Deadly Magic Read Online Free PDF

sat down at the table.
    “ You’re going to be in the show?” Grace asked excitedly.
    “ Don’t tell anyone,” she ordered. “Franklin still thinks I’m in Europe. I want him to be surprised.”
    Grace assur ed her that she wouldn’t tell a soul.
    “ Although, I’m surprised he doesn’t already know. That secretary of his,” she said dismissively, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t already given it away.” She opened up the end table drawer. Picking up a bottle of lotion, she began slathering it on her arms. “I know that lush of a daughter of his found out somehow.” She looked at Grace as if noticing her for the first time. “Oh well, Franklin will be happy to see me. He’s been begging me to come home for the last three months.”
    Opening her mouth to ask how she enjoy ed her trip, Grace suddenly let out a squeal when she felt something wet and cold touch her ankle.
    Standing up, she bent over and look ed under the settee. Staring back at her was a rather large white rabbit. She watched as Belle reached around the other side in an attempt to capture the bunny quickly hopping away from her hands. There was a moment of confusion as Belle and Grace danced around one another trying to trap the animal.
    Finally capturing the errant bunny, Belle cuddl ed him to her chest. “There you are. I have been looking for you all day.”
    Grace walked over to the bunny and asked if she could pet him. Instead, Belle pushed the bunny into her arms. “His name is Abry. Short for abracadabra. Don’t let him go. I keep losing him.”
    “ Of course,” Grace said, desperately trying to keep the squiggling rabbit in her arms.
    “ Since when does Ilya use a rabbit in his act?” Lily asked, touching up her make-up.
    “ He doesn’t. He’s not a performing rabbit. He’s a pet. I’m just rabbit sitting for my brother.” Belle reached down and nuzzled the bunny’s face with her own.
    “ Has your father tracked him down, yet?”
    Turning to Lily, Belle said, “Yes, but don’t bring it up to Papa. He’s not too happy right now.”
    “ Why? What did he do this time?”
    Belle look ed embarrassed. “He’s sitting in a Columbian jail.”
    “ Why am I not surprised?” Lily asked sarcastically.
    Still holding the squirming fifteen-pound bunny, Grace sank down to the settee. Just that second a hammering noise sounded from outside the door. Surprised, Grace loosened her grip on the bunny, giving him the chance to hop out of her hands. He raced around the settee. Not wanting him to get lost, Grace clumsily chased after him.
    “ It’s not his fault,” Belle said defensively. “I’m not sure what happened, but apparently he tried to put on a show and the building accidentally caught on fire. No one got hurt,” she said quickly. “It was an accident. He tried to contain it, but the owners dragged him away and let the place burn down. Papa said the investigator he hired, told him that the owners encouraged the fire act, and then set the place up to burn on purpose. They were trying to collect the fire insurance. It was really their fault that it burnt to the ground.”
    “ So, why is he in jail?” Lily asked.
    Grace was half listening to their conversation as she chased the bunny behind the dressing screen.
    “ Well, by the time the investigator gave the police his findings, and they had decided to let him go, he escaped.”
    Lily groan ed.
    Finally corn ering the bunny, Grace carefully reached over and picked him up, only to have him squirm out of her arms again and hop under the dressing room table.
    “ That brought new charges. They caught him and he escaped again. Which brought more charges. Anyway, they have him under lock and key, and Papa said he is leaving him there. You know his temper. Papa told him not to leave, but . . .”
    Angrily Lily said, “They’re just alike. Bull headed. He can’t seriously leave his only son to rot in jail.”
    Her anger scar ed the bunny into hopping out of his