The Shadow Cabinet Read Free

those nosy old dears from across the way will probably look in. You know what they’re like.”
    â€œLet them.”
    Sid held up the wineglass of blood and examined it in the moonlight.
    â€œThe blood in the light,” he said.
    Sadie smiled and came over to join him.
    â€œBlessed Demeter,” she said, picking up the bottle.
    â€œFab, fab, fab Demeter.”
    â€œOh, Sid. Show a
little
respect.”
    â€œShe knows I love her.”
    At the same time, they poured the contents of their respective containers into the goblet—the blood flowing more slowly than the barley liquid. When the cup was full, Sadie picked up a curved blade, similar to the ones from downstairs, and gently stirred the substances together. When this was done, she wiped the blade carefully with a white cloth and set them both down. They had never looked more wonderful to Jane than they did at that moment in the moonlight, over that cup. They were like an image off a tarot card.
    â€œWell?” Sadie asked.
    â€œWell indeed, dear sister.”
    â€œDo you feel ready?” she asked.
    â€œI always feel ready. The worst we can be is wrong.”
    â€œWe’re not wrong,” Sadie said. But there was a touch of a question in her voice. Sadie was wavering. Jane was transfixed. She’d never seen either of them hesitate before.
    â€œIt hardly matters at this point,” Sid replied calmly. “There’s no going back now, is there?”
    â€œI suppose not.”
    â€œAnd if we’re right, which we are, it’s worth the risk. You don’t get everything without risking something. We’re not meant to grow old, dear sister. We’re not meant to die.”
    He ran his finger along the side of his sister’s face, tipping up her chin. She broke into a smile.
    â€œYou’re right,” she said. “Of course.”
    The touch of nerves passed away, as quick as that. They turned to Jane.
    â€œThank you, Jane,” Sadie said. “We will see you soon.”
    â€œVery soon,” Sid said.
    â€œI know,” said Jane.
    Sid and Sadie faced each other again. They were alone, lost in their own company, smiling. They reached for their necklaces and opened the lockets. Each contained a small, dirty bit of diamond.
    â€œWe have performed the work,” Sadie said.
    â€œAnd we have, in our own inimitable fashion, replaced the kalathos,” Sid replied.
    They both put a hand on the goblet.
    â€œDo I look good?” Sid asked. “I want to look good.”
    â€œYou look wonderful,” Sadie replied.
    â€œWell,” Sid said, “as Oscar Wilde said, ‘Either the wallpaper goes, or I do.’”
    â€œOh, Sid.
Really.
”
    â€œThose are fine last words. Can you improve upon them?”
    â€œI can,” Sadie said. “Here are mine:
surprise me.
”
    Sadie drank first, with Sid supporting the goblet when she spasmed and fell back. He put it to his own lips. A few seconds later, the cup fell free and struck the table, spilling the dark red liquid before bouncing to the floor. The dose of poison they had taken was much more concentrated than the one from downstairs. It would go faster.
    It wasn’t fast enough for Jane’s liking.
    She had to watch. It was her duty. She would keep watching for as long as it took to work.

The night is darkening round me
    The wild winds coldly blow
    But a tyrant spell has bound me
    And I cannot, cannot go
    â€”Emily Brontë,
“Spellbound”

1
    T HE ROOM WAS F ULL OF A SOFT D ECEMB ER - MORNING LIGHT , a kind of gentle dove-gray color. Stephen was on the bed. Glasses off. Peaceful. Outside, London rumbled by as it always did and presumably always would.
    â€œRory, are you sure?” Thorpe said. “Are you sure it worked?”
    It was just me, Boo, and Thorpe now. Thorpe was our overseer from MI5, someone I knew very little about except that he was young with white hair. Stephen had always