Shadows in Time
Page 39
“I had to pawn her sapphire necklace for passage on this ship.” She spread a hand to indicate the tiny room. “This is not grand, but it’s better than being in steerage.”
“What pawn shop?”
“Crane Treasures on Blackfriar Lane.”
“Okay.” Kendra tucked the box under her arm and let the trunk’s lid fall shut. As much as she hated the netting, she put on the bonnet and pulled the veil over her face again. “I wish you luck on your new adventure, Mrs. Garcia Desoto, or Mrs. Martinez, or whatever your name really is.”
“Wait!” Carlotta’s eyes went wide. “Are you… you’re letting me go? Why?”
“I hadn’t intended to, you know. But you’re right. I’ve been very fortunate.” Kendra opened the door, glancing back. “Good luck in America.”
* * *
“You let her go?” Alec lifted an eyebrow as Kendra settled on the carriage seat across from him and pushed up her veil. “Because the Duke wanted you to?”
“Because she reminded me how lucky I am, and how others aren’t so lucky,” she replied. “I have Lady Atwood’s jewels. Most of them, anyway. We need to stop at Crane Treasures pawn shop on Blackfriar Lane. She sold a necklace to buy her ticket on the ship.”
Alec knocked on the ceiling to get his coachman’s attention, ordering him to travel to the pawn shop. As the carriage jerked forward, he looked at her. “What about the other items that she stole? There were more than jewels.”
“They can be replaced. She can’t arrive in America completely penniless.”
“Your soft heart is showing, Miss Donovan.”
“Shut up.”
He laughed, snagged her wrist, and pulled her over to his side of the carriage. “Are you ever going to ask me to marry you again?”
She stared at him in surprise. “You want me to ask you?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you the one who should be asking me?”
“I have, and you have always said no.” He brushed his lips against hers, smiling. “I have decided that ours has never been a conventional relationship, and if I ever do marry you, we will not have a conventional life. So, we might as well start how we shall go on.”
She laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“But I am. You asked me to marry you before and I foolishly wasted that opportunity to say yes. I shan’t waste any more opportunities.” He lifted his hands to frame her face. “Do you love me?”
The breath caught in Kendra’s throat. “Yes.”
“And I love you. Well, then? Do you have something to ask me?”
A rush of feeling rose up to swamp Kendra. She thought of the moment she believed he’d been shot. I almost lost him. Tears pricked her eyes, which both stunned and baffled her. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of an abyss, a moment that would change her life irrevocably. She swallowed against the hot lump that had become lodged in her throat.
“Alec, will you marry me?”
“My God.” He lowered his lips to hers and breathed, “It’s about time…”
Acknowledgments
It is always a little bit daunting to begin a writing journey. Thankfully, I am never alone on this endeavor. As always, I am more grateful than I can say for Jill Grosjean, agent extraordinaire, and the wonderful team at Pegasus. Katie McGuire has once again proven herself to be the consummate editor with an unerring eye and fresh perspective, and I am truly grateful for the support of my publisher, Claiborne Hancock. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Deter Thornton, whose artistic vision for the covers continue to wow me.
I also consider myself to be the luckiest of women to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends. Bonnie McCarthy, Karre Jacobs, and Lori McCallister, you have been there since the beginning and continue to uplift me. And a big thank you to Olga Grimalt, who has been involved in California’s bilingual school programs and was my go-to gal for anything related to the Spanish language and culture, and Lesley Smith, who never fails to impress me with her many talents. Also, a big shout-out to Ethan McCarthy, who is juggling being an EMT with his studies in microbiology at UCLA, and yet always found the time to answer my questions involving anything gruesome and gory.
I was hoping to be more hands-on in my research of breweries, but ended up delving into books, blogs and websites instead of a pub crawl like I had initially envisioned. Still, it’s always wonderful to do firsthand research by interviewing experts. I was fortunate enough to speak with Jeffrey A. Savoye, who runs the Edgar Allan Poe Society in Baltimore. While Poe has only a brief cameo in the book, I appreciate the time Mr. Savoye spent talking to me about the literary genius. I am eternally grateful to librarians, who have given me such strong support over the years, and my wonderful readers, many of whom have reached out to me via Facebook and social media to say the nicest things and even help expand my knowledge on certain subjects. I want to thank Gail Soleski for pointing out to me that “reins” are used when one is on a horse, but “lines” are used when one is driving a carriage or some other conveyance. These little details are invaluable to a writer. As always, any errors are mine and mine alone.
Throughout the years, I have been fortunate to visit the Tower of London, so I was aware of its history with the Royal Menagerie. Still, I always learn new things in my research, such as how the Menagerie once allowed their visitors to mingle freely with the monkeys. Sadly, the story of the small child being attacked is true, and it prompted the zookeepers to change the exhibit. However, decorating the monkeys’ habitat like a London drawing room came purely from my imagination. Similarly, I took creative license in closing the distance between London and the villages of Cookham and Maidenhead. In modern times, it doesn’t take long for someone to travel that distance. Yet in the Regency period, it would have taken a couple of hours by carriage. As I didn’t want Kendra to spend most of her time in a carriage, I used a little writer’s magic and shortened the distance.
About the Author
JULIE McELWAIN has freelanced for numerous publications, from professional photography magazines to those following the fashion industry. Her other Kendra Donovan mysteries—A Murder in Time, A Twist in Time, Caught in Time, and Betrayal in Time—are also available from Pegasus Crime. Julie lives in Long Beach, CA.
ALSO BY JULIE McELWAIN
A Murder in Time
A Twist in Time
Caught in Time
Betrayal in Time
SHADOWS IN TIME
Pegasus Crime is an imprint of
Pegasus Books Ltd.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2020 by Julie McElwain
First Pegasus Books edition August 2020
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.
Imagery by Arcangle and Shutterstock
Author photo by Bonnie McCarthy
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-64313-474-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-64313-475-8
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
www.pegasusbooks.us
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