‘I don’t know anybody called Ben,’ she said, laying down her iron and reaching for her glasses. Her voice was still strong for her age.
We think history is in the past, but it’s closer to us than we realise. Ben was looking at the daughter of Kitty Kelly. By the look of her she must have been born around 1930, when Kitty was young, not too many years after Violet had quit the Forty Elephants and fled London. Orla O’Casey was in pretty good shape and had obviously been a spectacular beauty, back in her day. Now Ben could see where the granddaughter had got it from.
‘Mrs O’Casey, my name’s Ben Hope. You’re right, you don’t know me. But I have something here for you.’
He handed her the slim book. She took it, removed her glasses and held it close to examine it. ‘What is this?’
‘It’s a story,’ Ben said. ‘The story of your mother’s best friend. Her name was Violet.’
The name triggered the old woman’s memory, still sharp as a knife. ‘Violet Littleton,’ she said. ‘My mam used to talk about her all the time. They were like sisters once. Then Violet left without a word and never got in touch again. It broke her heart.’
‘It broke Violet’s, too,’ Ben said. ‘She’d have wanted Kitty to know why she had to go away. This would have helped your mother to understand. Now it’s yours. It’s only right that it should end up in your family. It has no other home to go to. Not any more.’
‘It was nice meeting you, Ben Hope,’ Shannon said at the tea room door as he was leaving. ‘You sure you don’t want a coffee or something?’
‘Nice to meet you too, Shannon,’ he replied, and started walking.
He looked back after twenty paces and saw her still leaning there in the doorway, watching him.
After thirty paces he looked back once more, but this time she was gone.
He kept going. Empty taxis came by, but he felt like walking.
No other home to go to. Ben’s own words lingered in his ears as he thought of Le Val. The place he most wanted to be. The place he would soon be returning to. And from now on, nothing, no more intrigues, no more crazy adventures, were going to persuade him to leave there ever again.
As though that were true.
Keep Reading …
Ben Hope returns in a thrilling new book
The Crusader’s Cross
UK readers, click here to pre-order.
US readers, click here to pre-order.
EVIL NEVER RESTS.
The only way for Ben to save himself and his loved ones is to declare war on the forces of evil. But who will win?
UK readers, click here to find out more.
US readers, click here to find out more.
THEY TOOK HIS FRIEND. BIG MISTAKE.
A deadly terror plot. A face from the past. And a race against the clock for Ben Hope to prevent the unthinkable.
UK readers, click here to find out more.
US readers, click here to find out more.
TERROR HAS A NAME …
A deadly terror plot. A race against the clock. Will evil prevail?
UK readers, click here to find out more.
US readers, click here to find out more.
ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE.
The wilds of India. A kidnap victim, a ruthless gang and just one man standing in their way …
UK readers, click here to find out more.
US readers, click here to find out more.
DEEP SOUTH. DEEPER SECRETS.
The courageous act of a slave girl changed the course of the American Civil War.
Now, over 150 years later, could it change the course of Ben Hope’s life?
UK readers, click here to find out more.
US readers, click here to find out more.
About the Author
Scott Mariani is the author of the worldwide-acclaimed action-adventure thriller series featuring ex-SAS hero Ben Hope, which has sold millions of copies in Scott’s native UK alone. His books have been described as ‘James Bond meets Jason Bourne, with a historical twist’. The first Ben Hope book, The Alchemist’s Secret, spent six straight weeks at #1 on Amazon’s Kindle chart, and all the others have been Sunday Times bestsellers.
Scott was born in Scotland, studied in Oxford and now lives and writes in a remote setting in rural west Wales. You can find out more about Scott and his work on his official website: www.scottmariani.com
By the same author:
Ben Hope series
The Alchemist’s Secret
The Mozart Conspiracy
The Doomsday Prophecy
The Heretic’s Treasure
The Shadow Project
The Lost Relic
The Sacred Sword
The Armada Legacy
The Nemesis Program
The Forgotten Holocaust
The Martyr’s Curse
The Cassandra Sanction
Star of Africa
The Devil’s Kingdom
The Babylon Idol
The Bach Manuscript
The Moscow Cipher
The Rebel’s Revenge
Valley of Death
House of War
The Pretender’s Gold
The Demon Club
To find out more visit www.scottmariani.com
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
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