Dance of Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

know about the work he was performing for Justin Fear.
    It isn’t wrong, not exactly. But not everyone would understand it, Tobias thought.
    Tobias was almost sure Honoria wouldn’t understand it. Almost sure she would not approve. Honoria wanted Tobias to stop working with Justin.
    Once Honoria and Tobias were married, she wanted him to establish his own medical practice somewhere else. She wanted them to leave Shadowbrook.
    But Tobias knew he could never do it. He could never stop working with Justin. He owed him too much.
    If not for Justin, I wouldn’t be a doctor, Tobias thought. He paid for all my medical schooling because he wanted us to work together. He bought me this finehouse, right next door to his own because he wanted me to live close by. He wanted me to be his partner, as well as his best friend.
    How can I tell him I no longer want us to work together? I can’t repay his kindness by letting him down.
    But it was still hard for Tobias to write down what he and Justin were working on together. The thing that had always been the driving force behind Justin’s work.
    Think of all the good we will do if we’re successful, Tobias told himself.
    He dipped the pen into the inkwell. The tip of the feather pen scratched across the page as he continued his journal entry.
    It’s better for Honoria to know the truth someday, Tobias thought. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I want her to know what Justin and I are trying to do.
    I’m almost certain the papers Justin has asked me to translate contain the key to unlocking the secret of eternal life.
    A blast of cold air filled the room. Tobias trembled. The flame of his candle flickered. The ancient papers Justin brought back from the desert stirred and rustled.
    That’s odd, Tobias thought. There are never any drafts in this underground laboratory.
    Justin created the laboratory especially for the work he and Tobias did together. The work that would give them the secret of eternal life. A secret passageway led from Justin’s house to the laboratory, then on to Tobias’s house.
    The passageway opened into Tobias’s bedroom. His servants knew nothing about it. Not that Tobias had many of them. He was too poor. If not for Justin, Tobias wouldn’t have been able to afford to live in Shadowbrook.
    Justin will be angry when he finds out that I told Honoria about the passageway and the laboratory, Tobias thought. But we’re going to be married. Soon, we’ll be man and wife. I couldn’t keep it a secret from her.
    â€œTobias!” a voice called out.
    Tobias lifted his head to see Honoria coming into the laboratory. She rushed over to him and threw herself into his arms.
    â€œYou’re shaking,” Tobias exclaimed. “What’s the matter?”
    â€œOh, Tobias,” Honoria said, burying her face against his chest. “How can you stand to walk through that passage day after day? It’s dark and horrible. And I heard rats scurrying around me.”
    â€œYou’re just imagining things, Honoria,” Tobias said soothingly. “I admit the passageway needs cleaning, but there’s nobody but me to do it and I have more important work. It’s not so bad, once you get used to it.”
    â€œI could never get used to it,” Honoria cried. She lifted her head and stared up at him. “Never. Oh, Tobias, promise me that after we’re married, you won’t do this any longer. Promise me we’ll go away from here.”
    Tobias felt his heart contract as he looked down at Honoria.
    She’s so beautiful. How can I refuse her anything?
    Honoria’s hair was the color of sunshine. Her eyes were a beautiful sky blue. She always reminded Tobias of a bright, clear summer morning.
    I’m so lucky. So lucky she loves me. So lucky she agreed to marry me.
    But in his heart, Tobias harbored a terrible secret. A fear that someday Honoria would change her mind