An hour later, when Juliette reached Coogee, she stopped off at a café to grab a fresh bottle of water and something to eat, then she crossed the road and found a spot on the beach. At first she stood still, facing the water, but after a few minutes, she took a deep breath, and then she turned away from the ocean and allowed her eyes to take in the sight of her old building. It took a few seconds, but eventually she figured out which balcony was her old one and when she rested her eyes on it, something twinged at the edges of her memory – but almost immediately it vanished. Juliette felt a sense of relief as she realised that she wasn’t becoming overwhelmed with grief, but instead was feeling fond nostalgia as she let the memories of her old life wash over her.
She sat down on the beach, drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on the tops of her knees. As she sat still, looking back out towards the ocean now, Juliette allowed her mind to wander. She thought back to those first days after Danny had died. The lead-up to her becoming so reclusive. Usually, she didn’t like to think about it much, didn’t want to question her motivations back in those days when her world had become so dark and enclosed. When she had closed herself off from absolutely everybody, had tried to shut out even her own family. She had the feeling that she might start to get lost in an obsession to find the truth about what had happened to her – and she knew that wouldn’t be good for her.
‘Hey. You want some company?’
Juliette looked up, trying to ascertain where the voice had come from. She placed one hand above her eyes so that she didn’t have to squint into the sunshine and she saw a man standing in front of her, smiling down at her. He was instantly familiar, but she just didn’t have any idea how.
She considered declining. After all, today was supposed to be about remembering Danny – but she suddenly felt that yes, actually, some company might be nice. So she shrugged and nodded.
‘Why not?’ she said.
The guy sat down next to her and held out a hand.
‘I don’t know if you remember me,’ he said. ‘I’m Chris, I used to work at Pages & Chapters Bookstore.’
‘Oh, of course,’ she replied, shaking his hand. ‘I’m Juliette.’
‘I know,’ replied Chris with a grin. ‘So … how are you doing these days? The last time I saw you, I guess you didn’t seem too well.’
Juliette couldn’t think when the last time she would have seen Chris was, or what he was talking about, but she could guess that it had been at some point during her breakdown.
‘I’m doing well, thanks,’ she said. ‘Much, much better than I was.’
‘Do you still live back there?’ Chris asked and he jerked his head towards Juliette’s old apartment block
‘No, I moved out, well, about a year ago now.’
‘My mate moved out too. In fact, his place was on the same floor as yours … directly opposite you, across the courtyard.’
As Chris spoke, a memory sparked in Juliette’s mind and an image flashed across her thoughts. She saw herself dancing, outside in the night and she saw someone watching her, from across the courtyard. As though she couldn’t stop herself, she blurted out, ‘That was you that I danced in front of, wasn’t it?’ her face beginning to flush with embarrassment.
Instantly, Chris’s skin flushed as well.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to see you. I was crashing at my friend’s place and I went out on the balcony for some fresh air. Anyway, I should have looked away, that was obviously a private moment between you and that guy.’
‘What do you mean?’ Juliette asked. ‘I was alone.’
‘No, I’m pretty sure there was a guy with you, holding you in his arms. He was hard to see, I think maybe he was hidden by the shadows – but he was tall, maybe sort of curly hair. Is he your partner?’
Juliette could feel her heart hammering in her chest. A flood of memories was pouring through her mind. She and Danny, together again inside that apartment, making love, sleeping together, cooking together. And then that night, when she had gone out onto the balcony. She had been going to kill herself, to reunite herself with Danny for good. She remembered it all now, she remembered how Danny had saved her, how he had pulled her to safety and then kissed her goodbye before finally moving on. She had thought it was all part of some far-off dream – but now she knew that it wasn’t. That it was much, much more than that. It was her final goodbye to her husband. Their last dance together.
She smiled at Chris as the tears pricked the back of her eyes.
‘No,’ she said. ‘He was someone from my old life. But he’s gone now.’
She paused as she let out a breath of air that she hadn’t even realised she’d been holding onto.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘For what?’
‘For giving me back a memory that I’d thought I’d lost forever.’
Chris looked slightly confused, but he nodded.
