The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie Read Online Free

to contact your father, Mr. Mackenzie, I suggest a telegram, because that gentleman is very much still living.”
    Mr. Mackenzie stared at her for a heartbeat then burst out laughing. His laugh was deep and true, a man who knew how to laugh for the joy of it. “You were right, Mortimer. She truly has the second sight.”
    “I don’t need second sight to read the newspapers,” Violet said. “First sight will do. Your father appears in many pages of the sporting news. Now, if he’d like me to tell him which of his racehorses will do best this year, his lordship is welcome to join us.”
    Daniel wound down to a chuckle. “I’m starting to like you, Mademoiselle.”
    Violet let her eyes go wide. “I am pleased to hear it, Mr. Mackenzie. However, if you have come tonight to mock me and my work, I will have to ask you to depart. Or at least wait in the hall.”
    “Why?” His eyes held an impish twinkle. “Does my mockery disturb th’ spirits?”
    “Of course not. Those on the other side can be quite forgiving. But
I
find it a bit distracting.”
    Mr. Mackenzie raised his hands in surrender. “Forgive me, lass. I’ll be the model of goodness from now on. Promise.”
    Violet knew better than to believe him, but she returned her attention to the others. “Shall we see what spirits are close tonight?”
    The other men readily agreed. They liked the show.
    “Then, as you know, I must ask for silence.”
    Violet closed her eyes again, and thankfully, the gentlemen quieted down, their guffaws finally dying off.
    Violet let her breathing become slow and deep. She rocked her head forward then let it go all the way back, turning her face to the ceiling. She kept her eyes closed as her breathing grew more rapid, faster, faster.
    Soft noises escaped her mouth. Violet moved her head from side to side, making sure she didn’t overdo it. Too much gyration looked fake. A little bit was far more frightening, a person in the grip of forces she didn’t understand. Violet also knew that a young woman moaning, perspiring, and letting her bosom move with her panting froze gentlemen into place.
    A large, warm hand landed on hers, and Mr. Mackenzie said in a quiet voice, “You all right, lass?”
    The concern in his words sent a shock through Violet, and her eyes popped open. For a moment, her rapid breaths choked her, and she struggled for air.
    No one had ever spoken to her thus—not her mother, not Jacobi. Daniel Mackenzie, a stranger of warmth by her side, touched her in worry and asked after her with a protectiveness never before directed at her.
    It nearly broke her. A moment ago, Violet had prided herself on being able to handle a roomful of unruly gentlemen. Now she felt her façade crumbling to reveal the lonely and weary young woman she was—nearly thirty years old, taking care of an ill mother, living by her wits and her skill in hiding her lies.
    Violet found it easy to keep a barrier between Mortimer and his ilk, but she recognized that Mr. Mackenzie could rip down any wall she erected with one touch.
    She tried to catch her breath, tried to keep her persona in place, but for a moment, she was only a frightened young woman angry at a man for exposing her.
    Mr. Ellingham, oblivious, broke the tension. “Damn it, Mackenzie. We’ll never get a contact if you interfere with the medium’s trance. Everyone knows that.”
    Daniel kept his gaze on Violet. “You sure you’re all right, love?”
    Violet moved her hands to the table again, pressing down to stop their trembling. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
    “You’re an ass, Mackenzie,” Mortimer said, his voice tinged with fury. “Now we’ll have to start all over again.”
    “No, we won’t,” Daniel said, still looking at Violet. “We’ll go and leave Mademoiselle Bastien to her sleep.”
    “The hell we will,” Mortimer said, standing up. “We’re not leaving this house. Not until we have satisfaction.”

    Daniel shot Mortimer a look of disgust. He knew