not that all of theifts differ—­but some could, and more could hear him

“I’,to have around the palace”

I frowned Our current living arrangements were a sore spot “It’s not a palace We don’t live in a palace It’s a penthouse—­”

“Which covers a whole floor and is full of marble and shit”

“—­and I told the girls they could pick out their own stuff”

It was the least I could do, considering that their forone up in a fireball, like their former house Now that had been a palace, an old charmer of a mansion in London full of priceless antiques and crystal chandeliers, a fit home for the Pythian Court Unlike a still as hotel