Armand’s First Letter. Amelia’s First Letter.

30 June 1023, Achin Court, Nexing Cross, Nexinghamshire

My dearest husband,

I met with Octie two days ago, and was able to relieve his mind: he is under some kind of curse and Cathy Sloane-Price is involved, but it is not entirely her fault. Of course, I did not tell him the whole sorry tale—just that her husband put a curse on her after they parted, unbeknownst to Cathy, and that Octie has unfortunately gotten caught up in it.

He is relieved to know that he is not losing his mind, and I will add that he is eager to hunt down this Mr. Sloane-Price and belabor him soundly until he removes the curse, “for it was a thoroughly ungentlemanly thing to do,” he said. Which of course it was, although—

I assured him that Cathy has no notion of where Sloane-Price might be found, and that I had begun to make inquiries on my own.

Today I received word from Orthopractor Simms. A Sloane-Price of the right age studied at Veronica’s College and received his degree just prior to John Gamble’s coming there. Dr. Tillotson remembers him as an earnest young lad: in no way brilliant, but eager to learn and diligent in his studies. Tillotson had expected Sloane-Price to have a solid if unspectacular career, but has heard nothing of him since Sloane-Price left Edenford.

According to Simms, Sloane-Price’s parting words to Cathy would not have been enough to enact any kind of curse, and certainly not the sort of thing we are seeing. More, the lad Tillotson remembers would not have known how to do any such thing; he would have had to put in a fair degree of work and study in preparation; or he would have had to find some dark practitioner to build the curse for him. Therefore, Cathy was cursed at some later time.

Simms knows several ways the curse might have been applied, but most of them require the one applying the curse to be in the victim’s presence: to speak a word in the victim’s ear, or to physically touch them. Cathy says she has not seen Sloane-Price since he walked out in anger, and if we are to believe her there are but two methods remaining: either the curse was laid on her path, like a trap to be triggered as she walked across it, or was sent to her as some kind of object to be opened: a letter or parcel. She would have been cursed upon opening it, regardless of the content.

As Sloane-Price was known by sight in Nexing Cross, Simms thinks the latter approach is by far the most likely. The curse could have been prepared anywhere, and then sent by His Majesty’s Post.

Octie was most likely entangled when he danced with Cathy at our engagement ball. Her heart turned to him, a man she could not have, and the curse struck. In the first years of the curse she could not have Octie because all the world regards her as still married, and she could not tell the truth without ruining herself; and now, of course, he has come to regard her with horror and would not have her even if he had not set his sights on Miss Markham. It is all too tragic, and, I fear, not more than she deserves.

We have no hope of undoing the curse without locating Sloane-Price, for either he or, if he had help, his theoretical accomplice, must lift it, although Simms suggests that the effects might easy with distance, as Octie is not the person directly targeted. He writes, “You might suggest that Mr. Archer take a long trip to Provençe or some other of the Old Lands. It won’t break the curse, but it might bring the poor fellow some relief.” Meanwhile, Simms will attempt to trace Sloane-Price.

I had meant to tell you about Jane’s adventures over the past several days, but I fear I haven’t the heart for it tonight. She is well, and the chief apple of your father’s eye, at least until Octie provides him with an heir. Your wife, however, is tired and in distress for Octie; and for Cathy too, whatever her fault.

But however beleaguered, I remain your

Amelia

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