Shapechanger's Progress by Laer Carroll

Author:Laer Carroll [Carroll, Laer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8 – Opera

At 7:00 pm Mary McCarthy was standing on the street outside her building dressed in a dark green silk dress with daring décolleté, a forest green velvet jacket, and dainty slippers of dark green. Her red hair was braided and arranged in a chignon folded high on the back of her head and held in place by three long gold pins with emeralds at their tips. A gold chain draped from atop the chignon around her head to hang across her forehead. A large emerald was in the center.

Her face and figure and makeup was exquisite. The uninitiated would assume the emeralds to be expensive cut glass, for what unescorted woman would wear real gems? The cognoscenti, however, would recognize them as real and worth hundreds of pounds sterling.

Passersby cognoscenti of a criminal persuasion would remain passers by, however. High on one corner of the building's front was a large symbol drawn in charcoal that never seemed to smudge or wash away. It looked like three upside down J's—or a child's attempt to draw a cat's claw. It meant that customers and businesses in this building were protected by the cat lady's organization.

Entire gangs in CorkCity who had not heeded the warning no longer existed. The word had gotten around, especially since she had turned the last gang to finely sliced bloody parts strewn all along an entire block of city street.

The sun had not set but was far enough down that the canyons of the streets were in shadows. The street gas lights were being lit and the violet twilight sky above was bright. A cool breeze wafted down the street and teased Mary's skin. Her olfactory sense was tuned toward the insensitive to ignore the scent of horse apples, but she savored all other sensations. She felt good and would not mind if her ride was late.

The clip-clop of horses' hooves told her that Bertrand Earl Cunningham was on time. She turned her head to see his gleaming black carriage turn the corner, a driver and assistant on the high seat at the front steering two magnificent black horses.

As the carriage pulled up Mary smiled at the driver and the assistant. The latter dropped quickly down before the carriage quit moving so that he would have the pleasure of handing her into the carriage. With quiet thanks she stepped up into the carriage and seated herself on the backward-facing seat beside Bertie and smiled at everyone in the carriage. It started up with only a slight lurch. She captured Bertie's hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

Counselor at Law Enoch Crowley, black Irish and devilishly handsome, gave her his sardonic grin and sketched a bow. Beside him his wife regarded Mary curiously. She wore dark rose velvet and had glossy black hair, pulled severely back to emphasize her pale beauty and set off her imperious nose. Enoch said to his wife, "Marie Elouise, mon amour , may I remind you of my friend Mary McCarthy? Mary, Marie Elouise Hermine Crowley, my beloved wife.

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