The Wizard of Seattle Read Online Free PDF Page B

discreetly removed and sent home in a cab; Kane was carried out an hour ago.”
    “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Well, still, it won’t matter. He was so drunk, he’ll never be sure he didn’t stick the announcement in his pocket himself.”
    “I hope you’re right,” Merlin murmured.
    A bit unsettled by his frown, Serena said, “Richard, Kane’s a long way from the reporter he used to be. He hasn’t broken a story in fifteen years; I doubt he’d recognize one if it stood in front of him waving its arms. There’s no way he’ll get suspicious of me, I promise you.”
    “I hope you’re right,” Merlin repeated.
    The music changed smoothly just then, from a waltz to a much slower and more intimate beat. It enticed the dancers to move closer and speak in murmurs. The lights in the huge room, already fairly low, dimmed even more.
    Merlin automatically shifted his hold on Serena, drawing her a bit closer as their steps slowed. No observer was likely to have mistaken them for lovers even then, but their nearness made Serena struggle inwardly not to tense in his arms. She tried to avoid situations such as this one, maintaining their necessary charade in public by treating Richard exactly as a niece would treat the uncle who had virtually raised her, with affection and the gentle mockery that came with it.
    She was usually successful.
    Now she spoke quickly to keep her mind off the sensation of his hand at the small of her back, and his body too close to hers.
    “I’m surprised Kane’s the one you’re worried about, actually. I did a few other things tonight, you know.”
    “Yes, I know,” Merlin replied dryly. “Remind me to keep you away from champagne from now on. I’ll remind myself to keep a closer eye on you.”
    It was Serena’s turn to frown. “I don’t like the sound of that at all. I’m not a child anymore, Richard.”
    He didn’t meet her eyes, but gazed past her, and when he spoke, there was an odd note in his voice she couldn’t define. “Yes, I know that, as well. But you still lack control. Self-control, perhaps.”
    She felt ridiculously sulky. “I just wanted to help my friends. What’s wrong with that?”
    The childishness of her words and tone drew his gaze back to her face, and he smiled. “In the general scheme of things, nothing at all. But you can’t help everyone, Serena. Besides that, people are meant to solve their own problems, to use their own abilities, skills, and intelligence. I’ve tried to teach you that. I’ve tried to make you understand that we can’t cure the ills of the world.”
    Serena knew she still looked petulant; she could feel how far her bottom lip was sticking out. But she was honestly perplexed. “I don’t see why we can’t
try
. I mean, what’s so awful about me finding a lost ring for Thomas, or … or boosting Maggie’s confidence before a big meeting, or fixing it so that Chris doesn’t get the flu next week?”
    Only the last part of the demand prompted Merlin’s concern. “The flu? Serena, you aren’t ready to heal yet.”
    “I didn’t do anything major,” she repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time this evening. “And it wasn’t really healing, since he isn’t sick yet. I just made the virus inert, that’s all.”
    Looking stern, Merlin said, “You must promise me to never again attempt any kind of healing until I say you’re ready. It’s the most complex skill you’ll ever learn, and demands a great deal more knowledge of human biology than you have yet.”
    Sobered by his grave tone, she nodded. “All right, I promise.”
    He relaxed visibly. Though she was a sometimes difficult pupil, Serena’s word was as good as gold.
    “But what if I’ve already screwed up?” she went on, worried now. “I might have given poor Chris the bubonic plague or something even worse.”
    “I doubt it. But I’ll check him before we leave, just to make sure.”
    The band finished with a flourish then, and they went back to