He was determined if at all possible not to be left alone with Locadi. He was not only afraid of recriminations and reproaches, but also that she might entice him further into her clutches.
‘If I could find an antidote to black magic,’ he thought as he tied his evening tie, ‘I would use it now’.
Once again he was reflecting on the mandrake, but where could he obtain one?
He deliberately waited until his grandmother was ready to descend the stairs, so that he could escort her down to dinner.
He suspected and found that he was right, that Locadi had gone down early hoping to talk to him alone. He had given her no chance to succeed, having the Dowager beside him.
Shortly after they reached the drawing room, the rest of the party arrived.
The Marquis was interested to see that Frederick
