“Ah.” The woman glided closer. “How about fellow humans—can you abide their presence? Or do most strike you as rather . . . loud?” The situation was becoming more absurd by the moment. Mrs. Weldon nodded slowly. “It’s not the volume of their voices that bothers you, Lady Catriona, it is everything else they bring with them, the things unseen, the untouchable ones. Now, with some practice, someone like you could achieve remarkable things in the field of the occult. An open mind is of course required.”