Her mistake was that then she looked at him. Andit all happened again. Not quite as vividly as before, maybe because she wasn't touching him. But the electric shock feeling was the same.
Andhelooked like a cat who's had a shock. Bristling. Unhappy. Astonished. Well, at least he wasawake, Mary-Lynnette thought. He and Mary-Lynnettestared at each other while the room spun andturned pink.
"Whoare you?" Mary-Lynnette said, abandoning any vestige of politeness.
"Who areyou?" he said, in just about exactly the same tone.
They both glared.
Claudine was making little clicking noises with her tongue and clearing away the tomato juice. Mary Lynnette felt distantly sorry for her, but couldn'tspare her any attention. Mary-Lynnette's whole consciousness was focused on the guy in front of her; on fighting him, on blocking him out. On getting rid of this bizarre feeling that she was one of two puzzle pieces that had just been snapped together.
"Now, look," she said tensely, at the precise moment that he began brusquely, "Look-"
They both stopped and glared again. Then Mary-Lynnette managed to tear her eyes away. Something was tugging at her mind... .
"Ash," she said, getting hold of it."Ash. Mrs. Burdockdid say something about you ... about a littleboy named Ash. I didn't know she was talking abouther nephew."
"Great-nephew," Ash said, his voice not quite steady. "What did she say?"
"She said that you were a bad little boy, and that you were probably going to grow up even worse."
"Well, she had thatright," Ash said, and his ex pression softened a bit-as if he were on more familiar ground.
Mary-Lynnette's heart was slowing. She found thatif she concentrated, she could make the strange feel ings recede. It helped if she looked away from Ash.
Deep breath, she told herself. And another. Okay,now let's get things straight. Let go of what just hap pened; forget all that; think about it later. What's important now?
What was important nowwas that: 1) This guy was the brother of those girls; 2) He might be in on whatever had happened to Mrs. B.; and, 3) If he wasn'tin on it, he might be able to help with some informa tion. Such as whether his aunt had left a will, and if so, who got the family jewels.
She glanced at Ash from the side of her eye. He definitely looked calmer. Hackles going down. Chest lifting more slowly. They were both switching gear.
"So Rowan and Kestrel and Jade are your sisters," she said, with all the polite nonchalance she could muster. "They seem nice."
"I didn't know you knew them," Claudine said,and Mary-Lynnette realized her stepmother was hovering in the doorway, petite shoulder against thedoorjamb, arms crossed, dishtowel in hand. "I told him you hadn't met them."
"Mark and I went over there yesterday," MaryLynnette said. And when she said it, something flashed in Ash's face--something there and gone before she could really analyze it. But it made her feelas ifshe were standing on the edge of a cliff in a cold wind.
Why? What could be wrong with mentioning she'd met the girls?
"You and Mark . . .and Mark would be-yourbrother?"
"That's right," Claudine said from the doorway.
"Any other brothers or sisters?"
Mary-Lynnette blinked. "What, you're taking a census?"
Ash did a bad imitation of his former lazy smile. "I just like to keep track of my sisters' friends."
Why?"To see if you approve or something?"
"Actually, yes." He did the smile again, with moresuccess. "We're an old-fashioned family. Very old-fashioned."
Mary-Lynnette's jaw dropped. Then, all at once,she felt happy. Now she didn't need to think about murders or pink rooms or what this guy knew. All she needed to think about was what she was goingto do to him.
"So you're an old-fashioned family," she said, moving a step forward.
Ash nodded.
"And you're in charge," Mary-Lynnette said.
"Well, out here. Back home, my father is."
"And you're just going to tell your sisters which friends they can have. Maybe you get to decide your aunt's friends, too?"
"Actually, I was just discussing that...."He waved a hand toward Claudine.
Yes, you were, Mary-Lynnette realized. She took another step toward Ash, who was still smiling.
"Oh, no," Claudine said. She flapped her dishtowelonce. "Don't smile."
"I like a girl with spirit," Ash offered, as if he'dworked hard on finding the most obnoxious thing possible to say. Then, with a sort of determined bravado, he winked, reached out, and chucked Mary-Lynnette under the chin.
Fzzz! Sparks. Mary-Lynnette sprang back. So didAsh, looking at his own hand as if it had betrayed him.
Mary-Lynnette had an inexplicable impulse to knock Ash flat and fall down on top of him. She'd never felt that for any boy before.
She ignored the impulse and kicked him in the shin.
He yelped and hopped backward. Once again the sleepy smugness was gone from his face. He looked alarmed.
"I think you'd better go away now," Mary-Lynnette said pleasantly. She was amazed at herself.
She'd never been the violent type. Maybe there werethings hidden deep inside her that she'd never suspected.
Claudine was gasping and shaking her head. Ashwas still hopping, but not going anywhere. MaryLynnette advanced on him again. Even though he was half a head taller, he backed up. He stared at her in something like wonder.
"Hey. Hey, look, you know, you really don't knowwhat you're doing," he said. "If you knew..."
AndMary-Lynnette saw it again-something in his face that made him suddenly look not fatuous or amiable at all. Like the glitter of a knife blade in the light. Something that saiddanger... .
"Oh, go bother someone else, " Mary-Lynnette said. She drew back her foot for another kick.
He opened his mouth, then shut it. Still holding his shin, he looked at Claudine and managed a hurt and miserable flirtatious smile.
"Thanks so much for all your-"
"Go!"
He lost the smile. "That's what I'm doingl" He limped to the front door. She followed him.
"What do they call you, anyway?" he asked from the front yard, as if he'd finally found the comebackhe'd been looking for. "Mary? Marylin? M'lin?
M.L.?"