by Michelle Cox
She looked at Clive now almost as a way of distracting herself, but he was still staring out at the sea. And, as usual, as if he had been just reading her mind, he turned to look at her and suddenly spoke. “You were right. It was a woman.”
“What?” she asked, surprised.
“Wallace’s mystery.”
“Oh, that. Well. I hope they’re okay. I wonder if the baby has come yet.”
Clive did not respond but looked out at the sea again.
“I gave Foley a thousand pounds,” he said over the roar of the wind.
Henrietta looked at him again in surprise. This is certainly not what she had imagined he would say at this moment.
He told her then about Foley and his request for money and its purpose. Henrietta was not sure what to be more stunned by, Bertram Foley’s exploits or his audacity in asking Clive for help.
“So … you gave it to him?” Henrietta asked tentatively.
“I did. Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” she asked, her own feelings of hurt hovering dangerously near.
“I don’t know,” he said emotionlessly. “Forgive me.”
It was Henrietta’s turn now to stare out at the icy waves.
“You realize, don’t you,” he said softly, “that nothing will ever be the same now. It’s the end of just being Clive and Henrietta, the end of our dreams of something different …”
“No, it’s not,” she said, putting her hand on top of his on the railing. “It’s just the beginning. I promise … wait and see.”
Clive looked at her, his eyes brimming with tears, the first tears she had seen since they received the horrible, sad news.
Clive roughly clutched her to him. His father’s words regarding Henrietta in his final letter came back to him and filled him with such a feeling of longing and regret that he felt he might die, too.
“Oh, Henrietta, I love you so much,” he whispered into her hair as he held her to him and daringly allowed his heart to hope that she might, after all, be right.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all who helped to put together this third volume in what is turning out to be a—somewhat accidentally—longish series. The list of people who labor to bring a book into the world is immense, and there are many who work behind the scenes on my, or rather, Henrietta and Clive’s behalf. To all of you, I offer my genuine gratitude and praise. You are all wonderful experts in your field.
There are a few people, in particular, however, whom I would like to thank especially. The first, of course, would be my publisher, Brooke Warner, of She Writes Press, who continues to lead forth her tribe of authors with fierce vision and decided grace. You are a trailblazer extraordinaire! Thank you for what has become a lovely partnership.
Second, of course, is the very talented, Lauren Wise, who shepherds my books from tattered manuscript all the way through to the lovely copy you now hold—and beyond, actually! Thank you, Lauren, for all the support and encouragement you give and for answering frazzled emails with such patience.
Another big thank you goes out to Crystal Patriarche and her dedicated team at BookSparks, who help to get my books into the wider world. You are a very talented and savvy group of publicists, and I am honored to work alongside of you!
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Yolanda Facio, who manages my website and my subscriber lists, posts my blog and generally answers any social media issues I might have. She is a real time-saver, not to mention a font of great ideas, and I am grateful to also call her, I hope, a friend.
And then, of course, we have the usual suspects, my family and friends who pose as beta readers and comb through various versions of the book looking for errors or plot points that don’t make sense. My only regret in using their generous services is that they—the ones whose opinions mean the very most to me—are stuck reading the crappy versions of what eventually becomes, dare I say, a polished work. Alas. So I will take this space to especially thank: Marcy, Liz, Amy, Margaret, Otto, Susan, Wally, Carmi, Kari, and Rebecca for your willingness to wade through the muck. I hope that being the first to “find out what happens next” is worth the sloppiness in which it’s uncovered. Also, I’d like to thank my newest recruit, Paul Cox, for your careful reading of my ARC!
Lastly, I again thank you, Phil, for helping me to succeed in a thousand little ways, of which perhaps only you are aware. I know you didn’t sign on for the huge process this book-writing thing has become, but I want you to know, I feel it deeply. Thank you, with all my heart.
About the Author
Michelle Cox holds a B.A. in English literature from Mundelein College, Chicago, and is the author of the award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series, as well as the weekly “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents.
Cox lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and three children and is currently hard at work on Book 4 of the series. In her vast free time, she also sits on the Board of the prestigious Society of Midland Authors and is a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books.
SELECTED TITLES FROM SHE WRITES PRESS
She Writes Press is an independent publishing company
founded to serve women writers everywhere.
Visit us at www.shewritespress.com.
A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox
$16.95, 978-1-63152-016-7
When the floor matron at the dance hall where Henrietta works as a taxi dancer turns up dead, aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene—and convinces Henrietta to go undercover for him, plunging her into Chicago’s gritty underworld.
A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox
$16.95, 978-1-63152-196-6
The next exciting installment of the Henrietta and Inspector Clive series, in which Clive reveals that he is actually the heir of the Howard estate and fortune, Henrietta discovers she may not be who she thought she was—and both must decide if they are really meant for each other.
The Great Bravura by Jill Dearman
$16.95, 978-1-63152-989-4
Who killed Susie—or did she actually disappear? The Great Bravura, a dashing lesbian magician living in a fantastical and noirish 1947 New York City, must solve this mystery—before she goes to the electric chair.
After Midnight by Diane Shute-Sepahpour
$16.95, 978-1-63152-913-9
When horse breeder Alix is forced to temporarily swap places with her estranged twin sister—the wife of an English lord—her forgotten past begins to resurface.
In the Shadow of Lies: A Mystery Novel by M. A. Adler
$16.95, 978-1-938314-82-7
As World War II comes to a close, homicide detective Oliver Wright returns home—only to find himself caught up in the investigation of a complicated murder case rife with racial tensions.
Just the Facts by Ellen Sherman
$16.95, 978-1-63152-993-1
The seventies come alive in this poignant and humorous story of a fearful rookie reporter at a small-town newspaper who uncovers a big-time scandal.