by Emma Newman
“Hardly a capital offence!”
“Yes, but he would be alive now if he’d kept to himself. And in my humble opinion, your safety and well-being are far more important.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she fiddled with the lace on her cuff.
“Besides,” Hopkins said, leaning back to look out of the window instead, “the mills are not the only pie that Ledbetter has his finger in. I’ve come across something I’d like to look into with you, if you’re amenable?” When she gave an enthusiastic nod, he leaned forwards again, an excited twinkle in his eye. “I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I have a feeling that the syphoning off of spiritual energy has something to do with a ‘Project 84.’”
Charlotte jolted. “I forgot about that! He had a file with him and I managed to peep inside while he talked to the policeman. It had ‘Project 84’ written on it and then . . . oh, what was it? And ‘Progress report: Carnforth Hall’ written underneath.”
Hopkins looked at her as if she had just presented him with a diamond. “Miss Gunn, you never cease to surprise me! Excellent work! I shall look into that right away!” He took both of her hands and kissed them. “Well done,” he said, giving them a gentle squeeze before letting go.
Charlotte was glad to be back in her heavy petticoats and crinoline. Without them, she feared she would have floated up to the ceiling and been forced to stay there for the remainder of the journey. As it was, duly weighted down, she and Hopkins spent a good portion of the trip back to London picking apart the events in the mill, her brother’s prospects and what could be done to stop her from turning wild. She almost asked him about whether it was true that she could have been responsible for the deaths of their neighbours, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Charlotte didn’t want to think about it, nor mention anything that might take the light from his eyes as he spoke to her.
At the last stop before Euston, he kissed her hand one last time. “I should sit in a different compartment, Miss Gunn. As much as enjoy your company, I think it would be unwise for your father to see us travelling together. But I will see you in Covent Garden the day after tomorrow, yes?”
“Yes, of course,” she’d said, and kept a smile on her face until she was alone again. She slumped in the corner, suddenly bereft. It was the longest she’d ever spent in his company and he’d laughed and smiled far more than ever before. It must be the relief, she thought. It couldn’t possibly be anything else.
As the train pulled into Euston, Charlotte retied the bow on her bonnet and smoothed her dress. She pinched her cheeks, not wanting her father to see how pale she was, and opened the door’s window as the train came to a stop.
“Charlotte!”
But that wasn’t her father! George’s voice came to her through the crowd and she waved happily when she caught sight of him. He looked so happy to see her! He came to the door and opened it for her, helping her out to embrace her. She winced at the contact with her bruises, but hid it well enough. “George, darling! What a lovely surprise! I’ve missed you so!”
“Charlotte, I have the most wonderful news,” he said, holding her at arm’s length so he could see her face. “I’ve been promoted! I am now officially a fully qualified registrar. We can marry!”
Mirroring her delighted smile, he embraced her again, this time lifting her into the air in his joy. Over his shoulder, she saw Magus Hopkins alight from the train. He gave her the briefest smile and looked away, plunging into the crowd and out of sight.
It felt like he was pulling something with him, right out of her chest. For one fanciful moment, she even considered running after him, but to what end? What was she thinking?
George set her down and she reached up to cup his face in her hands, reminding herself of what she had and what she was fighting so hard to keep. She saw the happiness and kindness in his eyes, felt his steady strength radiating from him. “I am so proud of you, my darling,” she said. “And I am so happy. Let’s go tell Mother and Father. We shall raise a glass to celebrate.”
“We can discuss the wedding with them,” George said, pulling her bag from the compartment.
“I could want nothing more,” she answered, forcing herself to focus on him, so her traitorous eyes stopped scanning the crowd for a last glimpse of burgundy. “Nothing more at all.”
About the Author
Photograph by Lou Abercrombie
EMMA NEWMAN writes dark short stories and science fiction and urban fantasy novels. She won the British Fantasy Society Best Short Story Award 2015, and Between Two Thorns, the first book in Emma’s Split Worlds urban fantasy series, was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Best Novel and Best Newcomer 2014 awards. Her first science fiction novel, Planetfall, was published by Roc in 2015, and her second, After Atlas, was short-listed for the 2017 Arthur C Clarke Award. Emma is an audiobook narrator and also cowrites and hosts the Hugo-nominated, Alfie Award–winning podcast Tea and Jeopardy, which involves tea, cake, mild peril and singing chickens. Her hobbies include dressmaking and playing RPGs. She blogs at www.enewman.co.uk and can be found as @emapocalyptic on Twitter.
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Also by Emma Newman
Brother’s Ruin
Planetfall
After Atlas
From Dark Places (collection)
THE SPLIT WORLDS SERIES
Between Two Thorns
Any Other Name
All Is Fair
A Little Knowledge
All Good Things
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
Also by Emma Newman
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novella are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
WEAVER’S LAMENT
Copyright © 2017 by Emma Newman
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration by Cliff Nielsen
Cover design by Christine Foltzer
Edited by Lee Harris
A Tor.com Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark ofMacmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
ISBN 978-0-7653-9410-1 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-7653-9411-8 (trade paperback)
First Edition: October 2017
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
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