‘No problem,’ he said.
There was another moment of silence and then Chris spoke again.
‘Juliette?’ he asked. ‘I have to admit something to you. I sort of used to have this crush on you. I mean, it was crazy, I didn’t even know you that well, apart from a couple of book deliveries and seeing you on your balcony from time to time – it’s embarrassing really. But well, could I take you out for dinner some time?’
Juliette turned to look at Chris, at his hopeful expression, at the warmth in his eyes.
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Probably.’
About the Author
Nicola Moriarty lives in Sydney’s north west with her husband and two small daughters. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can’t seem to stop. She has published two novels – Free-Falling and Paper Chains. Captivation is her first visit to the world of supernatural romance.
See the whole collection! Visit
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/randomromance/
Avery
by Charlotte McConaghy
The people of Kaya die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does too. So it has been for thousands of years – until Ava.
For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava’s soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava’s plan is interrupted when she is captured by the deadly prince of her enemies.
Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true …
In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves … even when she’s his vengeful enemy?
Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds.
Available now!
Anybody But Him
by Claire Baxter
What happens when you fall in love with the man you hate?
Nicola Doyle’s dating record is a disaster, and it doesn’t improve when she returns to Redgum Valley, after an absence of twelve years, to look after her increasingly eccentric parents. There, she’s thrown into regular contact with Blair Morrissey – the very reason she couldn’t wait to leave town in the first place.
The decade-old scars are still raw from that humiliating day in high school – when Blair went from the boy she loved to the boy she hated.
Except Blair doesn’t seem to be a ‘bad boy’ any more – in fact, he’s charming, infuriatingly helpful and extremely attractive.
If only Nicola could forgive and forget …
A deliciously funny rom com from Random Romance.
Available now!
Free-Falling
by Nicola Moriarty
Free-Falling by Nicola Moriarty is a beguiling tr
agic-romantic comedy - of heartbreak and heroism, grief and ghostly dreams …
The Fiancee: Belinda’s life is in free-fall after the sudden death of her fiancé Andy. But then ghostly signs begin to appear which suggest he might not really be gone. And Belinda begins to tumble even further.
Will his final parting gift be enough to save her?
The Mother: Evelyn McGavin, Andy’s mum, is also struggling. She copes with her sorrow by shoplifting (once), hating Belinda (constantly) and jumping out of a plane. In her skydiving instructor, Baz, she finds an unexpected friend. But why is he so agitated when he hears how Andy died?
Two women, united in their loss, separated by their grief. And yet still linked in a most unexpected way …
Available now!
Paper Chains
by Nicola Moriarty
A heart-warming story of family, friendship and forgiveness - and the crazy twists of fate that shape our lives …
Hannah and India are new best friends. Although true friendship means always telling each other the truth, doesn’t it …?
Hannah, you see, is running from her life back in Sydney. Now in London, she’s trying to put the past behind her, and finding this amazing new friend is a positive step forward. If only she could stop punishing herself for what she did.
India knows Hannah is hiding something big, and she’s determined to figure it out. Fast.
Because India has a secret of her own … One that is currently sealed in a love letter that’s making its journey across Europe in the most unconventional way.
Before it reaches its destination, can India help Hannah learn to forgive herself?
And will Hannah wake up and realise that India needs rescuing too …?
Available now!
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Captivation
9781742758336
Copyright © Nicola Moriarty, 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random Romance book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060
www.randomhouse.com.au
Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/about/contacts.aspx
First published by Random Romance in 2013
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Nicola Moriarty.
Captivation [electronic resource]/Nicola Moriarty.
ISBN 9781742758336 (ebook)
Ghost stories.
A823.4
Cover image © Yuri_Arcurs/iStockphoto
Cover design by Cathie Glassby
Ebook by First Source
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Loved the book?
* * *
Join thousands of other readers online at
AUSTRALIAN READERS:
randomhouse.com.au/talk
NEW ZEALAND READERS:
randomhouse.co.nz/talk
* * *
Table of Contents
About the Book
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
About the Author
More Random Romance
Also by the Author
Copyright Notice
Loved the book?
Captivation Page 10