The Book of Life

"Ghosts didn't have much substance; they were composed only of memories and heart. Atop one of Sept-Tours' round towers, Emily Mather pressed a diaphanous hand against the spot in the center of her chest that even now was heavy with dread.
Does it ever get easier? Her voice, like the rest of her, was almost imperceptible. The watching? The waiting? The knowing?
Not that I've noticed, Philippe de Clermont replied shortly. He was perched nearby, studying his own transparent fingers.
Emily's face fell, and Philippe silently cursed himself. Since she'd died, the witch had been his constant companion, cutting his loneliness in two.
Perhaps it will be easier when they don't need us anymore, Philippe said more gently. He might be the more experienced ghost, but it was Emily who understood the metaphysics of their situation. What the witch had told him went against everything Philippe believed about the Afterworld.
Diana's warm alto floated up to the battlements. Diana and Matthew, Emilyand Philippe said in unison, peering down on the cobbled courtyard that surrounded the ch
teau.
There, Philippe said, pointing at the drive. Even dead, his vampire sight was sharper than any human's. He was also still more handsome than any man had a right to be, with his broad shoulders and devilish grin. He turned the latter on Emily, who couldn't help grinning back. They are a fine couple, are they not? Look how much my son has changed.
Vampires weren't supposed to be altered by the passing of time, and so Emily expected to see the same black hair, so dark it glinted blue; the same celadon eyes, cool and remote as a winter sea; the same pale skin and wide mouth. There were a few subtle differences though, as Philippe suggested. Matthew's hair was shorter, and he had a beard that made him look even more dangerous, like a pirate. She gasped.
Is Matthew -bigger? ... Diana looks different, too. More like her mother, with that long coppery hair.
Diana stumbled on a cobblestone and

Deborah Harkness ist Professorin für europäische Geschichte an der University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Für ihre wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten erhielt sie bereits mehrfach Stipendien und Auszeichnungen. Sie schreibt außerdem ein preisgekröntes Wein-Blog.