A Treason of Thorns
Page 29
By the time we reach the front gate of Burleigh House, my stomach is wild with nerves, though I’m not sure why. Wyn, who always knows when I’m anxious, reaches out and takes my hand. His skin is warm and soft and yielding, and a little frisson of sparks tingles between our fingers. Touching him feels uncommonly like magic—not the cold bite of mortar but a lush, living magic. A magic of our own making, that is full of beginnings, and possibility.
The iron-wrought gate opens before us, restored and free of briars. Burleigh House lies at the end of the drive, a ruin no longer, every line of it gracious and inviting. A few lights already burn inside. The jacaranda tree sways gently, blooming in spite of the weather. It’s all purple shadows and mystery in the moonlight.
I press a hand to the cool stone of the wall, and think of everything I’ve lost and won, everything I’ve given for this House that now radiates calm and well-being.
It’s alright, Violet Sterling, Burleigh seems to say. It’s alright.
Letting out a trembling breath, I turn to Wyn.
“I think—I think I’m for me now,” I tell him. “Not Burleigh House. But sometimes I’m for you, too.”
Wyn smiles.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he manages to get out before I kiss him.
Presently, he takes my hand again and we carry on past Burleigh’s walls, into open countryside on the way to Taunton.
“Well, Vi,” Wyn says. “Where are we going?”
“Did you know I own a cottage and a boat, in Lincolnshire?” I ask. “They’re the only things in the world that really belong to me.”
“I belong to you,” Wyn says.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We belong to ourselves. Have you ever been spearfishing?”
“No.”
“It’s not hard. I’ll teach you.”
“I would like that very much.”
Acknowledgments
Much like a Great House, every book requires a small army to build and tend it. In the case of this one, I’m eternally grateful to Alice Jerman, the chief architect of Burleigh and Vi’s story. She saw potential in this book, loved its magic, and cast the vision for what it could be. Alice, you push me to be better, and I can never write a scene now without having you ask in my head “But what are they feeling?” Thank you for your countless instances of help and insight and support.
None of my books see the light of day without input from the tenacious, brilliant, indispensable Lauren Spieller. She read this as the draftiest possible draft and helped steer it in the right direction. Lauren, I promise to try and write books with middles and plots provided you’ll promise to let me think I’m right once a year (even if I’m actually wrong).
Thanks also to Clare Vaughn, my editor’s assistant, who handles a lot of minutiae on the back end of publication and is a joy to work with; to Jackie Burke, my lovely publicist, who ensures readers hear about the books I write; to the early readers of A Treason of Thorns who provided invaluable advice and encouragement—Bethany Morrow, Al Rosenberg, Steph Messa, Jen Fulmer, Hannah Whitten, Joanna Meyer, and Anna Schafer; to everyone at Triada US Agency who works so tirelessly on behalf of their authors, especially Uwe Stender, for putting together such a wonderful team, and Brent Taylor, for keeping track of foreign rights.
And on a more personal note, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped me navigate the labyrinth of writing a second book. This means you, Pod, and you, Steph, who made this idea a book in the first place. Truly, I have found my people. Thanks also to Ashley, my most enthusiastic cheerleader; to Mom, my one and only alpha reader/child-minder/laundry-folder/anything I need as I need it; to Tyler, who is the best partner I could have on this journey in every regard; and to my girls, who are the reason I do this in the first place.
If you’re reading this book because you loved The Light Between Worlds and have been with me from the start, thank you. My readers mean the world to me—I cherish each and every word of encouragement from you that comes my way.
Last of all, it may seem a little silly to thank a House, but in this case it only makes sense. Thanks to Weymouth Manor, my ridiculous, rambling, good-natured home, that grows flowers beneath the snow in December, turns that one light on and off to say hello, loves us all, and can never quite bring itself to grow a vegetable.
About the Author
Photo credit LISA HANEY
LAURA E. WEYMOUTH was born and raised in Ontario; she now lives in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, a spoiled cat, and an indeterminate number of chickens. She is also the author of critically acclaimed The Light Between Worlds and can be found online at www.lauraeweymouth.com.
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Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
A TREASON OF THORNS. Copyright © 2019 by Laura E. Weymouth. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2018 by Garrigosa Studios
Cover design by Jessie Gang
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Weymouth, Laura E., author.
Title: A treason of thorns / Laura E. Weymouth.
Description: New York, NY : HarperTeen, 2019. | Summary: When seventeen-year-old Violet Sterling returns to Burleigh House after years in exile, Burleigh’s magic is tormented, ravaging the countryside, and she must strive to save her house before it destroys her.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019021074 | ISBN 978-0-06-269690-8 (hardback)
Subjects: | CYAC: Magic—Fiction. | Houses—Fiction. | Treason—Fiction. | Fantasy.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.W43757 Tre 2019 | DDC [Fic]--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019021074
* * *
Digital Edition SEPTEMBER 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-269692-2
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-269690-8
1920212223PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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